Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 45
Arcana-vidhi: The Method of Deity Worship
Vedic, Tantric, and Mixed
स्तवैरुच्चावचै: स्तोत्रै: पौराणै: प्राकृतैरपि । स्तुत्वा प्रसीद भगवन्निति वन्देत दण्डवत् ॥ ४५ ॥
stavair uccāvacaiḥ stotraiḥ paurāṇaiḥ prākṛtair api stutvā prasīda bhagavann iti vandeta daṇḍa-vat
The devotee should honor the Lord with hymns and prayers of every kind—those from the Purāṇas and other ancient scriptures, and also those found in common tradition. Praying, “O Bhagavān, please be merciful to me,” he should offer daṇḍavat obeisances, falling flat like a rod.
FAQs
This verse affirms that one may praise the Lord not only with refined, scriptural hymns but also with ordinary, heartfelt words—what matters is sincere glorification and the prayer, “Be pleased, O Bhagavān.”
In the Uddhava-gītā section, Kṛṣṇa teaches practical bhakti, including deity worship (arcana). Here He explains that worship is accessible: one can glorify Him with many kinds of prayers and then offer full prostration.
Offer daily gratitude and prayer—whether by reciting traditional stotras or speaking simply from the heart—and cultivate humility through respectful obeisance (physically, when appropriate, or mentally), asking the Lord to be pleased.