Is Deity visarjan required – why?
Answer Podcast:
Download by “right-click and save content”
Transcriber: Dr Suresh Gupta
Edited by: Sharan Shetty
Question: Is Deity visarjan required – why?
Answer: More than the requirement the important principle to understand and know, is that Krishna or even the devatas (demigods) are offering people opportunity for periodic worship when the regular nitya pooja (uninterrupted worship) is not possible. Certain people who are religiously very committed can invite a deity at their home and serve the deity throughout their life. But some people may not be able to serve the deity everyday throughout their life and so, in order to trigger them to at least perform religious activity at some level, it is recommended that they do pooja (deity worship) for a particular period.
Also, the deities are not just ordinary statues made of stone, wood etc. There is a religious practise of aarohan (invoking the deity by offering prayers and paraphernalia as per customs mentioned in the Vedic scriptures) and after the period of worship is over, there is the process of visarjan (immersing the idol in a river). Just like an ordinary cylindrical box called post box being authorized by the government is used to send letters similarly although the deities may externally look like an ordinary statue but because they have been invoked by bonafide and authorized instructions of Vedic scriptures, they have the potency to receive services and offer blessings.
Ideally the deity is prepared or sculpted in a prayerful mood where the Lord is invited to manifest in the deity. Once installed, the deity is worshiped for a particular period and at the end before immersion, the Lord is offered gratefulness, thanked and requested to leave the deity. After this, the visarjan process takes place. It is not mandatory that there should be visarjan of the deity but for those who cannot do nitya vigrah pooja (uninterrupted and daily deity worship) for them nainitik pooja (on special occasions like Ganpati) is allowed so that they can at least perform some bhakti. For that purpose, the deity is worshipped for a particular period and at the end, visarjan is done.
End of transcription.