Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 24
Arcana-vidhi: The Method of Deity Worship
Vedic, Tantric, and Mixed
तयात्मभूतया पिण्डे व्याप्ते सम्पूज्य तन्मय: । आवाह्यार्चादिषु स्थाप्य न्यस्ताङ्गं मां प्रपूजयेत् ॥ २४ ॥
tayātma-bhūtayā piṇḍe vyāpte sampūjya tan-mayaḥ āvāhyārcādiṣu sthāpya nyastāṅgaṁ māṁ prapūjayet
Le dévot conçoit le Paramatma, qui imprègne son corps comme le Soi, selon sa réalisation; il adore alors selon sa capacité et s’absorbe en Lui. Puis, en touchant les membres de la Déité et en récitant les mantras, il invite le Paramatma à se joindre à la forme de l’arca et M’adore.
The body of a devotee is pervaded by the Supreme Lord just as a house is pervaded by the glow of a lamp. Just as one gestures in a friendly way to indicate that a guest should enter one’s house, one touches the body of the Deity, chants appropriate mantras, and enthusiastically invites the Supersoul to enter the form of the Deity. Since both the Deity and the Supersoul are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they are not different. One form of the Lord can immediately become manifest in another.
FAQs
This verse explains that one should invoke the Lord, establish Him in the Deity and other sacred forms, and then worship Him with full bodily engagement, while remaining absorbed in Him.
In the Uddhava Gītā, Kṛṣṇa instructs Uddhava on practical bhakti—especially arcana—so devotion can be performed steadily and purely, with mind and senses fully engaged in the Lord.
Before worship, center the mind in the Lord, then consciously invite His presence in a Deity or sacred image, and worship with attentive actions—hands, speech, and posture—so the whole body supports devotion rather than distraction.