FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.27.12

शैली दारुमयी लौही लेप्या लेख्या च सैकती । मनोमयी मणिमयी प्रतिमाष्टविधा स्मृता ॥ १२ ॥
śailī dāru-mayī lauhī
[shailee daaru-mayee lauhee]
lepyā lekhyā ca saikatī
[lepyaa lekhyaa cha saikatee]
mano-mayī maṇi-mayī
[mano-mayee mani-mayee]
pratimāṣṭa-vidhā smṛtā
[pratimaashta-vidhaa smritaa]
śailī — made of stone dāru-mayī — made of wood lauhī — made of metal lepyā — made of clay, sandalwood and other substances laid down as a paste lekhyā — painted ca — and saikatī — made of sand manaḥ-mayī — conceived of in the mind maṇi-mayī — made of jewels pratimā — the Deity aṣṭa-vidhā — in eight varieties smṛtā — it is remembered.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śailī dāru-mayī lauhī
śailī
made of stone
dāru-mayī
made of wood
lauhī
made of metal
lepyā lekhyā ca saikatī
lepyā
made of clay, sandalwood and other substances laid down as a paste
lekhyā
painted
ca
and
saikatī
made of sand
mano-mayī maṇi-mayī
manaḥ-mayī
conceived of in the mind
maṇi-mayī
made of jewels
pratimāṣṭa-vidhā smṛtā
pratimā
the Deity
aṣṭa-vidhā
in eight varieties
smṛtā
it is remembered.
The Deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties — stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, the mind or jewels.

Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that certain Deity forms, such as those made of sand, are manifested for a brief time to fulfill a personal desire of the worshiper. Those, however, who desire to attain pure love of God should worship the permanent form of the Deity (made, for instance, of marble, gold or brass), and they should maintain continual worship. In Kṛṣṇa consciousness there is no scope for neglecting the worship of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varieties—stone, wood, metal, clay, paint, sand, the mind or jewels. The types of deities are mentioned. Śailī means “made of stone.” Lauhī means “made of metals like gold.”
The Deity appears in eight forms: stone, wood, metal, earth, paint, sand, mind, jewels. The Lord chooses many vehicles.
Reflection Questions
  • Which medium of Deity have I personally worshiped most?
  • Could I create even a mental Deity-image as a daily anchor?
📝 My note

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