Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 1.11.24
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesSeeing the Lord Is a Festival
“When Lord Kṛṣṇa passed over the public roads, all the ladies from the respectable families of Dvārakā went up to the roofs of their palaces just to have a look at the Lord. They considered this to be the greatest festival.”
What the purport teaches
- The ladies of Dvārakā climbed to their palace roofs to see Kṛṣṇa. They considered looking upon Him the greatest festival.
- The Lord’s temple form, called arca-vigraha, is not different from Him personally. He manifests this form through His internal potency to facilitate devotional service.
- Although the temple form appears to be made of material elements, the Lord is free from material contamination. Authorized ācāryas establish temples under regulative principles so everyone has an opportunity to worship Him.
Try this today
Read the description of the arca-vigraha again, pausing to appreciate how the Lord makes devotional service accessible.
Ask yourself
How would remembering the Lord’s personal presence change my approach to temple worship?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.