# Arcana *On Deity worship in the temple* --- ### Not Idol Worship > Lord is not only incarnation in a sound form; He is incarnated in many other forms. In many other forms. Just like arcā. Arcā means the form of the Lord situated, I mean to say, established in some temple and worshiped. That is also incarnation of God. That is not idol worship. People who do not know that this is an authorized process of realizing God, or they have never tasted or practiced it, they cannot understand. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Authorized Worship > So this is a science. You see? Although we find that "This form of the Lord... The Hindus, they have established one statue in the temple, and they are worshiping as the Lord? How is that? Is it Lord is a stone? It is wood?" But he does not know that because it is authorized, because it is authorizedly worshiped, therefore even it is stone or wood, it can act. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Like the Authorized Post Box > Just like the authorized post office, although seemingly it is a box which I can prepare, but it is acting, because it is authorized, similarly, the authorized, authorized symbol or representation of God is also God. He's not different from God. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### God's Mercy > Then why God is like that? It is His mercy. Because I cannot see God with my these eyes—I can see stone and wood and material things—therefore God is kind enough [to appear] in a form suitable to my seeing and accept my service. It is His kindness. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### God Can Manifest in Everything > And besides that, if everything is God, because everything has link with the God, with the Supreme Truth, then God, being omnipotent, why He cannot represent Himself win[?]... everything? Everything is God, everything is emanation of God, then God has got the power to manifest Himself in everything. That is His omnipotency. — [[spoken/1966/660909le.ny|Lecture on Mahā-mantra, New York, 1966]] --- ### Neophyte Stage > In the beginning it is called neophyte stage, beginners. The beginners are concentrated in the Deity worship. That is very important thing, to purify. Arcāyām eva haraye pūjāṁ yas tu śraddhayehate na tad-bhakteṣu cānyeṣu sa bhaktaḥ prākṛtaḥ smṛtaḥ. — [[spoken/1970/700508ip.la|Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 6, Los Angeles, 1970]] --- ### Coming to Spiritual Platform > Prākṛtaḥ means from material platform, one is coming to the spiritual platform. At that stage one is taught or trained to worship the Deity with great faith and devotion under regulative principle. — [[spoken/1970/700508ip.la|Śrī Īśopaniṣad, Mantra 6, Los Angeles, 1970]] --- ### Arcanam Also Bhakti > Chanting, hearing, meditating, offering prayers, arcanam, worshiping the Deity in the temple, all of them are together devotional service. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### Kṛṣṇa Eats > Kṛṣṇa eats. We are offering in the temple prasādam. So He eats, because He says "I eat." How you can say that He does not eat? Some gentleman asked me that "Swāmījī, you offer prasādam in the temple, but do you think Kṛṣṇa or God eats?" I answered, "Yes, why not? He says, 'I eat.' How you can say He does not eat? But you do not know how He eats." — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- ### He Can Eat with His Eyes > Due to poor fund of knowledge, you think that God does not eat. But eat..., His eating process is different. That is answered in the Brahma-saṁhitā. Brahma-saṁhitā, it is said, aṅgāni yasya sakalendriya-vṛtti-manti. God's senses, Kṛṣṇa's senses, are as powerful as other senses. Just like I can see with my eyes, but Kṛṣṇa can eat also with His eyes. — [[spoken/1968/680816jm.mon|Janmāṣṭamī Lecture, Montreal, 1968]] --- *10 quotes from Śrīla Prabhupāda on arcana* [[wiki/quotes|Back to Quotes]]