arca-vigraha

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arcye visnau sila-dhir gurusu nara-matir vaisnave jati buddhir

visnor va vaisnavanam kali-mala-mathane pada-tirthe'mbu-buddhih

sri-visnor namni mantre sakala-kalusa-he sabde-samanya buddhir

visnau sarvesvarese tad-itara-sama-dhir yasya va naraki sah

 

"That person who considers the Deity of the Supreme Lord to be dead matter made

out of stone, wood or metal; or the spiritual master, who is an eternal

associate of the Supreme Lord to be an ordinary man who is prone to die; or the

Vaisnava to be coming from some caste; or the water which washes the feet of the

pure devotee or the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to be ordinary water,

although such water has the potency to destroy all the evils of the age of Kali;

or to consider the Holy Name of the Supreme Lord or mantras dedicated to Him,

which are able to destroy all sin, to be ordinary sounds; or to consider the

Supreme Lord of all, Lord Visnu, to be equal with other demigods, is considered

to possess a hellish mentality. A person who thinks in this way is certainly a

resident of hell." (Padma Purana)

 

Srila Prahbupada comments in CC Madhya 20.217: "All these expansions of Krsna in

the material world are simply demonstrations of the Lord's mercy and willingness

to give facility to His devotees who are engaged in His devotional service

within the material world."

 

In SB 10.2.46, SP comments: "...He can change His body to any form He

likes...the Lord can appear in a body made of wood or stone. He can change His

body into anything because everything is His energy (parasya saktir vividhaiva

sruyate)...If He transforms Himself into the arca-murti, the worshipable Deity,

which we see as stone or wood, He is still Krsna."