Moving and need to evict some deities also.

[Jainarayan]

Some of you know the situation I'm in with my psycho landlord. Because we're moving into a small one bedroom apartment in the middle of June, praying to the gods that everything goes well, I won't have room for most of my shrine. Currently it's on a 24x36" tiled tabletop. I'm going to be relegated to a corner of the living room/dining room area. I might not even be able to use more than a 12x24" wall shelf with a small table underneath to hold puja items.

I feel badly about packing most of my deity statues. It's bad enough we're being evicted but now the gods are too. I know they are everywhere but for me the murtis are a focus. I know I should have downsized a long time ago, and actually it was more out of control. So I don't feel too badly in that respect.

I think I'm just going to limit it to my brass statue of Sri Krishna, Ganesha of course, a nice brass Nataraja. For some reason I was always drawn to Nataraja ever since I saw one at a NY Penn Station kiosk. I have tiny brass murtis of Saraswati, Lakshmi, Hanuman, and a small Ganesha I may use instead of the larger one if [lack of] space demands it. I have a small resin Durga I may use instead of the larger copy. I have a thing for representing Tridevi. I have a very small Shiva/Parvati/Ganesha resin that I don't want to part with. It was one of my first. I have a tiny black jade lingam that I pour water on. And of course a lamp and incense holder. Instead of actual murtis I could also make an 8x10 picture collage, maybe two of them. The software allows for nine pictures on one page. Y'know, I think that's actually a good idea. I may start it now and use it to see how I feel.

Well, I know that as usual this was just the overthought ramblings of an autistic with OCPD and GAD.

 

[Aupmanyav]

Krishna Vāsudeva and all other Gods and Goddesses are always with you whether you will be able to accommodate them all in your new habitat or not. Carry them in your heart. Wait for better times. When the invaders attacked Hindu temples, the priests there also use to hide the idols in wells and other places.

 

[SalixIncendium]

As long as your deities are represented in your shrine, I see no issue with the larger representations being replaced by smaller versions. To my knowledge, they aren't in competition for size or greedy for space.

I always felt having two representations of the same deity to be redundant anyway. I have two Nataraja pieces...the original being a 6" brass one. I subsequently found a 10" resin one in a gift shop that I connected with and purchased, which is on my main shrine, and my brass one sits on my dining table (that I never eat at).

If it would help you space-wise to accommodate the rest of your deities, I can send you the 6" brass Nataraja. He would be glad to help.

 

[ajay0]

I have a tiny black jade lingam that I pour water on.

Personally, I would prioritize the Shivalingam. The non-anthromorphic Shivalingam is considered the greatest of the 330 million gods and goddesses, and were worshipped by the Avatars Parashurama, Rama and Krishna.

In ancient India there were only temples devoted to the Shivalingam, and temples devoted to the other gods and goddesses came later on .

 

[Vinayaka]

Some of you know the situation I'm in with my psycho landlord. Because we're moving into a small one bedroom apartment in the middle of June, praying to the gods that everything goes well, I won't have room for most of my shrine. Currently it's on a 24x36" tiled tabletop. I'm going to be relegated to a corner of the living room/dining room area. I might not even be able to use more than a 12x24" wall shelf with a small table underneath to hold puja items.

I feel badly about packing most of my deity statues. It's bad enough we're being evicted but now the gods are too. I know they are everywhere but for me the murtis are a focus. I know I should have downsized a long time ago, and actually it was more out of control. So I don't feel too badly in that respect.

I think I'm just going to limit it to my brass statue of Sri Krishna, Ganesha of course, a nice brass Nataraja. For some reason I was always drawn to Nataraja ever since I saw one at a NY Penn Station kiosk. I have tiny brass murtis of Saraswati, Lakshmi, Hanuman, and a small Ganesha I may use instead of the larger one if [lack of] space demands it. I have a small resin Durga I may use instead of the larger copy. I have a thing for representing Tridevi. I have a very small Shiva/Parvati/Ganesha resin that I don't want to part with. It was one of my first. I have a tiny black jade lingam that I pour water on. And of course a lamp and incense holder. Instead of actual murtis I could also make an 8x10 picture collage, maybe two of them. The software allows for nine pictures on one page. Y'know, I think that's actually a good idea. I may start it now and use it to see how I feel.

Well, I know that as usual this was just the overthought ramblings of an autistic with OCPD and GAD.

Best wishes on the move. I see your situation as fortunate, in that you get to downsize. Many people hang on to way too much stuff for way too long. God is within you.

 

[Vinayaka]

Personally, I would prioritize the Shivalingam. The non-anthromorphic Shivalingam is considered the greatest of the 330 million gods and goddesses, and were worshipped by the Avatars Parashurama, Rama and Krishna.

In ancient India there were only temples devoted to the Shivalingam, and temples devoted to the other gods and goddesses came later on .

This is why partly Iraivan temple in Hawaii has only Siva in it ... a return to the old days.

 

[Jainarayan]

Thanks everyone. Strangely, I only had to reorganize the altar. I only removed the larger Durga, and put the small one. I removed a small Sūrya but I think I can put him back. I think that rather than complaining about being removed (which I know they really don’t), knowing how I feel, they said “ok, let’s give him an idea”. I actually like it the way it is now.

 

[Jainarayan]

Best wishes on the move. I see your situation as fortunate, in that you get to downsize. Many people hang on to way too much stuff for way too long. God is within you.

Thanks. A lot of stuff has to go into storage. Unfortunately there’s too much to try to photograph and put on eBay. A yard sale is not possible either owing to living in a condo complex currently and a future apartment complex. My husband is a pack rat. I’ve been yelling for years to get rid of stuff. When you move it’s more crap to lug along. But I like the idea of downsizing. We’re in our 60s and don’t need all that stuff. Maybe it can be a future project to get rid of it bit by bit.

 

[Jainarayan]

This is why partly Iraivan temple in Hawaii has only Siva in it ... a return to the old days.

I would like to find a temple that has only a few deities plus the presiding deity. As beautiful as mine is, it’s overwhelming. As I understand it, it’s in imitation of Tirupati, with the surrounding (outdoor) shrines. So if that’s a correct understanding, and you know Tirupati, you have an idea of how overwhelming my temple is.

 

[Vinayaka]

I would like to find a temple that has only a few deities plus the presiding deity. As beautiful as mine is, it’s overwhelming. As I understand it, it’s in imitation of Tirupati, with the surrounding (outdoor) shrines. So if that’s a correct understanding, and you know Tirupati, you have an idea of how overwhelming my temple is.

Ours here has only Ganesha, Siva, and Murugan, unless you see Bhairava as different from Siva or Sandeshwara as a God. I don't really care for 20 deities, as you know. Some have gone as far as not having a central garbagriha. Who's God?

 

[Vinayaka]

Thanks. A lot of stuff has to go into storage. Unfortunately there’s too much to try to photograph and put on eBay. A yard sale is not possible either owing to living in a condo complex currently and a future apartment complex. My husband is a pack rat. I’ve been yelling for years to get rid of stuff. When you move it’s more crap to lug along. But I like the idea of downsizing. We’re in our 60s and don’t need all that stuff. Maybe it can be a future project to get rid of it bit by bit.

I could downsize a lot. Boss is no pack rat, but she still has a lot of stuff I wouldn't have. Just things like pictures on the walls. I'm a minimalist almost to the extreme.

 

[Jainarayan]

Ours here has only Ganesha, Siva, and Murugan, unless you see Bhairava as different from Siva or Sandeshwara as a God. I don't really care for 20 deities, as you know. Some have gone as far as not having a central garbagriha. Who's God?

I kind of understand the reason for a cast of thousands in large temples. Especially southern because there are so many different views, often regional, of one deity.

But I’ve gotten away from my rampant and runaway polytheism. I’ve settled on those few I consider family and friends, the ones I relate to for one reason or another.

 

[Jainarayan]

I’m still not in a position to set up my shrine due to being up to our armpits in unopened boxes. No puja in two weeks… I found everything just today. But I talk to the Gods. How I hate moving.

But that’s only incidentally related to my point here …

The apartment is oriented largely NW/SE. The wall I’m strongly considering is 303* WNW. West is, of course 270*. Mr. Overthinks Everything is thinking that facing an extra 33* N is not a serious vastu faux pas. Especially considering nothing is consecrated or had prāṇa pratiṣṭhā (I love diacritics and macrons ).

I was very much hoping I wouldn’t have to orient the altar N/S. Whew! Dodged that bullet.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I keep all my deities in my heart (12 in all), so never faced any vastu problem.