Srimad Bhagavatam — Dvitiya Skandha, Shloka 22
Karmic Aspirations, Demigod Worship, and the Supreme Duty of Bhakti
Hari-kathā as Life’s True Gain
बर्हायिते ते नयने नराणां लिङ्गानि विष्णोर्न निरीक्षतो ये । पादौ नृणां तौ द्रुमजन्मभाजौ क्षेत्राणि नानुव्रजतो हरेर्यौ ॥ २२ ॥
barhāyite te nayane narāṇāṁ liṅgāni viṣṇor na nirīkṣato ye pādau nṛṇāṁ tau druma-janma-bhājau kṣetrāṇi nānuvrajato harer yau
Les yeux qui ne contemplent pas les signes de Viṣṇu—Ses formes, Son nom, Ses qualités et Ses līlā—sont comme des yeux imprimés sur les plumes du paon; et les jambes qui ne vont pas vers les lieux saints où l’on se souvient de Hari sont tenues pour des troncs d’arbre.
Especially for the householder devotees, the path of Deity worship is strongly recommended. As far as possible, every householder, by the direction of the spiritual master, must install the Deity of Viṣṇu, forms like Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa or Sītā-Rāma especially, or any other form of the Lord, like Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Gaura-Nitāi, Matsya, Kūrma, śālagrāma-śilā and many other forms of Viṣṇu, like Trivikrama, Keśava, Acyuta, Vāsudeva, Nārāyaṇa and Dāmodara, as recommended in the Vaiṣṇava-tantras or Purāṇas, and one’s family should worship strictly following the directions and regulations of arcana-vidhi. Any member of the family who is above twelve years of age should be initiated by a bona fide spiritual master, and all the members of the household should be engaged in the daily service of the Lord, beginning from morning (4 a.m.) till night (10 p.m.) by performing maṅgala-ārātrika, nirañjana, arcana, pūjā, kīrtana, śṛṅgāra, bhoga-vaikāli, sandhyā-ārātrika, pāṭha, bhoga (at night), śayana-ārātrika, etc. Engagement in such worship of the Deity, under the direction of a bona fide spiritual master, will greatly help the householders to purify their very existence and make rapid progress in spiritual knowledge. Simple theoretical book knowledge is not sufficient for a neophyte devotee. Book knowledge is theoretical, whereas the arcana process is practical. Spiritual knowledge must be developed by a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, and that is the guaranteed way for attainment of spiritual perfection. The training of devotional service for a neophyte devotee completely depends on the expert spiritual master who knows how to lead his disciple to make gradual progress towards the path back home, back to Godhead. One should not become a pseudo spiritual master as a matter of business to meet one’s family expenditures; one must be an expert spiritual master to deliver the disciple from the clutches of impending death. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has defined the bona fide qualities of a spiritual master, and one of the verses in that description reads:
FAQs
This verse teaches that human eyes are truly meaningful when they behold Viṣṇu’s divine forms; without such darśana, vision becomes merely decorative, like painted eyes on a peacock feather.
Śukadeva is instructing Parīkṣit on the essence of life in the face of imminent death: engage the senses in bhakti—especially by seeing the Lord and going to places connected with His worship—rather than living a spiritually unused life.
Regularly seek darśana of the Lord (in temple, scripture, or devotional contemplation) and intentionally “walk” toward bhakti by visiting sacred spaces or joining sincere devotional gatherings instead of letting the senses remain unused for spiritual purpose.