Building a Shrine?

[Lailaphetes]

I'm not sure if I should have put this in the Vaisnava forum, but oh well. I might attempt to build a small shrine but I'm not quite sure what to put on it. I suppose I'm just a "general" Vaisnava, although I'm strongly interested in Gaudiya Vaisnavism. So I consider Bhagavan lord Sri Krsna. Do shrines just tend to only have pictures of said deity, or are murtis used? I'm asking because I have a few pictures of Sri Krsna and one small murti of him as well.

I know incense is a must for most "home" shrines, but that poses a problem. I have pets living in my room that could easily die from any smoke inhalation. I might be able to have candles, but what else could I substitute? I would need something that has a nice fresh smell, but it can't be dangerous to animals(the scent that is). Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste:

Your shrine is your personal space, your ideas go into it. In thayt sense, all shrines are reflections of the worshipper. Some prefer pictures, some prefer statues or murthies, more correctly. I believe that power is contained better in a murthy, so that is my personal preference.
Regarding incense, try burning a small amount, and then putting it out. The perfume will still linger locally long enough, and it shouldn't get to the cats


Aum Namasivaya.

[Lailaphetes]

Thank you Eastern Mind. It's not actually cats, but I have two Doves that live in my room, as well as a hamster. Doves are incredibly sensitive to smell, and it's always advised to never let anything like incense be inhaled by them. My room has terrible ventilation, even with windows open, and my house does not do well with incense ventilation either.

I know this might not be an option, but would freshly cut flowers do the job of "nice" scent?

[Eastern Mind]

Lailaphetes:

From a mystical point of view, flowers can be smelled by inner beings and are one of the several ways in which they are attracted to puja. Bells and incense are two more. Mudras, sanskrit, all of this attracts the inner beings. So flowers would add. I'm just a tad envious that you have access to freshly cut flowers. I don't. It's far too cold.

Aum Namasivaya

[sunyata07]

Namaste Lailaphetes,

Burning incense in my home can be a bit of problem too. My mother and sister were both asthmatics for a while, and they generally are very sensitive to odour or air change so I have to be careful about how much I burn. Typically I only do it on days when there's a good fresh draught going through the house and the smell can dissipate faster. But if incense is really not a practical option for you, perhaps you might consider burning essential oils. These don't give off smoke, and the odour is a lot cleaner. Best of all, you can control the strength of the perfume so you can have it both very strong as you would with incense, or else just a hint of the smell. You would add this to water and then heat it over a candle in an oil burner, so you are just making water evaporate along with some oil. This is not a standard convention practiced at home, but I find it works just as well. Conventions and practices aside, essential oils are also aromatherapeutic and not harmful to the lungs, skin or eyes if you have allergies.

EM has pretty muched summed up how to go about creating a shine. Because it's a personal place of worship, it can be highly individualised. People will differ on what they are comfortable with. Some may even have pictures of their gurus, or even inspirational figures, as well as the usual images and murtis of the Devas. Murtis will obviously need more maintenance such as abhishekam and general tending to, but pictures will work just as well.

Flowers are indeed a bonus. Gifts from nature, and they certainly do brighten up a shrine if you're lucky enough to be able to obtain a fresh bunch day to day.

[Lailaphetes]

Thank you both. EM, I actually am not in an area for freshly cut flowers lol. Did you think I can get them from my garden? :P By freshly cut flowers, I meant maybe the ones you can get a grocery(?) or flower(?) shop. It's winter here, or at least the end of fall.

Also, what does one typically do when they perform puja(I believe that's the word) at home? Is food offered(Prasadam? I know ISKCON does that, but I'm not sure about what other Vaisnavas do)?

[shian]

my ISCKON firends have small shrine in room, they use small Krisna
i have Bala Krsna in my shrine too

but this not mean i must use incense

i can offer what i like and worthy to offer

why i should offer God a food or things what i dont like ?
what the meaning of offerings ? why should offer ? we must understand this.

so many good and precious things we can offer to God

what the most precious offering He want ?

is our pure kaya, vak and citta everday

[ScottMalaysia]

Some people have murtis in their home shrine, others don't. My mother-in-law says that you need to be very pious to have murtis at home - you can't miss a prayer. But I think that only relates to murtis that are actually clothed and bathed, made out of brass or stone. The painted ones that you get in shops don't fall into this category, I think.

Since you're a Vaishnava, you should have a picture of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi, or Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha, or Lord Rama and Goddess Seeta (you can even have all three if you want). Also necessary is a picture of Lord Ganesha. No matter what ISKCON says, you must offer all puja items or any kinds of offerings to Lord Ganesha first. Since you're interested in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, you could add in a picture of Lord Chaitanya - either on his own, with Lord Nityananda, or with his five principal associates (Pancha-tattva). I'd also recommend a picture of Hanuman. You should always have an odd number of pictures on your altar (however some altars I've seen have heaps and I've never bothered to count them). Gaudiya Vaishnavas arrange their altars with Radha and Krishna at the top, Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nrisimhadeva on the next level, on the next level, and the Six Goswamis of Vrindavan, the other Gaudiya acharyas, including Srila Prabhupada, on the next level. If they have a guru, then he is on the next level down again.

With regards to the incense - could you offer it to the Deities and then put it on an outside windowsill so that the smoke won't affect your pets?

Also, a shrine should have an oil lamp. The ones used in Malaysia (whose Hindus are predominantly South Indian) look like this:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_6EGjAQ-bw7o/Sf3pi4YB2eI/AAAAAAAABSY/HH6VqNQvUeM/s288/SL381538.JPG

Other ones (called vilakku in Tamil) stand on a pedestal and have five wicks. Only one of the wicks needs to be lit. You can view pictures of the other puja items here. (http://picasaweb.google.com/scottymalaysia/PujaItems#)

If you can't get equipment like this (ask at your local temple for suppliers), then you can improvise.

[Abominable Snowman]

I like the lamp!

As for your shrine, this is what I love about the dharma. It's all about you creating your own space, setting aside a place in your house specificaly for God and the worship of Him/Her. I also like to see the creation of the shrine both as creating a sacred place for God, worship, meditation, etc. and also as a personal expression of you it's just another way to worship God but in a highly personalized way. If that make sense, kind of hard for me to explain. Recently I have switched up my shrine however it has a lot of things important to me, such as a picture of my grandfather whom was a Rabbi and a person I would say has been the greatest teacher I have ever had to date. Even the common things you need like incense burners are so on are an expression of your personality because you usually pick what's most appealing to you and what would bring beauty and so on to your altar which is dedicated to God.

Just my thoughts, hope they make sense and perhaps help.

[Tirisilex]

Once you build a shrine.. what exactly do you do with it?

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste Trisilex:

You have a sleeping room, a cooking room, a bathroom, etc. no?
The shrine room is the 'religion' room. (or space) You're just tricking the subconscious mind. We get tired in the sleeping room, hungry in the bathroom, thirsty (or something else) at the sounds of water. This all works as stimuli-response basic psychology. As we enter into this sacred space (shrine) we have created, the mind turns inward because of association. We pray there, we do japa there, we meditate there, we do puja there. We keep our angriness away from that place. We always bathe or at the very least rinse the mouth before going there. All around us we put signs or religion, of all the things that make us calm and inner, flowers, incense, beautiful pictures, even a nice paint colour.

If we go to temple close by, we leave from the shrine, and upon re-entering the home, go to the shrine. Mail pertaining to our faith is placed there. Donations, or objects to be blessed are placed there.

Aum Namasivaya

[Lailaphetes]

Just a few more quick things for this thread. I thank everyone for contributing as well. I have finally built a small shrine, but nothing huge. I have incense, but is it really necessary to light the incense? (remember that I have pets living in my room that can die from this type of smoking fragrance) As long as I don't light the incense, everything is fine. The incense and the incense cones give off such a strong smell already, and I feel like this nice fragrance alone should do. However, what is the importance of lighting the incense? I feel like my shrine smells nice enough already. Maybe I'm missing something here....

Also, I have a murti of Ganesha, as well as a murti of Sri Krsna. Why are pictures more recommended than murtis? What is the difference in including them in personal puja? I'm not sure if I should include them for actual worship purposes, or just continue to have them "sit in the background" as decorative objects.

[Eastern Mind]

Namaste Lailaphetes:

The incense is a smell that the devas already know. So it is familiar to them as it is to you. So this beckons them. But cleanliness also beckons. It is not necessary. Are the murthis metal? If so, then it is about electric currents. Metal is a conductor, as you know. So metal will hold heat etc. It also holds vibration. So yes, use the murthis. Dress them, bathe them (abhishekham) etc. This will lift the vibration of the place. Another thing some people will do with a metal murthy is take it to a nearby temple for blessing. The priest can sit it beside the same God in the temple and some of the temple's murthi's vibration will 'rub off'.

I know this is all the mystical side of things, and is not the way of some, but that's how I view it, so really its up to you.

Aum Namasivaya

[sanjaya]

We always bathe or at the very least rinse the mouth before going there.

If I may ask, what is the basis for this ritual? At my parents' house, no one enters the puja room without first bathing. Curiously, an exception is made for children. Is this instruction given in any Hindu Scripture? Or is it a tradition that most Hindus follow?

[Eastern Mind]

Sanjaya:

There are two forces: actinic, and odic. Actinic force is the pure clean spiritual force of non-attachment. Odic is like glue. Its the force of the world: money, family attachments, work, etc. Neither is good or bad, they are just forces, like gravity or magnetism.

This odic force clings to the body, just as dirt does. So we bathe to rid ourselves of that. Surely you`ve noticed how, after taking a shower, you just feel better, not only cleaner. If you come home from a bad day at work, you can shower to rid yourself of the dross of the world.

I have no idea if this is in scripture, but it probably is. Small children are naturally fairly pure.

Aum Namasivaya

[sunyata07]

Namaste EM,

Thanks for the explanation on the cleansing ritual. I was wondering myself why exactly it was important before prayer, and I think I understand a lot more now.

I actually feel like over the past month or so the worries of my secular life, so to speak, could be contaminating the aura I have usually built up where I keep my shrine. I clean it regularly, but as it is in my bedroom, if I am feeling ill, under the weather or just a little moody in the mornings, I feel like I am negating all the prior vibrations (if any) I have worked up so far in meditation and puja. Is there a mantra or a quick ritual I could use to "clear the air" in a sense? In ideal circumstances, I would move the shrine to another location. As the house is at the moment, however, a corner of the room will have to suffice, so I'm trying my best to keep it clean, tidy and free from negativity. It can be quite hard trying to go about daily life without bringing in your troubles home with you to a room where you've been trying to establish a sense of sanctity and peace. What I wouldn't give sometimes for a spare room or an office!

[Eastern Mind]

Sunyata: Shrines and temples have psychic bubbles around them. This protects the worldly forces from entering, and it keeps the spiritual energy within that space. In temples, especially, this area is well defined according to agamas, and is often a square or domino. There is definitely an inside/outside concept.

At home, in order to maintain the separateness, most people put up some sort of barrier when there is not enough space. In Tamil apartments I have been to, usually a closet is used. Sometimes it is even under lock and key. In agamic temples there is a door on the sanctum that is ceremoniously opened each day.

In practical terms, you can make a curtain, or purchase a cupboard. You can even place a piece of masking tape on the floor signifying the area that is shrine, and psychically marking it. Over time, as you only do religious things 'in there' the psychic bubble will develop. This happens because everywhere we go, we leave a bit of our aura (vibration) behind us. Then, even if you went away for a month, when you came back home it would still be there.

Hope this helps.

Aum Namasivaya

[sanjaya]

Sanjaya:

There are two forces: actinic, and odic. Actinic force is the pure clean spiritual force of non-attachment. Odic is like glue. Its the force of the world: money, family attachments, work, etc. Neither is good or bad, they are just forces, like gravity or magnetism.

This odic force clings to the body, just as dirt does. So we bathe to rid ourselves of that. Surely you`ve noticed how, after taking a shower, you just feel better, not only cleaner. If you come home from a bad day at work, you can shower to rid yourself of the dross of the world.

I have no idea if this is in scripture, but it probably is. Small children are naturally fairly pure.

Aum Namasivaya

Thank you very much for this explanation, it makes a lot of sense.

Here's another related question that I've been wondering about for awhile; hopefully I'm not being redundant here. My parents often tell me about things that we ought to do to be respectful of God. For example, we don't touch paper with our feet as this disrespects Sarasvati. Neither do we leave clipped fingernails in the house, since this disrespects Lakshmi (I'm not sure how that one works). And we also do not sit in the puja room with our feet facing the images of the Devas. I've always assumed that the cleanliness rule is also done for the sake of respecting God, however you pointed out that these odic forces are not good or bad. So would I be right to say that entering a puja room without bathing, while spiritually unhelpful, isn't particularly offensive to God?

[Eastern Mind]

Thank you very much for this explanation, it makes a lot of sense.

Here's another related question that I've been wondering about for awhile; hopefully I'm not being redundant here. My parents often tell me about things that we ought to do to be respectful of God. For example, we don't touch paper with our feet as this disrespects Sarasvati. Neither do we leave clipped fingernails in the house, since this disrespects Lakshmi (I'm not sure how that one works). And we also do not sit in the puja room with our feet facing the images of the Devas. I've always assumed that the cleanliness rule is also done for the sake of respecting God, however you pointed out that these odic forces are not good or bad. So would I be right to say that entering a puja room without bathing, while spiritually unhelpful, isn't particularly offensive to God?

In the deepest sense, how could a loving god be offended? If you're offending anything, its the process. Or yourself. I think many of the old customs make perfect sense. Others are old superstitions. The respect for books, and the not pointing feet make perfect sense to me, yet the fingernails one, although I've heard of it, and generally do practise it by cutting my nails outside, makes no sense to me mystically. The foot one is explained mystically by unclean energy going out your feet. This energy also is linear, and goes in straight lines. That is why Nandi's right eye is aligned directly to Siva's right eye in an agamic temple. So go figure. In the end it is up to you. I know that odic force is actually very helpful in keeping a family together. The attachment is part of a successful marriage. Your parents may not know the reasons for everything, l but I certainly wouldn't abandon it all as superstition. For some of these things I have gotten as many as 3 or 4 different answers from Tamil elders.

Have you ever asked your parents for an explanation?

For me, it I don't have time to clean, or just want to do a quick pranam or say hello, or drop off something from the temple upon returning, yes, I enter the shrine. But if I am making a garland, or trying to actually contact some God energy, then I do prepare first by showering.

I am currently the pandaram for a small outdoor shrine on our temple property, and now that its winter I will stop after work, unbathed, in winter boots, and still do the aarti. I understand that He understands this.

Sorry for rambling

Aum Namasivaya