THE PREPARATIONS:RISING EARLY:The brahma-muhurta is generally accepted as the most auspicious time of the day to perform spiritual practices. During this time of day the world is peaceful and the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance are less thus enabling us to focus more on our spiritual practices. The brahma-muhurta begins approximately one and a half hours before sunrise.Although this may be difficult for some devotees, due to pressures of work etc., rising early and regulation are beneficial for the development of spiritual life. If you cannot rise this early it is still good to rise as early as possible and at the same time everyday.In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says,yuktahara-viharasya yukta-cestasya karmasu yukta-svapnavabodhasya yogo bhavati duhkha-haHe who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.Leading a regulated life helps us to overcome the influence of the modes of material nature and thus be situated in a position more conducive to developing transcendental consciousness.Chant Hare Krsna or Remembering KrsnaWhen you waken in the morning you should chant the name of the Lord. This helps to clear the consciousness of the influences of sleep or any bad dreams you may have experienced during the night. You can chant the names of the deities you are worshiping or the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. In the purport to Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 24.331 Srila Prabhupada says,“Concerning pratah-smrti, remembrance of the Lord in the morning, in the early morning hours (known as brahma-muhurta) one should get up and immediately chant the Hare Krsna mantra, or at least ‘Krsna, Krsna, Krsna’. In this way, one should remember Krsna. Some slokas or prayers should also be chanted.By chanting, one immediately becomes auspicious and transcendental to the infection of material qualities. Actually one has to chant and remember Lord Krsna twenty-four hours daily, or as much as possible:smartavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarahKrsna is the origin of Lord Visnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the sastras should be the servants of these two principles. [Padma Purana, from the portion called Brhat-sahasra-nama-stotra.]Evacuating, Rinsing Mouth, Brushing Teeth and Bathing“You should describe how in the morning one should regularly brush his teeth, take his bath, the word pratah-krtya in the present verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta means that one should evacuate regularly in the morning and then cleanse himself by taking a bath.One has to gargle (acamana) and brush his teeth (danta-dhavana). He should do this either with twigs or a toothbrush – whatever is available. This will purify the mouth.Then one should take his bath. Actually householders and vanaprasthas should bathe two times a day (pratar-madhyahnayoh snanam vanaprastha-grhasthayoh). A sannyasi should bathe three times daily, and a brahmacari may take only one bath a day. Whenever one is not able to bathe in water, he can bathe by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.After waking, evacuating, and appropriate cleansing, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue and then take bath. Without taking bath one remains impure and cannot perform deity worship. Everything you touch before bathing becomes as impure as your body is.Morning bath is compulsory for all, except those who are ill. In Vedic culture bathing is considered a sacred act to be accompanied by meditation on the Lord and recitation of prayers.Rules for bathingDo not bathe naked. Wear a kaupina. This shows respect to the personality of the water and shows that one recognizes bathing to be a sacred act. One should be particularly careful to observe this injunction when bathing in a river or other public place.Grhasthas should bathe wearing two cloths. (Besides a kaupina, they wear a second cloth (gamcha), usually tied around the waist.) Brahmacaris and sannyasis should wear at least a kaupina when bathing.Do not take unnecessary baths. Three times a day plus after any occasion of impurity is sufficient.Do not bathe in impure water.If you must evacuate, do so before bathing. Otherwise you will be like the elephant who completes his bath by throwing dust on his body.After bathing, do not shake your hair to dry it and do not shake water from your cloth or legs.Do not rub oil on your body after bathing. (Oil on the body is considered impure, and thus if you require it you should apply it before taking a water bath.)Wring out your bathing cloth and then dry your body with a separate, dry cloth; wiping yourself with your bathing cloth will contaminate you again. However, if you wash and wring out your bathing cloth before drying yourself off with it, you will not become impure.After bathing, dry your body with a clean cloth; do not wipe your body with your hands, a dirty cloth, or the edge of the damp cloth you are wearing. The cloth used for drying should be washed after every use.
THE PREPARATIONS:RISING EARLY:The brahma-muhurta is generally accepted as the most auspicious time of the day to perform spiritual practices. During this time of day the world is peaceful and the influence of the modes of passion and ignorance are less thus enabling us to focus more on our spiritual practices. The brahma-muhurta begins approximately one and a half hours before sunrise.Although this may be difficult for some devotees, due to pressures of work etc., rising early and regulation are beneficial for the development of spiritual life. If you cannot rise this early it is still good to rise as early as possible and at the same time everyday.In the Bhagavad-gita Lord Krsna says,yuktahara-viharasya yukta-cestasya karmasu yukta-svapnavabodhasya yogo bhavati duhkha-haHe who is regulated in his habits of eating, sleeping, recreation and work can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.Leading a regulated life helps us to overcome the influence of the modes of material nature and thus be situated in a position more conducive to developing transcendental consciousness.Chant Hare Krsna or Remembering KrsnaWhen you waken in the morning you should chant the name of the Lord. This helps to clear the consciousness of the influences of sleep or any bad dreams you may have experienced during the night. You can chant the names of the deities you are worshiping or the Hare Krsna maha-mantra. In the purport to Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya 24.331 Srila Prabhupada says,“Concerning pratah-smrti, remembrance of the Lord in the morning, in the early morning hours (known as brahma-muhurta) one should get up and immediately chant the Hare Krsna mantra, or at least ‘Krsna, Krsna, Krsna’. In this way, one should remember Krsna. Some slokas or prayers should also be chanted.By chanting, one immediately becomes auspicious and transcendental to the infection of material qualities. Actually one has to chant and remember Lord Krsna twenty-four hours daily, or as much as possible:smartavyah satatam visnur vismartavyo na jatucit sarve vidhi-nisedhah syur etayor eva kinkarahKrsna is the origin of Lord Visnu. He should always be remembered and never forgotten at any time. All the rules and prohibitions mentioned in the sastras should be the servants of these two principles. [Padma Purana, from the portion called Brhat-sahasra-nama-stotra.]Evacuating, Rinsing Mouth, Brushing Teeth and Bathing“You should describe how in the morning one should regularly brush his teeth, take his bath, the word pratah-krtya in the present verse of the Caitanya-caritamrta means that one should evacuate regularly in the morning and then cleanse himself by taking a bath.One has to gargle (acamana) and brush his teeth (danta-dhavana). He should do this either with twigs or a toothbrush – whatever is available. This will purify the mouth.Then one should take his bath. Actually householders and vanaprasthas should bathe two times a day (pratar-madhyahnayoh snanam vanaprastha-grhasthayoh). A sannyasi should bathe three times daily, and a brahmacari may take only one bath a day. Whenever one is not able to bathe in water, he can bathe by chanting the Hare Krsna mantra.After waking, evacuating, and appropriate cleansing, brush your teeth, scrape your tongue and then take bath. Without taking bath one remains impure and cannot perform deity worship. Everything you touch before bathing becomes as impure as your body is.Morning bath is compulsory for all, except those who are ill. In Vedic culture bathing is considered a sacred act to be accompanied by meditation on the Lord and recitation of prayers.Rules for bathingDo not bathe naked. Wear a kaupina. This shows respect to the personality of the water and shows that one recognizes bathing to be a sacred act. One should be particularly careful to observe this injunction when bathing in a river or other public place.Grhasthas should bathe wearing two cloths. (Besides a kaupina, they wear a second cloth (gamcha), usually tied around the waist.) Brahmacaris and sannyasis should wear at least a kaupina when bathing.Do not take unnecessary baths. Three times a day plus after any occasion of impurity is sufficient.Do not bathe in impure water.If you must evacuate, do so before bathing. Otherwise you will be like the elephant who completes his bath by throwing dust on his body.After bathing, do not shake your hair to dry it and do not shake water from your cloth or legs.Do not rub oil on your body after bathing. (Oil on the body is considered impure, and thus if you require it you should apply it before taking a water bath.)Wring out your bathing cloth and then dry your body with a separate, dry cloth; wiping yourself with your bathing cloth will contaminate you again. However, if you wash and wring out your bathing cloth before drying yourself off with it, you will not become impure.After bathing, dry your body with a clean cloth; do not wipe your body with your hands, a dirty cloth, or the edge of the damp cloth you are wearing. The cloth used for drying should be washed after every use.
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----Do not rub oil on your body after bathing. (Oil on the body is considered impure, and thus if you require it you should apply it before taking a water bath.)----
Hare Krishna dear Mataji!
does it apply to anti dryness face cream also?
Dear Mataji Maral,
Please accept my humble obeisances.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I heard that the reason why oil is considered impure is because the part of oil that does not soak into the skin will collect dirt. So I guess if the cream soaks into the skin completely and does not leave it greasy, then it could be used, if neccessary. Just maybe we should avoid cream with strong fragrance when worshiping Deities.
Your servant,
Madhavi-lata d.d.
The importance of Deity Worship.
From the Srila Prabhupada Uvaca by HG Srutakirti Dasa.
Touching down in Mexico City proved to be an extraordinary experience today. Srila Prabhupada, a transcendental emissary from Goloka Vrindavan was greeted with honor by his devotees here. Srila Prabhupada by-passed all the ordinary mundane customs check points and airport facilities and walked directly from the plane to a waiting limousine. Then to top it off the devotees also arranged a police escort to accompany Srila Prabhupada's vehicle through the city as it went directly to the temple. This was an extremely pleasant change from our normal grueling airport experience. We were accustomed to being treated with suspicion like potential criminals as we went through customs at other international airports.
On the drive to the temple Srila Prabhupada expressed his appreciation for the VIP treatment. Eager to continue please His Divine Grace, Hrdayananda Maharaja took this opportunity to report to Srila Prabhupada about all the exciting service the Spanish BBT had accomplished. Many books were being translated and distributed in the Spanish language. Srila Prabhupada was delighted to hear that the glories of the Lord were being spread.
When he arrived at the temple Srila Prabhupada took darshan of Their Lordships and later asked for the Deity maha. This was Srila Prabhupada's standard practice as he travelled from temple to temple. He always took personal interest to see how the Deities were being worshipped. It was as if Srila Prabhupada was Krsna's transcendental inspector making sure the Deity worship was being maintained nicely by his children.
After sampling some of the maha prasadam Srila Prabhupada said, "This prasadam is horrible. The Deity worship here is not up to standard. It is important to worship the Deities very nicely." Srila Prabhupada again stressed, "It is as important to perform first class Deity worship as it is to distribute books." I was shocked! I had never heard Srila Prabhupada criticise the Deity worship anywhere before. My heart went out to the devotees doing the cooking, but I knew it was their turn to get some merciful instruction. This would be something they would never forget.
I speculated about Srila Prabhupada's relationship with the Deities. Being of mundane vision, I saw the beautiful forms of the Lord, but couldn't recognise the innate principle of reciprocal interaction (lila). Sometimes, I tried to imagine what it might be like to take darshan of the Deities and see Krsna as Srila Prabhupada undoubtedly did. Srila Prabhupada emphasised that we must understand that Krsna is non-different from His form in the temple room. He kindly reminded us again and again, "Krsna is here in His Arca Vigraha form." During this visit His Divine Grace let everyone know that it was imperative to perform first class Deity worship along with book distribution. After all, the purpose of all of Srila Prabhupada's books was to understand that Krsna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and we are His servants. Deity worship is the application of the principles delineated in Srila Prabhupada's books. When it was time for Srila Prabhupada to leave Mexico City for Caracas the devotees arranged the same police escort to the airport hoping to alleviate the usual red tape caused by international travel. It didn't work out very well. When Srila Prabhupada arrived at the airport in the car there was a delay before he could board the plane. He had to stay in the car for almost one hour. While sitting there he said, "It would have been better waiting in the lounge. I am having to wait in the car." It was an uneasy time for all of us present realising that Srila Prabhupada did not have the opportunity for his disciples to see him off.
Srila Prabhupada transcendentally reciprocated with his many disciples at airports all over the world. For some devotees this constituted a large part of their personal association. Srila Prabhupada felt great separation from his disciples while being denied this pleasure. He understood a great opportunity to enliven us was being missed. I felt uneasy about Srila Prabhupada's displeasure. When Srila Prabhupada arrived at the temple in Caracas, Venezuela it was like an instant replay of his arriving in Mexico City. He took darshan of the Deities and later in his room sampled the maha prasadam. Again Srila Prabhupada said, "These puris are terrible, the vegetable is horrible. This prasadam is not good. Deity worship must be first class. You must worship the Deity very nicely!" Again I was surprised as this was so unusual for Srila Prabhupada to reprimand his disciples saying they must improve the Deity worship. Either way, Srila Prabhupada very kindly encouraged his pious young disciples so that they could make advancement on the spiritual path.
It was never that Srila Prabhupada was upset with us and we were doomed. He would stress the importance of performing our service with care and attention. This is the example that our beloved Spiritual Master gave us. Everything Srila Prabhupada did was with the utmost of attention and devotion to the Lord. Srila Prabhupada enjoyed his stay very much in this part of the world and was impressed with the sincerity of the devotees. I also enjoyed being at the Caracas temple since I lived there for a few months when I first left Srila Prabhupada's personal service in January of 1974. I knew most of the devotees well and it was like going home for me.
Srila Prabhupada, you have created a large family of Vaisnavas. You are the munificent father and grandfather of tens of thousands of devotees of Lord Krsna. You have very kindly made it possible for your followers to go anywhere in the world, take darshan of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and enjoy the association of friends and family. This is one of the great fringe benefits of being a member of your Iskcon Society. Please allow this prodigal son to remain within your family, always. You instructed us that "Book Distribution and Deity Worship" must go side by side. Your books inspire and give us knowledge to serve Krsna. Deity worship gives us the practice. Their Lordships are the original root source of this Vaisnava family, without Them we are all lost. Your books are like attractive cordial invitations to please come and personally serve the Deity. Our duty is to remind who so ever we meet that we are all servants of the Lord. Lord Krsna's Deity worship takes place at your temples around the world. Your books invite everyone, "Please, you come and serve the Lord." Deity worship is the zenith of loving service. Your books give us the knowledge to come to this platform. You are calling us all "Back to Godhead." February 11, 1975; Mexico City, Mexico.
Darshan and the Significance of Deity Worship by By Stephen Knapp.
Deities, called murtis in Sanskrit, are an important part of Vedic temples and the Vedic tradition, but what is the significance of Deities and Deity worship? One thing to understand is that all the images of the Deities in the Vedic pantheon, as found in the temples, are made according to explicit details and instructions found in the Vedic texts calledShilpa Shastras. From these instructions we find the means to portray the proper stance, hand gestures, and other factors in the image of the Deity. In this way, Deities are not formed according to whim but in compliance to the scriptural regulations. Then they are installed in the temple in an elaborate ceremony known as Prana-pratishta, wherein the divine personalities are called to appear in the form of the Deity. Some of the Deities are demigods, while others, such as Krishna, Vishnu, Ramachandra, are of the Supreme Being.
Some people, however, do not believe that God has a form. But many verses in the Puranas and, particularly, the Brahma-samhita establish that the Supreme Being does have a specific form. These texts also describe His variegated features, which include His spiritual shape, characteristics, beauty, strength, intelligence, activities, etc. Therefore, it is considered that the authorized Deities of the Supreme that are shaped according to these descriptions provide a view of the personal form of God.
Those who have no knowledge of God or His form will certainly consider the temple Deities as idols. But this is the effect of their foolishness. They think that the Deities are simply the products of someone’s imagination. Of course, there are those who say that God has no form, spiritual or material, or that there is no Supreme Being. Others think that since God must be formless, they can imagine or worship any material form as God, or they regard any image as merely an external manifestation of the Supreme. But images of the demigods are not additional forms or representations of an impersonal God, nor are they equal to God. All such people who think in the above mentioned ways have resorted to their own imagination to reach such conclusions and are, therefore, idolaters. The imaginary images and opinions of God that are formed by those who have not properly learned about, seen, or realized God are indeed idols, and those who accept such images or opinions are certainly idolaters. This is because these images or opinions are based on ignorance and are not a likeness of His form.
Nonetheless, God is described in the Vedic literature, which explains that God is sat-chit-ananda vigraha, or the form of complete spiritual essence, full of eternity, knowledge, and bliss, and is not material in any way. His body, soul, form, qualities, names, pastimes, etc., are all nondifferent and are of the same spiritual quality. This form of God is not an idol designed from someone’s imagination, but is the true form, even if He should descend into this material creation. And since the spiritual nature of God is absolute, He is nondifferent from His name. Thus, the name Krishna is an avatara or incarnation of Krishna in the form of sound. Similarly, His form in the temple is not merely a representation, but is also qualitatively the same as Krishna as the archa-vigraha, or the worshipable form.
Some people may question that if the Deity is made from material elements, such as stone, marble, metal, wood, or paint, how can it be the spiritual form of God? The answer is given that since God is the source of all material and spiritual energies, material elements are also a form of God. Therefore, God can manifest as the Deity in the temple, though made of stone or other elements, since He can transform what is spiritual into material energy, and material energy back into spiritual energy. Thus, the Deity can easily be accepted as the Supreme since He can appear in any element as He chooses, whether it be stone, marble, wood, gold, silver, or paint on canvas. In this way, even though we may be unqualified to see God, who is beyond the perceptibility of our material senses, the living beings in this material creation are allowed to see and approach the Supreme through Hisarcha-vigraha form as the worshipable Deity in the temple. This is considered His causeless mercy on the materially conditioned living beings that He would allow Himself to appear to humanity as a Deity to accept our worship and service.
In this manner, the Supreme Being gives Himself to His devotees so they can become absorbed in serving, remembering and meditating on Him. Thus, the Supreme comes to dwell in the temple to accept our worship and attract the eyes to concentrate and meditate on the Deity, and the temple becomes the spiritual abode on earth. In time, the body, mind and senses of the devotee become spiritualized by serving the Deity, and the Supreme becomes fully manifest to him or her. Worshiping the Deity of the Supreme and using one’s senses in the process of bhakti-yoga, devotional service to the Supreme, provides a means for one’s true essential spiritual nature to unfold. The devotee becomes spiritually realized and the Deity reveals His spiritual nature to the sincere souls according to their evolutionary spiritual development. This can continue to the level in which the Supreme Being in the form of the Deity engages in a personal relationship and performs reciprocal, loving pastimes with the devotee, as has previously taken place with other advanced individuals.
At this stage, darshan is not simply a matter of viewing the Deity in the temple, but to one who is spiritually realized it is a matter of experiencing the Deity and entering into a personal, reciprocal exchange with the Supreme Personality in the form of the Deity. At that stage, you may view the Deity, but the Deity also gazes at you, and then there is a spiritual exchange wherein the Deity begins to reveal His personality to you. This is what separates those who are experienced from those who are not, or those who can delve into this spiritual exchange and those who may still be trying to figure it out. For those who have experienced such an exchange with the Supreme or His Deity, at this stage the worship of the Supreme Being in the Deity moves up to a whole different level, with no limits as to the spiritual love that can be shared between the devotee and the Deity.