110 The Nectar of Devotion

It is further said: “Who is that person who will not agree to wor-
ship the land of Mathura? Mathura can deliver all the desires and
ambitions of the fruitive workers and of the salvationists, who desire
to become one with the supreme Brahman. Certainly Mathura will
deliver the desires of the devotees, who simply aspire to be engaged
in the devotional service of the Lord.” In the Vedic literature it is
also stated: ““How wonderful it is that simply by residing in Mathura
even for one day, one can achieve a transcendental loving attitude
toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead! This land of Mathura
must be more glorious than Vaikuntha-dhama, the kingdom of God!”

Ripa Gosvami has stated that the five kinds of devotional activities
—namely, residing in Mathura, worshiping the Deity of the Lord,
reciting Srimad-Bhagavatam, serving a devotee, and chanting the
Hare Krsna mantra—are so potent that a small attachment for any
one of these five items can arouse devotional ecstasy even in a neo-
phyte.

Regarding worship of the form of the Lord, or Deity, Ripa Go-
svami has written the following verse: “My dear friends, if you still
have any desire to enjoy the company of your friends within this
material world, then don’t look upon the form of Krsna, who is
standing on the bank of Keégi-ghat [a bathing place in Vrndavana].
He is known as Govinda, and His eyes are very enchanting. He is
playing upon His flute, and on His head there is a peacock feather.
And His whole body is illuminated by the moonlight in the sky.”

The purport of this verse is that if someone becomes attached to
the Sri Mirti, or Deity of Krsna, by worshiping at home, then he will
forget his relationship of so-called friendship, love and society. Thus
it is the duty of every householder to install Deities of the Lord at
home and to begin the process of worshiping along with all of his
family members. This will save everyone from such unwanted activi-
ties as going to clubs, cinemas, dancing parties, smoking, drinking,
etc. All such nonsense will be forgotten if one stresses the worship of
the Deities at home.

Ripa Gosvami further writes, ‘“‘My dear foolish friend, I think that
you have already heard some of the auspicious Srimad-Bhagavatam,
