ON THIS PAGE:
DEITIES:
PART 1 – WE REALLY
WANT DEITIES HERE
 The
desire to serve the Lord in His Deity form is intense
in Lord Krishna’s devotees and there is no exception
in Prabhupada Village. This particular aspect of bhakti-yoga
– Deity worship - enables one to render personal
service to the Lord, whether by the pujari (priest)
on the altar or by others who are able to take darshan
(have audience) and bring items such as flowers, fruits,
vegetables, etc. to be offered. It is truly a blissful
and spiritually uplifting experience. Below relates
how the Deities of Gaura-Nitai - Lord Chaitanya and
Lord Nityananda, the most merciful incarnations of the
Supreme Lord, Sri Krishna – came to Prabhupada
Village.
In 2012, while Gopiparanadhana
dasi was in Jaipur, India, Pancaratna das, the temple
president, took her to a nearby Deity walla (shop).
She was going to ask them to custom-make 4’ Gaura-Nitai
Deities for worship in the Temple of the Holy Name.
When the person in the shop said they already had Deities
that size, Pancaratna remarked that that was amazing
because if anyone wants Deities that size, they have
to have them custom-made. They were then taken in to
see the Deities, who were the exact replicas of the
Deities who had recently been installed in a temple
in S. India. Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai were absolutely stunning;
it seemed as if They had placed Themselves there just
for the Temple of the Holy Name! Pancaratna urged her
to purchase Them so she took pictures and sent them
to her husband, who then sent out an announcement to
everyone. Within a very short time, the Deities were
fully paid for. Since then outfits and other paraphernalia
have been purchased and donated and a beautiful altar
has been made specifically for Their worship. Gaura-Nitai
were shipped to Prabhupada Village that spring and arrived
around six months later - on Lord Balarama’s appearance
day, the most auspicious day of the appearance of Lord
Sri Krishna’s brother.
PART 2 – MAY
8 OR NOT?
Although everyone was eager
to see the Deities on the altar, there were just not
enough brahmanas, or priests (pujaris), to worship Them.
No matter what ideas we came up with to get some pujaris,
nothing panned out and so it appeared that the installation
was going to take place only when the Lord so deemed
it and not according to our doings. We knew that we
needed to develop the proper mood of humble servants
and we needed to work cooperatively. One who has faith
in the Lord understands that if Krsna wants something
to happen it will, but if not, it won’t, no matter
what.
In 2015, the ISKCON by-laws
were signed and we began to notice a shift in things.
Now that the temple had an ISKCON identity, Krsna began
to reciprocate in ways that made it apparent that the
right decision had been made. But the Deities –
when could we install Them? The previous year a young
couple from Brazil had come to serve Gaura-Nitai and
although they maintained the regular program of worship
required before installation, we were still short of
pujaris and therefore could not install the Deities.
2015 turned into 2016, the 50th anniversary of Srila
Prabhupada’s ISKCON movement, and we began to
talk even more seriously about the installation, but
still wondering where pujaris would come from. But we
had to set a date. We had to begin somewhere and so
in March we began to research different days and came
up with the first and auspicious day of Kartika in October,
Lord Nrsinghadeva’s appearance day, which was
to fall on May 20, or the beginning of September. Different
astrologers were consulted about the various dates.
There were a lot of backs and forths; some said May
20 was too early, some said October was too late. Then
all of a sudden, in the beginning of April, it was suggested
that Gaura-Nitai be installed on Akshaya Tritiya, the
most auspicious day of the year – and that was
to fall on May 8 – earlier than any of the dates
that had been chosen! The astrologers conferred –
that was the best date and so researched to find out
the time when the installation process should begin
on that day. Some time before this decision of May 8,
it turned out that a couple who had been serving in
Mayapur was looking to relocate – and –
they had done many years of Deity service! If they came,
it would be possible to actually consider the installation.
They decided to move here and he became the head pujari.
And then another couple who had originally lived here
and who had also spent some years in India, found out
that they could no longer remain in India – and
she was also a pujari! And then another devotee, who
had spent some time doing Deity worship in another temple,
moved here! Krsna had opened up a special cloud and
out fell the pujaris! Looking at the calendar, we were
aghast – the installation was to take place in
5 weeks! We didn’t have the funds so a lot of
fund raising had to take place, the back arch on the
altar needed some artwork done on it, the Deities needed
to be properly painted, the closets and drawers for
Their clothes and paraphernalia had to be finished,
menus had to be planned and quantity cooks were asked
to come to help cook for 500 people (and we had no one
in charge of the kitchen), ghee, and yogurt had to be
made and many, many gallons of milk were needed, the
ceiling in the temple room had to be fixed, a sound
system had to be put in, the Festival of India tents
needed to go up, articles had to be written, flyers
made, flowers figured out, ordered, and decorations
made and many details on the altar and pujari room needed
to be in place (we also put in an attractive ceiling
on the altar). Priests had to be called in from elsewhere
to head up the installation and they, too, needed so
many items. We really had to start from scratch and
it seemed as if the amount of service that had to be
done was as insurmountable as the climbing of Mt. Meru!
How to accomplish all this in such a short period of
time? We had to have many meetings, make many lists,
and ask different devotees to head up different departments.
And those of us who were in the “thick and thin”
wore many hats – all day and through the night.
We completely put our personal lives on the back burner
and went full speed ahead. There was no thought of turning
back! The days started to fly by. One thing, temples
generally plan for installation ceremonies way in advance
– 6 months to a year. But we had only 5 weeks!
As a result, blissful pandemonium ensued.
PART 3 – BLISSFUL
PANDEMONIUM!
This part, part 3, has been several months in the thought
process. And for good reason. How can one describe the
undescribable: the ecstasy that was experienced during
the installation of the Deities? The fragrances, the
colors, the breath-taking beauty of the Deities, the
awesome abhiseka, the delicious prasadam, the wonderful
association, the beautiful and transporting-to-the spiritual
world kirtans, the smiles, the laughter, the flowers,
the enthusiasm, the cooperation? The eagerness to serve,
the excitement, the anticipation, the beautiful weather
– even the blissful exhaustion so many felt -
the everything wonderful? Sometimes last minute decisions
prove worth it – and the decision to install Sri
Sri Parama Karuna Nitai Gaurasundara at the last minute
was all worth it! There was no doubt: the Deities completely
orchestrated every minute detail of every aspect of
this event and due to Their mercy, all went smoothly.
We felt like puppets on invisible strings, all being
moved this way and that. “Make me dance, make
me dance, make me dance.”
It is now August, almost time for Lord Balarama’s
appearance day. Looking back on these few months since
the Deities were installed, I think, “It seems
They’ve always been here. How could we have lived
without Them?” They are the supreme focal point
at the Temple of the Holy Name and we hope that They
will also become the focal point in your heart. Hare
Krsna.
DEITY
DARSHAN
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MORE DARSHAN PHOTOS, PLEASE VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE:
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 PUJAS
VEDIC
CEREMONIES OR SAMSKARAS
From before conception to after
death, Lord Krsna offers us various opportunities to
advance towards Him while living an auspicious life.
You can fill your lives and the lives of your children
with blessings from Guru, the Parampara, the Vedic sages,
the demigods, the associates of the Lord, and of Lord
Krsna Himself by executing the ceremonies or samskaras
recommended in the sastras (scriptures). These ceremonies
can be held at your home or at our beautiful Temple
in the foothills of North Carolina.
The following is a list of
the pujas that are offered. See how many you can perform
in this life!
LIST OF SAMSKARAS :
These ceremonies are a very sweet and devotional way
to connect with Krsna!
- Engagements
- Weddings
- Nama Karana (name-giving)
- Anna Prasana (first grains)
- Cuda Karanam (hair-cutting)
- Griha Pravesa (for a new
house or construction)
- Deity installation
- Abhisekams
- Homas (fire sacrifice)
We can also conduct home programs
with discourses about Srila Prabhupada, the Founder-Acarya
for the International Society for Krsna Consciousness.
Hare Krishna.
Please contact the
temple for more info. (336) 593-2322 |
