When we say,
“O Ram”
“O Krishna”
“Hare Ram, Hare Krishna”
What are we saying?
“O my Divine beloved Ram, O my Divine beloved Krishna.”
What? Stand there as a statue? Why are we singing? So that the Lord may listen to the cry of our hearts. But is it there?
Is it the cry of the heart, or is it simply a singing that we are doing and not a Naam Sankirtan (chanting of God’s Name)? Naam Sankirtan would mean that it is the cry of our heart and we are yearning and calling out for God.
As in the morning talk by Shree Maharaj Ji, you all heard in the Divine instruction, roopdhyan (visualizing the Divine form) is compulsory.
And what does roopdhyan mean? It means that the Lord is right before me, standing before me. So it is from the deities we are taking out the actual form of God in our hearts and minds. We ought to see the presence of the Lord very much—the Divine, conscious presence—not only stone and deity.
Because if we worship stone, after death we are bound to become rocks and stones. Because that is a stationary living being. So stationary living beings are stones, rocks, and plants. So if it’s only a wood carving of God that we are worshipping, then you are bound to become plants from which this wood is taken and then carved into a statue form. And if we are just worshipping patthar (stone), meaning this marble deity, the marble—you’re bound to become patthar, rocks and stones.
But if you bring the conscious, the conscious presence of the Lord, through the help of the deities—these deities are simply for help. It is not the deity that needs to be worshipped; it’s the Lord that needs to be worshipped. It’s our Supreme, Divine, beloved Godhead personality who needs to be worshipped. The photos and the deities are there to help us focus our minds to do roopdhyan.
