Hare Krsna!
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All Glories to Srila Prabhupada!
1-Do we have to keep elephants on the altar? What is the reason of this?
2-While doing samanya arghya water in acamana cup, should there be spoon in it? With which spoon
we will sprinkle water on it while saying om astraya pat. After that, before calling the rivers do we put the spoon near or inside the cup?
3-While calling the rivers (samanya arghya), in the beginning do we sprinkle water to our hands from the same cup that we gonna call the holy rivers?
4-Which is guru mula mantra to recite while offering the paraphernalia to the deities. What if we don't have a guru yet? Which mantra we can recite?
Thank you,
Your aspiring servant,
Replies
Hare Krishna Mutlu Inci Mataji, please accept my humble obeisances! All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
1. To see elephants is auspicious because of that we can keep them on our Altar with noses to the side of Deities. It is for Their pleasure. We can also put cows, peacocks, monkeys, birds...in order to create Vrindavan mood for Them and for us also.
2. Usually when we want to call the rivers we can wash our hand with another water may be from crane or something like that. Then with the spoon we do achaman to our hands, mouth, and other places.
...
Please look to the next link, seems many things are already there here on IDT
http://www.iskcondesiretree.net/page/deity-worship
Your servant,
AGTSP! if you dont have guru ,then mula mantra to Bhaktivedanta swami Srla Prabhupada