Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 11
Arcana-vidhi: The Method of Deity Worship
Vedic, Tantric, and Mixed
सन्ध्योपास्त्यादिकर्माणि वेदेनाचोदितानि मे । पूजां तै: कल्पयेत् सम्यक् सङ्कल्प: कर्मपावनीम् ॥ ११ ॥
sandhyopāstyādi-karmāṇi vedenācoditāni me pūjāṁ taiḥ kalpayet samyak- saṅkalpaḥ karma-pāvanīm
Indem man den Geist auf Mich richtet, soll man Mich durch die von den Veden vorgeschriebenen Pflichten verehren, wie Sandhyā-Verehrung und das Rezitieren des Gāyatrī, mit rechtem Sankalpa. Solche Handlungen reinigen die Reaktionen eigennützigen Karmas.
FAQs
This verse says that Vedic duties like sandhyā prayers, when used to properly worship the Lord with sincere resolve, become a means to purify one’s actions.
In this chapter Kṛṣṇa teaches the method and spirit of arcana; He explains that Vedic practices can be harmonized into devotion when they are performed as worship of Him, with proper intention.
Before daily practice—japa, prayer, or temple worship—set a clear intention that the act is for the Lord’s pleasure; this devotional purpose helps transform routine actions into purifying bhakti.