“There is no difference between the thumblike Vishnu in the womb of Uttara and the full-fledged Narayana in the Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of Godhead. He accepts the form of archa-vigraha (worshipable Deity) just to accept service from His different incapable devotees. By the mercy of the archa-vigraha, the form of the Lord in material elements, the devotees who are in the material world can easily approach the Lord, although He is not conceivable by the material senses. The archa-vigraha is therefore an all-spiritual form of the Lord to be perceived by the material devotees; such an archa-vigraha of the Lord is never to be considered material.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.12.9 Purport)

Download this episode (right click and save)

“Is it dangerous to show people too many images of bhakti in action, as I like to call it? You know, bowing down in front of a statue, offering incense sticks, preparing food, dressing in a certain way. Doesn’t that automatically implicate the followers as fanatics, as people with a sort of sentimental allegiance? Aren’t we also trying to avoid creating that image, as it distracts from the amazing philosophy that serves as the foundation of the entire culture?

“For now, we can focus on just the deity worship portion. How is someone supposed to look at that in a legitimate way? It resembles a child getting a new toy and playing with it. It does not present an aura of seriousness; at least not in the beginning. In the case where you think there is seriousness, it is kind of this competing version of a fearful obedience. You must surrender now or forever be doomed. You have no other option. This statue is here to punish those who refuse to bow down.

“I can already hear the argument. If you are worshiping God, how can He be limited to a statue? How can He come under the control of someone else? Why should anyone be encouraged to feel as if they command authority over the person who is beyond the heavens and the universe itself?”

The cat is certainly out of the bag, so to speak. Whereas in the past the people following such practices would do their best to safeguard against cheapening the process, of sharing too many images which might give the wrong idea of sentimentalism, today everything is available within seconds. We can see both inside and outside of the temple. We have daily viewings of the deities residing in these sacred places. Believer and nonbeliever alike have the same level of access.

We should remember the scientific principles behind such practices. Deity worship is something like the student in science class going to the laboratory. They are testing out the theoretical principles they have learned. To think of it another way, we have an object known as a hammer. It has a specific kind of construction. The hammer gets put to the proper use by the builder, as part of their construction project.

In the same way, the living being has certain properties. The playing field to utilize those properties is the temple environment, which can also be created within the home. Thus the worship of the deity is like putting the living being to the proper use. It is a constitutional way of living; it is entirely natural.

As His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada explains, the deity is like the incarnation of mercy. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is so great that no one can fully understand Him. If we wanted to worship Him, we would have to access the entire universe and more. Who can welcome such a guest? Who can properly praise something so grand in stature? Who can reach the end of the glories attached to such greatness?

We are limited in our understanding, and yet we still have opportunities to progress in the purification of the consciousness. The Supreme Lord is kind enough to manifest in the archa-vigraha. This is the worshipable form, though with the appearance of material elements. There is no distinction between spiritual and material for Him. We suffer from such illusion. In the impure consciousness, we see the deity as a statue made of material elements. The pure consciousness affords the proper vision, in seeing the archa-vigraha as the saving grace for the suffering human population.

As to the reason for such an incarnation, for offering such mercy, we can take the example of a father. They have a young daughter who happens to be of the age where there is an interest in dolls and stuffed animals. The father is surprised to see the love and attention the daughter offers. It is like they have a new sibling. The daughter wants the beloved dolls to always be close by. They will sleep at the same time. They will also eat together. The relationship is reminiscent of the closeness of the two sons of King Dasharatha, Rama and Lakshmana.

न च तेन विना निद्रां लभते पुरुषोत्तम
मृष्टमन्नमुपानीतमश्नाति न हि तं विना

na ca tena vinā nidrāṃ labhate puruṣottama
mṛṣṭamannamupānītamaśnāti na hi taṃ vinā

“That best among men would not go to sleep without Him, nor would he eat without Him, even if the food brought was very palatable.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kand, 18.30)

Upon observing the daughter’s behavior, the father cannot help but wonder. The daughter will never view the father in the same way. The closeness is different. There is respect. There is love, but of a different nature. One day the father jokingly expresses his desire to be one of those dolls, so that he can experience the loving affection of their child.

“Another day, when Krishna and Balarama were playing with Their friends, all the boys joined Balarama and told mother Yashoda that Krishna had eaten clay. On hearing this, mother Yashoda caught hold of Krishna’s hand and said, ‘My dear Krishna, why have You eaten earth in a solitary place? Just see, all Your friends including Balarama are complaining about You.’” (Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vol 1, Ch 8)

In the same way, the Supreme Lord incarnates as the beloved son of mother Yashoda. He can receive her affection directly, in the manner of drinking milk, getting dressed, and roaming around the farm community of Gokula. The same Krishna incarnates as the deity, so that loving admirers, both young and old, can always keep Him close by, never letting Him out of their sight.

In Closing:

Seated in position just right,
Never letting out of their sight.

The strongest affection to hold,
In that relationship to unfold.

Like an unbreakable bond,
Child of their friend so fond.

One way for deity’s mercy explaining,
Level beyond respect attaining.

Categories: questions

Tags: children, dailyprompt, hare krishna, parenting, poem, poems, poetry