Reply To: Rules for Chanting the mahamantra and also performing Diety worship

[Ram Krishna Dasa]

Hare Krishna!

All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

Regarding chanting, there are no rules whatsover!

We daily recite the Shikshashtakam prayers-

nāmnām akāri bahudhā nija-sarva-śaktis

tatrārpitā niyamitaḥ smaraṇe na kālaḥ

O my Lord, Your holy name alone can render all benediction to living beings, and thus You have hundreds and millions of names, like Krsna and Govinda. In these transcendental names You have invested all Your transcendental energies. There are not even hard and fast rules for chanting these names.

In fact all rules and regulations are subservient to the chanting of the Holy Names of the Lord! One can chant at any time, any place, any circumstance! There is indeed no question of chanting only when wears specific clothes!

Regarding deity worship, there are many rules. The most important principles to be followed for deity worship are punctuality and cleanliness. However there is no specific rule regarding color of the dress. One may wear clean cloth while performing deity worship. There are other details apart from color regarding usage of cloth but they all come under cleanliness. For example, not using stitched clothes, using cotton/ jute clothes, not using freshly bought clothes which contain starch and so on.

In your service,

Ram Krishna Dasa