Eighl(fn
Da,ys - 5ri Pcrica-l(ll!d's
Maydput-lilLi
The sixth item o[ installation is known as prana-pratisthd: establishing thc lil'e force. The heart o[ the deity is toucl-red, and a prayer fonnally n-rade that the Lord please be preseut in His deity form. Those pcrforming the cerer.nony rncditate on the the Lord in their hearr enrering the heart of the cleity. At the conclusion o[ these six processes, the deities are concealed from view and dressed in opulent silk garments, beclecked with precious gems, golcl and silver. After offering a feast of l0B preparations. the cLlrtain is opened and the Deities are revealed once again in all Their glory lbr tl-rc pleasure of the assembled devotees who gather in the temple to perform a huge lirtana.
Who Are The Chanters?
The ritual aspects o{'installation were perfc"rrnred by the students t'rf t]re Bhaktivedanta Academy; which is the seedling o[ a Veclic Universiry bcing devel- opecl in Maydpur. Tfre ir-rstallation procedure was conductecl according to the directives of Pratistha Viddhi, a uranual produced by the Acaclemy,for the perfonnance o[cleity installa- tions and ceretnonics accol'npanying the opcning oI ternples and homes (vastu piila). This manual is based on research which was compilecl by Bhaktisiddhinta Sarasvati Thakura in note form, but never publishcd. The Acaclemy's mission is to proviclc a facilitl' for its members to stucl1,, practice, arrd dissenrinate the teachings ol Srimad-Bhitgavatant supplementecl with corollary studies of the stanclard works of thc Gaudiya Vaisnava acaryas ancl the branches o[ Vedic philosophy, culture , and science in the cotlrexr of Srila PrabhupAcla's teachings. The boys who performed thc fire sacrifice and chantcd the rnanlras during the installation are enrolled in the Sri Yajria Vardha vidyflksetra, ir school o[ rhe Bhaktivcdanta Academy which o[[ers prin'rarv and secondary brahmir-rical educa-
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