Srila Prabhupada on Home Worship

Sometimes neophyte devotees think that they can continue the sravana kirtana process without worshipping the deity, but the execution of sravana kirtana is meant for highly developed devotees like Haridas Thakura who engaged in the sravana kirtana process without worshipping the deity. However, one should not falsely imitate Haridas Thakura and abandon deity worship just to try to engage in sravana kirtana. CC Madhya vol.7.p.334



Deity worship should be continued along with hearing and chanting. In all the mantras there are specific potencies, of which the grhastha devotees must take advantage. But if one chants the holy name of the Lord he receives the result of chanting nama· (ie deity mantras) many times. By chanting the holy name of the Lord one can reach the platform of love of Godhead. One might therefore ask what then is the necessity of being initiated (by which one receives deity mantras)? The answer is that even though the chanting of the holy name is sufficient to enable one to progress in spiritual life to the standard of love of Godhead, one is nonetheless susceptible to contamination because of possessing a material body. Consequently, special stress is given to the arcana vidhi. One should therefore regularly take advantage of both the bhagavata process and pancaratriki process.



Especially for householder devotees who are opulent in material possessions, the path of deity worship is strongly recommended. An opulent householder devotee who does not engage his hard-earned money in the service of the Lord in called a miser...Deity worship in the temple should be performed especially by the householders...Grhastha devotees are generally engaged in material activities and therefore if they do not take to deity worship, their fall-down is positively assured...Any householder devotee circumstantially unable to worship the deity must at least see the deity worship, and in this way he may achieve success also. The special purpose of deity worship is to keep oneself always pure and clean. Grhastha devotees should be actual examples of cleanliness. SB7.5.28 Purport





“Therefore for every grhastha... Because grhasthas are busy in so many ways, they have no opportunity to preach, but they must take to arcana. Every house, every householder, they must... What is the difficulty. Just like we have got in this platform deity of Radha-Krsna. Everyone can install Radha-Krsna deity at home and under the instruction of spiritual master and sastric regulations. Then if we engage ourselves in arcana vidhi then automatically all the anomalies of life will stop. Adau sraddha tato sadhu sanga tatha bhajana kriyah. This arcana vidhi is one of the items of bhajana. Bhajana kriya. So anartha nirvrtti syat. If every house engages in this arcana vidhi, so many unwanted things will vanish. You’ll have no more interest for seeing cinema, or going to the restaurant, or smoking beedies and wasting time by unnecessary talks. So many things. Then your life will be perfect. So many nonsense things will go automatically. Anartha nirvrtti syat. So therefore to become Krsna conscious every house, everywhere, every person, every human being should adopt this arcana vidhi.”
Bhagavad Gita class, Ahmnabad, Dec 4, 1970.


ayam svastyayanam pantha dvijater grhamedhinah yac chraddhayapta vittena suklenejyeta purusah
All initiated householders should engage in deity worship. It should be performed by means of rightfully obtained wealth and with a pure heart. Srîmad Bhagavatam 10.84.37



Ahmnabad,dec 4, 1970 Bhagavad gita class
Therefore for every grhastha... Because grhasthas are busy in so many ways, they have no opportunity to preach, but they must take to arcana. Every house, every householder, they must... What is the difficulty. Just like we have got in this platform Deity of Radha-Krsna. Everyone can install Radha-Krsna Deity at home and under the instruction of spiritual master and sastric regulations. Then if we engage ourself in arcana vidhi then automatically all the anomalies of life will stop. Adau sraddha tato sadhu danga atha bhajana kriyah. This arcana vidhi is one of the items of bhajana. Bhajana kriya. So anartha nirvrtti syat. If every house engages in this arcana vidhi, so many unwanted things will vanish. You'll have no more interest for seeing cinema, or going to the restaurant, or smoking beedies and wasting time by unnecessary talks. So many things. Then your life will be perfect. So many nonsense things will go automatically. Anartha nirvrtti syat. So therefore to become Krsna conscious every house, everywhere, every person, every human being should adopt this arcana vidhi.