Arcanam means

Expressions researched:
"Arcana means" |"Arcanam means"

SB Canto 7

Arcanam means worshiping Lord Viṣṇu as one does in the temple.

SB 7.5.23-24, Purport:

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura gives the following explanation in his Tathya. The word śravaṇa refers to giving aural reception to the holy name and descriptions of the Lord's form, qualities, entourage and pastimes as explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Bhagavad-gītā and similar authorized scriptures. After aurally receiving such messages, one should memorize these vibrations and repeat them (kīrtanam). Smaraṇam means trying to understand more and more about the Supreme Lord, and pāda-sevanam means engaging oneself in serving the lotus feet of the Lord according to the time and circumstances. Arcanam means worshiping Lord Viṣṇu as one does in the temple, and vandanam means offering respectful obeisances. Man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru (BG 18.65). Vandanam means namaskuru—offering obeisances or offering prayers. Thinking oneself to be nitya-kṛṣṇa-dāsa, everlastingly a servant of Kṛṣṇa, is called dāsyam, and sakhyam means being a well-wisher of Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa wants everyone to surrender unto Him because everyone is constitutionally His servant. Therefore, as a sincere friend of Kṛṣṇa, one should preach this philosophy, requesting everyone to surrender unto Kṛṣṇa. Ātma-nivedanam means offering Kṛṣṇa everything, including one's body, mind, intelligence and whatever one may possess.

Nectar of Devotion

Arcanā means worship of the Deity in the temple.

Nectar of Devotion 9:

Arcanā means worship of the Deity in the temple. By executing this process one confirms himself to be not the body but spirit soul. In the Tenth Canto, Eighty-first Chapter, verse 19, of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, it is told how Sudāmā, an intimate friend of Kṛṣṇa's, while going to the house of a brāhmaṇa, murmured to himself, "Simply by worshiping Kṛṣṇa one can easily achieve all the results of heavenly opulence, liberation, supremacy over the planetary systems of the universe, all the opulences of this material world, and the mystic power of performing the yoga system.

Bhagavad-gita As It Is Lectures

Arcanam means... That is... Of course, you have no experience. But India there is arcanā of the Deity, installing Deity in the temples and worship from morning, half past four, till night, eleven. There are different kinds of worship.

Lecture on BG 3.16-17 -- New York, May 25, 1966:

And dvāpare paricaryāyām. That very thing was realized in the Dvāpara-yuga by temple worship. There... From that in Dvāpara-yuga in India so many temple worship flourished, not only in India, all over the world. Church worship is also temple worship. Mosque worship is also temple worship. It may be different for different countries and different class of people, but the whole thing is temple worship. Temple worship. There are, in the temple there are nine kinds of different process of worship.

śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ

smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam

arcanaṁ vandanaṁ dāsyaṁ

sakhyam ātma-nivedanam

(SB 7.5.23)

So the... Smaraṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ vandanam. Vandanam means offering prayer. And arcanam means... That is... Of course, you have no experience. But India there is arcanā of the Deity, installing Deity in the temples and worship from morning, half past four, till night, eleven. There are different kinds of worship. So either this worship or this prayer, they are called temple worship. Temple worship. Vandanam, offering prayer, is another sort of temple worship. So that is recommended. That was recommended in the Dvāpara-yuga.

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

Arcanam means temple worship. Just like in this temple you see there is Deity, Kṛṣṇa's Arca-mūrti or Deity, or idol, whatever you call, and we are offering flowers and fruits and cooked foodstuff, whatever we can get by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa.

Lecture on SB 6.1.6 -- Los Angeles, January 3, 1970:

There are nine different process of executing Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Several times I have described that nine processes. The first process is hearing. The second process is chanting. The third process is remembering, or meditating. The fourth process is serving the Lord. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam (SB 7.5.23). Pāda-sevanam means to serve the lotus feet of the Lord. Then arcanam. Arcanam means temple worship. Just like in this temple you see there is Deity, Kṛṣṇa's Arca-mūrti or Deity, or idol, whatever you call, and we are offering flowers and fruits and cooked foodstuff, whatever we can get by the mercy of Kṛṣṇa. And we offer it, "Kṛṣṇa, You have kindly sent this foodstuff." This is acknowledgement. You cannot manufacture this nice fruit. It is not in your power. You may be very much expert in conducting a big factory for manufacturing these motorcars, but it is not possible for you to manufacture these nice grapes or oranges or banana or rice. No. That is not in your power. Therefore a sane man should admit that "This is sent by God." This is common sense. What is beyond your power... If you say it is product of nature... What do you mean by nature? Nature means an energy which is acting under the direction of God. That is nature. That is explained in the Bhagavad-gītā: mayādhyakṣeṇa prakṛtiḥ sūyate sa-carācaram (BG 9.10). Prakṛti means nature. Don't take that the nature is producing without the active cooperation of the Supreme Lord, puruṣa. Just like when a woman has got a child, produced a child, you must know that she had connection with a man, the puruṣa. So it is common sense.

Arcanam means the offering ārātrika, offering bhoga, cleansing the Deity room and dressing the Lord, changing the flowers. These are called arcanam.

Lecture on SB 7.5.22-30 -- London, September 8, 1971:

So he said, śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇu smaraṇam. If you have no time to hear, to go to the temple or to hear the speeches of the ācāryas, at home you can simply remember the Lord. This Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa mūrti, if you simply remember, meditate, that will also do. Smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam. Pāda-sevanam means to serve, giving service, rendering service to the lotus feet of the Lord, just like devotees do. They bring flowers, tulasī, and offer to the lotus feet of the Lord. The worshiping of the Lord begins from the leg, from the lotus feet, not directly to the head. That is the way. So pāda-sevanam. Then arcanam. Arcanam means the offering ārātrika, offering bhoga, cleansing the Deity room and dressing the Lord, changing the flowers. These are called arcanam. Vandanam. If you cannot do this, then offer prayers. Just like in Christian church they offers prayers. That is also bhakti, devotional service. The Muslims, they offer prayers. Any way. Śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ smaraṇaṁ pāda-sevanam, arcanaṁ vandanam. Vandanam means offering prayer. Dāsyam. Dāsyam means to work as menial servant of the Lord. Dāsyam. Sakhyam, to make friendship with the Lord, just like Arjuna did. He treated Kṛṣṇa as his friend, and by making friendship with Kṛṣṇa he became liberated. Sakhyam. And ātma-nivedanam. Ātma-nivedanam means giving everything to the Lord, even his body, wealth, and everything, just like Bali Mahārāja did.