Permission to Worship Deities

My dear disciple,

Please accept my blessings. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Thank you for your letter.

You are too young in the process of devotional service to begin worshipping personal deities. Deity worship is part of our sadhana. However, our main sadhana should be focusing on the chanting of the Holy Names. When you are more progressed in chanting, then we can discuss your worshipping deities. Chanting is more important than deity worship. Actually, Srila Prabhupada has said that in this age we perform ‘arcana’ – or worship of the deity – to purify ourselves for chanting the holy names.

Try to see the Holy Name as a deity. In fact, the holy names are the “sound incarnation” of the Supreme Lord for this age, as described by Kaviraja Goswami in Caitanya Caritamrita.

Give your heart and soul to chanting your japa, doing kirtan with devotees and distributing the holy names to others. That should be your focus. That is the best way to make advancement in Krsna consciousness.

When I wrote to Srila Prabhupada in 1974 if I could worship Gaura Nitai on traveling samkirtan, he wrote back, “No. You are doing the most important service of distributing my books. Deity worship will be a distraction. You may worship a picture of Panca Tattva. ”

Another point, is that deity worship takes time – at least one or two hours each morning. My honest assessment is that most devotees don’t have that extra time. Many struggle just to get their 16 rounds done. Thus when they introduce Deity Worship into their lives their japa suffers.

We can think about your worshipping deities when you enter the Grhastra asrama. Then the responsibilities for such worship can be shared by husband and wife.

So again: you have yet to perfect your first obligation to your spiritual master and Krsna: the perfect chanting of the Holy Names of Sri Krsna. Let’s do one thing at a time. Worship Krsna in the form of His Holy names.

Your desire to begin deity worship can be satisfied by helping in the pujari department in the temple that you live near. That is how many of my disciples are introduced to deity worship and understand the great obligation it entails.

Your ever well wisher,
Indradyumna Swami


Views: 316 • June 16, 2010 Deities, Grihasthas, Holy Name, Instructions, Japa