Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 13
Arcana-vidhi: The Method of Deity Worship
Vedic, Tantric, and Mixed
चलाचलेति द्विविधा प्रतिष्ठा जीवमन्दिरम् । उद्वासावाहने न स्त: स्थिरायामुद्धवार्चने ॥ १३ ॥
calācaleti dvi-vidhā pratiṣṭhā jīva-mandiram udvāsāvāhane na staḥ sthirāyām uddhavārcane
அனைத்து ஜீவர்களுக்கும் ஆதாரமான பகவானின் தேவமூர்த்தி பிரதிஷ்டை இரண்டு வகை—சல (தற்காலிக) மற்றும் அசல (நிலையான). அன்பு உதவா, நிலையாக ஆவாஹனம் செய்யப்பட்ட தேவனை ஒருபோதும் விடைபெறச் செய்யமாட்டார்கள்।
The devotees of the Lord understand themselves to be the Lord’s eternal servitors; recognizing the Deity to be the Lord Himself, they permanently install the Deity and engage in perpetual worship. The impersonalists, however, regard the eternal form of the Lord as a temporary manifestation of illusion. In fact, they regard the Deity form as a mere stepping-stone in their ambitious program to become God. Materialistic persons of whatever stripe consider the Lord to be their order supplier, and so they make temporary arrangements for religious ceremonies to achieve temporary material sense gratification. This temporary mode of worship is favored by those desiring to exploit the Personality of Godhead for their personal ends, whereas the loving devotees in Kṛṣṇa consciousness eternally engage in worship of the Personality of Godhead. They install permanent Deities meant to be worshiped perpetually.
FAQs
This verse explains that for a fixed, permanently installed Deity meant for ongoing temple worship, the formal rites of dismissal (udvāsa) and re-invocation (āvāhana) are not required.
In the arcana instructions of Canto 11, Krishna teaches Uddhava practical standards for worship, clarifying how procedures differ for a movable worship form versus a permanently established temple Deity.
It encourages orderly, respectful worship: follow appropriate procedures for home or portable worship, and understand that a properly established temple Deity is approached with steady, continuous service rather than repeated invocation rituals.