Srimad Bhagavatam 2.3.22 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | 13 June 2026
jaya rādhā-mādhava kuñja-vihārī
gopījana-vallabha giri-vara-dhārī
yaśodā-nandana vraja-jana-rañjana
yamunā-tīra-vana-cārī
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Jaya Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Prabhupāda Jaya Prabhupāda
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya
nama oṁ viṣṇu-pādāya kṛṣṇa-preṣṭhāya bhū-tale
śrīmate bhaktivedānta-svāmin iti nāmine
namas te sārasvate deve gaura-vāṇī-pracāriṇe
nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi-pāścātya-deśa-tāriṇe
jaya śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya prabhu-nityānanda
śrī-advaita gadādhara śrīvāsādi-gaura-bhakta-vṛnda
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 3 Verse 22.
ŚB 2.3.22
बर्हायिते ते नयने नराणां
लिङ्गानि विष्णोर्न निरीक्षतो ये ।
पादौ नृणां तौ द्रुमजन्मभाजौ
क्षेत्राणि नानुव्रजतो हरेर्यौ ॥ २२ ॥
barhāyite te nayane narāṇāṁ
liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye
pādau nṛṇāṁ tau druma-janma-bhājau
kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau
Synonyms
barhāyite — like plumes of a peacock; te — those; nayane — eyes; narāṇām — of men; liṅgāni — forms; viṣṇoḥ — of the Personality of Godhead; na — does not; nirīkṣataḥ — look upon; ye — all such; pādau — legs; nṛṇām — of men; tau — those; druma-janma — being born of the tree; bhājau — like that; kṣetrāṇi — holy places; na — never; anuvrajataḥ — goes after; hareḥ — of the Lord; yau — which.
Translation
The eyes which do not look at the symbolic representations of the Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu [His forms, name, quality, etc.] are like those printed on the plumes of the peacock, and the legs which do not move to the holy places [where the Lord is remembered] are considered to be like tree trunks.
Purport
Especially for the householder devotees, the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended. As far as possible, every householder, by the direction of the spiritual master, must install the Deity of Viṣṇu, forms like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa or Sītā-Rāma especially, or any other form of the Lord, like Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Gaura-Nitāi, Matsya, Kūrma, śālagrāma-śilā and many other forms of Viṣṇu, like Trivikrama, Keśava, Acyuta, Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa and Dāmodara, as recommended in the Vaiṣṇava-tantras or Purāṇas, and one’s family should worship strictly following the directions and regulations of arcana-vidhi. Any member of the family who is above twelve years of age should be initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, and all the members of the household should be engaged in the daily service of the Lord, beginning from morning (4 a.m.) till night (10 p.m.) by performing maṅgala-ārātrika, nirañjana, arcana, pūjā, kīrtana, śṛṅgāra, bhoga-vaikāli, sandhyā-ārātrika, pāṭha, bhoga (at night), śayana-ārātrika, etc. Engagement in such worship of the Deity, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, will greatly help the householders to purify their very existence and make rapid progress in spiritual knowledge. Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is theoretical, whereas the arcana process is practical. Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection. The training of devotional service for a neophyte devotee completely depends on the expert spiritual master who knows how to lead his disciple to make gradual progress towards the path back home, back to Godhead. One should not become a pseudo spiritual master as a matter of business to meet one’s family expenditures; one must be an expert spiritual master to deliver the disciple from the clutches of impending death. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has defined the bona fide qualities of a spiritual master, and one of the verses in that description reads:
śrī-vigrahārādhana-nitya-nānā-
śṛṅgāra-tan-mandira-mārjanādau
yuktasya bhaktāṁś ca niyuñjato ’pi
vande guroḥ śrī-caraṇāravindam
Śrī-vigraha is the arcā, or suitable worshipable form of the Lord, and the disciple should be engaged in worshiping the Deity regularly by śṛṅgāra, by proper decoration and dressing, as also by mandira-mārjana, the matter of cleansing the temple. The spiritual master teaches the neophyte devotee all these kindly and personally to help him gradually in the realization of the transcendental name, quality, form, etc., of the Lord.
Only attention engaged in the service of the Lord, especially in dressing and decorating the temple, accompanied by musical kīrtana and spiritual instructions from scriptures, can save the common man from the hellish cinema attractions and rubbish sex-songs broadcast everywhere by radios. If one is unable to maintain a temple at home, he should go to another’s temple where all the above performances are regularly executed. Visiting the temple of a devotee and looking at the profusely decorated forms of the Lord well dressed in a well-decorated, sanctified temple naturally infuse the mundane mind with spiritual inspiration. People should visit holy places like Vṛndāvana where such temples and worship of the Deity are specifically maintained. Formerly all rich men like kings and rich merchants constructed such temples under the direction of expert devotees of the Lord, like the Six Gosvāmīs, and it is the duty of the common man to take advantage of these temples and festivals observed in the holy places of pilgrimage by following in the footsteps of great devotees (anuvraja). One should not visit all these sanctified pilgrimage places and temples with sightseeing in mind, but one must go to such temples and sanctified places immortalized by the transcendental pastimes of the Lord and be guided by proper men who know the science. This is called anuvraja. Anu means to follow. It is therefore best to follow the instruction of the bona fide spiritual master, even in visiting temples and the holy places of pilgrimage. One who does not move in that way is as good as a standing tree condemned by the Lord not to move. The moving tendency of the human being is misused by visiting places for sightseeing. The best purpose of such traveling tendencies could be fulfilled by visiting the holy places established by great ācāryas and thereby not being misled by the atheistic propaganda of moneymaking men who have no knowledge of spiritual matters.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So this continues to show how if we do not engage our senses properly then it’s all a waste of time. So the previous verse talked about bowing down the head or using your hands for the deity instead of for other purposes. So here the topic is the eye and the foot. So here he says that one should see the deity form, this is lingani in the verse which means form. So the forms of the Lord in the temple. One should see these forms. And if you don’t use your eyes to see the forms of the Lord but see other things then those eyes are useless. So the peacock feather has an eye on it but it cannot see. So that’s your eye. It’s useless.
Of course, we do see things with our eye but all of these things we see with our eye lead to material desires and lead to material activities and lead to karma. So actually they don’t improve our situation if we use our eyes like this. So our senses have to be engaged in the proper way. We don’t have to stop seeing but we have to see the proper objects. So one of the angasof devotional service is to see the festivals and to see the form of the Lord, see the worship of the Lord. Of course, there is also a famous verse when discussing the five important Angas, one of which is Archana, the deity. So the glorification of Archana is when you see the Lord, the form of the Lord, which is the form of the deity, then you forget about the material world. So that particular verse takes the opposite example. So if you want to continue in the material world, don’t look at the form of the Lord [Laughs].
So this verse is saying, if you don’t see the form of the Lord, everything is useless, eyes are useless.
And the other example here is that your feet should be used to go to the tirtha’s of the Lord or the holy places. And then if they don’t, then your feet are just like tree trunks [Laughs]. So one of the main qualities of trees is they don’t move. Now often when describing all the living entities of the universe, they describe them as two categories, chara and achara. Those that move, which means animals, and those that don’t move, plants. So the plants are considered to be lower forms of life, bad karma. So if you don’t use your feet properly to go to the temples of the Lord or the holy places, then your feet are useless and you should be a tree instead. So through these verses, it is shown that we have to use our senses for the service of the Lord, to glorify the Lord, then that’s the proper use of the senses in the human being.
So in the purport, then Prabhupada explains all about the process of Archana. And he is particularly talking about the deity worship of the householder. And the reason for that is that ultimately, it is usually the householders who are worshiping the deities. If you are not a householder, you are either a Brahmachari, a Vanaprastha or a Sannyasi. And none of them have a home. And particularly the Vanaprastha and Sannyasis, they are not even fixed in one place. So in tradition, they did not establish temples. So the main persons who established temples and worshiped in the temples were the householders. Of course, we can say, well what about the Goswamis? They are renounced but they have temples. So of course, though they were renounced, they were also not wandering around because they were fixed in Vrindavan writing scriptures. But we see, they established temples and then they gave the worship to householders. So in most of those temples we see today, those people who are doing the worship are descendants from the ones who were appointed by the Goswamis [Laughs].
So the temple has a function in Bhakti. It is one of the, of course, the Archana is one of the main processes. So if we have a form of the Lord that we can see and we can serve, then this becomes a way of serving the Lord personally. At the same time, we know that Lord Caitanya has taught that Nama Sankirtan is the main process. So therefore it is advised in all of our different activities, either in the varnasrama system or in Bhakti, we should always be chanting the name. So though here a whole description is given of deity worship, that does not mean that we neglect chanting the name. So these processes have to be balanced.
Similarly, though we have Nama Sankirtana as Yuga Dharma, often great stress is given to the process of hearing, Sravanam. Srila Prabhupada previously explained here that Sravanam is the first process. So we cannot separate any of the processes, but we give prominence to chanting of the holy name. But these different processes also are connected because they are all Bhakti and they mutually support each other.
There’s an interesting story told in the Brhad Bhagavatamrta when Gopakumar goes to tapo-loka. And all those who have done great austerity and great Sannyasis, they go to that loka. So there they are all engaged in meditation on the Lord. And of course, Gopakumar is just chanting his mantras [Laughs]. So then there is a discussion, which is better? Is Smaranam and meditation better, or is Kirtan better? And then the conclusion is that they mutually support each other. If you remember the Lord nicely, then this makes your chanting better. And if you chant the name of the Lord, that makes your Smaranam better.
So we can apply that same principle to deity worship and to hearing as well. So obviously, if you are chanting the holy name, when you hear scripture and read scripture, then you get more understanding. And through hearing scripture, the more knowledge we get, the better the chanting becomes. The same with deity worship. By doing deity worship, when we chant the holy name, this increases our ability to chant. And when we utter the Lord’s name, then we can understand the Lord has wonderful form and qualities. And by chanting the holy name, then this makes our Archana process more devotional. So in this manner, all of these different important processes of Bhakti, they support each other.
We had previously bowing down your head before the Lord, namaskaras, etc., very important anga of Bhakti also. So they mutually support each other. They are not contradictory. And many of these can actually also be included within archana. So if we look in the Nectar of Devotion 64 angas there, and we take many of them, they can actually be, they’re all, many of them are related to the process of Archana.
So in this way, we engage all of our senses. But at the same time, we put the emphasis on Nama Sankirtana, which is, engages the voice and the tongue. However, it is explained that even in the one process, it is not exclusive, because we also have Smaranam and Sravanam [Laughs]. But in any case, we follow the process set out by the authorities in the past, the Goswamis. So, in the last part of the purport here, Prabhupada talks about anuvraja. Vraja means to go, and anu means after. So, we follow in the footsteps of the previous authorities. And whatever they do, we follow. And thus we see the Goswamis engaged in hearing, chanting, remembering, deity worship, etc.
Hare Krishna!
Q & A :
1.) Maharaj, we see, although we are in Kali Yuga, that Nama Sankirtana is the main process for us. But still, deity worship is given here. And also, there are Sampradayas like Sri Vaishnavas, those who only do deity worship, they don’t do other processes, not much, like Nama Sankirtana. So, what will be the result? because they do very less Nama Sankirtana. They do more of this deity worship, and emphasize it, they don’t emphasize too much on Nama Sankirtana although Nama Sankirtana is Yuga Dharma. So, what will be the result?
So, all the processes of Bhakti are wonderful, they’re all absolute, they’re all swarupa shakti of the Lord [Laughs]. However, Nama Sankirtana is the Yuga Dharma. This means it’s the most powerful, most effective and the easiest for everybody to perform. So those following other processes are doing Nama Sankirtana as a secondary process. Yeah, they also advance, but we can say slower and limited number of people. It’s obviously more difficult to engage more people instantly. You can’t tell them, oh come and worship our deity [Laughs]. No, they have to follow a certain process over many years, then they are accepted if they accept it at all. So it’s a little more difficult for common people to follow. And we see that in the Sampradayas, what happened is that ultimately it was passed on simply to their own families and it wasn’t spread beyond that. So if you want to save all of the people, then it’s more difficult to follow these other processes.
2.) Deity worship or Archana standard is very high. Whereas Nama Sankirtana, there is no standard, anybody can chant it. It doesn’t need any qualification. And we see in the case of Sanatana Goswami, you know, his way of deity worship is different from us. Even he was not offering salt also, Madanamohana was asking, at least put some salt. But that we cannot do it, correct? That is different from us, what they are following.
Yeah. So?
Devotee: So what I’m saying is see, what Goswamis are following, how can you follow them because..?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: So when we say we follow after the great Acharyas, it does not mean that we follow everything exactly, because that would be imitation. So we have to follow according to qualification. And furthermore, we follow according to what they recommend. So the recommendations we find in there, whatever they wrote. And then we’ll find particular instructions in, let’s say, Nectar of Devotion, on how the devotee should act, how he should worship, etc.
3.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, we have heard in the Prabhupada lecture, so Prabhupada has mentioned that a person who is around the temple radius should not have deity with him. And we see in this purport, Grhastha should have deity. So how do we reconcile this?
So here Prabhupada is talking of general principle. However, ISKCON establishes temples and then we have many devotees around the temples. So in that case, why do we need to put temples in our house when we can serve the temple deity [Laughs]? And in fact, the opposite may happen. Everybody serves their own deity, they don’t go to the temple [Laughs], even if they live near the temple. So that’s useless [Laughs]. So Prabhupada made the temples so that the devotees in the temple, around the temple, could do the service. So the devotees, they cannot come to the temple, they are too far away or for whatever reason, then they could have deities in their house.
4.) So we see Anuvraja, following the previous Acharyas. So what is the difference between imitating them and following them?
Well, of course, the same question comes up when Parikshit asks Sukadeva Goswami about Krishna and the Gopis. Then Sukadeva says, people like great personalities like Shiva can drink the poison, but we cannot. So don’t try to drink poison. So the conclusion is that by that we can appreciate their potency, but generally we follow what they say. Now in general, the great personalities also have very good conduct, so we can take inspiration from that also. But then certain things they may do, like Krishna having affairs with the Gopis, we cannot do. So therefore we should also hear their instructions and take the instructions as most important. And that is how we follow after them.
5.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Regarding this how Rama lived, like that we have to follow Rama?
How?
Devotee: How Rama lived in this world, Lord Rama. Maryada Purushottama.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Ramachandra?
Devotee: Yeah, Ramachandra. We have to live in that way and we have to follow what Krishna said, instruction in Bhagavad-Gita. So we can understand in that way also Maharaj?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: So Ramachandra set a good example as a king. And of course, generally the people follow whatever the king does. So in general, yes, we follow the conduct of Rama because He is acting in an ideal way. He also gave instructions. So we also have to take those into consideration. So we follow both His conduct and His instructions. If we take the example of the Goswamis, then they were also setting a very good example, so we can follow their general conduct also. But of course, Rama was acting as a king. We cannot do all the things the king does. The Goswamis were Paramahamsas, so we cannot do everything that Paramahamsas do. But apart from their instructions, they also set a good example of how devotees behave.
6.) And regarding that Namaskar, we are doing before the deities and Gurus and senior devotees. In that case, Namaskar literally meaning is na mama ahankara. So that moment only the ahankara is going or how can I understand that Maharaj?
As I mentioned, that the Namaskar was to show that you are a servant, you are not supreme. But it is not only physical, so I said that you have the verbal by offering the prayer and you have the mental, on which you submit to the Supreme Lord.
7.) Maharaj, what should be the basic standard that should be maintained for the deities at home?
So we have temple standards set up by the Deity Worship Ministry. I think they are also trying to codify the standards for worship at home. So of course, Prabhupada in the purport mentions many of the activities. In general, it will be much simpler than what is done in the temple. So that worship is adapted to the house and to the members of the house and how much time they can spend on the worship. It should not fall below a certain standard. Because then it becomes like just having statues in your house.
8.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, very often we get this question from congregation devotees during the festivals. So the festival is in the temple also and they have to celebrate for their deities at home. So what can be the protocol? Like they have deities at home, like Janmastami, so do they celebrate with their deities at home or do they come and do the service in the temple?
So they can do some simple celebration in their house, that’s all.
9.) Maharaj, is it okay like if they do it one day before or after and the main day they come and participate in the temple?
Well, technically, if Krishna is born on a certain day, then you should celebrate on that day, not on a different day [Laughs]. This, of course, underlies that problem of who to serve, your house deity or your temple deity [Laughs]?. So if you are doing regular service in the temple, why do you need a house deity at all?
Devotee: Thank you Maharaj.
10.) These days generally we have nuclear families and if the family is travelling somewhere, so is it okay to put the deities to rest or to take the deities along with them, like, what can be the instruction?
So that is a problem that will come up if the house has a installed deity, that worship should not be interrupted. So they should therefore consider before they actually accept and worship the deity in the house, whether they are going to be responsible for doing that worship without interruption.
Devotee: So Maharaj, if the deities are not installed, then it is okay to not worship or interrupted worship?
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj: Yeah. So the problem with uninstalled deities is this is what we will do. We will worship them sometimes and not worship them other times. So then it becomes like statues again [Laughs]. So if people want to have deities in house, as I said, they have to consider very carefully and technically they should install them. And if they install them, then they are responsible to do the worship regularly. Just like if you have a child and then you have a baby and then suddenly I am going on holiday, oh baby, stick him in the closet for now and I will come back later on and feed the baby. How does it work out [Laughs]?
11.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, what happens if in a family if a person dies, so what to do with the deity? Like we cannot, we can worship the deity on that particular day or when we should worship the deity?
So the principle is that the worship should continue whether a person dies or doesn’t die or whatever. But if you prefer not to do it because of the ideas of impurity etc., then atleast somebody else should do the worship.
12.) Maharaj, will photos be a good option?
Oh yeah, well, that’s the easiest way in which you can do out your deity worship in the house is to have photos. And they don’t have to be installed or whatever.
13.) Maharaj, this is regarding yesterday’s class. It is mentioned that Uttama Adhikari or Prema bhakta devotees will not preach. How about Srila Prabhupada being understood here? Please clarify.
So that’s a general principle. In Bhakti Sandarbha, Jiva Goswami also explains that yes, Uttama Adhikari generally doesn’t preach. But then he says there are exceptions and he gives the example of Narada Muni. So, Narada Muni is actually also a Shaktyavesha avatar and he is preaching, he’s Uttama Adhikari or whatever. But he is always preaching. So there are exceptions to the rules sometimes.
14.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Prabhupada in his book has written that we should not travel unnecessarily. We have to travel only to preach Krishna Consciousness. But as a devotee, he or she might be enthusiastic to travel. They have to see Himalayas. How it looks if they want to go about like US and Paris for sightseeing. Is it okay? Or we should avoid?
[Laughs] So, Prabhupada actually mentions this in the purport I think, here about sightseeing [Laughs]. So you can even go to holy places to sightsee. So even that is bad what to speak of places that are not holy places at all for sightseeing, it’s also like your feet are like trees [Laughs], tree trunks [Laughs], same, all wasted. Of course, in the Himalayas, we also have tirtha’s like Badrinath. But if we go for the wrong reasons, again, it is also useless.
15.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, is taking shatari, means shatari, also like paying obeisance to the Lord? Why we follow that in ISKCON?
Yeah, so it is similar, it’s the foot of the Lord, so touching it to your head is similar. It’s not a, we can say a universal principle within deity worship, but it is one method used in Ramanuja Sampradaya. So when they install the deity, they also install that, so it’s non-different from the Lord.
16.) Hare Krishna Maharaj, pamho. In Kali Yuga, out of the nine processes of Bhakti, if even one process is perfected, can we go back to Godhead? I mean, any one of the nine processes will take us back to Godhead?
Yes, all Bhakti is absolute, and by practicing it perfectly, then we end up in the spiritual world. However, in Kali Yuga, generally, it is probably more difficult for people to do these other processes.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!