Mind the Manners

His Divine Grace Om Vishnupad
Srila Bhakti Nirmal Acharya Maharaj,
Speaking online to the devotees in Caracas
5 December 2012

Question: There is a devotee who thinks it is not necessary to go to see the Deities and to pay dandavat to the Deity...

Of course, you must pay dandavat to the Deities. When you come into the temple, first you should see Gurudev's photo, pay dandavat to him. If I come to the temple, I do not go to my room without paying dandavat to my Guru. It is always like this.

Sometimes devotees say, "Oh, there are only five devotees living in the temple." Why five? Guru is there, Gauranga is there, Nityananda is there. If five devotees live there, you can think there are actually eight.

Those who have no feelings do not do it, but for example today I came back to Nabadwip and before I could go to my room I went to paid dandavat. Even though I came in the afternoon and all the Deities were closed, still I paid dandavat at Gurudev's samadhi, Guru Maharaj's samadhi, to the Deities. Gurudev will know that I came to pay dandavat to him, he can see everything. I have no eyes to see the Deity, to see Gurudev, Guru Maharaj, but Krishna can see me, Gurudev can see me—they will know that I have come to pay dandavat to them.

At the Ratha-yatra time also, when everyone came to Puri, they would not first go to see the temple and Jagannath Deity—they would first go to see Mahaprabhu, and Mahaprabhu would then arrange their prasadam.

If you come to the temple and do not pay dandavat, it is one kind of offence, seva-aparadh. It is disrespect. Who is the proprietor of the Parama Karuna temple? The proprietor is Nitai Gaura, but you do not pay obeisance to Nitai Gour, to the proprietors there. Imagine I come to your house, but I do not talk to you. What kind of culture is it? Like, I come to Gaurachandra's house, but I do not say, "Oh, hello Gaurachandra! How are you?" What will you think? It is not good, is it?

So, if I come to Nitai Gaura's house but do not give Them respect, do not pay obeisance to Them, it is not good—it is an offence.

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