Besides Spiritual Knowledge & Chanting the Vedic Mantras the center of the Vedic philosophy is the Deity or Murti Service (layman word is worship). Without Deity service it is very difficult to reach the stage of perfection which is to Love God unconditionally and we will fall down from the Spiritual path. By performing Devotional services religiously which includes Deity service, we develop a Devotional attitude or mentality in our daily lives. Development comes with Devotion towards God, not by the knowledge. Divinity is in proportion to the Devotion to God. Humanity is included in Spirituality.
Deity Service means offering our service to the Deity of God in his personal form. There is no difference between the God manifest either in matter or spirit because both are his energies. His manifestation in material form (arca-vigrha or Deity) therefore is as good as his original Spiritual form the Sat-Chit-Ananda (means Absolute Truth-Consciousness- Bliss) which is now manifested in Vigraha or Deity Form.
The main reason for God to manifest in a Deity form is that through Deity service God can reciprocate his loving exchange with his devotees. There is complete satisfaction, inner fulfillments & joy by serving our loved one or God wholeheartedly by ourselves rather than only through the mind. Even in our day to day life without the presence of our loved one in front of us and without serving them it is difficult to express our emotions & love ❤️.
Serving the Deity or God together in the Temple creates the nice Spiritual atmosphere & association. A Deity is decorated very beautifully and give us satisfaction & joy by having Darsana (seeing). Deity service also includes offering home made fresh satvik food to God. Eating Prasadam (pure sanctified food) after offering the God indirectly prevent us from eating unhealthy food. Our physical & mental health also depend on kinds of food we eat.
DEITY SERVICE is also a kind of MEDIATION to PURIFY our SENSES & INTELLIGENCE.
The process of meditation recommended in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is not to fix one’s attention on something impersonal or void. The more one concentrates on the transcendental form of the Lord, the more one becomes purified.
DEITY WORSHIP is not an IDOL WORSHIP but it is an IDEAL WORSHIP. Deity worship is perfect science not a sentiment.
Bg 12.5 -- For those whose minds are attached to the unmanifested, impersonal feature of the Supreme, advancement is very troublesome. To make progress in that discipline is always difficult for those who are embodied.
Bg 12.6-7 -- But those who worship Me, giving up all their activities unto Me and being devoted to Me without deviation, engaged in devotional service and always meditating upon Me, having fixed their minds upon Me, O son of Pṛthā – for them I am the swift deliverer from the ocean of birth and death.
SB 2.2.13 -- The process of meditation should begin from the lotus feet of the Lord and progress to His smiling face. The meditation should be concentrated upon the lotus feet, then the calves, then the thighs, and in this way higher and higher. The more the mind becomes fixed upon the different parts of the limbs, one after another, the more the intelligence becomes purified. Vedabase.com
Have a Devotional Service Day.
It is easy to say, but difficult to follow. I am in the same boat with everyone else, or I may even be behind, but thinking in the right direction will help us to go in the right direction.
Thank You.
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MY SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION , SOURCE & THE GURUS:
I am inspired to hear & read the Vedic Scriptures by regularly listening to Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale, also known as Dadaji ( speaks on Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Veda based discourses & western philosophy ) and the association of Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday in Swadhya Kendra.
I also hear and read the discourses & literature on Vedic thoughts from Srila Prabhupada, his disciples & grand disciples ( HH Bhakti Rasamitra Swami, HH Chaitanya Charandas Prabhu, Shubha Vilas Prabhu, Sutapa Das, Amarnath Dasa, HH Bhakticharu Swami, HH Urmila Devi Dasi, HH Sivarama Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Romapada Swami, Lal Govind Prabhu ( Gujarati & Hindi) Prahalad Maharaj in Surat (Gujarati) .......and many more from ISKCON......).
FYI: A good source of Vedic literature: Vedabase.com . Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the essence & Srimad Bhagavatam (SB) is the nectar of all Vedic scriptures. Repeatedly hearing/reading & meditating the Scriptures, Eating Sanctified Pure Food and Chanting Vedic Mantras are nourishing to our heart (Soul), transcendental to our consciousness, purifying to our senses and thus helps us to overcome our weaknesses or deficiencies. Yes, we do have good qualities within us but there is always a room for improvement.
It is always a good idea to share our good thoughts & knowledge with others. Thanks to the Facebook/Social media for providing me the platform. Of course I use Smartphone/Google Pexels search to collect some data.
Besides my parents, wife, teachers, family & friends GREATFUL to EVERYONE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED in MY LIFE. Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue by Grace of the Guru & God ( Krishna , Absolute Truth ).
NOTE:
Many times a word Hearing is used instead of Listening when it comes to the Scriptures. Because Scriptures are so potent that simply by Hearing them even if you don’t try to interpret or analyze or understand them still there will be passive positive effects on our mind & senses.
We can follow either the Quran, Bible,Torah, Tripitaka, Agama, Guru Granth Sahib, Gita or any other Philosophy which makes sense to us, purifies us, elevates our consciousness and qualifies us to understand God and instill the love of God & his creation. ( whichever way we can understand God -- either Personal with many names or Impersonal as an universal consciousness & energy ).
Don’t try to understand God by Name, Religion or Depiction ( means image, picture...etc ) but try to understand him by the Definition through Scriptures. The Transcendental subject of God & his creation cannot be understood by mental speculation. Some times people ask why God is Supreme? It is just like asking why is the circle circular? Just by definition, the circle is circular. Similarly by definition, God is unborn, complete, unlimited, infinite, eternal, the Absolute Truth the source of everything, cause of all causes.
I see God, besides the above mentioned qualities, as an eternal living person ( not a abstract or some kind of light ) known by the name KRISHNA meaning one who attracts everyone has also MANY other NAMES, forms, abodes, incarnations, activities, qualities, associates, is full of wisdom, bliss, and the cause of all causes.
Bg 9.17 -- I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oṁ. I am also the Ṛg, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas.
Bg:13-12:-- Accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth ( God ) – all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance. ( Vedabase.com ).
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