Their Lordships Sri Sri Dayal-Nitai Sachisuta graciously began their history from 1989 from the holy place of Vraja Bhumi in India (Vrindavan). The original history of the path of the Deities is as follows. The master and the place of their ebb are unknown to me.

Such specific facts in 1989, unfortunately, were still far from our realization - even for the leaders of the Russian mission in Russia, to whom time included me. Deities and their worship in Russia were still a new and unknown service. Back then everyone was focused on just one task - Prabhupada's books. And only about books did they learn everything in the smallest detail.

Of course, I am not looking for an excuse for my inattention to the Deities, but such was our spiritual growth in general then. There was little experience in relationships with Deities.

Although now, listening to stories even about Prabhupada’s books in Russia, unfortunately, you understand that much has already begun to be forgotten. Such important events as the two massive waves of arrests of devotees in Russia in 1982 and 1985 are forgotten, just as those who before and after them managed to stay afloat and continued organizing the distribution of books are forgotten.

Now that the illegal life of the mission is behind us and the truth can be spoken openly, I can authoritatively state that even the victorious story with books in Russia was very closely connected with the Deities. And these were the Deities of Sri Nrsimha on my altar. But this is another unknown story of other Deities.

Continuing the story about our utsava-murtis, I would like to note that it began with my attempt to delve deeper into spiritual life and the desire to worship at my home altar not photographs of Deities, but real murtis. Therefore, being part of the historical first delegation of representatives of the Russian Yatra in India (which reunited our mission with the Western one), one day in my free time I walked around Loy Bazaar in Vrindavan - a place where local artisans offered statues of Deities.

One more point should be taken into account. The address of my ashram was “virtual”, that is, from the first days it moved all the time, avoiding KGB persecution. And despite the increase in children in my family, the ashram has always been a base for preaching throughout the country, and this country was called the USSR. And of the dozens of cities where my ashram stayed, most often I had to stop in Moscow. And in 1989, when we left for India, my ashram was again in Moscow. So, for this particular ashram, we had to look for the appropriate Deities, and they could, of course, only be the Deities of Lord Chaitanya himself, the founder of the preaching of Krishna-bhakti in Kali-yuga.

The choice of Deities was not quick, there were a lot of them, and, as it seemed to me after a few days, the inspiration was greatest from some Deities. They were asked to move to Russia.

But after a pilgrimage to all the holy dhams of Vaishnavism, seeing the scope of the Vedic culture in India, I felt gnawing at the thought of whether I had settled too “fatly”, sitting in Moscow, when there is not enough of this culture in other places.

In those years, throughout the history of the Russian Krishna consciousness movement, started by Srila Prabhupada in 1971 and spreading throughout the country, for some reason, despite the dozens of full-fledged ashrams and no less number of bhaktas in them, everyone was drawn to Moscow like a magnet. And the visiting bhakts both filled the existing ashrams in Moscow and created new ones. In general, then bhaktas in the capital were like bees in a hive, and service in Moscow became the Mecca for the entire mission.

Therefore, upon returning to Moscow, I already had a plan, blessed by Kirthiraj Prabhu, our then GBC, to expand preaching in the south of Ukraine, where it was lacking.

The focus of this sermon was now not only Prabhupada's books, but also the Deities from the Holy Dhama. These Deities, having arrived in Moscow in the spring of 1989, immediately with the entire ashram of a dozen bhaktas went to Ukraine to Dnepropetrovsk, and remained there until the spring of 1990. They were the main, integral part of our entire preaching mission. And this mission was, without exaggeration, a historical phenomenon. The ashram held the first padayatra in the history of the Russian mission in 10 main cities of Ukraine, and also visited the capital of Moldova. From Lithuania, from Sanatanadharma Prabhu, the Jagannath Deities graciously agreed to come to us. The Lord of the Universe was carried on a hand palanquin.

The Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai deities were the guardians and the center of my ashram. Also, by Their grace, the servants of our ashram - Bhagavatacharya Prabhu, Ugraha Prabhu and former Yagya Priya Prabhu in Dnepropetrovsk, Odessa, Donetsk, Simferopol, Yalta, where our ashram began intensive preaching, were able to help: where - to establish full-fledged communities, and where to open temples . These were the results of one year of serving the Deities of my ashram in the south of Ukraine. In the spring, in 1990, at my opening of the Simferopol Yatra, the Deities celebrated their first Gaura Purnima. Our preaching in the south of Ukraine, at the center of which stood the future utsava murti of the Moscow temple, not only turned out to be almost 50% of the preaching throughout Ukraine, but also kindled enthusiasm in the rest of the republic. By the incomprehensible will of Providence in the summer of the same year, at a lecture by our brothers - guests from the West, we happened to learn that every December they hold a marathon to distribute Prabhupada's books. And from that moment, I again began to be tormented by the thought of whether I was living a “fat” life, skipping marathons. And fuel to the fire of a new revelation was added by requests from visiting bhaktas from Moscow, pointing out the shortcomings of organizing the distribution of books there, and asking me to return and renew the spirit that was there before with me.

In the fall, thoughts about the Marathon became unbearable. I asked Acyuta Priya Prabhu (Regional Secretary) to resign from the presidency of the Simferopol Yatra in order to move back to my old Yatra. It was impossible to imagine a better place to hold the Prabhupada Marathon than a city of 18 million. The request was granted, and, having transferred matters to the local bhaktas, as agreed, I, together with the Deities, left for Moscow.

My old team of bhaktas of the Moscow temple was overwhelmed by the scale of service that had fallen upon them, and accepted me with pleasure - immediately to the temple council, to the position of sankirtana leader. The temple was then located on the Kolkhoznaya metro station. The worship of the future utsava-murti was mainly carried out by my wife Ananga-manjari, and her service can also be considered an important contribution to history - both the beginning of Prabhupada’s marathons in Russia and the success of the marathon in Moscow.

An important feature of the Deities is that my closeness with them gave me the opportunity to organize Prabhupada’s marathon in Moscow so that the number of books was a record one. During the month of December 1990, 20 thousand of Prabhupada’s books were distributed, which corresponded to the number of books distributed over the twenty years of the history of the Russian Yatra in the USSR.

And here, finally, is the penultimate story about Their Lordships, when They began to approach the altar of the Moscow Yatra, becoming its guests for a short time. Although we heard from Prabhupada that one kirtan is enough to establish the Deities, and there were kirtans more than once, to be sure, we also decided to conduct their official installation. Being in the atmosphere of the victorious euphoria of the marathon, I decided to please my household Deities with the company of His illustrious servants of the Moscow Marathon, who have now become historical characters.

And so on December 31, 1990, the Deities of my ashram first appeared on the altar of the Moscow temple. Then the great souls of Russia - all the Maharathas of the temple - were together, and an installation was held to the accompaniment of their singing, and then a great feast was offered.

After the Prabhupada Marathon, the entire core team of the temple moved to a new spacious temple on Begovaya. And for me, problems began with the worship of my Deities. My wife was asked to head the department for worshiping the Deities of the Moscow Temple, and there was a catastrophic lack of time for worshiping the household Deities; We were in the temple almost around the clock.

One day, a few months later, in the spring of 1991, Kirtiraja Prabhu visited the new temple. While discussing the standards of worship of large temple Deities, he pointed out the need for small Gaura-Nitai Deities on the altar. The “bidding” has begun - who will bring their Deities, because... new ones will not be brought from India soon. When it turned out that none of the leaders of the Moscow Yatra agreed to bring their Deities to the temple, for the sake of better service in the main temple of Russia, I decided to bring my family Sri Sri Gaura Nitai to the temple - after all, my wife and I were already there from morning until late evening in the temple.

This is the summary of the story of Their Lordships - how They found themselves at the right time and in the right place, in the main temple of Prabhupada’s mission in the capital of Russia.

According to Their Divine Providence, They wished that first They should be worshiped by the ashram of Bharadwaj Das, one of the first representatives of the Russian mission since the late seventies, and then They would descend to the bhaktas of Moscow.

Since then, small utsava-murtis of Their Lordships Sri Sri Dayal-Nitai Shachisuta began to distribute darshans on the altar of the main Moscow temple.

Release21

Hello!
Sorry for the delay in releasing the next issue. Just relaxing... :)

Today we will touch upon the issue of Sri Murti.
Here is the definition of Murti from ours.
Sri Murti is the Lord who has mercifully revealed His image in stone, wood, metal, painting or in the mind. This image is completely spiritual, but anyone can see It - this is the Grace of Sri Murti.

In short, this is what Vaishnavas worship in Temples, and for which these Temples are built. Sri Murti is usually located on and around the Temple Altar and the entire temple life takes place. Various offerings are prepared for Sri Murti in the form of food, jewelry, incense, flowers, etc. For Sri Murti, musicians and cooks live in the Temple. For Sri Murti in the Temple there are so-called pujaris, these are people who are directly engaged exclusively in the service of Sri Murti. Everything in the Temple is dedicated to the service of Sri Murti.

Sri Murti differs from homemade idols in that it cannot be ordered from a store, bought, stolen, and then started to be worshiped. It is not a statue or a painting or a piece of stone. All this is just a form in which Sri Murti can exist under one indispensable condition. If this condition is not present, then it really is an idol, and worshiping it is not much different from worshiping a bottle of Coca-Cola. :)

What is this condition?
The condition is that the Lord, along with all His inconceivable and infinite energies, can enter the Sri Murti and remain there. If the Lord is there, then it is Sri Murti. If the Lord is not there, then it is just a piece of iron (wood/stone/canvas/glass/etc.). How can one find out about such a key thing as whether the Lord is present in an ordinary statue (any other form) or not? The criterion is the Holy Personalities (Sadhus, Guru), who are indisputably recognized as such by many independent recognized Saints. In addition, these Personalities (Sadhus, Guru) must fully satisfy all the criteria of truth that the Holy Scriptures impose on Vaishnava Saints. In other words, if someone knows a recognized Vaishnava Saint, but he is not recognized by many other Vaishnava Saints and he does not satisfy at least one criterion of Sainthood given in the Vaishnava scriptures, then he is not a Sadhu/Guru and he himself is not able to distinguish the statue from Sri Murti.

If I've confused you, I'll try to give an analogy. Let's say there is a certain human body that does not show signs of life (no movement, breathing and pulse), but there is obvious brain activity. What is this, a living person or a corpse? Outwardly, one is no different from the other. How to find out? To find out, you need to invite a specialist. Moreover, a specialist may be an authority in his own village, but not be recognized among other doctors of the same profile, who know him but do not recognize him. This means that his authority is highly questionable. Especially if he does not have the qualities that the corresponding professional register of doctors should have. Such a doctor is not suitable for serious matters. To be sure of the correctness of the diagnosis, you need to involve an internationally recognized doctor in the diagnosis, who meets all the “quality criteria” in this field.

Phew... seems to have explained... :)

So... if a generally recognized Sadhu or Guru, in short, a Holy Personality, worships something, then it means Sri Murti. If he does NOT worship something, then there is no Sri Murti there and no mantras will help turn the statue into Sri Murti.

From all of the above we can draw a simple conclusion. If you decide that you are ready/want to worship Sri Murti, that is not all. Even if you build a huge Temple and buy golden statues of Krishna there, this is also not a Murti. You will read hundreds of smart books and learn how to chant mantras - this is not the same at all. All this will make sense only if the Sadhu or Guru consecrates it (temple, statue, etc.)
What does “sanctify” mean? Contrary to a common mistake, you cannot sanctify something simply by smartly repeating the appropriate mantras/prayer and sprinkling water/oil/iodine/sulfuric acid around. :) The main process of sanctification occurs in the heart of the Saint, and not in the tongue/hands/brains/pocket.

What is happening there (in the heart of the Saint)? What is the essence of consecrating a statue/temple/etc? At what point does a statue of a simple stone transform into a Sri Murti - the fully spiritualized Body of God? I'll try to answer now...

A saint (Sadhu, Guru) is one who is very dear to God. God fulfills all the desires of a Holy Person, for such a Holy Person is devoid of selfishness and personal interest and is guided by the interests of God (according to the definition of the Holy Scriptures, this is a necessary attribute of a Holy Person). The Lord fulfills every desire of such a Person. And if such a Personality asks Him (the Lord) to enter any form (statue, stone, picture, temple), then the Lord immediately fulfills His desire and enters this form. From this moment (the request of the Holy Person) this “something” turns into Sri Murti. And from that moment on, the statue from a simple piece of iron/wood/rag turns into the absolutely spiritual body of the Lord.

« ». Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur. From book "The Life and Instructions of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu"

Russian

Srila Sachchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Life and teachings of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu

His instructions

Worship of Sri Murti and Idolatry

Of all these processes, the best is kirtan, or chanting the Name of Krishna. To perform such service, knowledge must be accepted with humility, while fruitless discussions must be avoided.

Some people do not approve of the idea of ​​worshiping Sri Murti. They say: “Worship of Sri Murti is idolatry. Sri Murti is an idol created by an artist and invented by none other than Beelzebub himself. Worshiping such an object would awaken the jealousy of the Lord and limit His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence! We can answer them: “Brothers! Approach the study of this issue impartially and do not allow yourself to be carried away by sectarian dogmas. God is not jealous, because He is one, He has no equal. Beelzebub or Satan is nothing more than a creation of the imagination or an allegory. An allegorical or imaginary creature should not be an obstacle on the way bhakti. Those who consider God to be devoid of individuality simply identify Him with some force or property of nature, although in reality He is above nature, its laws and rules. His holy will is law, and it is sacrilege to limit His infinite supremacy by identifying Him with such qualities as omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience - qualities that created objects such as time, space and others can possess. The perfection of the Lord consists in the fact that the opposite energies and qualities reside in Him, controlled by His supernatural Self. He is identical with His magnificent Personality, possessing such powers as omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence, the like of which is not found anywhere else. His holy and perfect Person abides eternally in the spiritual world and at the same time dwells in all His fullness in every created object and place.

This idea is superior to all other ideas of God. Mahaprabhu also rejects idolatry, but considers the worship of Sri Murti to be the only perfect means of spiritual development.

prasad prasad

karma-kandi, there is also a remoteú jyotirmaya-brahmana Shaktas Salagram-sila, lingam

Show time and symbol

shravanas And kirtans premoy».

English

His Precepts

Of all these forms, kirtan bhakti

prasadam prasadam

karma-kandis jyotirmaya brahman shaktas shalagram-shila,the lingam

shravana and kirtana Shikshashtakam prema.

God has been shown to be personal and magnificent in all manifestations. Sages such as Vyasa and others saw this Beauty with their spiritual vision and left us Her descriptions. Of course, words bear the stamp of coarse matter. But still, these descriptions allow you to feel the truth. According to them, man creates the Sri Murti and with deepest pleasure contemplates in him the great Lord of our hearts. Brethren, what is false or sinful in this? Those who claim that God has neither material nor spiritual form, and at the same time imagine a false image for worship, are undoubtedly idolaters. Those who contemplate the spiritual image of the Deity with the eyes of their souls, carry this impression as far as possible to their minds, and then create a symbol that satisfies the carnal vision for the continuous study of the higher sense, are not idolaters at all. When looking at Sri Murti, do not look at the image itself, but contemplate the spiritual image of that image - then you will be a perfect theist. Idolatry and worship of Sri Murti are two different things! My brothers, out of recklessness you are simply confusing one with the other. In truth, worship of Sri Murti is the only true worship of God, without which you will not be able to fully develop your spiritual senses.

The world will attract you through your senses until you see God in the objects of your senses. You are in a very difficult situation, which is hardly conducive to your spiritual elevation. Install Sri Murti in your home. Consider the Lord Almighty as the guardian of your home. The food you eat is His prasad. Flowers and incense are also His prasad. Eyes, ears, nose, touch and tongue - let everything be imbued with spiritual culture. Act like this with a godly heart, the Lord will know it and will judge you according to your sincerity. Satan and Beelzebub will not be able to stop you in this matter! All types of worship are based on the principle of Sri Murti. Turn to the history of religion and you will come to this noble truth.

The Semitic idea of ​​God the Patriarch - both in the pre-Christian period of Judaism and in the subsequent period of Christianity and Islam - is nothing more than the limited idea of ​​\u200b\u200bSri Murti. The idea of ​​a god-monarch, such as Jupiter among the Greeks and Indra among the Aryans karma-kandi, there is also a remoteú applying the same principle. The idea of ​​strength and jyotirmaya-brahmana those who practice meditation, and formless energy Shaktas are also a very unclear idea of ​​Sri Murti. In fact, the principle of Sri Murti is the truth itself, manifesting itself differently in the minds of different people according to their different levels of thinking. Even Jaimini and Comte, who were not ready to admit the existence of a creative God, pointed to certain levels of Sri Murti simply because some inner movement of the soul prompted them to do so! We meet people who have accepted the Cross, Salagram-sila, lingam and other similar symbols indicating the inner idea of ​​Sri Murti.

Moreover, if divine compassion, love and justice can be painted with a brush or expressed with a chisel, why cannot the personal beauty of God, which includes all other qualities, for the benefit of man, be described in poetry, depicted in a painting, or expressed with incisor? If words can express thoughts, hours- show time and symbol- tell us a story, then why cannot a picture or a statue give rise to higher thoughts and feelings associated with the transcendental beauty of the divine Person?

Devotees of Sri Murti are divided into two types: supporters of ideal and physical worship [idealists and formalists]. Supporters of the physical school have the right, according to the circumstances of life and state of mind, to create temple institutions. Those who, by virtue of their circumstances and position, are entitled to worship the Sri Murti in their minds, while maintaining due respect for the temple institutions, are generally inclined to worship through shravanas And kirtans, and their church is universal and independent of the caste and skin color of the believers. Mahaprabhu prefers this second type and establishes the method of worship in His Siksastaka, printed as an appendix to this book. Worship continuously, with a sense of humility, and very soon you will be blessed premoy».

English

Srila Sachchidananda Bhaktivinoda Thakura

Life and Precepts of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

His Precepts

Shri Murti Worship vs. Idolatry

Of all these forms, kirtan or singing the Name etc., of Krishna is the best. Humble knowledge is necessary in these forms of worship and fruitless discussions must be avoided. There are some who start at the theory of worshiping Shri Murti. “Oh!” they say, “it is idolatry to worship Shri Murti. Shri Murti is an idol framed by an artist and introduced by no other than Beelzebub himself. Worshiping such an object-would rouse the jealousy of God and limit His Omnipotence, Omniscience and Omnipresence!” We would tell them, “Brethren! Candidly understand the question and do not allow yourself to be misled by sectarian dogmas. God is not jealous, as He is without a second. Beelzebub or Satan is no other than an object of imagination or the subject of an allegory. An allegorical or imaginary being should not be allowed to act as an obstacle to bhakti. Those who believe God to be impersonal simply identify Him with some power or attribute in nature, though, in fact, He is above nature, her laws and rules. His holy wish is law, and it would be sacrilege to confine His unlimited excellence by identifying Him with such attributes as omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience- attributes which may exist in created objects such as time, space etc. His excellence consists in having in Him mutually contradicting powers and attributes ruled by His Supernatural Self. He is identical with His All-Beautiful Person, having such powers as Omnipresence, Omniscience and Omnipotence the like of which cannot be found elsewhere. His holy and perfect Person exists eternally in the spiritual world and at the same time existing in every created object and place in all its fullness.

This idea excels all other ideas of the Deity. Mahaprabhu rejects idolatry as well, but considers Shri Murti worship to be the only unexceptionable means of spiritual culture. It has been shown that God is Personal and All-Beautiful, Sages like Vyasa and others have seen that Beauty in their souls’ eyes. They have left us descriptions. Of course, the word carries grossness of matter. But truth still is perceivable in those descriptions. According to those descriptions, one delineates a Shri Murti and sees the great God of our heart there with intense pleasure. Brethren! Is that wrong or sinful? Those who say that God has no form either material or spiritual and again imagine a false form for worship are certainly idolatrous. But those who see the spiritual form of the Deity in their souls' eyes, carry that impression as far as possible to the mind, and then frame an Emblem for the satisfaction of the material eye for continuous study of the higher feeling are by no means idolatrous. While seeing a Shri Murti, do not even see the image itself but see the spiritual model of the Image and you are a pure theist. Idolatry and Shri Murti worship are two different things; but my brethren, you simply confound one with the other out of hastiness. To tell the truth, Shri Murti worship is the only true worship of the Deity, without which you cannot sufficiently cultivate your religious feelings.

The world attracts you through your senses as long as you do not see God in the objects of your senses; you live in an awkward position which scarcely helps you in procuring you your spiritual elevation. Place a Shri Murti in your house. Think that God Almighty is the Guardian of the house. The food that you take is His prasadam. The flowers and scents are also His prasadam. The eye, the ear, the nose, the touch and the tongue—all have a spiritual culture. You do it with a holy heart and God will know it and Judge you by your sincerity. Satan and Beelzebub will have nothing to do with you in that matter. All sorts of worship are based on the principle of Shri Murti. Look into the history of religion and you will come to this noble truth.

The Semitic idea, of a patriarchal God both in the pre-Christian period of Judaism and post Christian period of Christianity and Mohammedanism, is nothing but a limited idea of ​​Shri Murti. The monarchic idea of ​​a Jove amongst the Greeks and of an Indra amongst the Aryan karma-kandis is also a distant view of the same principle. The idea of ​​a force and jyotirmaya brahman of the meditators and a formless energy of the shaktas is also a very faint view of the Shri Murti. In fact the principle of Shri Murti is the truth itself differently exhibited in different people according to their different phases of thought. Even Jaimini and Comte who are not prepared to accept a creating god have prescribed certain phases of the Shri Murti, simply because they have been impelled by some inward action from the soul! Then again, we meet with people who have adopted the Cross, the shalagram-shila,the lingam and suchlike emblems as indicators of the inward idea of ​​Shri Murti. Furthermore, if the Divine compassion, love and justice could be portrayed by the pencil and expressed by the chisel, why should not the personal beauty of the Deity embracing all other attributes be portrayed in poetry or in picture or expressed by the chisel for the benefit of man? If words could impress thoughts, the watch could indicate time and sign could tell us a history, why should not the picture or figure bring associations of higher thoughts and feeling with regard to the transcendental beauty of the Divine personage?

Shri Murti worshipers are divided into two classes, the ideal and the physical. Those of the physical school are entitled, from their circumstances of life and state of the mind to establish temple institutions. Those who are, by circumstances and position, entitled to worship the Shri Murti in mind have with due deference to the temple institutions, a tendency to worship usually by shravana and kirtana and their church is universal and independent of caste and color. Mahaprabhu prefers this latter class and shows worship in His Shikshashtakam printed as an appendix to this book. Worship then without intermission, with a feeling of resignation. And in a very short time you will be blessed with prema.

This form uttama-bhakti different from previous ones eng(where Deity worship was also described) that is done with special love. A devotee is so attached to the feet of Sri Murti that he wants nothing more than to serve them. Regardless of the state in which a person begins to serve the Deities, if he performs ᴇᴦο without offense, he immediately rises to a very high level and gains strong attachment to the Lord, bhava. There are many examples of this.

When Ramanujacharya was expelled from Sri Rangam, he came to the city of Yadavadri, near Melkote, where he found a very beautiful Deity of Vishnu, Yadavadri-pati (at one time pujari hid this Deity from Muslim attack). He installed Yadavadri-pati in a luxurious temple built by the locals, which everyone was very happy about.

But one day Yadavadri-pati came to Ramanujacharya in a dream and said, “You have installed me, but I cannot leave here.” (Each Deity has a small Deity - utsava-murti, in the form of which a large Deity comes out for a walk). I am bored here because My little friend is not with Me, but you can find it by going to Delhi to the Sultan’s palace. In this palace they call Me Rama-priya. Please go there and bring Me to Me, I miss you.

Despite the fact that Delhi was at that time the capital of the Muslim Mughal state, Ramanujacharya, without hesitation, went on a trip. Having received an audience with the Delhi Sultan, he told him, “I have come for Rama-priya.” The Sultan replied that he had a huge room filled with all kinds of Deities, and that you could choose any one.

Ramanujcharya began to look for Rama-priya in this room and, finding that He was not there, asked the Sultan to remember if there were other Deities in the palace. In the end, the Sultan remembered that Bibi Lancimar’s daughter spent all her time with some kind of doll - dressing her up, putting her to bed, as is usually the case with girls. When they entered the chambers of the Sultan’s daughter, Ramanujacharya, seeing Rama-priya, was very happy and said “I’m taking”, to which the Sultan replied “Take!”

But the girl, the daughter of the Sultan, discovered the loss and was incredibly upset. Left without Rama-priya, Bibi Lanchimar began to feel sad and dry, and the Sultan realized that he had made a fatal mistake by depriving his daughter of her favorite doll. He sent his men in pursuit of Ramanujacharya, with whom Bibi Lanchimar and her fiancé Kuvera went. They chased Ramanujacharya for a long time, but he, foreseeing that this could happen, walked along secret roads. When the messengers realized that they would not be able to find Ramanuja, they turned back to Delhi. Bibi Lanchimar's attachment to Rama-priya was so strong that she almost died of grief when she learned that the messengers were no longer going to look for her Deity. Kuvera, seeing the condition of his bride, invited her to go in search of Rama-priya together.

Sri murter-anghri-sevane or sraddha-purvaka-murti - serving the feet of Sri Murti with great love. - concept and types. Classification and features of the category "Sri murter-anghri-sevane or sraddha-purvaka-murti - serving the feet of Sri Murti with great love." 2015, 2017-2018.

Glory to Sri Guru and Sri Gauranga

Worship of Srimurti

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur.
From the book "The Life and Instructions of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu."

Sri Sri Gandharvika-Giridhari, Navadvip

Some people are surprised by the theory of worship of Srimurti. “Oh,” they say, “the veneration of Srimurti is idolatry! Srimurti is an idol created by an artist. And Beelzebub himself, Satan, teaches him to worship. The veneration of such an object insults God and limits His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence!” We answer: "Brethren, ask yourself this question sincerely and do not allow any sectarian dogma to direct your mind into the wrong path. God has no jealousy, for there is no other equal to him. Beelzebub or Satan is only an object of imagination or the subject of allegory. An allegorical or imaginary being , should not be an obstacle on the path of bhakti. Those who believe that God is impersonal simply identify Him with one of the powers or attributes of Nature, when in fact He is above Nature, its rules and laws. His holy desire is love, and will be sacrilege limit His immeasurable greatness, identifying Him only with such attributes as omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience, which can also be present in created things, such as time and space, etc. His greatness consists in the simultaneous presence in contradictory forces and attributes which are governed by His supernatural Person.He is identical with His all-beautiful Person, possessing powers such as omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, the like of which is not found anywhere else. His holy and perfect personality is eternally present in the spiritual world and, at the same time, in every created object. And He is present there in all His fullness. This idea surpasses all other ideas of Divinity. Mahaprabhu denies idolatry, but considers worship of Srimurti the only and indispensable means of spiritual culture. As has already been said, God is personal and all-beautiful. Sages like Vyasa and others could see this beauty through the eyes of their souls. They left us descriptions. Of course, words carry the roughness inherent in matter. But in these descriptions one can see the Truth. According to these descriptions, Srimurti is created and in it with great pleasure one sees the great God who is in the heart! Brothers, is this sinful or false? Those who say that God has no form, material or spiritual, and yet create a false image for worship are undoubtedly idolaters. But those who see the spiritual form of the Divine with the eyes of their soul, transfer this impression to the level of the mind, as accurately as possible and form it into an image to satisfy the material gaze, cannot in any way be considered idolaters. Seeing Srimurti, you should not even see the image itself, but the spiritual model of this image, then you are a pure theist. Idolatry and worship of Srimurti are different things, but, my brothers, you are simply replacing one with the other out of haste. In truth, worship of Srimurti is the only true form of worship of the Divine, without which it is simply impossible to adequately cultivate one's religious feelings. The world attracts you through your senses, and unless you see God in the objects of your senses, you are in an awkward position that is hardly conducive to your spiritual growth. Place Srimurti in your home. You must think that the almighty God is watching over your home; the food you take is His prasad, the flowers and incense are also His prasad. Eyes, ears and nose, touch and taste - everything is of a spiritual nature. If you do this with a pure heart, God knows about it and judges you by your sincerity. Satan and Beelzebub will never come between you in this. All modes of worship are based on the principle of Srimurti. Look at the history of religions and you will understand this noble truth. The Semitic idea of ​​a patriarchal God in the pre-Christian period, in Judaism, and in the post-Christian period, in Mohammedanism, is nothing other than the limited idea of ​​\u200b\u200bSrimurti. The monarchical idea of ​​Jupiter adopted by the Greeks, or Indra by the Aryan Karmakandis, is also a definite view of the same principle. The idea of ​​power or Jyotirmaya of Brahma of the adherents of meditation, or the unformed energy of the Shaktas, is also a vague vision of the same Srimurti. In fact, the principle of Srimurti is the Truth itself, which manifests itself differently in different people, according to the level of their comprehension. Even Jaimini and Komte, who were not ready to accept the doctrine of a creator God, preached some aspects of Srimurti, simply obeying some inner movement of the soul! Again we see people worshiping the cross, shalagrama sila, linga, and other emblems as signs of the inner idea of ​​Srimurti.

Further, if Divine compassion, love and justice can be depicted with the help of a pencil or expressed with the help of a sculptor's chisel, then why should not the personal beauty of the Deity, covering all other attributes, be depicted in poetry, painting or sculpture, for the benefit of people? If words can inspire thoughts, a glance can tell the time, and a sign can tell a story, why cannot a drawing or a figure inspire high feelings and reflections on the transcendental beauty of the divine Person?