If you have a Krishna idol at home.....

Krishna is known as the embodiment of love. According to Shastras, Krishna is known as one of the most magnanimous and charming Gods, who had the innate quality of attracting anyone who came in contact with him. Yet, keeping a Krishna idol at home is different from keeping idols of other Gods. Here is what else you need to keep in your home temple apart from the idol of Krishna.

Flute (also known as basuri)

It is no secret that Krishna was adept at playing a flute --- hearing him play, all the gopis would come close to him and dance. It is said that a flute can bring people together, so keep one in your home temple.

Cow and calf statue

According to Hindu mythology, a cow is an embodiment of all the 33 crore Gods of Hinduism. And since Krishna loved milk, butter and all other dairy products that a cow produces, one should also keep a cow and calf statue in his home temple.

Peacock feather

A peacock feather is known for its physical beauty and symbolises the magnetic personality of a person. Krishna used to wear a peacock feather and it is said that keeping a peacock feather in your home temple gives you happiness.

Lotus

A lotus depicts struggle in life, since it grows in muddy waters, yet remains pure and fragrant as ever. A lotus is said to bring in stability to a person, hence keep one in your home temple -- replace it with a fresh one everyday.

Mishri and Makhan

When preparing prasad for Lord Krishna, use some crystallised sugar cubes, popularly known as Misri along with some white butter. Lord Krishna loved to have both the things. You can also keep some misri in an airtight container in your home temple.

Vaijayanti mala

Lord Krishna used to don the Vaijayanti mala around his neck or as a bracelet. If you want to please Krishna, then you should keep a Vaijayanti mala in your home temple. Get one that carries Krishna's name on it.

Not only this, if you have a radha rani at home, then too you need to follow some special instructions-

Cleanliness

If getting a Radha Rani home, make sure that you maintain cleanliness in all areas of your life and not just physically, one must be cleansed from both inside and the outside and spiritually as well, to welcome Krishna and Radha.

Offering Tulsi

One must never offer Tulsi leaves to Radha Rani, you can however, place some Tulsi leaves in the hand of Radha so that she can offer the same to Krishna, but do not ever feed her the Tulsi leaves directly.

Laddu Gopal

It is said that keeping a deity of Krishna in his childhood form, known an laddu gopal is akin to having a real baby at home. You need to bathe it, change it and feed it everyday. So, only if you are willing to give it time, get a laddu gopal home.

Bathing him

It is said that you must bathe laddu gopal everyday or at least once in two days. Every time you must change him into clean and fresh clothes like you would do for your own child.

Feeding him

Lord Krishna loves his food, so you must feed him daily. Make sure to never miss his meals, since it is said that he looks forward to them, just like you look forward to feeding you own child.

Bathing

It is said that one should not touch any deity if they had not had a bath and the same holds true for Krishna. Only when you have had a bath should you bathe the idol of Krishna.


Chanting his name (Jaap)

Apart from these, once you get Krishna home, you must chant Lord Name regularly. You should also never put the deity on places such as the floor, bed, table etc.

Metal idol

If your Krishna deity is made up of metal (which is not very common though, but still), you must polish it daily. You must especially clean and polish it on a ekadashi, even if you sometimes miss on other days.

To clean metal deities, you should use some cotton wool dipped in some lemon juice and smeared with some fresh dry mango powder (also known as amchur). Avoid rubbing on the painted areas since the color might just come off. Pat dry with fresh cotton when done.

While bathing, you should recite this mantra in honour of the Lord. "Cintamani-prakara-sadmasu kalpa-vrksa- laksavrtesu surabhir abhipalayantam laksmi-sahasra-sata-sambhrama-sevyamanam govindam adi-purusam tam aham bhajami"

This mantra loosely means that I am worshipping Govinda, who is the greatest God, cow tender and one who is referred to by great dedication, love and reverence.

Ask for forgiveness
Finally, any prayer or the process of serving the Lord is null and void if you don't ask for forgiveness from the Lord in the end. So, before you end any prayer, say sorry to the Lord for things you think you have committed wrong in your life.