hare krishna
please accept my humble obeisances
i am in bhaki since 15 years. i have alter with frames. but now a days i am thinking to serve gaur nitai deities. but my spouse is reluctant as both of us are working. and she says we cant serve with the standards. so what are the standards to serve gaur nitai? if there is any manual on deity worship please share.
Replies
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
Very nice to read that you are planning to bring deities to your house. I also understand your wife's concern that she is also working, how to serve Them properly. Just to tell you, I am also working. My Radha Krsna deities came about 7 years ago.
There is a full fledged deity worship manual and ministry in ISKCON.
What I have heard from HG Jananivas Prabhuji in a personal interaction is - keep the standard of worship simple, but consistent. Increase the level of service as and when you are comfortable. Prabhuji said there should be minimum 2 aratis in a day, bhoga offering atleast once a day, abhishek once in 15 days. The timings of mangalarati can be changed. In the temples, it is done at 4.30 am. At home, we can delay and do latest by 5.30 am. Please be consistent whatever you do.
If you have any further queries, or want detailed information on any aspect, please do write back. I will try to answer to the extent possible.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
hare krishna
thank you so much mataji
your words encouraged me
i have many queries like how to wake up deities, how to do abhishek, how to do shringar, how to give them rest, what would be the shlokas while doing all these different sevas....
i haven't seen all the links given over here by isk desire tree but i will watch it as early as possible
simultaneously if i would get manual then it will be good to access it whenever i would stuck at anytime while serving
Hare Krsna Prabhuji,
PAMHO.
I will give you the standard, you can follow as much as comfortable.
To wake up the deities, we blow conch, ring the bell and then open the altar.
To do abhishek, we warm drinking water, use gopi chandan mixed with gulabjal as soap. We keep separate napkins to dry Them and then put on fresh set of clothes and jewellery (need not be new everytime, it may be different from what They were wearing earlier). To do shringar, it depends on your interest level and time constraint. I have learnt looking at how the local ISKCON temple deities are decorated. To the extent possible, I try to replicate the festivals at home for my deities also, keeping in mind services at temple.
For manual, better to approach your local ISKCON temple and ask. They will give you.
For arati, you may be knowing - the order is - 1st Dhoop sticks, then pancha pradeep - 5 wicks ghee lamp, then water in conch, then cloth, then flowers, then chamar and then peacock feather fan. Altar should have guru parampara at the lowest level. You could refer to Beginners Guide To Krsna Consciousness for more details.
I have replied to numerous other posts earlier on this subject. You could search the archives and read them.
Please ask if you have any other query.
Haribol,
Your servant,
Radha Rasamayi DD
sure mataji i will read your older posts regarding this
thanks
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
Here we have some playlists for Deity Worship Seminar
Hope so it will be helpful for you.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhtmKWc6vRTBdg0C3EHMnxtQqC_T...
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhtmKWc6vRTBG4_XU9y8w3mrubct...
hari hari
thank you very much