Hare Krishna Dandwat pranam to all. I want to know who started this worship of Laddu Gopal. Because I don't think any of our Gaudiya acharya nor Sad Goswamis had worshipped Laddu Gopal. Today sadly I see even many Iskcon devotees worshipping this. Even Raghunandan Acharya had worshipped Radha Gopinath not Laddu Gopal. So I want to know where all this worship of Laddu Gopal started in our vaisnava history and if this is recommended by acharyas and scriptures.
I heard this was recommended by Vallav sampraday but that too was because people don't misinterpret Radha Krishna as ordinary boy girl and gradually develop to the stage of worshipping Radha Krishna. But now a days I see this sentimentally followed even by our sampradaya devotees. Even Iskcon temples even mayapur selling paraphernalia for Laddu Gopal and devotees insisting to keep even Bal Radha with Bal Krishna. Has Srila Prabhupada ever recommended this? I don't know what are all these going on.
Kindly forgive me if any offences. But I wanted to know the exact mood of our vaisnava acharyas and proper worship procedure according to parampara. Because we know our sentiments should always be backed by scriptural recommendation and acharyas. Please help if anyone can clarify me on these things properly.
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Hare Krsna
not the only prominent deities installed by Srila Prabhupada
Question is/was never about prominence. Question was whether vaishnava acaryas would consider it as bonafide or not. As you state in the last statement above.
Except the first one I dont think there were any other deities installed by Srila Prabhupada himself
So was installing Sita Rama deities going agianst the mood of Gaudiya Parampara ?
which cannot be generalized
Please provide specific referece from any acarya that Worship of certain deties are for specifc situations and should not generalized.
We cannot go on giving weired logics to support our sentiments.
Forget logic and sentiment, What is weird is that someone is sad to see Gopala is worshipped.
We are discussing here on whether Laddu Gopal is a bonafide deity recommended by acharyas.
Provide any reference that it is not bonafide. Not your sentiments of sadness or weirdness.
Hare Krsna
Note none of the references are specific about Laddu Gopala, but they are applicable to Sri Laddu Gopala as well.
So who are we to justify that this applies to laddu gopal as well? - Does Laddu Gopal appear in any of the 24 incarnations? Why Dont they keep Vaman Avatar and consider him as their son? There is nothing wrong in that. And also note we are not against worship of any recommended incarnation forms of lord. So all that you mentioned being worshipped are authentic incarnations.
Maybe - But why not follow the acharyas and why are we eager to manufacture our own process by speculation? Cant we leave aside our sentiments and cultivate the mood given by acharyas?
And regarding your question "Is there any specific instruction prohibiting worship of laddu Gopala or another deity by any past Gaudiya vaishnava acarya ?" - There is neither any specific instruction prohibiting worship of laddu Gopala nor there is any specific instruction recommending worship of laddu Gopala. So just because there is no specific instruction prohibiting worship of laddu Gopala we cannot manufacture our own process. Just as Krishna didn't give any specific instruction to Arjuna to not eat meat doesnt mean we will start eating meat. Hope you are understanding my point. I have nothing to say beyond this.
Lastly I feel I am not that qualified to reach the stage of the mood of these devotees. Kindly pray for me so that some day I can reach the stage of having love for lord and can understand the mood of the associates of lord.
Hare Krishna
Hare Krsna
Does Laddu Gopal appear in any of the 24 incarnations?
ekonaviṁśe viṁśatime
vṛṣṇiṣu prāpya janmanī
rāma-kṛṣṇāv iti bhuvo
bhagavān aharad bharam
In the nineteenth and twentieth incarnations, the Lord advented Himself as Lord Balarāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa in the family of Vṛṣṇi [the Yadu dynasty], and by so doing He removed the burden of the world.(SB 1.3.23)
Why Dont they keep Vaman Avatar and consider him as their son?
This question can be asked to those whom u feel sad about.
And also note we are not against worship of any recommended incarnation forms of lord.
You clearly are. You cannot see Gopala as Krsna.
But why not follow the acharyas and why are we eager to manufacture our own process by speculation?
Performing worship of Laddu Gopala is one of the nine process of devotional service recommended by vaishnava acaryas and bhakti scriptures.
This is not manufactured process.
There is neither any specific instruction prohibiting worship of laddu Gopala nor there is any specific instruction recommending worship of laddu Gopala.
Deity worship is recommended by all vaishnava sampradayas. Worship of laddu Gopala happens in many bonafide temples, in multiple vaishnava sampradayas.
Just as Krishna didn't give any specific instruction to Arjuna to not eat meat doesnt mean we will start eating meat. Hope you are understanding my point. I have nothing to say beyond this.
Please study Bhagavad Gita before saying such things. Please ask someone why they worship Laddu Goapala before being sad or calling it manufactured process. Please understand philosophy before commenting on mood of acarya. Please understand who is Gopala before questioning about which incarnation.
I feel I am not that qualified to reach the stage of the mood of these devotees
Agree, but our acaryas have given a very simple detailed and bonafide process to attain highest stages of bhakti. If someone does not commit offences and folllows the path given by vaishnava acaryas one will be able appreciate it.
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna Prabhuji,
No need for someone to take it so personal. I agree those are all personal associates of lord its only for the world to recognize your devotion. We don't want to get authorization from the world to prove our devotion or whether we accept some form or not or whether we understand the mood of acharyas or not. I would humbly state that its not an offence to ask questions and if someone is feeling so offended then no need to answer. Please pray for me as you feel I am so unqualified and I also feel so. By devotees blessings only can I reach the highest stage of devotion. This is my only hope.
Hare Krsna
So is Laddu Goapala deity authentic ? Is worship of Laddu Goapala bonafide ?
Hare Krsna
Hare Krishna Mataji,
Tough I am not a regular visitor of IDT. I just occasionally visit this site, recently my visit to Mayapur triggered this thought and I decided to get some clarifications on this topic therefore I posted here. My only concern was the authenticity of this form of lord being worshipped.
I am very sorry that some devotees have hurt your feelings in the past and I feel sad for that. I would like to inform you that this is never the teachings of Srila Prabhupada nor the teaching of any Vaisnava acharyas. Personally I don't see any difference between any Sampradaya. You belong to Sri Sampradaya which is an authentic lineage and there are so many great acharyas who have followed. Our fight shouldn't be with those who are following Sampradaya but those who are not following any Sampradaya. There are many who are famous in social media now a days posing themselves as acharyas. So whoever has said this to you is not proper.
We all are following Sampradaya means we are not practicing anything whimcically rather there are teachings of great acharyas which we are following. As I said Sampradaya has no meaning without ther teachings. You are also a part of a glorious lineage followed by great acharya Ramanujacharya.
Yes you are right regarding following Vidhi Marga therefore our sadhana is also process of Vaidhi Bhakti where are so many rules and regultions. And regarding Vaikuntha it is also a part of spiritual world so anyone who goes to Vaikuntha also doesnt return to the material world as he has developed a relationship with the lord in a specific form and mood. Srila Prabhupada has also said our temples are all Vaikuntha in this material world and we also worship deities in temple with awe and reverence. Therefore even if our goal is Golaka Prabhupada has not set a standard to worship deity of lord in temple with a mood of Gopi but with opluence as Lakshmi Narayan in Vaikuntha. So Radha Krishna is non other than Lakshmi Narayan.
Also Prabhupada mentions in his Purport to Brahma Samhita (Text - 5) - Salvation as of Vaikuṇṭha, and piety, wealth and passion pertaining to worldly people, are in the proper places in Gokula as their original seed, i.e., primary cause. ( I would request you to read those purports.)
Srila Prabhupada answers in one of his lectures - Vaikuntha means place where there is no suffering. If you are having Love for Krishna then you are already in Vaikuntha Consciousness. So no need to worry. Therefore we first cultivate Dasya Bhav which is the primary rasa across all the spiritual universes.
Brihad Bhagavatam - 2.4.151 : Almighty personality of Godhead is present in Vaikuntha as Narayana seated in his excellent places on the best of his thrones, but to all his surrenderd devotees he displays whatever aspects of himself they love with special affection.
Even the queens of Dwarika love Krishna so there is no question of not loving Krishna if you belong to other Sampradaya. Anyone who is saying such has not understood the teachings properly.
Hmm. Thank you for sharing this.
Hare Krishna
This post by Gayatri ji raises serious issues of discrimination. We should all remember Yogi Adityanath message that ""Batoge To Katoge"". Thanks
Hare Krishna 🙏
You both Bharat Prabhu and Parthasarathi Kar prabhu are both great because you belong to Gaudiya Sampradya.
I got initiated into Sri Sampradaya and I love Krishna and Radha . I read only SP ji' books as I couldn't even read Tamil literature and sanskrit texts of Sri Sampradaya.
I accept all forms of Krishna as God. ( Narayana, 10 avatars, laddu gopal, Yugal kishor avatar, Radha, Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu Jagannatha.. Dwarika deesha). I don't have bedh bhaav in any form of Lord.
Long time in history there was Shiva Keshav bedh bhaav. When I joined IDt this website.. devotees said you belong to Sri Sampradaya why are you here. You will never get Goloka, go away...your God is Vishnu and not Krishna, Vishnu is different than Krishna.. You are dasya mood. We are lover mood of Krishna. ..
. I felt like I am something low caste like when they said so. They made me literally feel Krishna is their own and no one can get Krishna prem other than those beloinging Gaudiya sampradaya. ( I almost felt like little Dhruva who was thrown away by his step mother that if you want to sit in the lap of your father you must be born to me and not your mother). They made me feel low that I got iniitiated in Sri .. ( but I was born into that sect and I got initiated without my knowledge when I was very young). There was bedh bhaav between Krishna and Vishnu that time.
Now devotees fighting between Krishna's baal gopal form and Krishna kishor avastha form.
Ek hi bhagwan hai. Unke hi saare roop hai. Ram, Krishna, vaman , Narsing, or Baal gopal or Yovvan gopal...
Itna tho bedh bhaav mat karo ki EK hi bhagwan ke roopon ka khandan karo.
We had fights here against a Mayavaadi who didn't accept deity form of Lord
Now the fight is against Baal roop and Kumar roop of the same Lord Sri Krishna???
Such is the kaliyuga what to do.
Atleast the baal roop of Lord is acceptable, these days people are equating Krishna to Jesus Christ.
I don't understand how Jesus is a pure vaishnava and baal gopal worship is condemned.
You are both are proud Gaudiya followers. I am not even a Gaudiya.. I cannot even Love Krishna.
Thank you. We are proud to be Gaudiya follower of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and great lineage that follows.
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