All glories to Śrī Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga
By Śrīla Shyam Das Baba Date –11.07.2024
From Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta we know the following śloka –
pratimā naha tumi — sākṣāt vrajendra-nandana
vipra lāgi’ kara tumi akārya-karaṇa”
(Cc Madhya 5.96)
“My dear Lord, You are not a vigraha; You are directly the son of Mahārāja Nanda. Now, for the sake of the old brāhmaṇa, You can do something You have never done before.”
Gauḍīya Goṣṭhī Pati Śrī Śrīla Bhakti Siddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda Paramahaṁsa Jagad Guru said that— “To test us our genuine demand whether we want the lotus feet of guru-Vaiṣṇava-Bhagavān or not, different kind of doubts and suspicions arising inside our mind.” This is called ‘tarka panthā’, but we know it very well that tarka can never get any pratiṣṭha or settlement. From Mahābhārata we know the following śloka –
tarko ’pratiṣṭhaḥ śrutayo vibhinnā
nāsāv ṛṣir yasya mataṁ na bhinnam
dharmasya tattvaṁ nihitaṁ guhāyāṁ
mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ
(Cc Madhya 17.186)
Dry arguments are inconclusive because all different śrutis differ from each other. One such Muni cannot be found whose opinions not differ from the other. The Absolute Tattva is protected and preserved so secretly that it is quite impossible to perceive. So, one should accept whatever progressive path the mahājanas advocated.”
Very often Śrīla Prabhupāda used to say that— “That logical interpretation cannot stand in the way of that Absolute Truth.” So, regarding any aprākṛta visaya we should not go for logical interpretation, because we know from Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta that—
aprākṛta vastu nahe prākṛta-gocara
veda-purāṇete ei kahe nirantara
(Cc Madhya 9.194)
“Spiritual substance is never within the jurisdiction of the material conception. This is always the verdict of the Vedas and Purāṇas.”
Śrīla Jiva Gosvāmīpad has classified acintya- bhedābheda-tattva in Bhagavat Sandarba 16 No. śloka that –
ekam eva tat parama-tattvaṁ svabhavikacintya-śaktya sarvadaiva svarūpa-tad-rūpa-vaibhava-jiva- pradhāna-rūpeṇa caturdhavatisthatesuryantarmaṇḍalastha-teja iva maṇḍala tad-bahir-gatarasmi-tat-prattichavi-rūpeṇa durghaṭā-ghaṭa-katvaṁ hyacintya tvaṁ
(Bhagavata-sandarbha 16)
The Absolute Truth is one. His natural characteristic is that He has inconceivable potency. His inconceivable potencies are reposed in four different stages: His personal form (svarūpa), the expansions of His divine form (tad rūpa-vaibhava), the jivas, and the material ingredients ( pradhāna). With regard to the sun, there is the sungod, the internal power of the sun, and that power when it is expanded as the external rays of the sun. Then there is the shadow of the sun, that is to say, the sun’s reflection which is in darkness, far from the sun’s influence. This illustration is used as an example. The point of the example is that in the same way as the sun appears in this fourfold manifestation (the sungod, its internal power, its external rays, and its shadow), there is one eternal Supreme Truth (the Lord) whose form is eternal, but who is possessed of different potencies: svarūpa-śakti, jiva-śakti, and Māyā-śakti. There seems to be a contradiction in this matter between the Lord being one eternal Absolute Truth and His simultaneously possessing inconceivable potency. How is it possible to understand such a contradiction? To that it is said acintya means beyond the jiva’s capacity to understand. An event which is extremely rare or unlikely, even physically impossible, is inconceivable. For the Supreme Lord, however, nothing is impossible for He has inconceivable power. [Therefore, the Lord’s oneness with – and distinction from – His energy is said to be inconceivable acintya-bhedābheda-vada.]
Though we know that Bhagavān and His deity form all the same, but still deity is more and more merciful than Bhagavān Himself, just as nāma and nāmī identical with each other, but still nāma is more and more merciful than nāmī Bhagavān. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī has established the following siddhānta vichar in the following śloka of Nāmāṣṭaka.
vācyaḿ vācakam ity udeti bhavato nāma svarūpa-dvayaḿ
pūrvasmāt param eva hanta karuṇaḿ tatrāpi jānīmahe
yas tasmin vihitāparādha-nivahaḥ prāṇī samantād bhaved
āsyenedam upāsya so ‘pi hi sadānandāmbudhau majjati
(Nāmāṣṭaka 6)
O Holy Name, You are manifested in two forms: 1. the Supreme Person described by the Holy Name, and 2. the sound vibration of the Holy Name. We know that the second form is even more merciful than the first, because although a person may commit many offenses to Your first form, he will still plunge into an ocean of bliss by serving Your second with His voice.
The real meaning of bhagavat-vigraha is to express very very special kṛpā (golden opportunity) to us bonded souls for our emancipation from bhava sagar. Śrī Kṛṣṇa Caitanya Mahāprabhu Himself wanted to cut short of navada bhakti for us bonded soul in the form of bhakti panchakam given below—
sādhu-saṅga, nāma-kīrtana, bhāgavata-śravaṇa
mathurā-vāsa, śrī-mūrtira śraddhāya sevāna
(Cc Madhya 22.128)
“One should associate with devotees, chant the holy name of the Lord, hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, reside at Mathurā and worship the deity with faith and veneration.
sakala-sādhana-śreṣṭha ei pañca aṅga
kṛṣṇa-prema janmāya ei pāṅcera alpa saṅga
(Cc Madhya 22.129)
“These five limbs of devotional service are the best of all. Even a slight performance of these five awakens love for Kṛṣṇa.
Those who have strong faith in Bhagavān they can see Bhagavān with prema netra. From Brahma-saṁhitā we can find the following supporting śloka—
premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena
santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti
yaṁ śyāmasundaram acintya-guṇa-svarūpaṁ
govindam ādi-puruṣaṁ tam ahaṁ bhajāmi
(Śrī Brahma-saṁhitā 5.38)
I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord, who is Śyāmasundara, Kṛṣṇa Himself with inconceivable innumerable attributes, whom the pure devotees see in their heart of hearts with the eye of devotion tinged with the salve of love.
But to deliver bonded souls Bhagavān keeping countless provisions like-He Himself coming in the form of sādhu-guru-Vaiṣṇava or śāstras or bhagavat dhama or even in the form of Śrī Nāma, śilā (girirāja–śilā, śālagrāma-śilā) or vigraha etc. In spite of that those blind jivas are roaming around these fourteen words for infinite period. So, what you heard is true that as per śāstra vichar the Lord appears in the form of archar vigraha to bestow more and more mercy on us to allow us to do His sevā without any protest or objection. Though at present we can see only urin and stool or blood and flesh with this material eyes, but still, we can attain vaikuṇṭha-darśana someday under the guidance of Sad Guru Vaiṣṇava. Such hope is there with us. So, He purposely has reserved the right for us to come in contact with sādhu–guru-Vaiṣṇava, who can give us opportunity to pay dandavat pranam to the deities installed inside temple. Also, srī-mandir–parikrāma can help us to cut of samsara-parikrāma. Again, mahā-prasādam can also help us to go out of Māyā (prasâda-sevâ korite hoya sakala prapañca jaya) inside nāṭya mandir in front of deities we can hear hari-kathā from living source (sādhu–guru-Vaiṣṇava) etc. etc. The following Bhagavad ślokas can advocate in favour of the above siddhānta vichars –
yat-kīrtanaṁ yat-smaraṇaṁ yad-īkṣaṇaṁ
yad-vandanaṁ yac-chravaṇaṁ yad-arhaṇam
lokasya sadyo vidhunoti kalmaṣaṁ
tasmai subhadra-śravase namo nāmaḥ
(ŚB 2.4.15)
Let me offer my respectful obeisances unto the all-auspicious Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, about whom glorification, remembrances, audience, prayers, hearing and worship can at once cleanse the effects of all sins of the performer.
sa vai manaḥ kṛṣṇa-padāravindayor
vacāṁsi vaikuṇṭha-guṇānuvarṇane
karau harer mandira-mārjanādiṣu
śrutiṁ cakārācyuta-sat-kathodaye
mukunda-liṅgālaya-darśane dṛśau
tad-bhṛtya-gātra-sparśe ’ṅga-saṅgamam
ghrāṇaṁ ca tat-pāda-saroja-saurabhe
śrīmat-tulasyā rasanāṁ tad-arpite
pādau hareḥ kṣetra-padānusarpaṇe
śiro hṛṣīkeśa-padābhivandane
kāmaṁ ca dāsye na tu kāma-kāmyayā
yathottamaśloka-janāśrayā ratiḥ
(ŚB 9.4.18-20)
Mahārāja Ambarīṣa always engaged his mind in meditating upon the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, his words in describing the glories of the Lord, his hands in cleansing the Lord’s temple, and his ears in hearing the words spoken by Kṛṣṇa or about Kṛṣṇa. He engaged his eyes in seeing the deity of Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa’s temples and Kṛṣṇa’s places like Mathurā and Vṛndāvana, he engaged his sense of touch in touching the bodies of the Lord’s devotees, he engaged his sense of smell in smelling the fragrance of tulasī offered to the Lord, and he engaged his tongue in tasting the Lord’s prasāda. He engaged his legs in walking to the holy places and temples of the Lord, his head in bowing down before the Lord, and all his desires in serving the Lord, twenty-four hours a day. Indeed, Mahārāja Ambarīṣa never desired anything for his own sense gratification. He engaged all his senses in devotional service, in various engagements related to the Lord. This is the way to increase attachment for the Lord and be completely free from all material desires.
na yatra vaikuṇṭha-kathā-sudhāpagā
na sādhavo bhāgavatās tadāśrayāḥ
na yatra yajñeśa-makhā mahotsavāḥ
sureśa-loko ’pi na vai sa sevyatām
(ŚB 5.19.24)
An intelligent person does not take interest in a place, even in the topmost planetary system, if the pure Ganges of topics concerning the Supreme Lord’s activities does not flow there, if there are not devotees engaged in service on the banks of such a river of piety, or if there are no festivals of saṅkīrtana-yajña to satisfy the Lord [especially since saṅkīrtana-yajña is recommended in this age].
naivātmanaḥ prabhur ayaṁ nija-lābha-pūrṇo
mānaṁ janād aviduṣaḥ karuṇo vṛṇīte
yad yaj jano bhagavate vidadhīta mānaṁ
tac cātmane prati-mukhasya yathā mukha-śrīḥ
(ŚB 7.9.11)
The Supreme Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is always fully satisfied in Himself. Therefore, when something is offered to Him, the offering, by the Lord’s mercy, is for the benefit of the devotee, for the Lord does not need service from anyone. To give an example, if one’s face is decorated, the reflection of one’s face in a mirror is also seen to be decorated.
Also, from Gurvaṣṭakam we can see the following śloka written by Śrīla Visvanath Cakrabartypad –
srī-vigraharādhāna-nitya-nanashringara-
tan-mandira-marjanadau
yuktasya bhaktams cha niyunjato pi
vande guroh srī-charanaravindam
(Gurvaṣṭakam Vers 4)
The spiritual master is always engaged in the temple worship of Śrī Śrī Rādhā and Krisna. He also engages his disciples in such worship. They dress the deities in beautiful clothes and ornaments, clean Their temple, and perform other similar worship of the Lord. I offer my respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master.
Those who are siddha mahāpuruṣa in our bhajan line, anyway they can see the Lord (their Ista Deva) with prema netra, so for them also Bhagavān can take the form of arca vigraha, like Śrīla Mādhavendra Purīpad was given Śrī Nath Gopal vigraha by Bhagavān Himself, or Śrī Madan Mohan vigraha was given to Śrīla Sanātan Gosvāmīpad by Him, Śrī Govinda vigraha was given to Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpad by Him, Śrī Śrī Rādhā -Dāmodar vigraha was given to Śrīla Jiva Gosvāmīpad by Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpad, Śrī Śrī Rādhā Śyāmasundara vigraha appeared in front of Śyāmananda Prabhu, also Śrī Jaganath Deva in the form of arca vigraha appeared at Purī dhama or Śrī Dhameswara Gaura appeared in front of Śrī Vishnu Priya Devi etc. etc. so many examples can be given. Bhagavān coming in front of us in the form of arca vigraha with mauna vrata to take sevā from us, so that we can do sevā of arca vigraha by the inspiration of guru-Vaiṣṇava with full faith and love to get kṛpā of Bhagavān. If there is no arca vigraha or no faith in us about arca vigraha, then where we can go! No way for us. Anyway, for siddha mahāpuruṣa there is no problem for them even if there is no arca vigraha in front of them.
In the conclusion part we would like draw your kind attention to the fact that as per Gauḍīya siddhānta vichar Śrīman Mahāprabhu has given much more importance to nāma-saṅkīrtana because all countless sevā must come under the kṛpā of nāma-bhajan (or nāma-saṅkīrtana). nāma-bhajan or nāma-saṅkīrtana is one kind of bhajan mood (sādhana) for those bonded souls, but for those siddha mahatmas this is itself saddhya vastu. Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmīpad has already pointed out this point in his Nāmāṣṭaka –
nikhila-śruti-mauli-ratna-mālā-
dyuti-nīrājita-pāda-paṅkajānta
ayi mukta-kulair upāsyamānaṁ
paritas tvāṁ hari-nāma saṁśrayāmi
(Nāmāṣṭaka Vers 1)
O Harināma! The tips of the toes of Your lotus feet are constantly being worshiped by the glowing radiance emanating from the string of gems known as the Upaniṣads, the crown jewels of all the Vedas. You are eternally adored by liberated souls, such as Narada and Sukadeva. O Harināma! I take complete shelter of You.
In his own preface to Bhajana-rahasya, Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda emphasized the superiority of bhajana over arcana:
While revealing the secrets of bhajana, this book narrates that in arcana a connection with the gross and subtle bodies basically remains. In the realm of bhajana, the embodied soul freed from gross and subtle designations directly serves the Supreme Personality. One who sincerely performs bhajana and is completely free from all worldly designations perceives through his spiritual senses something beyond the material sphere. The realization that he achieves leads him to the proximity of the advaya-jñāna-tattva, where he serves on a level above the mundane senses and time.
Śrīla Prabhupāda also mentioned that:
Arcana is relevant to the stage of sādhana-bhakti, from which one serves the Lord to carry out the regulations of the process.
One who has achieved the shelter of the Lord’s holy name and is seriously trying to serve the Lord should be considered on the platform of bhajana, even though his external activities may sometimes be less disciplined than those of the neophyte engaged in arcana. Yet this apparent lack of strictness refers not to laxity in the basic principles of sane behavior or in renunciation of sense gratification, but rather to details of Vaiṣṇava ceremonies.
Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda always stressed the primacy of kīrtana over arcana, citing Śrīla Jiva Gosvāmī’s teaching that in Kali-yuga the other limbs of bhakti should be accompanied by kīrtana. He elaborated, “Without saṅkīrtana one cannot serve the form of the Lord who combines Rādhā and Govinda in His body (i.e., Lord Caitanya). One cannot serve Śrī Rādhā-Govinda merely by temple worship. Being the very essence of arcana, saṅkīrtana is mandatory.”
Some additional texts regarding how to honor or ignore installed deities are given below
Pañca Saṁskāra (The Five Purificatory Processes) was originally published in Sajjana Toṣaṇī (Vol. 2. Issue 1) in 1885 by Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura. Below you can find one small excerpt from that article–
“Expressing greater affection for the disciple, Gurudeva teaches him the method of yāga. Without the system of yāga, real auspiciousness cannot be acquired by the bound jīva. Even after attaining tāpa, puṇḍra, nāma and mantra, the jīva’s connection to matter does not easily go away. Through upāsana, Hari is satisfied, and the jīva gains freedom from the material world at death. Therefore, even a person who has received the mantra must wait until death. During that time, even if there is no attachment to material things, worldly duties continue incessantly. Thus, the method that has been prepared as a way to utilise matter is called yāga.
Yāga is the name of the method of deity worship which has been developed to cultivate spiritual life through the activities of seeing, touching, hearing, smelling, tasting, thinking, discerning, and action. In śalagrāma-pūjā, all these aspects are integrated into spiritual activities. The process of serving the deity is called vaiṣṇava–yāga. We are present in this world – if all activities are not performed, we will not be able to maintain our bodies. Therefore, it is the duty of a jīva who has received mantra to spend his whole life performing all actions with bhakti according to the rules of arcana, and offering everything to Bhagavān. By instructing the disciple in this process of yāga, the most compassionate Gurudeva delivers him from the ocean of birth and death. Yāga is the fifth saṁskāra. The life of a person devoid of yāga becomes empty – otherwise they will receive worldly results from activities that are averse to the Lord. Thus, a Vaiṣṇava engages in yāga and remains present in this world. A specific explanation of the principles of yāga is to be found in the book Śrī Caitanya-śikṣāmṛta in the discussion concerning vaidhī-bhakti.”
The exclusive vichar of Śrī Rāmānuja Ācārya, regarding how to honor or ignore installed deities
Deities should be worshiped only after being installed. Only an ācārya in direct touch with Godhead can install the deity. From his heart he will install the Supreme Lord, just as from Vasudeva’s heart Kṛṣṇa appeared. Anyone can go to the market and buy a deity. We may respect that form, but that is not a properly installed deity. Self-manifested deities (svayambhu) who have descended into this world, such as Kesava and Narayana, and the deities installed by ācāryas, are called srī-vigraha.
Śrīla Rāmānuja Ācārya has said that—“Some deity installed by a siddha mahātma (mahā-bhāgavata) can be treated as established (pūjā— to be worshiped) deity in true sense, because only mantras and some ritualistic activities like yajña-worship, etc. cannot invite Bhagavān to take sevā from us in the form of deity, rather the exclusive śuddha-bhakti inside the heart of a śuddha-bhakta who is directly involved in the installation or invitation ceremony can help us to invite Bhagavān to take sevā from us in the form of deity. So many scriptural evidences can be shown for the confirmation of the above mentioned śāstra siddhānta vichar—like in the case of Sakshigopal vigraha or Śrī Rādhā-Mādhava vigraha installed by Śrī Jayadeva Gosvāmī etc.
Anyway, deity installed by a so-called devotee who is devoid of śuddha-bhakti cannot be treated as valid deity. Also, a deity installed by a great devotee if not going to be served for long time without any gapping cannot be treated as valid deity. Also, such neglected deity devoid of prāṇa (life) can be treated as valid deity if daṇḍavat praṇām done by any mahābhāgavat paramahaṁsa sādhu, because to give honor to his devotional mood in the form of daṇḍavat praṇām Bhagavān can appear immediately inside that mūrti. The actual meaning of vigraha is ´vi + graha, which means that Bhagavān in the form of vigraha can accept our sevā–pūjā without any complain. The special kṛpā for us which can be had in the form of deity is called vigraha.
Vises? or Viśeṣa? anugraha—which means special kṛpā distribution in the form of deity can be done by the Supreme Lord in the form of deity, and anyway Supreme Lord who is omnipresent in general, but still, we cannot get in touch with Him. Genuine vigraha is just equal to the Supreme Lord Himself, I mean one and the same. We know the case of Śrī Madan Gopal vigraha who took direct sevā from Śrī Sanātan Gosvāmīpad, and also the case of Raghunandan Ṭhākur of Narahari Śrīpat Katwa from whom Gopalji accepted direct sevā.
Here we would also like to add one excerpt from the book —’My Beloved Masters’ by Śrī Śrīmad Bhakti Vijñāna Bhāratī Gosvāmī Mahārāja where he mentioned that–
The proper method of deity installation
Before having darśana of any deity of Bhagavān, Śrīla Vaikhānasa Gosvāmī Mahārāja would always ask, “Who installed these deities?” If he was informed that a genuine Vaiṣṇava had installed Them, then he would offer praṇāma. But if not, his next question would be, “Has a distinguished Vaiṣṇava ever had darśana of Them?” If affirmed, he would offer praṇāma. Otherwise, he would leave immediately.
He would often say, “The scriptures forbid one to offer praṇāma to deities that have not been installed by a realized Vaiṣṇava. Deities become direct, worshipful personifications of Bhagavān only when any of the senses of a mahā-bhāgavata comes in contact with Them. In other words, They become śrī vigraha when a Vaiṣṇava touches Them, has darśana of Them, names Them or offers praṇāma to Them by reciting mantras of glorification. Otherwise, they remain nothing but statues composed of material elements like wood or stone. What intelligent person would want to invoke misfortune by offering respects to deities installed by non-Vaiṣṇavas?
“Although a lawyer may have drafted an immaculately intelligible deed for a property’s transfer of ownership, the typist may have made no mistakes in finalizing it on stamped paper, and the prospective buyer’s name may have been explicitly mentioned, it is useless without the signature of the present owner, just as currency has no value without the governor’s signature. Similarly, no one can approach or serve Bhagavān unless a mahā-bhāgavata confers his prāṇa-dhana (life’s wealth)—the inconceivable and unapproachable Supreme Lord Himself—upon that person.
“This is the real process of deity installation. Why should I offer praṇāma to an idol and thereby support those who follow an unauthentic process?” The above is a teaching I learned through his direct instruction and by observing his conduct.
SARASVATĪ ṬHĀKURA AS THE EXPOUNDER OF THE TRUE PRINCIPLES ABOUT ŚRĪ MŪRTI-WORSHIP
It is impossible for a man to perform any physical or mental activity without the help of concrete objects or mental images. The objection to Image-worship is ultimately an objection to all physical or mental activity for the purpose of worship. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu rejects idolatry but considers Śrī Mūrti (vigraha) worship as one of the essential means of spiritual enlightenment.
It has been pointed out that the Supreme Lord is Personal, All-Beautiful and All-Love. Sages like Vedavyāsa and other ācāryas have seen that All-Beautiful Śyāmasundara Form in their souls’ eyes and have left for us descriptions of that Beautiful Form. Of course, those descriptions regarding the All-Beautiful Form of the Lord are transcendental. Hence truth is perceivable in those descriptions. According to those descriptions one delineates or worships Śrī Mūrti and views the blissful Lord of his heart with intense delight. Is that wrong or sinful? Those who say that God has no transcendental form and yet imagine a false form for worship, either material or mental, are certainly idolatrous. But those who behold the transcendental form of the Supreme Lord in their souls’ eyes, carry that impression as far as possible to the mind and then give out an emblem for the development of the devotional aptitude of the spiritual neophyte, are by no means idolatrous.
While visualizing a Śrī Mūrti, one should not see the gross or subtle form of the vigraha but the Spiritual Absolute Person with his or her spiritual eyes opened by his or her Gurudeva with the spike of transcendental knowledge. So, idolatry and Śrī Mūrti-worship are two different things. The worship of Śrī Mūrti is different from that of any mundane object, gross or subtle. Just as the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord descends to the plane of our aural reception without being transformed into a mundane word or sound, so the holy form of the Supreme Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa manifests His Descent in the Forms of Śrī Mūrti through eight different media, viz, stone, wood, iron, paint, script, clay, mind and precious gem (Śrīma-Bhāgavatam, Skandha XI, Ch. 27. 12).
No one is eligible for the worship of the holy image (srī vigraha) until one has been initiated by the Sat-Guru into the transcendental knowledge of the identity of the holy image with the Absolute Person Who descends or manifests His Eternal Beautiful Form in the successive grades of para (the Supreme Reality), vyūha (His transcendental extension), vaibhava (His form of spiritual might, paramātmā or antaryāmī (His pervading and permeating transcendental form) and archa (His Holy image). One is relieved of the twofold commonest delusive errors, viz., (a) error of idolatry, and (b) error of Impersonalism, by the worship of the holy image and by the chanting of the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord in the manner enjoined by the scriptures.
The iconoclast is as much an idolater as the maker of idols. Nay, he is a worse idolater as he believes God to be a formless void or empty space. This is the miserable plight of an intellectualist or a gnostic. His Divine Grace Śrīla Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, therefore, introduced the worship of Śrī Mūrti in every spiritual centre to prevent a beginner in spiritual practices from turning into an idolater, gnostic or an atheist.