Deities for Home and Large Centers

Govinda Dasi: While visiting Srila Prabhupada at his Los Angeles ISKCON center on Watseka Avenue, he told me to "make Gour Nitai Deities for Hawaii." By now, he actually wanted Gour Nitai Deities in every center. He often said "If they simply chant Hare Krishna before Lord Chaitanya and Lord Nityananda, all problems will be solved."

Srila Prabhupada knew by now that Westerners are not able to follow the strict rules of Deity Worship, and often there are not enough devotees to perform such proper worship. So Srila Prabhupada's main emphasis was always on harinama sankirtan, and less on Deity Worship. He never wanted the sankirtan, the public chanting of the Holy Names, to become secondary to Deity Worship.

However, he also wanted his disciples to become attracted and attached to the beautiful Forms of Lord Krishna, so in his larger centers he installed Sri Sri Radha Krishna Deities. In homes, and smaller centers, he felt that Gour Nitai Deities would be best, since there would be less facility for such elaborate worship. He would say, "There are so many rules and regulations for the worship of Sri Sri Radha Krishna, but for Gour Nitai, is we simply chant Hare Krishna before Them, They will be pleased! They are so much merciful, They do not easily take any offense."