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Digest 395, February 9th, 2013. Answers by His Holiness Romapada Swami
Maharaja
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Deity Dressing
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777) Recently during the Christmas holidays, it was noted that certain
temples under ISKCON management were dressing the Deities with the outfits
of father Christmas and so the question is if it is bona fide to do this.
This kind of dressing didn't happen when His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada
started the movement and the Nectar of Devotion and Deityworship.com manual
outlines many important details on how deity dressing and deity worship
is to be done. So is this new dress for Deities something that the headquarters
in Mayapur approved? Of course Sri Sri Radha Krishna will accept if a paraphernalia
is offered with love and devotion to them. But a practitioner is to offer
the best to Krishna. There are many imaginary characters (which in some
ways may be similar to father Christmas) but I don't see a need to dress
Sri Sri Radha Krishna in the dress of such characters. Since everything
about Krishna (what He eats, how He dresses, etc.) is given in the scriptures,
then being conscious of Krishna in the way he has stated in the scriptures
would be ideal, rather than doing something differently. Please guide me
if my thoughts is a result of my lack of the depth of understanding of
our Vaisnava philosophy.
Answer: (written by a member of the Deity Worship Ministry)
The ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry does not condone ISKCON temple deities
being dressed in a non-traditional fashion. While we are aware of and have
addressed incidents in the past where ISKCON temples have performed non-traditional
dressing, we are not aware of any incidents this last holiday season that
were brought to the Ministry’s attention. If any devotees have knowledge
of recent or future occurrences, we encourage them to bring this to our
attention.
We should perform deity worship according to the instructions we are
given by guru, sadhu, and sastra. Lord Krishna personally instructs Uddhava
in Srimad-Bhagavatam:
"In worshiping the temple Deity, my dear Uddhava, bathing and decoration
are the most pleasing offerings." (SB 11.27.16)
Thus, we understand that dressing and decorating are very important
aspects of worship. However, we should offer this worship with reverence.
Srila Prabhupada offers the following instructions to his disciples in
this matter:
"...Krsna as He is appearing in our temples is in the kaisora age,
and the dress which I have introduced is His dress of kaisora age. In our
temples the Deities Radha and Krsna are worshiped as Laksmi-Narayana with
all the opulences of Their Majestic Lordship in Dvaraka. The worship of
Radha-Krsna as They appear in Vrndavana is a very advanced stage, so we
worship Them in the temples as Laksmi-Narayana. Actually there is no difference
because Laksmi-Narayana is directly the expansion of Radha- Krsna. We are
following the prescribed method of temple worship as it is the effective
program for developing the highest perfection of pure love of Krsna." (SPL
to Yamuna, January 16th, 1970)
"You may dress Lord Caitanya in the standard way, main thing is do
it nicely, don't make it funny..." (SPL to Dhruvananda, 4th January, 1973)
Additionally, offering love and devotion to Krishna is not such a quick
and easy thing to develop. If we take things cheaply, we will not make
spiritual progress. Therefore we are advised to worship according to the
viddhi-marga principles, or according to rules and regulations. Even as
our love develops as we enter into raga-marga, or spontaneous devotion,
externally our worship largely appears the same. Sivarama Swami sums up
a nice explanation in his book, Suddha Bhakti Cintamani, based on Srila
Prabhupada’s instructions as follows:
"Devotees first worship Radha and Krsna with reverence, the mood of
worship offered to Laksmi-Narayana. As they advance, their mood becomes
more spontaneous, although their external worship remains formal and regulated."
The deity worship in ISKCON is performed according to the rules of
regulative devotion, technically known as pancaratrika-vidhi. Srila Prabhupada
refers devotees to The Nectar of Devotion for directions on how to perform
this kind of deity worship, and he personally taught this process when
he installed Radha and Krsna deities in London and New York and the world
over.
In regulative reverential worship, Radha and Krsna reciprocate in the
mood of Laksmi-Narayana. Neophyte devotees who avoid the sixty-four offences
in deity worship are gradually purified and raised to what Srila Prabhupada
calls the "Vrndavana platform," the path of spontaneous devotion. [Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.24.45–46, purport] In this advanced stage, devotees worship Radha and
Krsna with natural attraction, and Their Lordships reciprocate with them
accordingly.
Does this mean that as devotees advance to the spontaneous platform
the standard of deity worship in ISKCON should change?
No, it should not change because there will always be neophyte devotees
visiting or joining the temples and deity worship should always be suitable
for them. Otherwise, beginners will not become fixed in the essential principles
of regulative devotion and may become sahajiyas. Advanced devotees need
not change the external form of their worship. They need only change their
mood of worship, which develops naturally, without external adjustment.
The same may be said of home deities, the worship of whom must be suitable
for younger, less advanced members of the family, what to speak of for
future generations.
Thus the worship of Radha and Krsna follows the regulative pancaratrika-
vidhi. For devotees faithful to Srila Prabhupada's teachings, the mood
of regulative worship gradually transforms into the spontaneous mood of
raga-marga, the "Vrndavana platform." Yet to the observer, both the neophyte
and advanced devotee appear to be engaged in the same type of worship --
the regulative worship characteristic of service to Lord Narayana. Readers
may consult Srila Prabhupada's teachings on this matter. [Srimad-Bhagavatam
4.24.45–46, purport]
mukhy vraja-vsi-janeragatmika-bhakti -- ‘mukhya vraja-vasi-jane
tara anugata bhaktira ‘raganuga-name
The original inhabitants of Vrndavana are attached to Krsna spontaneously
in devotional service. Nothing can compare to such spontaneous devotional
service, which is called ragatmika bhakti. When a devotee follows in the
footsteps of the devotees of Vrndavana, his devotional service is called
raganuga bhakti. Sri Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila 22.149
Jayananda dasa
ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, North America
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