Setting Up Your Altar
You'll likely find that japa and kirtana are more effective
when done before an altar. Lord Krishna and His pure devotees
are so kind that they allow us to worship them even through their
pictures. It's something like mailing a letter: You can't mail
a letter by placing it in just any box; you must use the mailbox
authorized by the government. Similarly, we cannot imagine a
picture of God and worship that, but we can worship the authorized
picture of God, and Krishna accepts our worship through that
picture.
Setting up an altar at home means receiving the Lord and His
pure devotees as your most honored guests. Where should you set
up the altar? Well, how would you seat a guest? An ideal place
would be clean, well lit, and free from drafts and household
disturbances. Your guest, of course, would need a comfortable
chair, but for the picture of Krishna's form a wall shelf, a
mantelpiece, a corner table, or the top shelf of a bookcase will
do. You wouldn't seat a guest in your home and then ignore him;
you'd provide a place for yourself to sit, too, where you could
comfortably face him and enjoy his company. So don't make your
altar inaccessible.
What do you need to set up your altar? Here are the essentials:
A picture of Srila Prabhupada.
A picture of Lord Chaitanya and His associates. (Pancha-Tattva)
A picture of Sri Sri Radha-Krishna.
In addition, you may want:
an altar cloth,
water cups (one for each picture),
candles with holders,
a special plate for offering food,
a small bell, incense,
an incense holder,
and fresh flowers, which you may offer in vases or simply place
before each picture.
If you're interested in more elaborate Deity worship, email us
here.
The first person we worship on the altar is the spiritual
master. The spiritual master is not God. Only God is God. But
because the spiritual master is His dearmost servant, God has
empowered him, and therefore he deserves the same respect as
that given to God. He links the disciple with God and teaches
him the process of bhakti yoga. He is God's ambassador to the
material world. When a president sends an ambassador to a foreign
country, the ambassador receives the same respect as that accorded
the president, and the ambassador's words are as authoritative
as the president's. Similarly, we should respect the spiritual
master as we would God, and revere his words as we would His.
Everyone who takes up the process of bhakti-yoga
as a result of coming in contact with the Hare Krishna movement
owes an immense debt of gratitude to Srila Prabhupada. Before
Srila Prabhupada left India in 1965 to spread Krishna consciousness
abroad, almost no one outside India knew anything about the practice
of pure devotional service to Lord Krishna. Therefore, everyone
who has learned of the process through his books, his Back to
Godhead magazine, his tapes, or contact with his followers should
offer respect to Srila Prabhupada. As the founder and spiritual
guide of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness,
he is the instructing guru of us all. By reading his books, following
the regulative principles, chanting the prescribed number of
rounds, and following his instructions we can be a loyal disciple.
The second picture on your altar should be one of the Pancha-Tattva
(Lord Caitanya and His four leading associates). Lord Caitanya
is the incarnation of God for this age. He is Krishna Himself,
descended in the form of His own devotee to teach us how to surrender
to Him, specifically by chanting His holy names and performing
other activities of bhakti-yoga. Lord Caitanya is the most merciful
incarnation, for He makes it easy for anyone to attain love of
God through the chanting of the Hare Krishna maha mantra.
And of course your altar should have a picture of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna with His eternal consort,
Srimati Radharani. Srimati Radharani is Krishna's internal potency.
She is devotional service personified, and devotees always take
shelter of Her to learn how to serve Krishna.
You can arrange the pictures in a triangle, with the picture
of Srila Prabhupada on the left, the picture of Lord Chaitanya
and His associates on the right, and the picture of Radha and
Krishna (slightly larger than the others, if possible) on a small
raised platform behind and in the center. Or you can hang the
picture of Radha and Krishna on the wall above the altar.
Carefully clean the altar each morning. Cleanliness is essential
in Deity worship. Remember, you wouldn't neglect to clean the
room of an important guest, and when you establish an altar you
invite Krishna and His pure devotees to reside as the most exalted
guests in your home. If you have water cups, rinse them out and
fill them with fresh water daily. Then place them conveniently
close to the pictures. You should remove flowers in vases as
soon as they're slightly wilted, or daily if you've offered them
at the base of the pictures. You should offer fresh incense at
least once a day, and, if possible, light candles and place them
near the pictures when you're chanting before the altar.
Please try the things we've suggested so far. It's very simple,
really: If you try to love God, you'll gradually realize how
much He loves you. That's the essence of bhakti-yoga.
On Chanting Hare Krishna - essay
by Srila Prabhupada
Setting up your altar - How to worship
Krishna in your home
Eating Spiritually: Prasadam
- the Karma Free Diet
Preparing and Offering Prasadam
- How to Offer Vegetarian Food to God
Everyday Living: The Regulative Principles
- Moral Principles to Live By
Practical engagement in Devotional
Service - Doing Everything for Krishna
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