RENDERING SERVICE TO THE LORD It is stated in the Viṣṇu-rahasya, “Any person who can arrange for service to the Lord in the same way that a king is given service by his attendants is surely … Read More
ARCANĀ Arcanā means worship of the Deity in the temple. By executing this process one confirms himself to be not the body but spirit soul. In the Tenth Canto, eighty-first chapter, verse 19 of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it … Read More
CIRCUMAMBULATING THE TEMPLE OF VIṢṆU It is said in the Hari-bhakti-sudhodaya, “A person who is circumambulating the Deity of Viṣṇu can counteract the circumambulation of repeated birth and death in this material world.” The conditioned soul … Read More
GOING TO THE TEMPLE OF VIṢṆU OR TO PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE It is stated in the Purāṇas, “Persons who attempt to visit the holy places of pilgrimage, like Vṛndāvana, Mathurā or Dvārakā, are actually glorified. By … Read More
FOLLOWING THE DEITY A similar statement is there in the Bhaviṣya Purāṇa, in which it is said, “Even if born of a lowly family, a person who follows the Ratha-yātrā car when the Deities pass in … Read More
STANDING UP TO RECEIVE THE LORD In the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa it is said, “A person who sees the Lord’s Ratha-yātrā car festival and then stands up to receive the Lord can purge all kinds of sinful … Read More
BOWING DOWN IN HONOR OF THE DEITY In the Nāradīya Purāṇa there is a statement about bowing down and offering respect to the Deity. It is said there, “A person who has performed a great ritualistic … Read More
DANCING BEFORE THE DEITY In the Dvārakā-māhātmya the importance of dancing before the Deity is stated by Lord Kṛṣṇa as follows: “A person who is in a jubilant spirit, who feels profound devotional ecstasy while dancing … Read More
ACCEPTING FLOWER GARLANDS The next instruction is that one should put on flower garlands that are offered to the Deity. In this connection, in the Eleventh Canto, sixth chapter, verse 46 of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Uddhava says to … Read More
TILAKA AND TULASĪ BEADS In the Padma Purāṇa there is a statement describing how a Vaiṣṇava should decorate his body with tilaka and beads: “Persons who put tulasī beads on the neck, who mark twelve places … Read More
CHAPTER NINE Further Consideration of Devotional Principles BLASPHEMY One should not tolerate blasphemy of the Lord or His devotees. In this connection, in the Tenth Canto, seventy-fourth chapter, verse 40 of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Śukadeva Gosvāmī tells Parīkṣit … Read More
The offenses against the chanting of the holy name are as follows: (1) To blaspheme the devotees who have dedicated their lives for propagating the holy name of the Lord. (2) To consider the names of … Read More
CHAPTER EIGHT Offenses to Be Avoided In the supplementary Vedic literature, there is the following list of thirty-two offenses in the matter of serving the Lord: (1) One should not enter the temple of the … Read More
NOT GIVING PAIN TO ANY LIVING ENTITY This is the statement of Mahābhārata: “A person who does not disturb or cause painful action in the mind of any living entity, who treats everyone just like a … Read More
THE DEMIGODS One should not neglect to offer due respect to the demigods. One may not be a devotee of demigods, but that does not mean that he should be disrespectful to them. For example, a … Read More
STRAIGHTFORWARDNESS IN ORDINARY DEALINGS AND EQUILIBRIUM IN LOSS AND GAIN There is a statement in the Padma Purāṇa: “Persons who are engaged in Kṛṣṇa consciousness should never be disturbed by some material gain or loss. Even … Read More
NOT ACCEPTING UNFIT DISCIPLES, CONSTRUCTING MANY TEMPLES OR READING MANY BOOKS Another stricture is that a person may have many disciples, but he should not act in such a way that he will be obliged to … Read More
GIVING UP THE COMPANY OF NONDEVOTEES Lord Caitanya was once asked by one of His householder devotees what the general behavior of a Vaiṣṇava should be. In this connection, Lord Caitanya replied that a Vaiṣṇava should … Read More
OFFERING RESPECT TO THE BANYAN TREES In the Skanda Purāṇa it is directed that a devotee should offer water to the tulasī plant and āmalaka trees. He should offer respect to the cows and to the … Read More
OBSERVING FASTING ON EKĀDAŚĪ In the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa it is said that one who observes fasting on Ekādaśī is freed from all kinds of reactions to sinful activities and advances in pious life. The basic principle … Read More
