पाषाणधातुमृद्दारुसिकतामणिलेखजा ।
सप्तदा ते प्रतिकृतिरचला वा चला प्रभो ॥
शालग्रामशिला चाथ यत्र कुत्राप्यवस्थिता ।
यादृशी तादृशी वापि भक्तैर्भक्त्याभिपूजिता ॥
भवताधिष्ठिता सर्वा सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणी ।
त्वमेव कथयसे सद्भिस्तस्मै तुभ्यं नमो नमः ॥
pāṣāṇa-dhātu-mṛd-dāru-sikatā-maṇi-lekhajā |
saptadā te pratikṛtir acalā vā calā prabho ||
śālagrāma-śilā cātha yatra kutrāpy avasthitā |
yādṛśī tādṛśī vāpi bhaktair bhaktyābhipūjitā ||
bhavatādhiṣṭhitā sarvā sac-cid-ānanda-rūpiṇī |
tvam eva kathayase sadbhis tasmai tubhyaṁ namo namaḥ ||
(Kṛṣṇa-līlā-stava: 409–411 (106))
“Made of stone, metal, earth, wood, sand, jewel, or paint—your image of seven types—[which can also be] immobile or mobile—O Lord, and a Śālagrāma stone wheresoever and howsoever it may be situated, can be worshiped with bhakti by bhaktas. All of them [i.e., all of these types of deities] are said by the sat (1) to be inhabited by you, (2) to be of the nature of eternal being, consciousness, and bliss [i.e., to not be seen as being made merely of stone, wood, etc.], and (3) to be you yourself. Unto you—he [who personally manifests himself in all these forms, I offer] obeisance and obeisance.”
Commentary
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes his deity forms in Śrīmad Bhāgavatam (11.27.12–13):
śailī dārumayī lauhī lepyā lekhyā ca saikatī |
manomayī maṇimayī pratimāṣṭa-vidhā smṛtā ||
calācaleti dvi-vidhā pratiṣṭhā jīva-mandiram |
“An image (pratimā) [i.e., deity] is known to be of eight types: stonen, wooden, metallic, moulded [i.e., made of earthen or wooden paste, etc.], drawn [alt., painted], arenaceous [i.e., made of sand], mental, or jewelled. An establishment [i.e., a deity] (pratiṣṭhā), that is, a dwelling place of Life (Jīva) [i.e., Bhagavān, alt., the dwelling place of jīvas], is of two types: permanent and impermanent.”