How should one worship Bal Krishna (Laddu Gopal)?

Dadashri: You do not get bored (kantado) during worship, do you?

Questioner: No.

Dadashri: When you worship, do you worship (puja) a person worthy of worship (pujya) or a person not worthy of worship (apujya)?

Questioner: I am simply a follower of the Pushtimarg (a traditional devotional path for the worship- bhakti of baby Krishna established by Vallabhacharya). I worship Thakorji the little Krishna(bal gopal), whose idol image has been worshipped a lot (pratishtha) and is now established in our home.

Dadashri: Yes, but He is worthy of worship and that is why He is respected. You should not worship anyone who is not worthy of worship. Do not worship for the sake of worshipping, but worship with right understanding (pujya buddhi). Do you have pujya buddhi for Thakorji(little Krishna)? Does Thakorji ever converse with you?

Questioner: I have not had that fortune so far.

Dadashri: Why does Thakorji(Gopal Krishna) not speak with you? ‘We’ think it is because, either you are shy or He is shy. Either one of you is shy.

Questioner: I do the worship of Thakorji(Bal Krishna), but I am not able to make Him talk.

Dadashri: You cannot make Him talk, can you? We had gone to the temple of Lord Ramchandraji in Jaipur and Ayodhya and there He started talking. Wherever ‘we’ see a new idol, ‘we’ do pran pratishtha (instilling of ‘life’ in an idol) in it. Birla built the temples in Jaipur and Ayodhya. There ‘we’ had done pran pratishtha of Lord Ramchandraji’s idol. At both the places something amazing occurred. Thirty five of our mahatmas were present, when the priest saw Lord Ramchandraji smiling. Since the temple was built, he had seen a displeased look on Lord Ramchandraji. Even the temple was in a state of gloom and so were the worshippers. When the priest saw laughter on Lord Ramchandraji’s face, he ran towards the Lord and placed a garland around his neck. ‘We’ asked him why he did that. He began to cry and said, “I have never had such a darshan before. Today you have helped me attain that.” ‘We’ told him that, ‘we’ have done it for the salvation of people. How can there be salvation for people when Lord Ramchandraji is displeased?

Now Lord Ramchandraji is smiling and ‘we’ will leave Him always smiling. Whoever sees Him, he will see Him smiling.

‘We’ have done the pratishtha. A true pratishtha was never done for the idol. The pratishtha that was done, it was done by someone who harbored worldly desires (vasnas). If it is done by an Atmagnani (the knower of the Soul, the Gnani Purush), only then will it give results. Do you understand what ‘we’ mean by worldly desire (vasna)? Even the subtle expectation one harbors of, ‘this man will be useful some day’, it is called vasna.

The one who has no need for anything in this world, no need for any vishay (sensual pleasures), no need for fame, no need for anything, is considered desire less (nirvasnik). Such a Gnani can do anything He aims. He can make an idol talk. Do you not talk with an idol? Do you not have the freedom to talk? If the idol does not talk to you, at least you can talk. What is wrong in that? You should say, “Lord, why don’t you talk to me? Do you not have trust in me?” Do people not laugh if you say the same thing to them? That idol will laugh. Do you have one or two idols?

Questioner: One.

Dadashri: Do you bathe Thakorji (the idol)?

Questioner: Yes. I do it everyday.

Dadashri: With cold water or hot water?

Questioner: With warm water.

Dadashri: That is good. Otherwise Thakorji(Baby Krishna) will feel cold if you use cold water and hot water can scald. Therefore,you need warm water. Do you feed Thakorji(Bal Gopal) everyday or do you make Him fast (agiyaras)?

Questioner: Even I do not fast.

Dadashri: There is no problem if you do not fast, but do you feed Thakorji(Gopal Krishna)?

Questioner: Yes.

Dadashri: What time do you feed Him?

Questioner: I put Him to sleep after feeding Him at eight in the morning and then I go to work after taking the food offered to Thakorji (Bal Gopal).

Dadashri: Do you then eat in the afternoon?

Questioner: I eat anywhere I can when I get hungry.

Dadashri: Yes, but do you check up on Thakorji(Gopal Krishna) if He is hungry or not?

Questioner: How can I do that when I am at work?

Dadashri: Poor Thakorji(Bal Krishna) would cry then! What can He do if He is hungry? So will you do one thing ‘we’ ask? Will you?

Questioner: I will definitely do it, Dada.

Dadashri: Whenever you sit down to eat, remember Thakorji(bal Krishna) and offer him the food first ‘Thakorji(Bal Krishna) eat first. You must be hungry. I will eat after you.’ Then you can eat. Will you do this much? Say yes if you can and no if you cannot.

Questioner: But Dada, I put Him to sleep and then come to work!

Dadashri: No, but even though you put Him to sleep, He would still be hungry would he not? That is why He does not talk! How long will He remain asleep? He will wake up and then go back to sleep, he will do this over and over again. You don’t eat anything that is not suitable for Him to eat, do you? You can not feed Him non-vegetarian food. But if there is vegetarian food, you should tell Him, “Thakorji(Baby Krishna) please accept this offering and have it first.” Can you do this much? Then some day Thakorji(Bal Gopal) will talk to you. He will talk to you the day He is pleased with you. Why would He not? Even these walls will talk to you! It is possible for the whole world to talk to you. If you bathe the Lord everyday with warm water, would He remain silent forever? If a man gets married and brings home a wife and she stops talking, then what good is that? What can he do for her if she does not speak? Therefore even the Lord will talk, if your inner intention (bhaav) and wishes are so. This worship that you are doing is because of your family’s good values.

Questioner: When I go out of town I take Thakorji along with me.

Dadashri: You should not perform any action without thinking of the Lord. Actually, Thakorji has said not to eat non-vegetarian food, but what can one do? The most He will do is not speak with you. But otherwise a staunch Vaishnavs can not even eat outside of his home, nor can he take any water outside the home. What great discipline! That is called being a staunch Vaishnav. Those who bathe and care for Thakorji(bal Krishna) are considered staunchs. But what can anyone do? The circumstances are such that one can be reprimanded nowadays. The idol does not talk because of circumstances, otherwise it would. Why would it not if you follow all the rules you have been asked to?

Do you have a bronze or a gold idol?

Questioner: A silver one.

Dadashri: Nowadays if a person had a gold idol, his son may go and sell it! Do you like what ‘we’ are saying?

Questioner: Yes, Dada. I like it very much.

Dadashri: So now if you have to eat outside, feed Thakorji(Baby Krishna) first before you eat, then you will have fulfilled your responsibility.