Offering Obeisances

Upon entering the temple one should first offer obeisances to the assembled vaiñëavas & utter the following prayer:

väïchä-kalpatarubhyaç ca kåpä-sindhubhya eva ca

patitänäà pävanebhyo vaiñëavebhyo namo namaù

I offer my respectful obeisances unto all the Vaiñëava devotees of the Lord who are just like desire-trees who can fulfill the desires of everyone and full of compassion for the fallen conditioned souls.

As a matter of etiquette as soon as one sees a Vaiñëava one must immediately offer him respect, indicating the Supersoul sitting within. [SB 4.3.22 Purport]

When Lord Kåñëa was sitting on His throne and Närada fortunately entered His assembly, even Lord Kåñëa immediately stood up with His officers and ministers to offer respectful obeisances to Närada. Närada knew that Kåñëa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Kåñëa knew that Närada was His devotee, but although Kåñëa is the Supreme Lord and Närada is the Lord's devotee, the Lord observed the religious etiquette. Since Närada was a brahmacäré, a brähmaëa and an exalted devotee, even Kåñëa, while acting as a king, offered His respectful obeisances unto Närada. [SB 6.7.13 Purport]

Then one should offer obeisances to Çréla Prabhupäda.

Çréla Viçvanätha Cakravarté Öhäkura says; daëòavat-praëämäs tän anupatitaù. By immediately offering obeisances unto the spiritual master and by strictly following his directions, the student becomes advanced. [SB 5.1.36 Purport]

Çréla Prabhupäda instructs:

The teacher should be offered due respect. That is not out of fear. It's out of love. [Room Conversation: London, September 5, 1971]

As soon as one sees guru, immediately he must offer obeisances. When he comes to see guru he must offer obeisances, and when he leaves that place he must offer obeisances. [Lecture: SB 7.12.3, Bombay, April 14, 1976]

Every day, before beginning his studies and at the end of his studies, the disciple should respectfully offer obeisances unto the spiritual master. [SB 7.12.13]

The more one becomes fixed up in guru obeisances, the more he advances in spiritual progress. [Letter to: Atreya Rsi, Bombay, November 15, 1974]

One should not offer obeisances silently to the spiritual master, or in other words, one should recite aloud the prayers to the spiritual master while offering obeisances.

One should then offer obeisances to the deities from the right hand side of the Deity, chanting their respective praëäma mantras. The praëäma mantras to be chanted are given here.

In the Näradéya Puräëa there is a statement about bowing down and offering respect to the Deity. It is said there: A person who has performed a great ritualistic sacrifice and a person who has simply offered his respectful obeisances by bowing down before the Lord cannot be held as equals. The person who has executed many great sacrifices will attain the result of his pious activities, but when such results are finished, he has to take birth again on the earthly planet; however, the person who has once offered respects, bowing down before the Deity, will not come back to this world, because he will go directly to the abode of Kåñëa.

An Important Etiquette: According to the rules and regulations, no one should accept obeisances in the temple of the Lord before the Deity. Nor is it proper for a devotee to offer obeisances and touch the feet of the spiritual master before the Deity. This is considered an offense. Even though one plays the part of a spiritual master, he should not accept obeisances or permit a disciple to wash his feet before the Deity. This is a matter of etiquette. [CC Madhya 12.127 Purport]