Tattva-viveka
Deity worship for beginners?
Philip Breakenridge - July 31, 2006 10:32 pm
Hari bol,
I've skimmed over the 'Arcana for Beginners' link and I noticed that deity worship is not recommended for those who have not taken second initiation. This presents me with a dilemna of sorts, because I've been worshipping the murti forms of Gaura-Nitai and Lorg Jagannatha for a few months now. I also worship two Krishna murtis I purchased at an Indian grocery store years ago, and a Prabhupada murti as well.
I love serving my deities by dressing Them, chanting before Them, and offering Them my food. Is there any way for a neophyte like myself to worship Them without offense, or should I just be humble, put Them to bed and worship Their pictures instead?
I'll attach a photo of my altar. Perhaps you can tell me if I'm going about things properly. Thank you so much for any feedback you can give me.
p. 
Madangopal - August 1, 2006 12:30 am
Your altar is beautiful Phillip. From what I remember from the "Deity worship for beginners" was that despite the need for second initiation, the processes recommended were for people who needed an introduction. People who like yourself could be guided to do their worship nicely until that point... Maybe I'm wrong, I can't remember.
Bhrigu may respond, as he compiled that worship manual...
Certainly your worship of Gaura-Nitai will not go in vain. You could focus your worship on them as they can be worshipped by anyone, with any amount of facility and with plenty of Maha-mantra. At one point Prabhupada wanted devotees to distribute Gaura Nitai deities cast of hard rubber so that they could enter into the houses of the masses and distribute their mercy. Anyone is qualified to worship them, that is their supreme mercy!
Vamsidhari Dasa - August 1, 2006 4:16 am
Welcome to our group first of all. I think that you altar is beautiful and your eagerness to worship is moving and commendable. I had my Deities for 10years before I was inniatiated and begun to worship Them properly. Thefore, what I am about to say comes form direct experience as well as what I've been told. At the same time I hope that those who are more qualified to speak on this subject will put their thoughts forward.
The most important aspect of worship is that we only have access to the Deity through the Guru who by his grace manifest the Deity out of his heart and thus makes the murti worshipable. It is very important that we recieve that guidance for our worship to be properly manifested and executed. Also it is good to keep in mind that books about worship are manuals and worhip is much more then a technique. The ritual, as GM says, is the intermediate area that through physical execution connects us to the spiritual world.
Respectfully submitted.
Vamsidhari d.
Vrindaranya Dasi - August 1, 2006 3:08 pm
Dandavats Phillip,
I was also charmed by your altar. As far as I understand, Guru Maharaja's policy is that he doesn't recommend that his disciples worship Deities if they do not have second initiation; however, devotees who come to his mission already worshipping Deities should continue worshipping as they have been.
Ys,
Vrindaranya
Bhrigu - August 1, 2006 6:00 pm
Bhrigu may respond, as he compiled that worship manual...
Vrindaranya already wrote what I would have written. I would recommend you to approach Guru Maharaja directly and ask him his opinion. I worshipped Sri Sadbhuja already before first initiation and I feel that I benefitted greatly. There will always be exceptions to the general rules.
And yes, your altar is gorgeous!
Babhru Das - August 4, 2006 10:46 pm
Philip, I want to add my appreciation of your altar's charm to the list here. It's very sweet, and unless you get some different advice from Swami, I encourage you to continue your worship as you have. My older daughter has Deities that someone gave her while she was still in high school (she'll be 30 on Radhastami), and she was so enthusiastic to serve them that I felt it would be worse to discourage her. Although her life's situation has changed several times over the years, she persists in her simple daily service to her Thakurajis and in chanting four rounds of japa each day. I'm stoked about that, although I do hope she'll develop a relationship with someone that entails enough trust for initiation and further guidance. So my experience is that such worship as you're doing can be very helpful.
I think the devotees here appreciate your honesty and sincerity, and it's pretty clear we like your altar!
Philip Breakenridge - August 5, 2006 4:19 am
Thank you all so much for your advice and the compliments on my altar. With Swami's blessing, I've decided to focus my worship on Gaura-Nitai right now. I've put Lord Jagannatha and my Krishna murtis to bed until I'm in a position to worship Them properly.
Attached is a photo of what my altar looks like now.
p. 
Bhrigu - August 5, 2006 8:57 am
Attached is a photo of what my altar looks like now.
That's beautiful!
Shyam Gopal Das - August 5, 2006 10:54 am
That's beautiful!
Not to spoil the compliments here (nothing against your altar Philip), but can we say something else about an altar? Just curious because recently I saw some deities that were quite different than most. and they were less appealing to the material eye. I'm careful not to make offenses here as it is of course not so much the eye with which we see them as the eyes with which they see us. Any thoughts?
Bhrigu - August 5, 2006 11:01 am
Not to spoil the compliments here (nothing against your altar Philip), but can we say something else about an altar?
Well, you can always say nothing or then just "interesting altar, this"!
Shyam Gopal Das - August 5, 2006 4:14 pm
yes but that boils down to my point, is it an offense to think so?
it is not so much what we say to others about the altar, but probably more about what we think of it, or at least our mind tells us. We could have made an offense already by just classifying an altar.
Bhrigu - August 5, 2006 6:00 pm
But does offences in the mind "count"? There are many stories to that effect in the CC (e.g. Madhavendra Puri and Ksira-ksora-gopinatha), but then again we hear that in the age of Kali, sins in dreams and the mind aren't counted. Guru Maharaja also says that we shouldn't be neurotic about offences, that they don't really count if not committed out of malice. So I'm not sure about this. In the least, thinking negatively will affect us subtly, making us more likely to commit offences also verbally. Anyone else?
Rafal Bulawicki - August 7, 2006 8:29 pm
Hello I have quastion in this subject.I have statute Gowinda.I love him and I want serve for him but this is not deity.I have had Govinda from several years.I feel attachment to Him.Hi looks like deity but he does not really like in the temple.My quastion is: Would Krsna manifest to statutes if devote have faith and surrender.I know already quastion.I thing yes because no matter make deity but service devote.I want know about your opinion.What do you think about that.Can I do puja and etc.??Is maybe really deffrence have deity.?
Babhru Das - August 8, 2006 4:02 am
Philip, I just want to mention that I like your altar this way, too. I personally tend to the simple, although things don't always end up that way. I intended our altar to have just my Nitai-Goursundar, Murali-manohara (my shalagram shila), and Krishna and Balarama (my very small Govardhan shilas). Somehow, though, we've been blessed with caring for others' Deities as well. As Swami says, it's their decision, not ours, so my Godbrother Niscintya's Jagannath Deities have been at our home for much of the last four years (he called to check on them a couple of months ago, but didn't ask about sending them to his temple), and our Godsister Aditi has left her Radha-Madhava in our care. So just getting the Lords up in the morning and putting them to rest at night is quite a production.
Your altar is very sweet and very focused now. And I really like the picture of Audarya's Lords.