Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Re: Are deities that are made of resin bona fide
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!
Dear Guruji and devotees,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Sri Sri Guru and Gauranga.
�The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties -- stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels.�
The mind is the most subtle and most mobile of the above. With our minds we can always see the Lord and with our minds we have Him always with us; no matter where we are. We perceive stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, and jewels with our senses that leave an impression on our minds. In Puri, Lord Jagannatha can�t be seen in His temple by non-Hindus and yet by His unlimited mercy He comes out of the temple every year to be seen by all. That impression can never be taken away from our minds.
�The installed Deity can never be abandoned of service.� When we travel the Deity of the Lord in our minds is always with us and thus always accessible to our worship and way more practical than traveling with anything bigger than a miniature Deity.
Of course eventually the Lord tells His devotee how He likes to receive our service. In the end it is not a matter of objective interpretation but rather a subjective interaction with the Lord which is the ultimate connection of the jiva with Him. Objectively following the guru, sadhu and scripture is the sure way to connect with the Lord. Subjectively as soon as that relationship is experienced from the heart many refinements take place. The heart of His devotee is where the Lord is. When we fall at the feet of His devotee, we fall favorably at the feet of the Lord. The installed Deity in any form as described above is identical to the Lord Himself. However it is up to our ability to perceive the Lord identical to Himself (in any material) with our minds. And how do we get that ability? By the mercy of the Lord! How? By His reciprocation to our love and devotion for Him! That�s what ultimately enables us to see the Lord. No material will reveal the Lord within unless we receive His mercy. With His mercy any material will reveal the Lord because our love is unable to see anything separated from the Lord. The plastic keyboard I am tapping these words on is all Lord Gauranga Krishna. I tap really careful because I do not want to hurt Him. The air I am breathing in and out is all Him. Every atom and all sub-atomic levels are Lord Gauranga Krishna. Is there anything that is not Him? Is there any place where His spiritual world is not present? Is there any place where His pastimes are not present? Please tell me the secret where He is not because I know He is cheating me on so many levels�
Your servant,
Hadai Nityananda dasa
Nityananda Gauranga Hare Krishna!
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