Chapter summary
पूजामाहात्म्यम् Pūjā Māhātmyam
The Greatness of Worship
**The Blessed Lord said:**
For the worship of Me, whose form is unmanifest and beyond the grasp of the mind, one should lovingly install an image. Traditionally, such images are known to be of eight kinds: fashioned from stone, wood, metal, clay, painted, made of sand, mental, or crafted from gems (v.1-2).
One must entirely abandon the notion that the consecrated image [arcā] is a mere statue. Rather, one should worship it, contemplating it as My very own conscious form. For indeed, I manifest Myself to devotees precisely as they contemplate Me; the nature of one's faith determines the success one attains (v.3-4).
Out of love for My devotees and to bestow My grace upon them, I always maintain My presence even within the image. Therefore, one should worship Me according to the prescribed rules. O Four-faced one [Brahmā], should My image be destroyed, stolen, or broken, one should simply install another new image of Me. Just as a letter is not destroyed when its script is destroyed, so too, I am not destroyed by the destruction of the image (v.5-7).
The material from which an image is fashioned by humans on earth is not what is perceived; it is the image itself that is seen. A form conceived in flesh is not worshipped by people as mere flesh; it is worshipped as a form, with the thought, "This is my mother, my father." Similarly, when all people behold an idol fashioned from stone, they perceive therein My true form with devotion. Whatever sentiment is held towards My consecrated image by people on earth, a corresponding success is achieved (v.8-11).
Just as fear arises in the heart upon seeing a great king, so too, upon seeing Me, the Lord of all, one should always worship with profound reverence. I have no hunger or thirst, nor am I bound to anyone. It is solely to bestow grace upon My devotees that I accept their worship with respect (v.12-13).
The scriptures have been spoken by Me for the successful accomplishment of My worship. Therefore, one should worship Me according to the path prescribed in the scriptures, following the proper rules. Let the scripture, therefore, be your authority in determining what ought to be done and what ought not to be done. Knowing what is enjoined by the rules of scripture, you should perform action in this world. Those who perform severe austerities not prescribed by the scriptures do not attain perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme goal (v.14-16).
In the past, devotees like Śabarī, Vidura, and others performed My worship with loving devotion alone, and I came under their control. However, such loving devotion is exceedingly rare in this world. Therefore, one should faithfully follow the code of conduct prescribed by the scriptures (v.17-18).
I do not accept worship performed without faith and devotion, especially when done with ostentation by hypocritical priests and people. There are temple priests [devala] who are of improper and evil conduct, who are sinners, and who perform My worship merely to secure their livelihood. They have neither faith nor devotion in Me, O Lotus-born [Brahmā]. Yet, it is by Me alone that the livelihood of these temple priests has been ordained in My worship. I tolerate the offenses of those evil-minded priests. Therefore, in all temples, one should have the worship performed only by them (v.19-22).
O Lotus-born, I make My presence felt in the image only by the power of *mantra* and by the power of devotion, and not otherwise. He who, abandoning *mantra* and devotion, wishes to bring Me under his control—I, the Lord, am never under the control of that fool (v.23-24).
To the deceitful priests, I am indeed a deceiver, and to those endowed with sincerity, I am also sincere. Free from anxiety and full of reliance, one should always worship Me alone, for I take care of the welfare and security of both priests and devotees (v.25-26).
He who, casting aside faith in Me, worships only with hypocrisy—seeing that crooked, dull-witted person, I laugh. O Four-faced one [Brahmā], I accept My worship even if it is deficient in *mantras*, rituals, and devotion, provided it is accompanied by sincerity. That which is given with insincerity and disrespect, even a dog in this world does not eat; what then to speak of God, the great Lord? (v.27-29).
For the great-souled, there is unity in speech, mind, and action. For the wicked, there is one thing in speech, another in mind, and yet another in action (v.30).
I indeed make My presence felt by the power of the benedictions [maṅgalāśāsana] of the great sages, the knowers of *mantras*, My devotees, and the ascetics (v.31).
Thus, the eighth chapter, named "The Greatness of Worship," in the Fourth Part of the "Divya Desa Vaibhavam," composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
