Temple Standards at Home

Srila Prabhupada established simple, definite standards for his temples. You can follow the same standards at home, and doing so is what turns a house into a temple. This chapter gives the basics. The temples that follow Srila Prabhupada most strictly today teach exactly these standards to their home devotees, in graduated steps, and we follow their lead.

The four regulative principles

These are the foundation of a devotee's life. They are explained fully in Chapter 8.

1. No meat-eating. This includes fish and eggs. Onion, garlic, and mushrooms are also avoided, because they cannot be offered to Krishna.
2. No intoxication. This includes alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs, and also tea and coffee, since caffeine is an intoxicant.
3. No gambling. This includes lotteries and betting, and also frivolous mental speculation about the philosophy.
4. No illicit sex. Sex only within marriage, and ideally only for begetting Krishna conscious children.

Chanting

Srila Prabhupada set sixteen rounds of the Hare Krishna maha-mantra on japa beads as the daily minimum for his initiated disciples, and he asked that they never fall below it. If sixteen rounds is more than you can chant attentively at first, begin with a fixed number you can keep every single day, and increase it as your taste grows. The strict Prabhupada-only temples guide their home devotees through exactly this progression: one round, then four, eight, twelve, and finally sixteen. What matters most is that the number you vow is chanted every day without fail, preferably in the early morning. See Chapter 7 for Srila Prabhupada's explanation of chanting.

The daily program

Temple devotees rise by 4:00 am and attend the full morning program, beginning with Mangala Arati at 4:30. At home, follow the same program as far as you are able: rise early, bathe, put on tilak, offer Mangala Arati before your altar, chant your rounds, read from Srimad-Bhagavatam or hear Srila Prabhupada's class, and offer your food before you eat. The whole program with all the prayers is laid out in Chapter 1 and the evening program in Chapter 2. Consistency is far more important than length. A short program done every day at the same time will change your life; an elaborate one done occasionally will not.

Prasadam only

A devotee eats only prasadam, food that has first been offered to Krishna. Bhoga, unoffered food, is not eaten, and food cooked by non-devotees, including restaurant food, is avoided as far as possible. How to offer your food explains the simple procedure. This one standard, kept faithfully, does more to purify the household than almost anything else.

Ekadasi and festivals

On Ekadasi, the eleventh day after each full and new moon, devotees fast from grains and beans and try to chant extra rounds. The appearance days of Lord Krishna (Janmastami), Lord Caitanya (Gaura Purnima), Lord Ramacandra (Rama Navami), Lord Nrsimhadeva (Nrsimha Caturdasi), and Srila Prabhupada (Vyasa-puja) are observed with fasting until the appointed time and a feast afterward. A Vaisnava calendar for your city gives the dates.

In the temple room

Whether it is a full temple room or a shelf in the corner of your bedroom, the place where the Lord and Srila Prabhupada are worshiped is sacred. Offer obeisances to Srila Prabhupada and the Deities when you enter and when you leave. While sitting, keep your legs and feet covered, and never point your feet toward the Deities, Srila Prabhupada, or Tulasi devi. Do not sit with your back to Them. Women traditionally cover their heads. The temple room is for hearing, chanting, reading, and praying. Do not sleep there, argue there, or bring in anything unclean. Chapter six of the Nectar of Devotion lists the offenses to be avoided before the Deity.

Cleanliness

Bathe every morning before worship, after passing stool, and after a long sleep. Cut nails, brush teeth, and shave before bathing, not after. Apply tilak in a clean place, never in the bathroom, and do not take japa beads, books, or other sacred articles into the toilet. Wash your hands and mouth after eating. Keep your bed made, your clothes folded or hung, your laundry in a basket, and your rooms in order. Srila Prabhupada agreed with the saying, "Cleanliness is next to godliness," and he expected his devotees to keep a standard of cleanliness that others would notice. Chapter 5 collects his instructions on the subject.

Dress

Devotees dress cleanly and modestly, and wear tilak. Traditional Vaisnava dress, dhoti and kurta for men and sari for women, is worn for worship and whenever it is practical. How to put on tilak and how to wear a sari are covered on their own pages. Neck beads made of Tulasi wood are worn by devotees who have taken a vow to follow the four principles and chant daily. Where to get beads, books, and supplies lists a trusted source for all of these.

Association and service

Read Srila Prabhupada's books daily. Hear his lectures. Associate with devotees who follow him strictly, in person where you can and online where you cannot. Give some portion of your time and income to spreading Krishna consciousness, by distributing his books, by feeding people prasadam, or by supporting those who do. Everything else in this handbook follows from these habits.