Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 17
Arcana-vidhi: The Method of Deity Worship
Vedic, Tantric, and Mixed
स्नानालङ्करणं प्रेष्ठमर्चायामेव तूद्धव । स्थण्डिले तत्त्वविन्यासो वह्नावाज्यप्लुतं हवि: ॥ १६ ॥ सूर्ये चाभ्यर्हणं प्रेष्ठं सलिले सलिलादिभि: । श्रद्धयोपाहृतं प्रेष्ठं भक्तेन मम वार्यपि ॥ १७ ॥
snānālaṅkaraṇaṁ preṣṭham arcāyām eva tūddhava sthaṇḍile tattva-vinyāso vahnāv ājya-plutaṁ haviḥ
优陀婆啊，礼拜殿中圣像时，沐浴与庄严装饰最令我欢喜。若在圣地地面上描画圣像，则以“真理安置”（tattva-vinyāsa）最为可爱。对祭火而言，以酥油浸润的芝麻与大麦之供最为上等；对太阳而言，以礼敬（upasthāna）与阿尔伽（arghya）为佳。以水之形态礼拜我时，应以水供水。其实，奉献者以信心献上的任何供品——纵然只是一点清水——都最为我所珍爱。
The Supreme Personality of Godhead is present everywhere, and Vedic culture prescribes various ritualistic methods for worshiping the Lord in His various manifestations. The principal item is the faith and devotion of the worshiper, without which everything else is useless, as the Lord describes in the next verse.
FAQs
This verse teaches that even a simple offering such as water becomes most dear to the Lord when it is offered by a devotee with faith (śraddhā).
Krishna is instructing Uddhava in the details and essence of arcana (Deity worship), emphasizing that the heart of worship is sincere devotion, not the complexity of the ritual.
Offer whatever you can—such as water, food, or a prayer—with steady faith and devotion, remembering that sincerity is what makes the offering spiritually meaningful.