Vandering in Karuna Bhavan

Deity greeting

About salagram-worship:



Salagram: Doing Our Best
A letter from BB Puri Goswami
to Bhakti Visrambha Madhava Swami
Posted February 2, 2004

Dear Maharaj,

Hare Krsna. Jai Sri Sri Krsna Balaram. Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and the Vaisnavas.

In response to your e-mail which was forwarded to me on the worship of Salagram.

Bhakti Vidya Purna Maharaj has been here in Scotland on two occasions since the worship of numerous Silas began and has not made any comments, adverse or other, and our relationship is quite open, so I would hope that if we were doing anything untoward, he would be kind enough to say so.

I personally have been attempting to worship Salagram since 1979 and would certainly not like to be the one to create any offenses to the Lord in any way. I have looked into the practices and have talked to others about it.

It is not an unusual practice to have many Silas and do the main puja through one main Lord and bathe all the Lords together in one snanvedi. This is done all over India. The Lords are being looked after nicely, and many of Them were previously just sitting in boxes and cupboards, having been brought from Nepal by devotees from different parts of the world and then not cared for.

Other older Vaisnavas have visited Scotland and found the worship very nice and the atmosphere devotional and peaceful, and they have commented favorably toward the worship.
Thanks and appreciation from dipika.org to our sponsor and host,

There many reasons for the worship, but I have not the time nor inclination at present to go into all the details. But if we meet sometime in Vraj, and you and I have the time, we could discuss this matter further. Till then, we will continue trying to worship the many Silas that have come and been sent by others, for many reasons, to the best of our ability and with thousands of Tulasi leaves in the hope that the Lord may be a little pleased with our unworthy attempt.

Keep preaching Maharaj, that's the most important. Encourage the distribution of Prabhupada's books wherever you may go. Let's see the fallen souls get the mercy and the help they really need. We have not so much time left in these bodies. Let us give all our energy to the preaching and establishing solid preaching centers and fields throughout the world. That's more my real interest.

Hope this meets you well and blissful in your preaching and service to Srila Prabhupada. Begging forgiveness for any offenses of the past, and hoping my response is not disrespectful in any way.

Best wishes, Maharaj.

Your insignificant servant,
The worthless BB Puri Goswami



Salagram: Satisfied by Devotion
From Damana Krishna dasa
Posted February 7, 2004

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

I have seen many Deities made from silas glued together, like Padmanabha in Trivandrum. I don't think that Krishna is uncomfortable. Rather, I see that He likes to be embraced in all his forms. One devotee told he dreamed his silas had some meeting and were discussing things. I am grateful to Krishna that He at all came to the material world, which is a horrible place where there is a lack of purity, spiritual energy, etc.

So out of His causeless mercy, He is already doing the greatest austerity. I am sure all the silas came just because of the extraordinary devotion of HH Bhakti Balabh Puri Maharaja, and this is what is making them happy.
Thanks and appreciation from dipika.org to our sponsor and host,

Krishna is always blissful, but still he responds to devotion. Maharaja's devotion seems huge, so Krishna came in a huge number. I am happy we have such devotees around. Still, I am so unfortunate that I have never had his association.

Your servant,
Damana Krishna dasa

Sri Nrsimha-caturdasi