Canto 11: General HistoryChapter 27: Lord Kṛṣṇa's Instructions on the Process of Deity Worship

Bhaktivedanta VedaBase: Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 11.27.12

śailī dāru-mayī lauhī

lepyā lekhyā ca saikatī

mano-mayī maṇi-mayī

pratimāṣṭa-vidhā smṛtā

SYNONYMS

śailīmade of stone; dāru-mayīmade of wood; lauhīmade of metal; lepyāmade of clay, sandalwood and other substances laid down as a paste; lekhyā — painted; ca — and; saikatīmade of sand; manaḥ-mayī — conceived of in the mind; maṇi-mayīmade of jewels; pratimā — the Deity; aṣṭa-vidhāin eight varieties; smṛtāit is remembered.

TRANSLATION

The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties — stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels.

PURPORT

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that certain Deity forms, such as those made of sand, are manifested for a brief time to fulfill a personal desire of the worshiper. Those, however, who desire to attain pure love of God should worship the permanent form of the Deity (made, for instance, of marble, gold or brass), and they should maintain continual worship. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is no scope for neglecting the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda, Founder Ācārya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
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