WHY DO YOU OFFER OBEISANCES UPON ENTERING THE TEMPLE ROOM?

We fall flat and pay our obeisances upon entering the temple room for:

• Humility:

Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the Supreme Creator and our Supreme father. We are His eternal devotees. Everything in this world is provided by Him. Thus we need to become humble and accept His Supremacy.

• Respect:

Just as we respect our parents and elders, similarly we should offer our respect to the eldest of all persons: the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In the Vedic tradition the best way to pay respect is by offering obeisances.

• Devotional Service:

Offering obeisances is an important part of devotional service by which the devotee confirms his attitude of submission.

Glories of offering obeisances are stated in vedic scriptures:

• One, who has worshipped Vishnu or offered Him obeisances once, even neglectful, will go to Shri Vaikuntha Dhama which is worshipped by the demigods and is rare even for them.
• One who bathes Shri Madhava with a conch-shell full of Ganga water while saying, “O Narayana! I offer obeisances unto you”, does not have to take birth again.
• “I offer my respectful obeisances to the Supreme Absolute Truth, Krishna, who is the well-wisher of the cows and the brahmanas as well as the living entities in general. I offer my repeated obeisances to Govinda, who is the pleasure reservoir for all the senses.

Simply by offering obeisances to Lord Govinda or Krishna, even once, one never experiences birth in the material world again.