Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.8.54
Mukti· LiberationAuthorized Worship Welcomes Everyone
“Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya. This is the twelve-syllable mantra for worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa. One should install the physical forms of the Lord, and with the chanting of the mantra one should offer flowers and fruits and other varieties of foodstuffs exactly according to the rules and regulations prescribed by authorities. But this should be done in consideration of place, time, and attendant conveniences and inconveniences.”
What the purport teaches
- Oṁ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya is the twelve-syllable mantra for worshiping Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should receive the mantra from a bona fide spiritual master in the disciplic succession and chant it.
- The authorized form of the Lord is spiritual and transcendental, even when made of wood, stone, metal or paint. Worship includes chanting and offering suitable food, with consideration for time, place and available conveniences.
- Birth does not bar anyone from becoming a Vaiṣṇava. Through bona fide initiation and proper worship, anyone can be elevated and go back home, back to Godhead.
Try this today
Write down one question to ask an authorized teacher about worshiping Kṛṣṇa with what is available where you live.
Ask yourself
Do I judge devotional worship by outward circumstances, or value its authorized principles?
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.