arcādāv arcayet tāvad īśvaraṁ māṁ sva-karma-kṛt yāvan na veda sva-hṛdi sarva-bhūteṣv avasthitam
WORD BY WORD
arcā-ādau — beginning with worship of the Deity; arcayet — one should worship; tāvat — so long; īśvaram — the Supreme Personality of Godhead; mām — Me; sva — his own; karma — prescribed duties; kṛt — performing; yāvat — as long as; na — not; veda — he realizes; sva-hṛdi — in his own heart; sarva-bhūteṣu — in all living entities; avasthitam — situated;
TRANSLATION
Performing his prescribed duties, one should worship the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead until one realizes My presence in his own heart and in the hearts of other living entities as well.
PURPORT
Worship of the Deity of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is prescribed herewith even for persons who are simply discharging their prescribed duties. There are prescribed duties for the different social classes of men — the brāhmaṇas, the vaiśyas, the kṣatriyas and the śūdras — and for the different āśramas — brahmacarya, gṛhastha, vānaprastha and sannyāsa. One should worship the Deity of the Lord until one appreciates the presence of the Lord in every living entity. In other words, one should not be satisfied simply by discharging his duties properly; he must realize his relationship and the relationship of all other living entities with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. If he does not understand this, then even though he discharges his prescribed duties properly, it is to be understood that he is simply laboring without profit.
The word sva-karma-kṛt in this verse is very significant. Sva-karma-kṛt is one who engages in discharging his prescribed duties. It is not that one who has become a devotee of the Lord or who engages in devotional service should give up his prescribed duties. No one should be lazy under the plea of devotional service. One has to execute devotional service according to his prescribed duties. Sva-karma-kṛt means that one should discharge the duties prescribed for him without neglect.
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