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Worshiping Panca Tattva:
Blessings Wanted
By Damana Krishna dasa

Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

Last year during the Nityananda Trayodasi Festival, we put the Panca Tattva Deities on the altar. For the Gaura Purnima Festival, Krsna Ksetra Prabhu was present, and he told us that we should not install the Panca Tattva formally, but he said many times that They are present. He said that he could feel it.

We prayed to Their Lordships that we cannot offer them a high standard of worship but that we are committed to arati and offering of bhoga every day and changing of dress once a week. Only one fixed pujari is available. The chota Deities are bathed and worshipped every day in the morning.

I was temple president that time. The Deities had been waiting a long time in a room, so we put them on the altar, committing ourselves to the best standard we could offer at the time.

I spoke some time ago with His Grace Jananivasa Prabhu, and he told me that there are many ways of installation. One is by performing elaborate rituals, one is by devotion, and so on. I am remembering when Srila Prabhupada was requested to install Radha Krishna Deities and huge amounts of different items for abhiseka were prepared, but he just bathed the Deities once, reciting "Govindam adi purusam tam aham bhajami." Then he told the devotees to consider all the assembled items prasadam and distribute them.

So we just installed the Panca Tattva with the kirtana and the desire of the devotees to serve Them. We didn't perform a yajna, or some elaborate ritual although we did make some commitment last year.

They were worshiped till December last year, when we found out that the Deities had to be repainted, so we started and it went longer than planned. We thought it would take a few weeks, but due to many circumstances, it took more than three months. On the Gaura Purnima Festival, Their Lordships were put back on the altar in the presence of His Holiness Vipramukhya Maharaja. We ask the devotees for their blessings so we can increase our standard for the worship of Sri Sri Panca Tattva in the future.

Your humble servant,
Damana Krishna dasa

© CHAKRA 12 May 2002