Daily Guru Puja to Photos in a Temple

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Home Base: Sri Mayapur Candrodaya Mandir, Navadwip Dhama, Nadia, WB, INDIA

Camp: Sri Radha Madhava Candan Yatra Boat Festival, ISKCON Mayapur, India'

 

> Is it now prohibited to worship the Spiritual Master's photos on the

> Temple Premises as we have been doing?

 

No. The 1999 GBC resolutions didn't directly touch the daily Guru Puja to

present Spiritual Master's photos. There is no specific restriction against

performing such a guru puja on an ISKCON property. As before this years GBC

meeting, Daily guru puja to photos outside the temple room is authorized

within the temple premises. It hasn't been stopped.

 

What has been restricted is offering public worship on an ISKCON property of

foot bathing and arotik to a Spiritual Master or any Devotee either upon his

arrival or on a daily basis (any time except Vyasa Puja Celebration one day

in a year). Arrivals should be modest with garlands and kirtan. Arrival

addresses and reciprocal homages in a class or istagosthi setting are okay

in the Temple Room as well.

 

If disciples want to offer a foot bathing or guru puja it is not restricted

from being offered in a "non-public" situation or off an ISKCON property.

Say at someones private residence if they want to offer a reception to their

guru or a siksa guru or vaisnava it isn't restricted. It also isn't

restricted if the temple has a "non-public" [private] place where Guru Puja

can be offered to a Guru and only those invited or qualified to attend can

be entertained. The idea is that disciples and mature can offer guru puja

to their guru's in person, but it shouldn't be a public affair where new

people, visitors or devotees who don't want to be involved are exposed to it

or obliged to participate against their will.

 

I am attaching the new 1999 GBC resolutions in this regard below:

 

> c. In order to offer appropriate respect to Srila Prabhupada as

> Founder-Acarya and preeminent spiritual master of ISKCON, it is considered

> an essential devotional practice for all ISKCON devotees to observe or

> perform Srila Prabhupada's guru puja daily either in an ISKCON temple or

> if not possible in one's home.

>

> With an aim to focus more fully on Srila Prabhupada and every devotee's

> special relationship with him and to correct any imbalance in application

> between the respect offered to siksa gurus, diksa gurus and other senior

> vaisnavas contributing to a devotees spiritual progress, an ISKCON siksa

> or diksa guru may accept public guru-puja on ISKCON property (arati and/or

> foot bathing) in person once a year as a Vyasa-puja.

 

As you can see this is with the "aim" of focusing more fully on Srila

Prabhupada and to "correct any imbalance in application between the respect

offered to siksa gurus, diksa gurus and other senior vaisnavas contributing

to a devotees spiritual progress". It restricts "public guru-puja on ISKCON

property (arati and/or foot bathing) in person". That means guru puja

(except Vyasa puja) which is ALL OF THE FOLLOWING is restricted:

 

1) public

2) on an ISKCON property

3) arati and/or foot bathing

4) in person

 

Nothing else is prohibited. The wording of this resolution was carefully

framed so it is meant to be very exactly interpreted. Guru puja to photos,

for instance, since it isn't in person isn't prohibited.

 

Guru puja in a householders private home isn't restricted.

 

Guru reciprocations with disciples which don't involve arati and

foot-bathing aren't prohibited. A guru can distribute prasadam to the guests

at the end of a class for instance. Devotees aren't restricted from

expressing gratitude/appreciation for the presence or activities of the

Spiritual Master in an istagosthi or even in the temple room.

 

A Guru Puja held in a private place on an ISKCON property is also not

prohibited, but then access or visibility needs to be restricted to make it

non-public.

 

These were discussed in the GBC meeting and the wording was made as is

considering all these things.

 

Of course in all things the mood of appropriately respecting Srila

Prabhupada and training disciples in that mood is being stressed and

required here.

 

I hope this cleared up your question.