In the holy town of Vrindavan, renowned spiritual leader Premanand Maharaj is known for his wisdom and compassionate guidance. Devotees travel from far and wide, bringing with them their deepest questions and concerns. Maharaj listens to their queries with great attention and offers thorough explanations and solutions.
On one occasion, a devotee approached Maharaj with a question about the placement of photographs in his temple. He asked, "Can I place pictures of my deceased parents alongside the deity in my temple?" Maharaj responded thoughtfully, saying, "If you hold the belief that your deity embodies your deceased parents, then there is no problem in placing their photographs in the temple."
Maharaj elaborated on this by explaining that the nature of deities and creation is often shaped by individual perception. He said, "The form of the deity and the nature of creation depend on how you choose to see them. People find divinity in stones and their desires are fulfilled because of the devotional sentiment they project onto those stones."
He emphasized that the divine essence or 'bhava' we infuse into objects is what makes them sacred. Maharaj remarked, "If we can invest our devotional feelings into idols, then the same can be done with other forms as well." According to him, if you have a devotional sentiment towards the divine, placing photographs of your deceased parents in the temple should not pose any issue.
However, Maharaj also pointed out that if one's sentiment is purely conventional, without a spiritual inclination, then it might not be appropriate to place such photographs in a temple. In such cases, it would be better to keep those pictures in a personal space like a room rather than a sacred temple.
Maharaj's perspective was clear: if you view your deceased parents as embodiments of the divine, then those photographs too will be a reflection of divinity. In this context, whether or not you also place an image of Krishna in the temple becomes secondary, as the divine presence is already established through your reverence and perception.
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