Letter to Giriraj Swami, June 8, 1972: […] The deity program must be improved very gorgeously. Flower garlands should be expanded, and all expenditures for the deities must be expanded without any miserly contemplation.
Our temple should be so gorgeously decorated that we shall excel all Bombay temples. This is my idea. Try to fulfill it. When they hear that we decorate our deities so gorgeously, people will throng, and on festival days especially, like Janmastami, Jhulana Yatra, etc. So four or five devotees should be always engaged in deity worship.
If you have a crown dipped in gold for the Bombay Deities, you must keep them very carefully. I understand that sometime ago one crown was stolen from Krishna’s Head despite the presence of one brahmacari who was sleeping there and did not even hear the thief coming. So we must take very great precaution to always protect the Deities from all kinds of danger.
One thing is, if we make our Deity worship program extremely opulent and gorgeous, and if all of the devotees are always attending arati and holding kirtana in front of the Deities, that will be the best program for attracting the Indian people to Krishna Consciousness Movement.
So you try to give the pujaris all assistance to improve the standard of Deity worship and always render Radha and Krishna the most sincere attention. Hoping this will meet you in good health.
Your ever well-wisher,
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
ACBS/sda
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