Tattva-viveka
Deities
Gopananda Das - August 7, 2009 9:34 am
Hare Krishna.
I would like to know when one can have deities at home?
Diksa? Harinama?
It would be nice to know more about it all, and what deities are ok?
Haribol.
Tadiya Dasi - August 9, 2009 9:44 am
Hare Krishna Gopananda,
Generally, it is mantra diksa that opens the doors to arcana (deity-worship), but of course there are exceptions. It's always advisable to approach one's guru in matters like this. After all, it is the devotee who teaches one how to see the Deity, gives one the eyes to see so-to-speak (eyes of love), and such a devotee will also be able to tell one what kind of Deity one should serve and worship.
I know there is a deity-worship manual somewhere here for downloading (maybe someone can give a link), if you are interested in learning more about it. Having a Deity is a big responsibility, almost like having a baby to care (such is Krishna's mercy, he gives himself to our hands like a baby, it's pretty amazing if you think about it 
).
That said, I understand your enthusiasm - I, too, was always attracted to Deity worship. It was one of the things that I took notice when I first started to go to the temple and I found it absolutely fascinating (still do!).
Madan Gopal Das - August 9, 2009 10:21 pm
I know there is a deity-worship manual somewhere here for downloading
Gaura-Vijaya Das - August 30, 2009 5:55 pm
I have found this interesting debate in a sri vaisnava forum about the origin of nose rings in deities of south India.
"Another interesting information is that the practice
of wearing nose ring (mookkuthi) was not in vogue
until Muslim invasion. The old sculptures of women
orof women deities in temples in Tamil nadu do not
pose a nose ring. No jewel indicating a nose ring had
existed in ancient tamil works. Kamban's Sita did not
wear a nose ring. kamban speaks elaborately about all
the jewelery that Sita wore at the time of her
wedding. But nowhere there is a mention of nose ring.
It is same in VAlmiki
RAmayana also."
Similarly this site talks of introduction of nose rings through Islamic invasion and how earlier deities and sculptures across India did not have any nose rings.
http://www.indianchild.com/fashion/nose_rings.htm
I see that heads of deities in north are covered and have nose rings etc and these things don't have a vedic origin. Similarly south indian deities are dressed in their own local cultural manner( that itself is so flexible).
To me it is confusing to know the accuracy of the paintings depicting the spiritual world with their details. Are these details really important? These details seem to be a function of local circumstances outside of Vedic origin rather than of transcendental origins( nose rings, covering head etc). But then there is a saying that the exact Gaudiya dhoti is the dress of the spiritual world? I can't come to terms with these things. Any help will be appreciated.
Syamasundara - August 31, 2009 11:11 am
Too bad, nose rings are so cool...
When did the Muslims ever get to South India anyway? Shouldn't the deities wear crucifixes instead?
I am still trying to get over the fact that halava is from the Persians, as well as henna tattoos, and that gulab jamuns, rasgullas, sandesh etc are all at most 200 years old :S
Let alone matar panir and all those dishes that we are so familiar and in love with, but contain vegetables that were unknown before the discovery of America (chillies, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, etc).
Nitaisundara Das - August 31, 2009 10:49 pm
Too bad, nose rings are so cool...
When did the Muslims ever get to South India anyway? Shouldn't the deities wear crucifixes instead?
I am still trying to get over the fact that halava is from the Persians, as well as henna tattoos, and that gulab jamuns, rasgullas, sandesh etc are all at most 200 years old :S
Let alone matar panir and all those dishes that we are so familiar and in love with, but contain vegetables that were unknown before the discovery of America (chillies, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, etc).
What is this blashpemy?! Somebody purify this place with ganga jal.
Prahlad Das - September 1, 2009 1:57 pm
Too funny Nitai!!! Muslims were in South India for quite some time. Just in Sri Rangapatana, the Tippu Sultan has his mausoleum not more than 10 blocks away from the temple of Ranganatha. He was known for being able to encourage harmony among the different religious factions.
There is discussion also, that, originally, Krsna is a "Dravidian" Divinity, and became adopted by the "Aryans". This is because of His owning of both a conch and a buffalo horn for signaling.
So, the discussion ranges through time.
It is my understanding that there isn't necessarily an exact duplicate of what is in the spiritual world here on earth. For instance, while we may see a nose ring here, there exists there a possibility for service as being an ornament of appreciable beautification.
Syamasundara - September 2, 2009 1:37 am
There is discussion also, that, originally, Krsna is a "Dravidian" Divinity, and became adopted by the "Aryans". This is because of His owning of both a conch and a buffalo horn for signaling.
What? A buffalo in Vrndavana for herding and a conch in Dvaraka for war, what's the big deal?
It's like saying that Krsna could be a deity of Western origin because the Radha-Krsna gannoddesa dipika says he has a pet dog, and we know what the Vedas say about dogs. :Just Kidding:
Prahlad Das - September 2, 2009 4:58 am
What? A buffalo in Vrndavana for herding and a conch in Dvaraka for war, what's the big deal?
It's like saying that Krsna could be a deity of Western origin because the Radha-Krsna gannoddesa dipika says he has a pet dog, and we know what the Vedas say about dogs. :Just Kidding:
Yup. Still, these are issues historians ponder over. You could call it over-analyzing. Still, as Gaura Vijaya Prabhu said, the Sri Vaishnava's are re-investigating historical accuracies.
On the same note, I understand Radha Raman Mandir only serves preparations with native varieties, excluding eggplant, green chili etc... from their offering menus.
Prahlad Das - September 2, 2009 5:02 am
Yup. Still, these are issues historians ponder over. You could call it over-analyzing. Still, as Gaura Vijaya Prabhu said, the Sri Vaishnava's are re-investigating historical accuracies.
On the same note, I understand Radha Raman Mandir only serves preparations with native varieties, excluding eggplant, green chili etc... from their offering menus.
From the latest Krsna Talk; an excerpt of a lecture by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati...
"Songs about Sri Radha-Govinda and mundane talks (gramya-varta) are not the same thing. Songs about Nagna-ryama (naked Kali), folksongs about rani, Satya-Narayana, Ghetu-devi, Makala-devi, Candi, Manasa-devi, songs about village gods etc, topics about worldly auspiciousness and inauspiciousness, sense-enjoyment or the dry renunciation of enjoyment are all considered to be mundane talks. And who engages in useless talks the most? The archeologists, epigraphists etc."