Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 20.217
The Deity Is the Lord’s Merciful Presence
“At Viṣṇu-kāñcī there is Lord Viṣṇu, at Māyāpur Lord Hari, and throughout the universe a variety of other forms.
What the purport teaches
- At Viṣṇu-kāñcī is Lord Varadarāja, and at Māyāpur is Lord Hari. Throughout the universe, various Deities in temples bestow Their causeless mercy upon devotees.
- These Deity forms are nondifferent from the mūrtis in the spiritual world of the Vaikuṇṭhas. Although the arcā-mūrti appears to be made of material elements, it is as good as the spiritual forms there.
- The Lord appears as the arcā-mūrti so that devotees in conditioned life can see Him with material eyes. It is forbidden to consider this worshipable Deity form to be made of stone or wood.
Try this today
Pause today to reflect on this teaching: the Lord appears as the arcā-mūrti so that we can see Him.
Ask yourself
How does understanding the Deity as the Lord’s merciful presence change my attitude toward worship?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.