Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 11.27.20
Mukti· LiberationBegin Worship With Respect and Cleanliness
“The devotee should sanctify the various parts of his body by touching them and chanting mantras. He should do the same for My Deity form, and then with his hands he should clean the Deity of old flowers and the remnants of previous offerings. He should properly prepare the sacred pot and the vessel containing water for sprinkling.”
What the purport teaches
- Before beginning this process of worship, one should offer obeisances to the spiritual master, the Deity and other worshipable personalities.
- The devotee should sanctify the parts of his body by touching them and chanting mantras. The same process should be applied to the Deity form.
- The worshiper should remove old flowers and remnants of previous offerings by hand. The sacred pot and the vessel of sprinkling water should then be properly prepared.
Try this today
Before worship today, offer obeisances to your spiritual master, the Deity and other worshipable personalities.
Ask yourself
Do I give the beginning of worship the respect and care it deserves?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.