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? about preparing to move, pack shrine, unpack in new place

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
We're going to be moving within a few months. Much of the house is packed. I'm leaving my shrine until close to the very end, since I do puja (almost) every day. Everything will be bubble wrapped and treated with respect, of course. But I'm not sure what do do about my brass murti of Sri Krishna, which is dressed and garlanded from the last abhisheka. Do I remove the vastra and alankara or wrap as is? When I unpack do I do an abhishekam? (I kind of think yes to those questions). Is there anything else that needs to be done to move the shrine. None of the murtis are energized, so they're basically just statues and objets d'art for worship focus.

Bonus question I always wanted to ask...

My shrine is currently in a corner of the dining room, and will probably be in a common area in a new home. Ideally I'd have a small room for a puja room. It's not a take-your-shoes-off house. Even though the shrine is in a "public" area I put down a small rug and remove my shoes when I'm there "officially", and roll up the rug when I'm done. Is that how it's done when you don't have a separate puja area?
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
You can do whatever you want to do with the murtis, because you would always do it with respect. And the deity understands. You can let them remain in their clothes or remove the clothes. Do abhishekam when you arrive at the new place. Putting a rug and removing it after puja is perfectly OK. You can place the murtis in common area, and higher from the floor level (I think I do not need to point that out, you would yourself do it that way). So, no worries at all. Perhaps Vinayaka will say something more technical about it. With me only respect is essential, all the rest is OK.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
We're going to be moving within a few months. Much of the house is packed. I'm leaving my shrine until close to the very end, since I do puja (almost) every day. Everything will be bubble wrapped and treated with respect, of course. But I'm not sure what do do about my brass murti of Sri Krishna, which is dressed and garlanded from the last abhisheka. Do I remove the vastra and alankara or wrap as is? When I unpack do I do an abhishekam? (I kind of think yes to those questions). Is there anything else that needs to be done to move the shrine. None of the murtis are energized, so they're basically just statues and objets d'art for worship focus.

Bonus question I always wanted to ask...

My shrine is currently in a corner of the dining room, and will probably be in a common area in a new home. Ideally I'd have a small room for a puja room. It's not a take-your-shoes-off house. Even though the shrine is in a "public" area I put down a small rug and remove my shoes when I'm there "officially", and roll up the rug when I'm done. Is that how it's done when you don't have a separate puja area?


Congratulations on your move. That's what millionaires do, I suppose.

There is no wrong or right way to move a shrine. More orthodox folks with established shrine rooms might do a sort of balastapanam which would mean putting all the energy into a water vessel, and then taking great care of that. But this would be a Brahmin or priestly thing generally. Usually stuff is wrapped in nice cloth, often white. It's like it's not there, as if you were on holiday. In South India it's customary to cover the shrine with a white cloth when travelling or after a death or a birth. It's like putting up a 'closed' sign.

The shrine without a room varies a ton. Some go in closets, others put up a barrier/divider, and have small 3 sided 'room' in a corner. Still others use a curtain to 'close' it. All depends on the space you have, and what priorities are.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Congratulations on your move. That's what millionaires do, I suppose

Thanks, I wish I had the money to pay someone to do this. :D

There is no wrong or right way to move a shrine. More orthodox folks with established shrine rooms might do a sort of balastapanam which would mean putting all the energy into a water vessel, and then taking great care of that. But this would be a Brahmin or priestly thing generally. Usually stuff is wrapped in nice cloth, often white. It's like it's not there, as if you were on holiday. In South India it's customary to cover the shrine with a white cloth when travelling or after a death or a birth. It's like putting up a 'closed' sign.

The shrine without a room varies a ton. Some go in closets, others put up a barrier/divider, and have small 3 sided 'room' in a corner. Still others use a curtain to 'close' it. All depends on the space you have, and what priorities are.

I hope I can finally have more room to actually use the folding screens I have. I bought them years ago thinking there would be room for them. If I had a closet I might remove the door and put up a curtain.

I can get squares of white cotton cloth at the local fabric store. I like that idea. It preserves the line between the sacred and mundane.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
You can do whatever you want to do with the murtis, because you would always do it with respect. And the deity understands. You can let them remain in their clothes or remove the clothes. Do abhishekam when you arrive at the new place. Putting a rug and removing it after puja is perfectly OK. You can place the murtis in common area, and higher from the floor level (I think I do not need to point that out, you would yourself do it that way). So, no worries at all. Perhaps Vinayaka will say something more technical about it. With me only respect is essential, all the rest is OK.

Thanks. Yeah, the shrine is on a white cabinet, with shelves above it. I can’t sit on the floor so I stand or use a chair. It’s a bit out of control and overdone. But that’s what obsessive-compulsive people do. :D

8D49B266-6C0C-470B-85D2-D3EFE9B234F0.jpeg
 

SalixIncendium

अग्निविलोवनन्दः
Staff member
Premium Member
The shrine without a room varies a ton. Some go in closets, others put up a barrier/divider, and have small 3 sided 'room' in a corner. Still others use a curtain to 'close' it. All depends on the space you have, and what priorities are.

That's one of the benefits to my living alone. My whole apartment can be my shrine. :)
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Very much like what we have at home. Only that ours has a spread, yours has a height. :)

I hope that I'll have room to spread rather than go up. I got the idea of going up from seeing the kolu at temple. I have several more murtis I'd like to include. Granted I have several duplicates but I've heard that as long as the materials and appearances are different that's ok.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
I hope that I'll have room to spread rather than go up. I got the idea of going up from seeing the kolu at temple. I have several more murtis I'd like to include. Granted I have several duplicates but I've heard that as long as the materials and appearances are different that's ok.

If I was the only person using the shrine room I use, I'd simplify it even more. So I have to ask ... what's your focal point on your shrine?
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
If I was the only person using the shrine room I use, I'd simplify it even more. So I have to ask ... what's your focal point on your shrine?

My brass murti of Krishna. I have a number of other deities, as you can see. I have tried in the past to scale down and pack away some of them but it felt like I was uninviting guests to a wedding. It felt creepy. But I've been letting go of the obsessiveness I've had. I may very well scale down in this move in this project. I would keep my brass Ganesha, Hanuman, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Nataraja, Durga, and sitting Shiva (that pun was totally unplanned :D). It would then be just the table and one shelf, the table is 24" x 24", so it's kind of small. That would make it easier to clean too.

Ok, it's a plan!
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
My brass murti of Krishna. I have a number of other deities, as you can see. I have tried in the past to scale down and pack away some of them but it felt like I was uninviting guests to a wedding. It felt creepy. But I've been letting go of the obsessiveness I've had. I may very well scale down in this move in this project. I would keep my brass Ganesha, Hanuman, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Nataraja, Durga, and sitting Shiva (that pun was totally unplanned :D). It would then be just the table and one shelf, the table is 24" x 24", so it's kind of small. That would make it easier to clean too.

Ok, it's a plan!

For me it's all about being able to focus on one at a time. Same for temples. We just have 3 Gods, but they're each bout 18 inches apart, or more. The Siva has 2 murthies, and in front of that there are a pair of life size tiruvadi. (I hand made them to fit, He put them on for 30 seconds or so, and gave them back, the plan all along.)

On the sides we have pictures to the Gurus, an Ardhinarisvara and several smaller ganeshaw we got as gifts, or Boss picked out, one for each of 5 children.

My worship getts very specific. At the kumbabhishekham we went to recently there were about 10 priests doing homas simultaneously, but each to a different God/Goddess to be enshrined. It was neat because they had it all labelled. So if you wanted to watch the Ganesha homa, you could. For the main deity, they had an additional 9 homas surrounfding the main kumbha, and they also do that simultaneously, but same homa for all.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
That all sounds awesome. It’s true you can lose focus. Something can be hiding in plain site. My puja was out of control too, and I didn’t enjoy doing it because I was always flubbing it. Not that I don’t still do that. Now I have it so that I don’t need to read anything. I took the training wheels off. So yeah, simple is best.
 

Jainarayan

ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय
Staff member
Premium Member
Btw, the temple is in the throes of the 10 day Venkateshwara Brahmotsavam. I haven’t made it there yet, maybe Sunday. I went two years ago, and let me say we were dying from the heat. It’s very energetic.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Btw, the temple is in the throes of the 10 day Venkateshwara Brahmotsavam. I haven’t made it there yet, maybe Sunday. I went two years ago, and let me say we were dying from the heat. It’s very energetic.
Brahmotsavams are indeed special. Ours starts this year quite late. It has now morphed to 13 days, beginning Aug. 4 in fact. A few years back they changed the date so it wouldn't be on school nights. They may regret that as some years it can get rather chilly in August evenings. Outdoor parades and chilly don't mix.
 

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
..and in front of that there are a pair of life size tiruvadi. (I hand made them to fit, He put them on for 30 seconds or so, and gave them back, the plan all along.)
Would you kindly explain that? What is 'tiruvadi' or 'thiruvadi'? Google search leads me to something 'peaceful'. Though I boast of a Madurai Tamil sister-in-law. they live in Delhi but far away from where we live, and I am not a phone person.
 

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Would you kindly explain that? What is 'tiruvadi' or 'thiruvadi'? Google search leads me to something 'peaceful'. Though I boast of a Madurai Tamil sister-in-law. they live in Delhi but far away from where we live, and I am not a phone person.
Wooden sandals representing the Guru ...

Tiruvadi,
the sacred sandals worn by saints, sages and satgurus, symbolize the preceptor's holy feet, which are the source of his grace. Prostrating before him, we humbly touch his feet for release from worldliness. Aum.
 
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