Agnihotra

Sat Kriya Sara Dipika

Sat Kriya Sara Dipika
By
Shrila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami
Printed By
The Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur
International Society for Krishna onsciousness
!ounder Acarya"
#is Divine Grace A$ $ Bhaktivedanta S%ami Pra&hupada
'imited (dition ) *++ copies
opyri,ht - .//0 Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur
All ri,hts reserved$
1uote from &ooks and letters of Shrila Pra&hupada reprinted %ith kind permission of
The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust
Ackno%led,ements
2e %ould like to thank #$#$ Bhanu Svami for translatin, from the ori,inal Sanskrit the
main &ody of the Sat Kriya Sara Dipika and addin, e3planatory notes on the ya4na
contained in the appendi3 5a4na 6idhi$ Krishna Svarupa Dasa for translatin, Gopala
Bhatta Gosvami7s introduction to the %ork$ Sucih Dasa for the cover desi,n$ 2e %ould
also like to thank the mem&ers of the Shri 8upanu,a Paramarthika 6idyapitha"
Gopavrindapala Dasa for the coordination and research %ork, Ananda Tirtha Dasa for the
editin,, 8upa 8a,unatha Dasa for typin, the manuscript, and Priti 6ardhana Dasa for the
layout$
ontents
Preface
!ore%ord
Preface &y Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura$$$$$$
Introduction &y Gopala Bhat9a Gosvami
Man,alacarana
Adhivasa
Sattvika vriddhi shraddha
6asudevarcana$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
6ivaha :marria,e;
Gar&hadhana :impre,nation;
Pumsavana :makin, a male child;
Simantonnayanam :partin, the hair;
Shoshyanti homa :safe delivery;
<ata karma :&irth;
=ishkramanam :first outin,;
=ama karana :,ivin, a name;
Paush9ika karma :nourishment;
Anna prashana :feedin, ,rains;
uda karanam :hair cuttin,;
>panayanam :sacred thread;
Samavartana :,raduation;$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Appendi3
Glossary
Preface &y #$#$ Bhaktividya Purna Svami
In his ?Sat Kriya Sara Dipika@ the Gaudiya 6aishnava Smritacarya, Shrila Gopala
Bha99a Gosvami ,ives detailed descriptions of the rituals for the performance of fire
sacrifices and samskaras accordin, to the 6aishnava smriti$The principles of 5a4na 6idhi
as presented in this &ook are standard for Deity installations, festivals and Samskaras$
!urther e3planations of some of the rituals ,iven &y Gopala Bha99a Gosvami are
contained in Appendi3 I$
Shrimad Bha,avatam A$*B$.C e3plains the importance of understandin, the rituals of
Deity %orship as al%ays &ein, su&servient to the chantin, of the holy name of the 'ord )
mantratas tantratash chidram
desha)kalarha)vastutah
sarvam karoti nishchidram
anusankirtanam tava
:The follo%in, translation and purport are from Shrila Pra&hupadaDs Shrimad
Bha,avatam;"
?There may &e discrepancies in pronouncin, the mantras and o&servin, the re,ulative
principles, and, moreover, there may &e discrepancies in re,ard to time, place, person and
paraphernalia$ But %hen 5our 'ordship7s holy name is chanted, everythin, &ecomes
faultless$
P>8PE8T" $$$ In Kali 5u,a the 6edic ritualistic ceremonies cannot &e performed as
perfectly as &efore$ Therefore Shrila <iva Gosvami has recommended that althou,h one
should take care to follo% all the principles in every kind of spiritual activity, especially
in %orship of the Deity, there is still a chance of discrepancies, and one should
compensate for this &y chantin, the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead$
In our Krishna consciousness movement %e therefore ,ive special stress to the chantin,
of the #are Krishna mantra in all activities$@
2e hope that the 6aishnava community %ill &e pleased %ith our hum&le attempt at
presentin, Shrila Gopala Bha99a Gosvami7s %ork Sat Kriya Sara Dipika, %hich includes
the Gosvami7s introduction and description of the preliminary rituals of fire sacrifice, as
%ell as the purificatory rituals for those in the householder ashrama$ Gopala Bha99a
Gosvamipada, follo%in, the 6edic tradition, does not include the rituals that deal %ith
death :funerals and shraddha rites; %ithin his samskara paddhati$ Therefore %e have
compiled a seperate &ook entitled ?6aishnava !uneral and Shraddha 8ites@ that e3plains
these procedures$
6aishnava dasanudasa
Tridandi Bhikshu
A$6$ Bhaktividya Purna Svami
Purnima Tithi,
Snana 5atra Mahotsava
6amana Masa,
Gaura&da 0..
Shri 8upanu,a Paramarthika 6idyapi9ha
Shridham Mayapur
!ore%ord &y #$#$ Bhanu Svami
Shrila Gopala Bha99a Gosvami has compiled ?Sat Kriya Sara Dipika@ as a 6edic
samskara manual for the 6aishnava community$ 8eco,niFin, that most of the 6aishnavas
are ,rihasthas, and that they should perform the samskaras, he has ,iven a procedure that
is not contradictory or offensive to the 6aishnava ideals$
The first half of his manual is an ar,ument for the %orship of 6ishnu to the e3clusion of
devatas, %ith ample scriptural evidence$ The usual samskara manuals are compiled &y
those %ho are interested in karma khanda :accumulatin, material fruits;, and prescri&e
%orship of the devatas and pitris for material prosperity$ Therefore, in his practical
procedure for samskaras, Gopala Bha99a Gosvami su&stitutes %orship of Ganesha, the
material shaktis, and the planetary deities for %orship of 6ishnu and #is associates$
2hereas %orship of devatas :%ho are mi3ed devotees;, &rin,s only material
auspiciousness, %orship of 6ishnu and #is associates :%ho are pure devotees;, &rin,s
spiritual deliverance$
Gopala Bha99a Gosvami cites the alternative for the 6aishnava accordin, to the Padma
Purana"
ananya sharano &hakto nama mantreshu dikshitah
kada cin narcayed devan ,aneshadims tu vaishnavah
yatra yatra surah pu4ya ,aneshadyas tu karminam
vishnvarcane tatra tatra vaishnavanam hi vaishnavah
vishvaksenam sa sanakam sanatana matah param
sananda sanat kumara pancaitan pu4ayet tatah
?The devotee interested in pure devotion to the 'ord, and initiated %ith 6aishnava mantra
should never %orship Ganesha and the other devatas$ 2herever the karmis prescri&e
%orship of Ganesha and the devatas, the 6aishnava should %orship the pure devotees of
6ishnu$ Thus instead of %orshippin, Ganesha to remove material o&stacles, the devotee
should %orship 6ishvaksena : the commander)in)chief of 6ishnu7s army in 6aikun9ha;
and the four Kumaras, to remove o&stacles on the spiritual path$@:Padma Purana, cited in
Sat Kriya Sara Dipika;
In the same %ay, instead of %orshippin, the nine planetary Deities one should %orship
the nine 5o,endras, and instead of %orshippin, the Dik)Palas :protectors of the ten
directions; one should %orship the Maha Bha,avatas$ Instead of %orshippin, the Matri
Gana :si3teen female demi,oddesses in char,e of various material functions; one should
%orship the the 'ordDs consorts %ho are the shelter of all spiritual and material ener,ies$
Shrila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura has accepted Sat Kriya Sara Dipika as the
authoriFed 6aishnava manual for ya4na and samskaras, 4ust as he has accepted #ari
Bhakti 6ilasa as the authoriFed scripture for arcana, and has recommended that all
6aishnava ,rihasthas should follo% these procedures$
Bhanu Svami
P8(!A(
&y
Shri Shrimad Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gos%ami Pra&hupada
:Translated from the ori,inal Ben,ali;
Accordin, to the instructions of Shriman Mahapra&hu, Shrila Sanatana Gos%ami Pra&hu
compiled a 6aishnava smriti called the D#ari Bhakti 6ilasaD %hich %as pu&lished &y Shri
Gopala Bha99a Gos%ami Pra&hu$ Shri Gopala Bha99a Gos%ami also %rote a &ook on
the ten samskaras %hich is kno%n as DSat Kriya Sara DipikaD and a manual called
DSamskara DipikaD, %hich is a &ook on the rules for takin, sannyasa$
Almost half a century after the #ari Bhakti 6ilasa %as pu&lished , the non)6aishnava
smriti compiler, 8a,hunandana Bha99acarya Mahashaya, %rote a %ork called
DAsh9avimshati TattvaD$ Before that, the paddhati of Bhavadeva and the Sat Kriya Sara
Dipika %ere the most famous &ooks on samskaras in Ben,al$
After this, due to the stron, influence of the Smartas, Sat Kriya Sara Dipika &ecame
o&scure$ The D=risimha ParicaryaD of Shri Krishnadevacarya and DSmriti =i&andhaD of Shri
Keshava Bha99a %ere also pu&lished &efore another non)6aishnava paddhati , D=irnaya
PaddhatiD of Kamalakara Bha99a %as compiled$
2e can o&serve from the %ritin,s of the Smarta Bha99acaryas that there are certain
differences of opinions &et%een 6aishnava smriti and non)6aishnava smriti , in other
%ords, &et%een the smarta )smriti paddhatis and the Shri #ari Bhakti 6ilasa of the
6aishnavas$ There %ere many o&stacles in the preachin, of the 6aishnava)smriti due to
the popularity of the non)6aishnava smritis$ The 6aishnava and non)6aishnava paddhatis
differ in many places re,ardin, demi,od %orship, shraddhas, ekadashi vratas etc$ Also,
due to a lack of ,enuine 6aishnava ,rihastas, for some time, the Smarta ceremonies %ere
accepted as 6aishnava$ =on)6aishnava rituals are not accepted as &ona)fide &y the
6aishnava %orld, and since this has &een lo,ically proven %ith shastric evidence, those
sense)en4oyers %ho are inimical to pure devotional service find this fact unpalata&le$
Therefore, they have endevoured to stop the pu&lication of &ooks containin, 6aishnava
rituals and etiGuette$ #o%ever, there is no dou&t that the vain hopes and desires of the
non)6aishnavas %ill &e uprooted &y the re)pu&lication of this &ook$Those %hose hearts
feel pain as if pierced &y a lance, &y the spreadin, of 6aishnava)smriti, %ill not &e a&le to
appreciate topics of devotional service$ =ontheless, the customs of the society of pure
6aishnavas, &ein, like the Pole Star %ill shine forth &ri,htly even in the darkness of the
ne% moon$
It is not that the erroneous smartavada misconceptions have only penetrated the
6aishnava community of Ben,al, they have also spread to other 6aishnava societies all
over IndiaH in some places more, in others, less$ Therefore, the Sat Kriya Sara Dipika is
not very famous no%$ By the endevour of Shri Shrimad Bhaktivinoda Thakura, %ho re)
esta&lished the flo% of pure devotion, this &ook %as pu&lished a,ain some time a,o$
=o%, this is the third printin, and %e vie% this as an opportunity to propa,ate the
6aishnava faith and the rules, re,ulations and etiGuette of devotional service$
!or some time no%, many people, %ho understood the value of follo%in, 6aishnava
sadacara, felt the neccesity of printin, this &ook a,ain after the second edition %as
depleted$ By the desire of Shriyukta Avidyaharana dasadhikari and Seva&andhava
Mahashaya, Mahopadeshaka Pandita Shriyukta 5adavara Bhaktishastri :Sampradaya
6ai&havacarya, M$A$ B$'$; has helped to correct this ne% edition$ 2ithout his endevour,
this &ook %ould not have &een pu&lished in such a nice %ay$ #e takes full credit from the
Gaudiya 6aishnava community for this %ork$
In this edition of Sat Kriya Sara Dipika %e have also included the D6eshashraya PaddhatiD
%ith the Ben,ali translation of Shrila Thakura Bhaktivinoda$
!EET=ET("
The ?6eshashraya Paddhati@ has &een pu&lished seperatly &y the Bhaktivedanta Academy
under Gopala Bha99a Gosvamis7 ori,inal title, ?Samskara Dipika@$
(=D !EET=ET(
Shri Siddhanta Sarasvati
Shri <a,annath Ma9h
Maymansin,h
.ST 6aishakha .BI* Shaka&da
: .Ith April ./B0 ;
Introduction
By Shrila Gopala Bha99a Gosvami
Shri Shri Krishna haitanya andraya namah
pranamya sacchidanandam 4a,atam sevyamishvaram
shri krishnam paramanandam ananya &hishthadayakam
vakti ,rihidvi4adinam anayanam visheshatah
paddhatim tam vivahadeh sat kriya sara dipikam
shrimad ,opala &ha99o Jyam sadhunam)a4naya &hrisham
&ha,avad dharma rakshartham &haktanam vaidiki tu ya
krita yapy)aniruddhena &hima &ha99ena ya krita
shrimad ,ovindanandena karminam paddhatih krita
shri narayana &ha99ena karma9ananta vaidiki
&ha99a shri &havadevena chando,ananta ya krita
varnashramantya4a dinam vedaih pauranikadi&hih
manvadi dharma shastroktair vacanaih sapramanakaih
shrimad ,ovinda &haktanam seva)namaparadhatah
kriteyam paddhatih kintu pitri)devarcanam vina
?Efferin, o&eisances to 'ord Shri Krishna, %ho is eternal, full of kno%led,e and &liss, is
%orshipped &y the %hole %orld, the controller of the universe, situated in supreme &liss,
and the &esto%er of the desired ,oal to the unalloyed devotees, I, Gopala Bha99a,
receivin, the order from saintly, e3alted devotees, present a manual on vedic samskaras
called ?Sat Kriya Sara Dipika@$ By this, the householders %ithin the varnashrama system
: &rahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas and shudras; and those outside the varnashrama system
:candalas, mlecchas, yavanas etc$; can maintain the principles of 6aishnava teachin,s$ In
presentin, this, I have al%ays kept in mind the supreme position of devotional service$
Shri Aniruddha Bha99a, Shri Bhima Bha99a and Shri Govindananda Bha99a have
compiled manuals for the fruitive %orkersH Shri =arayana Bha99a also compiled oneH and
Shri Bhavadeva Bha99a compiled one for the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
!or the devotees of 'ord Govinda, inside or outside of the varnashrama system, I %ill
e3plain the process of performin, 6edic samskaras takin, evidences from the 6edas,
Puranas, Manu and other Smritis, avoidin, in4unctions %hich call for %orship of the
devatas and pitris, as this %ould cause seva and namaparadha for the devotees$@
It is not proper from me to %rite my o%n name as the compiler of this &ook as others
%ould do, for I fear &ecomin, &e%ildered &y false e,o, as the Bha,avad Gita states"
?Those %ho are &e%ildered &y the false e,o think themselves the doer$@ :BG B$*K; But &y
the order of the saintly devotees of the sampradaya, I am o&li,ed to %rite my name as
Gopala Bha99a$ This spirit soul, havin, tasted the nectar of service to the lotus feet of
Shri Krishna haitanya, al%ays follo%s the instructions of the devotees$
:#ere the author &e,ins to e3plain the previous verses phrase &y phrase$;
2ith these Gualifications, I offer my o&eisances unto 'ord Shri Krishna$ The meanin, of
the %ord Jkrishna@ has &een e3plained a&ove$ 2hat is the form of KrishnaL That form
%hich is full of eternity, kno%led,e and &liss, &eyond the modes of material nature,
&eyond all speech$ Krishna is all attractive, full of s%eetness and &eauty, the very form of
happiness$
#e is thus to &e %orshipped &y the %hole universe$ ?<a,atam sevya@ means that he is
%orshipa&le &y all &ecause he is al%ays full of all po%ers such as anima and la,hima,
and is full of all happiness$ As #e is the Supreme 'ord, #e is %orshipa&le not only &y all
the inha&itants of the universe such as Brahma, &ut also &y the avataras such as the
universial form$ As Krishna, complete %ith si3 opulences is &eyond the modes of matter,
#e is %orshipa&le &y Matsya and other avataras$ 2hat more can &e saidL #e is even
%orshipa&le &y =arayana of 6aikun9ha and &y Karanashayi Mahavishnu, %hat to speak
of the devatas$
2hy is thisL Because #e is the very form of &liss :paramanandam;$ Amon,st all those
livin, in this material %orld, for the hankerin, devotees fi3ed in %orship of the 'ord, #e
is &liss itself$ #e only ,ives that &liss to those devotees %ho, %ith ,reat desire, are fully
dedicated to #imself alone, and to no other 6aishnavas, %hat to speak of others$
:#ere is the e3planation of the ne3t four lines$;
This &ook is only for those %ho are householders dedicated solely to 'ord Govinda$ The
%ord ?,rihi dvi4adi@ refers to household &rahmanas, kshatriyas, vaishyas, shudras, mi3ed
varnas :sankara; and those not %ithin the varnashrama system, %ho have &een initiated
%ith mantra and name of 'ord Krishna &y a &one fide ,uru$ I have %ritten this manual for
those persons so that they can protect the principles of &ha,avata dharma perfectly
:&hrisham;$
The meanin, is this" Bha,avata dharma is devoid of pious activities such as daily
duties:nitya;, periodic duties:naimittika;, those arisin, from personal desire :kamya; and
of %orship of devatas and pitris$ This manual is meant for those persons %ho are initiated
%ith the 'ord7s name and mantra from a &ona fide ,uru, so that they do not have to ,ive
up &ha,avata dharma$ As the philosophy of those fi3ed in &ha,avata dharma is superior
to that of those fi3ed in karma, this manual of 6edic samskaras follo%in, &ha,avata
dharma is superior to all those %orks$
The necessity of protection of &ha,avata dharma is no% e3plained in detail$ Previously
Shri Aniruddha Bha99a compiled a paddhati for the follo%ers of the 8i,, 5a4ur and
Atharva 6edaH later on Bhima Bha99a, %ho craved for fruitive results like a madman,
also compiled a &ookH then Shrimad Govindananda Bha99a %rote another %ork for those
%ho are e3pert in all types of karmas$ Shri =arayana Bha99a also compiled a %ork for
those ,ross materialists %ho pretend to &e follo%ers of the 6edas$ Then Bhavadeva
Bha99a prepared another manual for those %ho are e3pert in performin, Sama 6eda rites$
After that, the Bha99as of South India, kno%led,ea&le of 8i,, 5a4ur, Sama 6eda, the
Puranas and other scriptures, compiled more %orks for those en,rossed in karma$
:#ere is the e3planation of the last four lines$;
In this %ork, proofs are cited from the 6edas, from the Puranas, >pa)Puranas, Shrimad
Bha,avatam, Pancaratra, 5amalas, 8amayana and other scriptures, and from the ei,hteen
Dharma Shastras includin, Manu Smriti, to sho% the superiority of follo%in, &ha,avata
dharma as opposed to follo%in, the a&ove mentioned manuals$ I have %ritten this manual
for those %ithin the varnashrama system such as &rahmanas, and for those outside, such
as ille,itimate offsprin,, %ho are also unalloyed devotees of the 'ord$ By follo%in, this
manual they can avoid seva and namaparadhas &y avoidin, %orship of devatas and pitris$
#ere are some scriptural statements for&iddin, %orship of the devata and pitris
.$ =arayana >panishad
2orship of Shiva, Shakti :Dur,a;, Surya, Ganapati and other devatas and pitris is not
prescri&ed any%here, neither &y local custom nor &y scripture :Purana, Smriti, A,ama,
Dharma Shastra, or 6eda;, for devotees of 6ishnu ) %ho are either householders of
varnashrama or outcastes ) initiated %ith 6ishnu mantra$ 8ather, &y doin, such %orship
they commit offense$
Thus as first evidence, =arayana >panishad : of the Atharva 6eda; says"
om atha purusho ha vai narayano Jkamayata pra4ah shri4eyeti
narayanat prano 4ayate
manah sarvendriyani ca kham vayur 4yotir apah prithivi vishvasya dharini narayanad
&rahma 4ayate
narayanad rudro 4ayate
narayanad indro 4ayate
narayanad pra4apatih pra4ayante
narayanad dvadashaditya rudra vasavah sarvani chanda,msi
narayanad eva samutpadyante
narayanad pravartante
narayane praliyante
ya evam veda
ity upanishat:e;
om atha nityo narayanah
&rahma narayanah
shivash ca narayanah
shakrash ca narayanah
kalash ca narayanah
dishash ca narayanah
vidishash ca narayanah
urdhvash ca narayanah
adhash ca narayanah
antar &ahish ca narayanah
narayana eveda,m sarvam
yad &hutam yac ca &havyam
nishkalanko niran4ano nirvikalpo nirakhyatah
shuddho deva eko narayanah
na dvitiyo Jsti kashcit:e;
sa vishnur eva &havati sa vishnur eva &havati
ya evam veda
ity upanishat:e;
?Then the Supreme 'ord =arayana desired to create livin, entities$ !rom =arayana came
the life airsH from =arayana came the mind and all the sensesH from =arayana came the
elements ) ether, air, li,ht, %ater and earth, %hich supports the universe$ !rom =arayana
came Brahma, 8udra, Indra, Pra4apati$ !rom =arayana came the t%elve Adityas, the
t%elve 8udras, the t%elve 6asus, all the vedic metres and all the devas$ (verythin, came
from =arayana in the &e,innin, and everythin, enters into =arayana at the end
Thus =arayana is the eternal &ein,$ Brahma, Shiva, Indra, time, the directions, the
su&directions, up and do%n, inside and outside, are all pervaded &y =arayana$ =arayana
is everythin,, past, present and future$=arayana is the eternal pure efful,ent 'ord,
%ithout a second to compare$ #e is 6ishnu, the Supreme 'ord, says the upanishad$@
&odhanca sarathim kritva manah pra,rahavan puman
prayati paramam param vishnvakhyam padamavyayam
vishnavakhyam padamavyaym iti
:The author comments thus" ;
Bein, the ori,inal cause of all causes, one %ithout a second, &ein, present &efore
creation, in the present time and after the dissolution, 'ord =arayana is eternal and
therefore the only %orshippa&le entity of the demi,ods like Brahma etc$ >sin, this
>panishad as proof, I am e3plainin, the meanin, of the =arayanopanishad revealed &y
Shrimad An,ira in the Atharva 6eda$
:The first verse &e,ins %ith ?om$@;
pranavash)chandasam aham ) MAmon, the 6edic verse, I am om$M
Accordin, to this statement, it is concluded that in the past, present and future, om is
none other than =arayana #imself$ The %ord DnriD refers to a person, and Mnara@ refers to
all those produced from him, such as sons and and ,randsons$ The ?ayana@ or shelter of
all men, is =arayana$ #e is to &e served, praised and %orshippedH #e is the o&4ect of all
remem&rance$ #e alone is the master of all$
After the period of destruction :maha)pralaya;, the 'ord desired to create$ 2hat did #e
desire to createL Desirin, in #is mind to create offsprin,, #e created Brahma, %ho then
performed secondary creation$ The plural %ord Mpra4ahM indicates that all species %ere
&orn from the &ody and mind of 'ord Brahma$ Thus Indra %as &orn from =arayana, as
%ere the t%elve Adityas, their associates and families, the eleven 8udras, their associates
and their consorts, the 8udranis, and the other thirty)three million demi,ods such as
Ganesha etc$ All the different sa,es such as the devarshis :sa,es amon,st the demi,ods;,
maharshis :e3alted sa,es;, and ra4arishis :saintly kin,s; came into e3istence from 'ord
=arayana, as %ell as all other movin, and non )movin, entities$ Then, at the time of
annihilation, they once a,ain all mer,e into the &ody of the 'ordH in other %ordsH after the
creation they are maintained &y #im until the time of the dissolution$ After dissolution,
all livin, entities &e,innin, from Brahma reside %ithin the 'ord, until the time of the
ne3t creation$ In this re,ard there is evidence from the Maha&harata"
yathah sarvani &hutani
&havantyadi yu,a,ame
yasminsh ca pralayam yanti
punar eva yu,akshaye
MAt the &e,innin, of the primary creation from 'ord =arayana, all livin, entities
&e,innin, from Brahma take &irth and at the time of annihilation of the millenium, they
enter into =arayana$M
The %ord DcaD in this verse :yasminsh ca; indicates that they are also maintained &y #im$
:e3planation of the second verse$;
As such, 'ord =arayana alone is the Supreme %orshipa&le o&4ect in all the universe
&ecause #e is eternal, imperisha&le and al%ays remains so, even after the dissolution$
DAto Brahma ca narayanahD ) =arayana is Brahma :the creator;$ The thirty)three million
demi,ods :indicated &y the %ord ca;N Brahma7s sons, ,randsons and ,reat ,randsons
%ho are all &orn from his mind and &ody ))are not independent 'ords, they are not
seperate from the 'ord$ They all %orship =arayana$
DShivash ca narayanahD" =arayana is also Shiva, the destroyer of the universe, alon, %ith
his associates$ Dshakrash ca narayanahD" Indra, the kin, of heaven, as %ell as his family
mem&ers is also =arayana$The eleven 8udras alon, %ith their ,hostly associates and
their consorts are =arayana$ The ei,ht 6asus and the Ashvini Kumaras alon, %ith their
companions are =arayana$ All the sa,es such as the devarshis, maharshis, ra4arshis are
=arayana, as %ell as the munis, sadhyas, caranas, ,andharvas, daityas, yatudhanas and
kinnaras$
DKalas ca narayanahD" Time, 5amara4a and his scri&e itra,upta, are all forms of
=arayana$Ddishash ca narayanahD" the ten directions )) east, %est, south, north, south)%est,
north)%est, south)east, north)east, up and do%n )) and the protective deities of them
namely Indra, Anala :A,ni;, 5ama, =airita, 6aruna, 6ayu, and Kuvera alon, %ith their
associates are all =arayana$ DAdhash ca narayanahD The lo%er planetary systems, their
residents, the na,a)purushas and their dau,hters the na,a)kanyas, as %ell as the presidin,
deities of that re,ion )) Shri Ananta, Kurma and 6aruna are all =arayana$
D>rdhvash ca narayanahD" the hi,her planets such as Bhurloka, Bhuvarloka, Svarloka,
Maharloka, <analoka, Tapoloka and Satyaloka and their respective masters such as
Brahma, Indra etc$ are all =arayana$ The incarnations such as Shri Shala,rama %hich
appear from the Gandaki 8iver, and the ei,ht different types of Deity forms of the 'ord,
and the unem&odied entities %ho are the %orshipa&le o&4ects of those %ho perform
shraddha to the forefathers, %ho %orship Karyavala or %ho offer tarpana to Bali)
6aishvadeva, are also =arayana$
DAntar &ahish ca narayanahD" inside the universe the entities like Brahma,Indra, the devas,
sa,es, rishis, tapasvinis, siddhas, caranas, ,andarvas, kinnaras, apsaras, danavas, pious
men, yakshas, pretas, &hutas, pishacas, na,as, movin, and non)movin, creatures,
humans, four)le,,ed animals like co%s, five)nailed animals :like elephants;, t%o)hooved
and one)hooved &easts, those &orn from s%eat, insects, flies, those livin, on the seven
islands and the hi,hest mountains, on ,olden earth and in dark lands, ))and those thin,s
outside the universe))darkness, the five ,ross elements, false)e,o, the t%enty)four
elements))are all =arayana$
In this entire universe %hatever has taken place in the past, %hatever is happenin, at the
present and %hatever %ill happen in the future is only &ecause of =arayana$ There is
nothin, that is different from =arayanaH everythin, comes from #im, therefore
everythin, &elon,s to #im$ #ence Brahma and others are all =arayana$ #e is DnityaD"
eternal, ever e3istent throu,h millions of annihilations$ #e is DnishkalamD" %ithout parts,
althou,h all &ein,s are part of =arayana, #e #imself remains perfect and complete, as
descri&ed in Shrimad Bha,avatam .$B$*K "
kalah sarve harer eva sapra4apatayah surah
?The pra4apatis and demi,ods are all portions of the plenary portions of Shri #ari$@
The %ord DnirakhyatahD means D#e is invisi&le to the masses in ,eneral even thou,h #e is
every%hereD$ D=irvikalpahD refers to the one %ho is %ithout any master and is one %ithout
a second$ Bein, free from all falsehood, #e is Dniran4anahD, or Brahman$ #e is kno%n as
DshuddhaD, transcendentally pure, or the one %ho has a pure e3istence$ Therefore, only
'ord =arayana is the Supreme Personality of Godhead$
Dato deva eko narayanahD" the purport is that the supreme o&4ect of reverence for all the
residents of the universe, includin, Brahma, Indra, the demi,ods, demons and men is
'ord =arayana, and no one else$ Thus, amon, the demi,ods, demons and men, one %ho
is a householder should control the intelli,ence and the mind, accept a &ona fide spiritual
master in order to understand the science of the Supreme 'ord =arayana, and &ecome
determined to seek the association of devotees$ Thus he %ill &e a&le to understand the
science of the Supreme$ Then after ,ivin, up this life, he %ill attain 6ishnu , %ho is
called D paramD, DparaD, DavyayamD, DpadamD$
These four %ords are e3plained as follo%sH
A person, accordin, to his desire for one of the four types of li&eration, performs the
proper practices to achieve that end$ The yo,i desirin, sa4u4ya :mer,in, in the 'ord;, &y
practice of appropriate yo,a, attains 6ishnu as Davyaya,D the imperisha&le$ (radicatin, his
identity, he mer,es %ith 6ishnu $ The yo,i desirin, a form like 6ishnuDs, &y appropriate
practice, attains 6ishnu as Dparamam,D supreme, takin, a form like 6ishnu Ds complete
%ith ornaments$ The yo,i desirin, the same planet as 6ishnu, &y appropriate practice
attains the DpadamD of 6ishnu , the a&ode of 6ishnu$ It is said, yad ,atva na nivartate, tad
eva parama padam) ?That place from %hich a person does not return is the supreme
a&ode@$ The yo,i desirin, closeness to the 'ord, &y appropriate practice, attains the DparaD
of 6ishnu , closeness to 6ishnu as #is associate$
There is a second meanin, of the phrase Mvishnavakhya avyaya padam$M Those %ho,
after takin, initiation from a &ona fide ,uru &ecome pure throu,h associaton %ith
devotees and their instructions, and &ecome completely surrendered to the 'ord &y their
fi3ed nature, attain the a&ode of 6ishnu at death &y actin, as the servants of the servants
of the 'ord %ith no material motives, &y follo%in, the practices of hearin, and chantin,
a&out the 'ord$ #o% is thatL The unalloyed devotees of Krishna %ho, %hile livin, on this
planet, &ecome fi3ed in the devotional processes of hearin, and chantin,$ Takin, the
'ordDs remnants and actin, as his menial servant, they attain an indestructi&le :avyaya;
a&ode :padam; such as 6rindavana &y dint of that practice$ In the spiritual %orld they
en,a,e themselves ceaselessly in the 'ordDs service$
In conclusion, the %orship of the thirty three million demi,ods is included in the %orship
of =arayana$ If a person %orships =arayana alone, Brahma, the rishis,the &hutas and
pitris are all %orshipped and &ecome satisfied$
#ere are four evidences statin, this fact :from 5amala, Purana, Itihasa
and >panishad;$
a$ It is said in 6ishnu)5amala)Samhita "
yat)pu4amena vi&udhah
pitaror)icchatash ca
tush9a)&havanti rishi)
&huta)saloka)palah
sarve ,rahas)tarani
soma)ku4adi mukhya
,ovindam adi purusham
tam aham &ha4ami
?I %orship the ori,inal person, Govinda, &y %hose %orship all the devatas, pitris, rishis,
&hutas and lokapalas, all the planetary deites :Surya, andra, Man,ala etc$; are
%orshiped and satisfied$@
By %orship of the 'ord, the demi,ods and forefathers also &ecame %orshipped and
satisfied$ As indicated &y usin, the %ord DcaD, demons, yakshas, ,hostly &ein,s, inferior
,ods, and all the sa,es, livin, entities, the protectors of the directions, Indra etc$ and their
associates, the nine planets the sun, moon, etc$ others such as 6ainayaka, Shakuni,
Putana, Mukhamandika, Kshura, 8evati, 6riddharevati, 6riddhako,ra, Matri,raha,
6ala,raha, 6riddha,raha etc, all &ecome satisfied$ Such is the primeval 'ord %hom I
adore$ 2ho is that GovindaL The primeval Supreme Person, &eyond %hom no one e3ists$
=o one is eGual to #im or ,reater than #im$
&$ !rom Shrimad Bha,avatam I$B.$.I"
yatha)taror)mula)nishecanena
tripyanti tat skanda &hu4opashakhah
pranopaharac ca yathendriyanam
tatha ca sarvarhanam acyute4ya
?As the trunk and &ranches are satisfied &y %aterin, the root of the tree and as the life
airs are satisfied &y offerin, food to the stomach, all the devatas are %orshipped &y
%orship of Acyuta$@
By %aterin, the roots of a tree automatically the trunk, &i, &ranches and the secondary
&ranches %ith leaves &ecome satisfied and remain ,reen, and &y supplyin, the seven
kinds of relisha&e foods to the stomach, or to the ten kinds of life airs N prana, apana,
vyana, udana, samana, na,a, kurma, krikara, devadatta and dhanan4aya, all the senses and
the heart itself &ecome satisfied$ Similarly, Jacyute4ya7, &y %orshippin, the Ene %ho is
infalli&le even after &illions and &illions of annihilations, %ho is primeval and eternal, all
others &ecome satisfied and %orshipped$ This means that simply &y properly %orshippin,
the 'ord, the infalli&le =arayana, all the demi,ods and forefathers &ecome e3cessively
satisfied and %orshipped$ Ef this there is no dou&t$
c$ The >ttara Gita : from Maha&harata, Bhishma Parva; states"
devadinanca pu4yoD ham
varnadinam dhanan4aya
mat)pu4anena sarvarca)
syad dhruvam natra samshayah
?I am to &e %orshipped &y the devatas, and the human &ein,s of the varnashrama system$
2ithout dou&t, &y %orship of Me all %orship is accomplished$ ?
JAr4unaO If I am %orshipped, there is no dou&t that all the demi,ods are %orshipped$7 The
%ord DadiD :in the phrase DdevadiD; is used here to indicate the sa,es, forefathers, and
demons, as %ell as the thirty)three million demi,ods$ JI am the only %orshippa&le o&4ect
of all the varnas )) &rahmanas, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra$7 DAdiD here indicates the
ashramas N &rahmacaris, ,rihasthas, vanaprasthas and sannyasisH ?ca@ indicates even the
varna)sankaras and candalas$
d$ In the 8i,)6eda Krishnopanishad it is said"
om krishno vai sac)cid)ananda),hanah
krishna adi purushah
krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah saha sarvai)karyah
krishna kasham krid)adisha mukha)pra&hu)pu4yah
krishno nadis)tasmin)a4andantar &ahye
yam)man,alam tal)la&hate kriti
D6aiD means certainly$ The meanin, of DKrishnaD %as previously e3plained$ DSatD means
pure e3istance$ DitD means a&solute kno%led,e, and DanandaD means havin, &eauty %hich
is indescri&a&ly &lissful$ These are #is Gualities$ #e is made of :,hanah; these Gualities$
#e has a &eautiful form the color of a monsoon cloud$ Because #e is the ori,inal person
:adi purusha;, to %hom there is no one superior, #e is called the supreme person
:Purushottama$;
The Bha,avad Gita e3plains this ?Purushottama@ as follo%s"
yasmat ksharam atito7ham
aksharad api cottamah
ato7smi loke vede ca
prathitah purushottamah
?Because I am superior to the kshara livin, entities and akshara livin, entities, I am
famous as the supreme person in the 6edas and in the %orlds$@
JBecause the universe, composed of all &odies from Brahma to the indra,opa ,erm, is
temporary, I, &ein, eternal, indestructa&le, am superior to all this, eternally situated in My
a&ode$ In the same %ay, I am superior to the avataras such as 6ira9, My indestructi&le
portions, %ho e3ist after the destruction of the universe$ I am the source of all avataras,
superior to all of them$7 The a&ove is in reference to the 'ord in #is manifested pastimes$
But the %ord DcaD indicates the 'ord in unmanifested pastimes as %ell$ J I have another
form superior to that %hich you :Aru4na; see on the chariot$ It is the reservoir of all
happiness, full of constantly increasin, taste$ Because I am pure sattva, I am eternally
situated in that &lissful form$ That form is kno%n only &y those devotees fi3ed on that
&lissful form, and not &y others$ Therefore it is said that in fourteen %orlds and in the
6edas, Maha&harata, Puranas, >pa)Puranas, A,amas, 8amayana, Dharma Shastras,
6edanta and other scriptures that other than Myself, no one is the deliverer from the
&onda,e of this %orld$ Therefore I am kno%n &y the surrendered souls as the Supreme
Person$ My faithful devotees are &lissful internally and e3ternally, 4ust &y hearin, My
names such as Govinda, =arayana, 6asudeva, Mukunda, Ananta and Acyuta$ I alone am
the Supreme %orshippa&le Person$7
Therefore Shri Krishna is the7karmadi mulam7 or the cause of all %ork$ Jha u7 refers to
such %ords that are sun, in the 6edas$ All %orks includin, nitya, naimittika and kamya
have already &een e3plained previously$ Jadi7 refers to the esscence of all activities such
as %orship of Ganesha and other demi,ods and secondary devas, %orship or the
forefathers and austerities, penances, sacrifices, homas, charity, vo%s etc$ There is no
dou&t that &y the %orship of Krishna one recieves the full &enefit of all these %orks$
Krishna is Dkashamkrid)adisha mukha pra&hu pu4yah$D #e is %orshippa&le &y all the chief
devatas :pra&hu;, headed &y Jkashamkrida7 ) Brahma, :ka;, 6ishnu :a;, and Shiva
:samkrita;$ DAdiD refers to the sons of Brahma such as the four Kumaras, Marici, An,ira,
Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Bhri,u, 6ashish9ha, Daksha, =arada, and Svayam&huva ManuH
as %ell as those entities produced from the %om&s of devatas, rishis, pra4apatis, men,
munis, and the immo&ile entities as %ell$ DIshaD refers to the 6ishnu forms in this %orld
and DmukhaD means the ori,in$ They include the three 6ishnu forms and the incarnations
such as Matsya, Kurma, 6araha, =arasimha, 6amana, 8ama, Parashurama, Balarama,
Buddha and Kalki, and =arayana situated in the spiritual sky$ All of these 'ords are
%orshippin, Krishna of Goloka Dhama$ Krishna is thus %orshippa&le &y all &ein,s inside
and outside of the material universe$ By pleasin, Krishna %ith suita&le %orship, a person
attains the most auspicious results possi&le %ithin or outside the universe$
It is understood that &y this %orship of Krishna :kriti;, the devotee, thou,h omittin,
service to devatas, does not suffer any loss$ The surrendered, discriminatin, devotee
a&sor&ed in the 'ord attains all that could &e desired$ :yam)man,alam tal)la&hate kriti$;
*$ Skanda Purana
:After citin, the =arayanopanishad, Gopala Bha99a ,ives a second proof for&iddin,
%orship of devatas and pitris for 6aishnavas$;
As stated in Skanda)Purana , 8eva)khanda"
sankalpanca tatha danam
pitri)devarcanadikam
vishnu)mantropadish9hash cen)
na kuryat kusha)dharanam
?If one is initiated into the holy name of 'ord 6ishnu, then one should avoid
sankalpa,dana, %orship of forefathers and demi,ods, nor %ear kusha@$
Any human &ein, initiated %ith 6ishnu mantra should not %orship the devatas or pitris$
The %ord DpitriD refers to ancestor linea,e of &oth father and mother$ 2orship or arcana of
the pitris means specifically shraddha rites and offerin, of tarpana$ 2orship of devatas
refers to %orship of Ganesha and other demi,ods$ DAdiD refers to all other activities either
daily :nitya;, periodic :naimittika; or for specific material ,oals :kamya; %hich ,enerate
namaparadha$ DSankalpaD refers to the process of stren,thenin, the mind to achieve a
particular material ,oal$ DDanaD refers to charita&le activities accompanied &y utterances
demandin, material re%ards$ The %ord DcaD means all other activities contrary to
6aishnava principles$ =one of these actions should &e performed$
Someone ho%ever may o&4ect that accordin, to the evidences of Manu)Smriti and the
other reli,ious scriptures, the human &ein, is responsi&le for the si3 kinds of de&ts as
stated in 6ishnu Samhita "
devata)pitri)&andhunam
rishi)&huta)nrinam tatha
rini)syat adhinash ca
varnadir 4anma)matratah
?As soon as one takes &irth in this material %orld one is immediately under the si3 kinds
of Jrina7 or de&ts, such as deva)rina, pitri)rina, mitra)rina, rishi)rina, &huta)rina, nara)rina
:or the de&ts to the demi,ods, to the fathers and mothers, to the friends, to the ,urus, to
the other livin, &ein,s and to the society;$ Ene is held responsi&le to fulfill them$@
In refutation, this statement does not apply to any person of any status inside or outside of
varnashrama %ho has &een intitiated %ith 6aishnava name and mantra &y a &ona fide
,uru, for as stated in Shrimad Bha,avatam :..$0$I.;"
devarshi)&hutapta)nrinam pitrinam
na kinkaro nayam)rini ca ra4an
sarvatmana yah sharanam sharanyam
,ato mukundam parihritya kartam
?Anyone %ho has ,iven up all other activites in deference to surrender to
Mukunda, most %orthy of surrender, has no de&t to the rishis, devatas, &hutas,
pitris, relatives or other human &ein,s$ #e is not o&li,ed to serve them$ ?
Any human &ein, takin, initiation %ith the name and mantra of the Supreme
'ord accordin, to panca)samskara from an authoriFed ,uru, accordin, to instructions on
the hi,hest principles of %orship of the 'ord, attains steady intelli,ence and &ecomes
situated in re,ular %orship of the 'ord$ By this, he &ecomes fearless$ #e therefore re4ects
the daily, periodic and specialiFed actions for %orldly people as tau,ht in the 6edas,
Smritis and Puranas$ As a person overcome &y false e,o thinks himself the doer, the
devotee avoids that dan,er &y avoidin, these actions$ Mukunda is the only %orshipa&le
Person, the one and only o&4ect of hearin,, chantin,, service and prayer$ All other
%orship, &ein, temporary, is useless$ 2orship of Mukunda alone purifies the heart$ The
devotee therefore re4ects all other actions completely$
=either %ithin nor outside the universe, is anyone %orthy of surrender to, e3cept
Mukunda$That person, %ho from the time of initiation, sells himself to the 'ord and
makes #im his life and soul, &ecomes freed from the &onda,e of the material %orld &y
the ,race of Mukunda, the ,iver of li&eration$ #e serves the 'ord perfectly, and avoids
service to any devata, devarshi, maharshi, ra4arshi, any movin, or non)movin, entity$ #e
does not serve %ife, dau,hters, sons, or ,randsons, &rothers, relatives or any other person$
#e is not the de&tor to any pitri or any secondary devata$
JE Kin, Parikshit, please hear the meanin, of the %ords DkinkaraD and DriniD$ If a person
%orships a devata %ith tarpanas etc$ he &ecomes a servant of the devata $ If the person
ne,lects to perform tarpanas to the rishis, if he does not satisfiy all livin, &ein,s %ith
%ater and food, if he does not supply proper food to his %ife and offsprin,, if he does not
perform the samskaras for his family mem&ers, if he does not serve une3pected ,uests, if
he does not serve his father %hile alive and perform his father7s shraddha rites after he
dies, he is considered a de&tor or DriniD$ But if he performs all these actions he &ecomes
their servant, DkinkaraD$7
Those %ho %orship the devatas and pitris ,o to Svar,a and other places, &ut as these are
temporary destinations, they finally return to the earth planet$ This is stated in the
Bha,avad Gita$ /$*0"
yanti deva)vrata devam
pitriin yanti pitri)vratah
&hutami yanti &hute4ya
yanti mad)ya4ino7pi mam
?The %orshippers of the devatas ,o to the planet of the devatas$ The %orshipper of pitris
,oes to the planet of pitris$ the %orshipper of &hutas ,oes to the &hutas$ Those %ho
%orship Me come to Me$@
JThose %ho have devotion to the demi,ods like Brahma and Indra attain their particular
plantets &y %orshippin, them, chantin, their mantras, doin, sacrifices, offerin, o&lations
etc$ After leavin, that &ody, they return to the earth planet$ Such persons %ho turn their
focus a%ay from My devotional service even leave the service of their %orshipa&le
demi,ods$ After some time they accept another demi,od and ultimately perform hundreds
and thousands of condemna&le activities$ Bein, &e%ildered &y My e3ternal ener,y, they
take &irth in A,I++, +++ species of life a,ain and a,ain, until the devastation of the %orld$
Ef this there is no dou&t$
My devotees serve their fathers %ith devotion %hile they are alive and after their death
offer mahaprasada and caranamrita$ They feed the &rahmanas and especially the
6aishnavas$ Ethers ho%ever serve their fathers faithfully %hile alive, and after death feed
everyone situated in varna and ashrama$ Bein, averse to My devotional service, they
en,a,e in shraddha and tarpana rituals$ Such persons are called pitri)vrata, and as a result
they attain the Pitriloka, or the planet %here the ancestors live$ And those %ho %orship
the forms of &hutas, pretas, pishacas, vinayakas, matris, dakinis, shakinis, yo,inis, the
protectors of the directions, kara&andhas, &hairavas and the inferior devatas are called the
%orshippers of &hutas$ They attain the respective places of the &hutas$
But My devotees %ho en,a,e in My devotional service takin, complete shelter of Me,
after leavin, their &odies, %ill attain My eternal a&ode, %here I am al%ays situated in My
ori,inal form %hich is the ocean of &liss, like a &eautiful dark rain cloud, eternal,
imperisha&le, full of eternity, kno%led,e and &liss$
The purport is that I am only attaina&le &y those devotees %ho are completely
surrendered unto Me, not &y those %ho have mi3ed their devotion &y %orshippin, many
other demi,ods$ Therefore, My devotees, &ein, My servitors, attain My supreme a&ode
and continue their service unto Me$ Ef this there is no dou&t$7
B$ 6ashish9ha)samhita
Another evidence for&iddin, %orship of pitris and devatas is found in the 6ashish9ha
Samhita"
nityam naimittikam kamam
danam sankalpam eva ca
daivam karma tatha paitram
na kuryad vaishnavo ,rihi
?A householder 6aishnava should not perform any fruitive activities prescri&ed on a daily
or periodic &asis, those arisin, from personal desire, charities or vo%s, that are in
connection %ith either the %orship of the demi,ods or the %orship of the ancestors &y
shraddha and tarpana$ ?
DDaiva karmaD means %orship of devatas$ DPaitraD means %orship of pitris throu,h
shraddha and tarpana$ 2hat to speak of &rahmacaris and others, even the ,rihasthas, %ho
are initiated &y a &ona fide spiritual master %ith 6aishnava)mantra ) &ein, under the
complete shelter of the 'ord ) must never do any rites apart from the %orship of 'ord
6ishnu $
I$ 8udra 5amala
:Another Guotation for&iddin, deva and pitri %orship$;
As stated in 8udra)5amala "
itaresham ca devanam
manasa yadi pu4anam
vishnu)&haktas tu kurute
hy)aparadhat pataty)adhah
?If a devotee of 'ord 6ishnu %orships any other demi,od even in his mind, he falls do%n
&ecause of this offence$ ?
The %ord DitareshamD means other than 'ord 6ishnu, such as GaneshaH DmanasaD means
simply &y mind, %ithout doin, avahana, visar4ana etc$ and the %ord DcaD indicates also
nitya, naimittika, kamya actions and honourin, the ancestors$ 2hat to speak of anythin,
else, even if a devotee of 'ord 6ishnu does the activities, out of illusion, &e%ilderment or
carelessness, he falls do%n &ecause of commitin, sevaparadha and namaparadha
: offences to the service and holy name of 'ord 6ishnu, the Personalilty of Godhead$;
2hat happensL Ene %ho is &ound %ith the ropes of such material activities, sometimes
,oes to the heavenly planets and sometimes ,oes do%n to the lo%er planets$ That is his
position$
0$ Padma Purana
:A Puranic proof for&iddin, devata %orship$;
In Padma Purana it is stated"
vaishnavasya na sankalpo
no danam na ca kamana
prayashcittam ca no ya,ah
sad &hu)devad)pu4anam
shuddha)putah sada)karshnah
kusha)dharana)var4itah
kama)samkalpa)raitash )
cantar)&ahya harir yatah
vaishnavo nanya vi&hudhan
arcayet tamsh ca no namet
na pashyetanna ,ayec)ca
na nindenna smaret tatha
tesham no &hakshed ucchish9am
ananyo naish9hiko munih
na ta4 4ananam devarshe
san,am kuryat prayatnatah
?A 6aishnava is not supposed to do sankalpa, dana, keep material desires, perform
atonement or sacrifice, &ut must perform %orship of the 6aishnavas and holy
&rahmanas$@
The servant of Krishna is al%ays pure, therefore he does not need to %ear kusha
,rass:rin,s;$ #e has no material desire &ecause 'ord #ari is situated %ithin and %ithout
him$
A 6aishnava should neither %orship demi,ods nor offer them o&eisances, o&serve,
&laspheme, remem&er or sin, a&out them$
E ,odly sa,e, =arada, one %ho is fully dependent on the 'ord should not eat the
remnants of food offered to the demi,ods and should try to avoid the association of those
%ho serve the demi,ods$7
Because the 'ord is the only %orshipa&le o&4ect and the only shelter for a 6aishnava, the
devotee has no desire for material &enefits ,ained &y the performance of nitya,
naimittika, kamya karmas, demi,od and pitri %orship, fastin,, sacrifice, vo%s or charity$
The meanin,s of sankalpa, dana and ya,a :sacrifice; are already e3plained$ Atonement
:prayashcitta; %hich is under,one for the purpose of counteractin, the reactions of the
four kinds of sinful activities N maha)pataka, ati)pataka, upa)pataka, anu)pataka )) is not
for the 6aishnavas$
The %ord DcaD indicates another kind of atonement for the 6aishnava$ 2hat is that
atonementL Ene should a,ain accept name and mantra from one7s o%n spiritual master$ If
the ,uru is not present :left his &ody;, one should accept from the ,uru7s %ife, son or
,od&rother or from any other pure devotee havin, similar Gualities$ Thus &ecomin,
e3ceedin,ly pure &y havin, accepted the panca)samskaras a,ain, he should offer
o&eisances to and %orship 'ord 6ishnu, &y fully en,a,in, in hearin,, chantin, and
remem&erin, the name, form, Gualities and pastimes of 'ord 6ishnu$
:The follo%in, section is a footnote added &y Gopala Bha99a Gosvami;
In =arada Pancaratra, Bharadva4a Samhita B$**$*0, the process of atonement for a
6aishnava is descri&ed"
prayashcittam tu paramam
prapattis tasya kevalam
kuryat karmatmakam vapi
vasudevam anusmaram
vishuddhod vishnu)&haktasya
dristya)sparshena sevaya
smarananna panadyai
,ira pada ra4o7 m&u&hih
vishnor niveditannadyainsh
tatha tat kirtanadi&hih
a&ha,avata drishtyadeh
shuddhir esha visheshatah
krita ya4nah samstash ca
danani ca tapamsi ca
prayashcittam asheshena
nityam arcayata harim
?!or a 6aishnava the hi,hest kind of atonement is full surrender to the 'ord$ Ether%ise
one should perform activities %hile remem&erin, 'ord 6asudeva$
By seein, the 'ordDs devotee, touchin, his feet, servin, him, feedin, him %ith cooked
,rains and %ater, speakin, s%eetly, takin, the dust of his feet and drinkin, the %ater from
his feet, eatin, mahaprasada of the 'ord and chantin, the names of the 'ord, one can
purify oneself specially from the contamination of seein, and touchin, non) devotees$
Ene %ho constantly en,a,es in %orshippin, 'ord #ari is considered to have performed
all activities like sacrifice, charity, penance, austerity, atonement etc@$
A,ain there are other statements in *$0/ and B$KB"
vrittir &ha,avatanam hi
sarvah &ha,avatah kriyah
prayashcittiriyam tasyah
saiva yat kriyate punah
purvesham uttaresam ca
nyaso nashara pap manam
sarvesham aparadhanam
ayam hi kshamapanam param
?To perform activities %hich are related to the Supreme 'ord is the occupation of the
6aishnava and the same activities repeated a,ain and a,ain is called prayashcitta, or
atonement$ Those %ho have fully surrendered to the lotus feet of the A&solute Personality
of Godhead are freed from all kinds of sinful activities %hich they committed previously
and may happen to commit in the future$ Such types of surrender are the atonement for
all offences$@
In the Shrimad Bha,avatam C$.$.C it is said"
prayashcittani cirnani
narayana paran mukham
na nishpunanti ra4endra
sura)kum&ham ivam&hasa
?<ust as a pot of liGuor cannot &e purified &y %ashin, %ith %ater, similarly, those %ho are
not surrendered to the Supreme 'ord =arayana, cannot &e purified &y under,oin, so
many atonements ?
:This ends the footnote;$
The phrase Dsad &hudevadiD refers to devotees of Krishna :sat; and the 6aishnava
&rahmanas :&hudeva;, %ho are purified &y name, mantra and ,ayatri$ DAdiD refers to all
other livin, entities$ Therefore atonement consists of %orship of and service to the
devotees of Krishna$ That service consists of &athin,, feedin,, offerin, drinks, ,arlands,
sandal%ood and cloth$ Because of his complete surrender to Krishna, the devotee is
al%ays internally and e3ternally similar to the 'ord #imself$ #e is therefore pure$ #e has
no need to perform fruitive vo%s or %ear kusha ,rass rin,s for purification$
:8eferrin, to the fourth verse Guoted from the Padma Purana ";
The devotee of Krishna means one %ho has none other than Krishna as his %orshipa&le
Deity$ ?=aish9hikah@ means one %ho is conversant %ith Bha,avata)dharma and is
faithful to the 'ord$ ?Muni@ means a person %ho kno%s %hat must &e done$ A 6aishnava
should not %orship demi,ods such as Ganesha, neither should he offer o&eisances to their
deities or to pots that they have &een installed in$ #e should not look at them, ,lorify
them or remem&er them, nor should he &laspheme them$ 2hat to speak of &lasphemin,
the demi,ods, it is not proper for the 6aishnavas to criticiFe any movin, or non)movin,
livin, entity$ The servant of the 'ord should not eat the remnants of demi,ods$ JE
=arada, the association of those %ho %orship any demi,od should &e avoided strictly$
Thus a soul fi3ed in his actions to please the 'ord &ecomes fully surrendered$7
C$ 6ishnu Purana :more evidence for&iddin, %orship of devatas;
In the Brihad)6ishnu Purana it is said"
na dar&ha)dharanam kuryan)
na ca sankalpam acaret
na kamyam sattvato mar,am
sham&hu)devadi)pu4anam
?The follo%ers of 'ord 6ishnu should neither %ear kusha ,rass rin,s, perform sankalpa,
follo% the path of fruitive activities, or %orship demi,ods like 'ord Shiva etc$@
DSattvataD means the follo%ers of shuddha)sattva, or the devotees of 'ord 6ishnu only$
The %ords DkamyaD and DcaD refer to the %orship of devatas and pitris %hich are daily or
periodic$ These should not &e performed &y the 6aishnava$
The difficulty in performin, devata %orship
Those %ho are entan,led in karma, %orship the devatas and pitris throu,h daily and
periodic rites$ They must %orship individually all the thirty)three million demi,ods such
as Ganesha etc$ If a person performs shraddha he must start %ith his father, mother,
,randfather, ,reat),rand father and %orship all those forefathers up to those %ho are
,enerated directly from 'ord Brahma, the creator of the universe$ Is there a pro&lem if
one does other%iseL !our scriptural evidences are ,iven here"
a$ In the Brihad)6ishnu Purana it is said"
pu4yah sarve tu lokanam
vi&udhah pitarash ca vai
sarva karmasu ra4endra
sarvam cet vyartham anyatha
?E kin, of kin,s, in every ritual, everyone must %orship all the demi,ods and
forefathers$ Ether%ise everythin, is fruitless$@
D'okanamD means those materialistic persons %ho follo% the path of the demi,ods,
forefathers and 6edic activities, %ithout considerin, their permanent and perisha&le
results$ D6aiD means certainly$ DSarva karmasuD means in all nitya, naimittika and kamya
karmas related to forefathers and other demi,ods$ DSarveD means the thirty)three million
demi,ods &e,innin, from Ganesha, and all the forefathers &e,innin, from oneDs o%n
mother and father upto that person %ho is the ultimate founder of his dynasty, %ho is
&orn from Brahma$ The %ord DcaD refers to all the relatives and linea,e of oneDs family$ J E
Kin, 5udhish9hira, they all should &e %orshipped, if someone is %orshipped and another
is not, then the %hole performance %ill &e useless$ J
&$ Similarly in the Shruti, it is said"
om karma)phalaptah karmi ya4et
havya)kavya)mayaih kama van
sarvamsh ca devan pitrin atithimsh ca
purnam viphalam no ya4an tad vai iti
?The karmis %ho desire the result of their %ork should %orship all the demi,ods,
forefathers and ,uests %ith appropriate paraphernalia and in,redients, so that they may
attain the fruit of their actions$ If this is not done properly, then their endevour is useless$
?
D6aiD means they must doH Dkama)vanD )) one %ho has lusty desiresH DkarmiD )) one %ho is
en,a,ed in mundane activitiesH Dhavya)kavya)mayaihD )) the proper thin,s to offer the
demi,ods and ancestorsH DatithimD )) those ,uests %ho never came &eforeH 7caD )) the
family, relatives and the linea,e of the family$ The second DcaD refers to ,uests in ,eneral
and all livin, entitiesH DkarmiD )) the performer of all kinds of activities, like nitya,
namittika, kamya, daiva, paitra, man,alya etc$
The Sanskrit root of the ver& Dya4D has many meanin,s$ It indicates here the %orship of
demi,ods, performance of shraddha and tarpana for the ancestors, proper respect,
&ehaviour and service %ith ,ood food and %ater for the ,uests, service to une3pected
,uests, family mem&ers and other relatives %ith proper &ehaviour and speech, and
satisfyin, all livin, entities %ith food and %ater$
DKarma)phalaptahD means if one performs the activity properly, he is sure to ,ain the
result$ Ether%ise, he %ill lose the fruit$ If some of the demi,ods are %orshipped and
some are not, some of the forefathers are ,iven food &y performin, shraddha and tarpana
and some are not, some ,uests are respected and others are not, and amon, the livin,
entities ) includin, family mem&ers and relatives ) if some of them are satisfied and
others are not, then %hatever one has done is useless$
c$ Accordin, to Devi Purana "
sarvesham pitri)devanam
man,alyadishu karmasu
tan no krite pratyavayi
pu4anam karmatho narah
?Ene %ho is e3pert in fruitive activities should %orship all the demi,ods and forefathers
in every auspicious performances, other%ise the doer ,ets the opposite result$@
The %ord Dman,alyadishuD refers to the activities kno%n as nitya, naimittika, kamya and
paitra$ DkarmathahD )) %ho is very e3pert in perfomin, the fruitive acitivitiesH DnarahD ))
human &ein,s %ho are under one of the varnasH Dpu4anamD )) %orshippin, the demi,ods
and offerin, shraddha and tarpana to the forefathers$
The meanin, is that if the BB million demi,ods like Ganesha, etc$ and all the forefathers
&e,innin, %ith oneDs o%n mother and father up to those %ho are the source of oneDs
dynasty, &orn from Brahma himself, are not %orshipped or satisfied properly, then one
,ets an opposite result))as if he did no such activities at all$
d$ Similarly in the 8udra)5amala it is said"
devatah pitarah sarve
shive pu4yah prayatnatah
nyunah syur nishphalam kecit
,rihi&hir yadi karmasu
?E Dur,a, &esto%er of auspiciousness, householders should %orship all the demi,ods
and ancestors in all performances$ If some of them are not %orshipped, then all the
performances &ecome useless$@
The plural %ord DkarmasuD refers a,ain to activities like nitya and naimittikaH D,rihi&hihD))
&y householders onlyH DprayatnatahD means carefully$ All the demi,ods and forefathers
must &e %orshipped$ This means that amon, the thirty)three million demi,ods &e,innin,
from Ganesha and all the forefathers, if some of them are not %orshipped and not offered
the shraddha and tarpana, then the doer does not ,et any result, &ecause the performance
is not complete$ It is useless$ More evidences are not included as this %ould increase the
siFe of the &ook$
Thus, if those householders, %ho are not initiated &y harinama)mantra, %orship the
thirty)three million demi,ods :like Ganesha etc; incompletely in their actions of nitya,
naimittika etc$ and if they offer shraddha and tarpana incompletely to their forefathers
:&e,innin, from their mother, father up to Brahma, the source of their dynasty; then
accordin, to the proofs of the Puranas, 6edas, >pa)Puranas, and A,amas, all these
actions are considered useless ) fruitless, a cause of disappointment$
And on the other hand, if those %ho are initiated &y a &ona)fide spiritual master into the
holy name of the 'ord, &ein, of any of the four varnas, perform such nitya and naimittika
acts for the devatas and pitris, then they are committin, seva and namaparadha$
Therefore, for &oth the devotees of 'ord Krishna and those %ho &orn either outside the
varnashrama system or %ithin, the %orshipa&le Deity is 'ord #ari, the Supreme
Personality of Godhead and no one else, &ecause #e is the controller of all$ This is the
principle$
:Some people think that %orshippin, devatas is the same as %orshippin, 6ishnu$ The
follo%in, section refutes that misunderstandin,$;
There are some other persons %ho think that since the %hole universe is pervaded &y the
potency of 'ord Shri 6ishnu therefore this %orld is also 6ishnu $ Thus &y %orshippin,
demi,ods, 6ishnu is automatically %orshipped$ But actually that kind of %orship is not
recommendedH it is for&idden$ This is proven here &y the %ords of 'ord Krishna #imself$
:!ollo%in, are five evidences to prove that the %orship of demi,ods is no su&stitute for
6ishnu %orship$;
a$ Bha,avad)Gita /$*B"
ye Dpy anya devata &hakta
ya4ante shraddhayanvitah
teDpi mam eva kaunteya
ya4anty avidhi)purvakam
This verse may &e interpreted in three %ays$ Ene meanin, is this" JMy faithful devotees
:from initiation to the point of death; %ho occasionally %orship the devatas disre,ardin,
the for&iddance, actually %orship Me alone %ith ,reat determination, not the demi,ods$
This is indicated &y the %ord DevaD %hich means that they really %orship only Me$ By
%orshippin, Me alone, realiFin, they are servants and I am to &e served, they &ecome
free from the cycle of &irth and death$ J
A second meanin, is as follo%s" JAll those %ho are not my devotees, filled %ith material
desires :shraddhayanvita; %orship demi,ods %ith ,reat determination to achieve material
results Guickly$ They %orship Me in this %ay, thinkin, the demi,ods independent and
eGual to MeO They are not actually %orshippin, Me at allO
E son of Kunti, Ar4una, the prescri&ed process is to hear a&out Me, chant My names,
remem&er and %orship Me$ By this alone can one &e freed from the &onda,e of &irth and
death in this material %orld$ All other %orks such as %orshippin, demi,ods, sacrifice,
charity etc$ are prohi&ited, &ecause, &ein, temporary they are the cause of the repeated
cycle of &irth and death$ Therefore %orship of Me is the &est activity$ Apart from this,
there is no path to deliver oneself from the &onda,e of the material %orld, even for
Brahma and Indra %ho have attained immortality &y drinkin, nectar$ 2hat, then, to speak
of mortalsL7
The same verse may &e interpreted in a third %ay$ JThose %orshippers of demi,ods,
&e%ildered &y My e3ternal potency, from their &irth &ecome Shaiva, Shakta, Shaura,
Ganapatya etc$ 'ater &y the instructions of a &ona fide spiritual master and the
association of 6aishnavas they %orship Me alone %ith e3treme faith :shraddhayanvita;,
%ith no other shelter$ They certainly &ecome My devotees &y the effect of My &hakti$ But
they must not %orship %ith a material motive :avidhi purvakam;$ To %orship Me and at
the same time to %orship demi,ods is called avidhi$ 'eavin, aside such %orship, a person
must &e dedicated to Me fully, %ithout %orshippin, the devatas even in dreams$ In that
pure condition, that person &ecomes My devotee$7
&$ Ether than devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, everythin, is
perisha&le or impermanent, and should therefore &e a&andoned$ In Shrimad)Bha,avatam
C$/$** it is said"
avismitam tam paripurna)kamam
svenaiva la&hena samam prashantam
vinopasarpaty)aparam hi &alishah
shva lan,ulenati titarti sindhum
?!ree from all material conceptions of e3istence and never %onder struck &y anythin,,
the 'ord is al%ays 4u&ilant and fully satisfied &y #is o%n spiritual perfection$ #e has no
material desi,nation, and therefore #e is steady and unattached$ The Supreme Personality
of Godhead is the only shelter of everyone$ Anyone desirin, to &e protected &y others is
certainly a ,reat fool %ho desires to cross the sea &y holdin, the tail of a do,$@
Those %ho are situated in varna and ashrama and do not %orship the Supreme 'ord
Govinda, &ut superficial demi,ods, are ,reatly foolish$ 2hat are the Gualities of
GovindaL #e is al%ays satisfied &y the perfection of #is ei,ht kinds of opulence called
anima, la,hima etc$ #e alone a%ards the surrendered souls their desired ,oal$ Therefore,
other than #im, no one else is fully satisfied$
'ord Govinda is Davismita,D &ecause &ein, eternal, there is no Guestion of %onder in #im$
#e is Dprashanta,D &ecause #e has a form desired &y #is devotees$ Be%ildered &y the
e3ternal potency of the 'ord, a person leaves the devotional service of the Supreme 'ord
and %orships demi,ods$ #e is foolishH he is descri&ed as a foolish man tryin, to cross the
ocean &y holdin, the tail of a do,$ Thus, one %ho has turned his face from the 'ord to
serve demi,ods to fulfill his insi,nificant desires ,ets no result, as everythin, is
dependent on the Supreme 'ord$ #e has no %ay to escape from the &onda,e of repeated
&irth and death$
c$ In Padma Purana it is said"
yatha dhritva shunah puccham
tartum icchet saritpatim
tatha tyaktva harim sevyam
anyopasanaya &havam
?As a person desires to cross the ocean &y holdin, a tail of a do,, similarly an
unintelli,ent man desires to deliver himself from the material &onda,e &y %orshippin,
others, ,ivin, up 'ord #ari$@
#ere the %ord DanyopasanayaD means servin, or %orshippin, the e3ternal and mar,inal
ener,ies of the 'ord, such as demi,ods and other livin, entities$ Therefore, other than
'ord #ari, there is no one else %ho is %orshipa&le in this material %orld$
d$ As 'ord Shiva has mentioned to =arada"
&huvane sarva)lokanam
naradhyo vai harim vina
&havarnavacchinna ko Dpi
sarva kamada kamadah
? E =arada, in this %orld no one else &ut 'ord #ari is to &e %orshipped &y all$ Apart
from #im, no one else can deliver the souls from the ocean of &irth and death and no one
can fulfil the desires of the materialists$@
DBhuvaneD means not only on this middle planet &ut on all the fourteen planets,the
Supreme 'ord #ari is to &e %orshipped &y all, even 'ord Brahma$ It is concluded that
other than #im no one in e3istence is to &e %orshipped$ But even if one %orships the
'ordDs e3ternal and mar,inal potencies to fulfill all his desires accordin, to prescription
of the 6edas, Puranas, Smritis, and A,amas, the &esto%er of fulfillment to the demi,ods
is 'ord Shri #ari$ Therefore, &ein, amon, the e3ternal and mar,inal potencies, the
demi,ods have no po%er to cut off the &onda,e of the ocean of &irth and death$ (3cept
for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, no one can miti,ate the ,reat fear of the
dan,erous circuit of mundane e3istence$
e$ In Shrimad Bha,avatam ..$./$/ >ddhava says to the 'ord"
tapa)trayenapi hatasya ,hore
santapya manasya &havadhvanisha
pashyami nanyac)caranam tavan,hri
dvandva tapatradamrita&hivarshad
?My dear 'ord, for one tormented on the terri&le path of &irth and death and constantly
over%helmed &y the threefold miseries, I do not see any possi&le shelter other than 5our
t%o lotus feet, %hich are 4ust like a refreshin, um&rella that pours do%n sho%ers of
delicious nectar$@
JE 'ord, on this terri&le path of &irth and death, the souls %ho are sufferin, &y the
miseries, such as adhidaivika, adhi&hautika and adhyatmika, and enterin, repreatedly the
%om& have no shelter$ (3cept for the um&rella of 5our lotus feet, I donDt see any other
shelter$ As a person protects himself from the fierce sunshine and rain &y holdin, an
um&rella, so the souls %ho are &ound &y the ropes of &irth and death escape that &onda,e
&y ,oin, under the um&rella of 5our lotus feet$
DamritamD means the four kinds of salvations such as attainin, the same a&ode as the 'ord
and servin, #is lotus feet and there&y attainin, li&eration from the transmi,ration of the
&ody$ The 'ord7s feet produce sho%ers of &liss in the form of different types of li&eration,
like the unlimited drops of %ater in a sho%er of rain$ !or that reason, there is no other
%ay to ,et out from the e3istence of the mundane %o
ld, e3cept these t%o lotus feet of 5ours, E A&solute Truth, Personality of GodheadO In
this %orld 5ou are the only shelter of the demi,ods, demons and human &ein,s$ Ene %ho
does not %orship 5our lotus feet never achieves li&eration$ And the one %ho serves 5our
lotus feet &ecomes free from the &onda,e of the material %orld and remains in happiness
al%ays Nin this llife and the ne3t$7
The consciousness of full surrender
It has &een sho%n that human &ein,s should avoid the adoration of the demi,ods, and
take complete shelter of the 'ord$ As stated in Sanat)Kumara Samhita"
ananya)sharano nityam
tathaivananya sadhanah
ananya sadhanarthash ca
syad ananya prayo4anah
nanyam ca pu4ayed devam
na nameta smaren na ca
na pashyen na ca ,ayec ca
na ca nindet kadacana
nanyocchish9am ca &hun4ita
nanya shesham ca dharayet
avaishnavanam sam&hasha
vandanadi vivar4ayet
?Ene should al%ays &e in a state of full shelter, have no other practice or ,oal and have
no other need$ Ene should not %orship, pay o&eisances, remem&er, see, praise, and
should never criticiFe the demi,ods$ Ene should not eat the remnants :ucchish9a; of
others, should not accept the left overs :shesha; of others$ And one should avoid talkin,
%ith and praisin, nondevotees$@
!EET=ET(" After servin, out a meal, the left)over unserved portion is called Jshesha7$
Anyone %ho is initiated %ith name and mantra of the 'ord &y a &ona)fide spiritual master
should take full shelter :of the 'ord;$ The %ord Dananya)sharanaD means havin, no other
shelter or o&4ect of service e3cept 'ord Govinda %ithin and %ithout the material %orld$
The %ord DsyatD is used for certainty$ Similarly one should &e Dananya)sadhanaD, %hich
means one %ho avoids the process of material activities such as nitya and namittika and
%ho is undeviated in the devotional service of 'ord Govinda, follo%in, the ninefold
process of hearin,, chantin,, remem&erin, etc$
DAnanya sadhanarthaD means one %ho uses his %ealth only for the service of ,reat pure
devotees in an authorised line$ :=ot for those %ho pretend to &e devotees %ithout havin,
initiation from a &ona)fide spiritual master;$ That means one has to serve those %ho have
taken complete shelter of the 'ord$ #e should not serve others %ho are servants of
e3ternal demi,ods i$e$ Shaivas, Shaktas, Shauras and Ganapatyas %ho are averse to the
Supreme 'ord Govinda$ They can &e provided food and %ater as ,uests accordin, to
one7s a&ility, &ut not in the mood of servant and the served, &ecause then there %ill &e a
possi&ility of committin, offence to the holy name of the 'ord$
DAnanya)prayo4anaD means thinkin, oneself a servant of 'ord #ari$ Ene should not have
any other ,oal to achieve e3cept the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead$
Such a devotee of Krishna, &ein, Dananya)sharanaD, should not %orship other demi,ods
and should not perform any nitya, naimittika, kamya rites or shraddha and tarpana for the
ancestors$
DKadacanaD means never$ Ene should not offer o&eisances to the demi,ods, should not
remem&er them &y chantin, their names, should not circum&ulate them, should not see
their idols or deities, should not touch their &odies, should not criticiFe or ,lorify them,
should not eat their remnants and should not accept their nirmalya :flo%er, ,arlands,
cloth, or candana;$ Ene should not accept anythin, such as %ater, prasada, flo%ers,
,arlands, candana ,iven &y a Shaiva, Shakta, Shaura, or Ganapatya %ho have turned their
faces a%ay from the 'ord, althou,h situated in varnashrama $ But one can accept those
thin,s if they are ,iven &y the devotees of Krishna$
Ene %ho has accumulated enou,h %ealth out of his &usiness in his previous situation as a
Shaiva, Shakta, Shaura, or Ganapatya under the 'ordDs e3ternal ener,y, and then later
accepts the name of Govinda from a &ona fide spiritual master and &ecomes purifed &y
re&irth %ith panca samskara, should use his %ealth only for the service of Krishna and
#is devotees$ Ene should dili,ently try to avoid talkin, %ith nondevotees %ho have
for,otten the 'ordH one should avoid meetin, them, offerin, homa,e, praisin,, touchin,
them, sittin, %ith them and eatin, food %ith them$
:The ne3t section sho%s that not only 6aishnavas, &ut all people should avoid %orship of
devatas and pitris$;
It has &een sho%n that the surrendered devotees of 'ord 6ishnu or Krishna should not
%orship the devatas$ But the same rule applies to even those &rahmanas %ho are not
initiated into the vishnu )mantra$
In =aradiya Purana it is said"
&rahmanoD pi munir 4nani
devam anyam na pu4ayet
mohena kurute yas tu
sadyash candalatam vra4et
sadanya devata)&haktir
&rahmananam ,ariyasi
vidurayati vipratvam
candalatvam prayacchati
?(ven a learned and thou,htful &rahmana should not %orship demi,ods$ If one %orships
demi,ods &ecause of illusion, one falls do%n immediately to the sta,e of a candala or do,
eater$
By %orship of the demi,ods, a &rahmana falls from the &rahmanical status to that of a
candala$@
D&rahmanaD means one %ho kno%s the Brahma)Gayatri, %hich is instructed &y the saintly
=arada$ The ,reatly fortunate &rahmana understands that 6ishnu is supreme$ Therefore it
is said that in Kali yu,a, the &rahmana %ho kno%s 6ishnu is eGual to 6ishnu $ The
&rahmana is the ori,inal 6aishnavaH there is no distinction &et%een the Supreme 'ord and
the 6aishnava$ The %ord DmuniD means a thou,htful sa,e or one %ho kno%s truth and
falsity$ D<naniD means one %ho has the kno%led,e of reality, instead of false kno%led,e of
eatin,, sleepin,, matin, and defendin,$ Such a &rahmana should not %orship the
demi,ods$ If he does so, havin, lost his kno%led,e &y the influence of material desire, he
falls do%n to the level of a candala$ This means that even in this life he &ecomes like a
do,)eater, %hat to speak of his ne3t life$ Althou,h it may seem praise%orthy, it actually
destroys his ,ood Gualitites and places him on the sta,e of a do, eater$ Therefore, e3cept
for servin, Gayatri :in order to %orship the 'ord; %ho is a personified ,reat devotee of
the 'ord, one should not %orship any of the devas$
Thou,h a case of a &rahmana %as cited a&ove, the same rule applies to all situated in
varna and ashrama$ It is a ,reat fault for anyone to %orship demi,ods instead of 'ord
6ishnu, the Personality of Godhead$ Thus in Skanda Purana it is mentioned in the
discussion of Brahma and =arada"
vasudevam parit4aya
yo Dnya)devam upasate
tyaktva mritam sa mudhatma
&hunkte halahalam visham
?2hoever %orships other demi,ods ,ivin, up 6asudeva is a fool and eats the deadly
poison called halahala, re4ectin, nectar$@
Any person in varnashrama %ho re4ects the %orship of 6asudeva, residin, in #is
Supreme a&ode, and %orships demi,ods, is considered to have a&andoned nectar and
s%allo%ed poison$ #e is a fool, completely i,norant, %ith unsteady mind$ A foolish
person %ho has for,otten 'ord 6asudeva leaves the nectar of devotional service to the
'ord %hich is li&eration itself, the destroyer of the fetters of material life, and accepts the
&onda,e of mundane life$ #e has to suffer ,ood and &ad activities and traverse the cycle
of &irth and death throu,h A,I++,+++ species of life %hich certainly destroys his ori,inal
identity$ #e suffers ,reatlyH therefore it is compared to poison$
This is supported &y the follo%in, scriptural te3t" avashyam eva &hoktavyam kritam
karma shu&hashu&ham ) ?A person must al%ays en4oy or suffer accordin, to the ,ood or
&ad activities he has performed in this life$@
Similarly in Maha&harata and #arivamsa it is stated"
yas tu vishnum paritya4ya
mohad anyam upasate
sa hema)rashim utshri4ya
pamshu)rashim 4i,hrikshati
?Ene %ho %orships anyone other than Krishna, &ein, under illusion, is considered as
havin, accepted a heap of ashes, %hile re4ectin, a pile of ,old$@
Bein, &e%ildered &y the 'ordDs e3ternal potency :mohat; any human &ein, %ho re4ects
the all)pervadin, Supreme Master of the %orld, 6ishnu, %ho is served &y follo%in, in the
footsteps of those %ho are in #is full shelter, and instead serves demi,ods and
demi,odesses as the %orshippa&le &esto%ers of his desires, accepts a heap of dust instead
of a Guantity of ,old$
In contrast to this, one %ho has o&tained the human form of life as a result of service to
'ord Govinda in many previous lives, and has accepted name and mantra from a &ona)
fide spitiual master, avoids the adoration of the demi,ods &y the &ody, speech and mind,
and serves 'ord 6ishnu in devotion as his only master$ #e re4ects completely the process
of material &onda,e of &irth and death in various species of life as a heap of sand and
accepts service to 'ord Govinda like a treasure of ,old$ The %ord D4i,hrikshatiD means to
accept$Therefore the unalloyed devotees of 'ord Govinda, in all activities accept %hat is
real or DsatD and re4ect %hat is false, considerin, the principles of &ha,avata)dharma$
Meanin, of ?sat@
In this re,ard 'ord Krishna e3plains to Ar4una in Bha,avad)Gita .K$*C,*K"
sad)&have sadhu &have ca
sad ityetat prayu4yate
prashaste karmani tatha
sac cha&dah partha yu4yate
?The A&solute Truth is the o&4ective of devotional sacrifice, and it is indicated &y the
%ord sat$ The performer of such a sacrifice is also called sat$@
DSad&havaD means those %ho have taken &irth in the mode of ,oodness, such as the
devotees of 'ord Govinda, the demi,ods, and the &rahmanas %ho are purified &y the
chantin, of Gayatri mantra$ It also means a pure appearance :sat avir&hava;, referrin, to
the appearance of the 'ord7s forms in this %orld, like 6ira9 and =arayana$ DSat &havaD
also refers to the person %ho e3ists in the eternal place :sat; called 6aikun9ha)Dhama, the
Supreme a&ode$ That person is =arayana or 6asudeva$
DSat &havaD also means #e %ho appears %ith #is o%n pure ener,y$ Krishna appears
accordin, to #is o%n s%eet %ill %ith #is name, Guality, activity and pastimes, and so
many opulences and perfections like anima etc$ in #is a&ode, Shri 6rindavana$
DSat &havaD also refers to the appearance of ,reat devotees :satam;, %ho are &orn throu,h
the ,uru %ho ,ives instructions and initiation, not &y a &irth from parents under the
influence of pious activities accumulated in a previous life$
DSadhu &haveD means the e3cellent nature of saintly persons, or the pure nature of their
minds, %hich is produced &y hearin, the Guality, activity, pastimes and the names of the
'ordH &y studyin, the scriptures %hich descri&e devotional service, such as Shruti, Smriti,
6edas, Puranas, secondary Puranas, A,ama, philosophy and Pancaratra etc$ and &y the
association of devotees and other devotional processes$
The %ord DsadD is thus used to indicate those demi,ods and &rahmanas %ho are
completely surrendered to the 'ord, and thin,s %hich are &eyond the modes of passion
and i,norance, %hich are eternal and situated in pure ,oodness$
Similarly, Dprashaste karmaniD means the activities in pure ,oodness performed &y a
Krishna conscious person))all activities in the service of oneDs spiritual master, the
6aishnavas, &rahmanas and the devotees of 'ord Krishna, such as takin, the Deity of
'ord Govinda on procession, nama)kirtana and sankirtana$ JE Ar4una, son of Pritha, the
%ord DsatD is used in all these and other activities %hich &elon, to Krishna and #is
devotee$7 In the ne3t verse, .K$*K #e says"
ya4ne tapasi dane ca
sthitih sad iti cocyate
karma caiva tad arthiyam
sad ity eva&hidhiyate
?All %orks of sacrifice, penance and charity %hich are true to the A&solute nature, and
are performed to please the Supreme Person, E son of Pritha, are called sat$@
D5a4naD refers to Shri 6ishnu )ya4na or all the devotional activities like shravanam,
kirtanam from early mornin,))to the last offerin, of flo%ers %hen the 'ord is put to rest
at ni,ht $ DTapaD means havin, ,iven up fruitive daily and periodic rituals and performin,
only actions devoted to the 'ord$ DDanaD means servin, the ,reat devotees of 'ord
Krishna &y the &ody, mind and speech, %ith devotion and faith, and, as indicated &y the
%ord DcaD, service to satisfy &rahmanas and all livin, entities &y feedin, them$
D5a4naD can also mean 6ishnu and service to #im accordin, to the scriptures$ These thin,s
must &e done, and nothin, else$ The %ord DsatD is used al%ays for these sacrifices and such
situations, &ut other kinds of ya4na and activities are descri&ed here as DasatD, or illicit$
Therefore, the %ord DsatD cannot &e used there$
DTad arthiyamD means &odily sufferin,s accepted to e3ecute activities such as sacrifice,
charity and penanceH collectin, donations of money from &usinessmenH makin, flo%er
,ardens, sittin, or restin, placesH and plantin, many kinds of plants for the 'ord and #is
devotees$ 'earned scholars cate,oriFe these kinds of activities as DsatD$
Therefore, the householder devotees of Krishna, &ein, &orn in Dsad&havaD or in pure
,oodness, throu,h instructions on the name and mantra of the 'ord, should %orship only
the 'ord in all performances, not demi,ods and forefathers$ Simply &y %orshippin, 'ord
Krishna, Govinda, all the demi,ods and forefathers are %orshipped$
2orship of Govinda is %orship of all
It is said in Skanda Purana "
arcite deva)devesha
a&4a)shankha),adadhare
arcitah pitaro deva
yatah sarvamayo harih
?>pon %orshippin, 'ord #ari the God of Gods %ho is holdin, a lotus, conchshell and
clu& in #is hands, all the forefathers and demi,ods are %orshipped &ecause 'ord #ari
includes everythin,$@
Indra, the kin, of heaven, is the controller of all the thirty)three million demi,ods, and
Brahma, the creator of the universe, is to &e praised even &y Indra$ But 'ord Shri #ari is
the master of Brahma and all the ancestors$ Therefore %hen 6asudeva, %ho holds a lotus,
conchshell, disc and clu&, is %orshipped, all those demi,ods and forefathers %ho are
supposed to &e %orshipped in all the activities of nitya, naimittika etc$ to remove
o&stacles, are automatically %orshippedH as #e is the cause of all the demi,ods and
ancestors, and is the controller and master of all$ Because the 'ord removes the three
kinds of miseries of #is devotees, %ho are en,a,ed in #is service constantly, #e is called
#ari$
In the a,e of Kali, those %ho are situated in varna and ashrama and are al%ays en,a,ed in
%orship of 'ord Shri #ari and in the chantin, of #is names, are considered to have
already performed all nitya and naimittika actions$ As is mentioned in Brihan)=aradiya
Purana "
hari)nama)para ye ca
hari)kirtana tat parah
hari)pu4a)para ye ca
te kritarthah kalau)yu,e
?Those %ho en,a,e in chantin, the holy name of 'ord #ari :4apa;, are addicted to
con,re,ational chantin, :kirtana; and en,a,e in the %orship of 'ord #ari, have
accomplished their desires in the a,e of Kali$@
Those %ho have accepted the name of the 'ord from a &ona fide spiritual master and &y
the association and teachin,s of Bha,avata)dharma have purified their hearts &y the
chantin, of #arinama, and %ith their &ody, mind and speech are addicted to the 'ord and
#is holy name, are thus freed from the activities %hich are the cause of material &onda,e
and false doership$ They follo% activities such as remem&erin,, pleasin,, meditatin,,
attendin, sankirtana festivals and hearin, and discussin, the scriptures like Shrimad)
Bha,avatam, Bha,avad)Gita, Krishnopanishad, =arayanopanishad and other scriptures
like 6edas, Puranas, >pa)Puranas, A,amas, Smritis, Maha&harata and other 6aishnava
shastras$
D#ari)pu4a)paraD means those %ho en,a,e only in devotional service to the 'ord, avoidin,
the %orship of demi,ods, forefathers and other fruitive activities$ By doin, this they
satisfy all livin, entities$
In the previous a,es of Satya, Treta and Dvapara, people attained their ,oals after a lon,
time &y the processes of austerity, sacrifice, charity and %orshipH &ut in Kali 5u,a,
%hatever is performed everyday in the service of 'ord Govinda is &lissful and that &liss
is unattaina&le even &y Brahma$ Devotees perform service to Govinda such as sacrifice,
penance, charity, di,,in, %ells or lakes, makin, flo%er ,arlands, restin, places, &rid,es,
construction of the &est temples, %hole year travellin, festivals, offerin, 4uicy fruits,
cakes, rice prepared %ith milk, many kinds of ornaments, fra,rant flo%ers, candana from
Malaya, fra,rant a,uru, camphor, &etelnut, incense, lamps, &lo%in, a conchshell, rin,in,
a &ell and chantin, con,re,ationally &efore the 'ord every mornin, and evenin,$
Those %ho are fi3ed in such devotional service, &ein, surrendered to the 'ord,
accomplish their desires simply &y %orshippin, and chantin, the names of the 'ord$ In
other %ords, they fulfill their ultimate desire &y constantly remem&erin, and %orshippin,
'ord #ari %ith discrimination, %ithout committin, any nama or sevaparadhas$ They %ill
certainly &e freed from the fetters of %orldly e3istence$
In Padma Purana , 'ord Shiva says to Dur,a"
,hore kali)yu,a prapte
sarva)dharma)vivar4itah
vasudeva para martyas
te kritartha na shamshayah
?In the dan,erous a,e of Kali only those %ho have a&andoned all kinds of reli,ious
activities and en,a,e in the service of 'ord 6asudeva, are really successful :kritartha;$ Ef
this there is no dou&t$@
The %ord D,horeD means very dan,eorus, su&4ect to the unavoida&le net%ork of dan,ers
%hich &ind one in %orldly e3istence$ Such a Kali)5u,a arrives after the a,e of Dvapara,
and has a duration of IB*,+++ years$ DSarva)dharma)vivar4itaD means those %ho have
avoided all kinds of reli,ious activities of varna and ashrama, and only en,a,e in the
service of 'ord 6asudeva, not even %orshippin, demi,ods and forefathers to achieve
fruitive result$ They are dou&tlessly successful in their purpose$ It has already &een
e3plained that &oth service to 6asudeva and the fulfillment of oneDs desire is achieved &y
chantin, the name of 'ord #ari and other devotional activities$
As %ell it is stated in Skanda Purana "
sa karta sarva)dharmanam
&hakto yas tava keshava
sa karta sarva)papanam
yo na &haktas tavacyuta
?E Keshava, one %ho is 5our devotee has performed all auspicious activities, %hile one
%ho is not 5our devotee is the committer of all sinful activities$@
'ord Brahma himself says, ?Simply &ecause he is 5our devotee, E Keshava, %hoever
adores only 5ou, is the performer of all reli,ious activities$ That means the pure and
steady)minded devotee has certainly already performed all fruitive activities :%hich he is
supposed to perform in his so)called reli,ion accordin, to varna and ashrama, such as
%orshippin, demi,ods and honourin, forefathers; &ecause he %orships 5ou, the infalli&le
Godhead$ But, E Acyuta, one %ho is not 5our devotee or one %ho has not accepted 5our
holy name from a &ona fide ,uru and has ne,lected to follo% the re,ulative principles,
&ein, under the control of the e3ternal ener,y of the 'ord, desirin, to ,et material results,
he is certainly a committer of all sinful activities$@
#o% is this possi&leL #avin, avoided dedication to devotional service and re4ectin, the
%orship of the 'ord %ho is al%ays in pure ,oodness, one %ho acts like a prostitute &y
follo%in, activities prescri&ed in Shruti, Smriti, and Puranic te3ts :that are in the modes
of passion and i,norance; performs many kinds of yo,a, sacrifice, o&lations, charity,
penance and %orship of demi,ods$ Accordin, to the statement, Dsvakarma)phala)&huk
pumamD, one has to en4oy or suffer accordin, to all of his deeds$ Ene has to revolve in the
cycle of &irth and death throu,h A,I++,+++ species of life, as an en4oyer of his o%n deeds
after leavin, his &ody$ After %anderin, throu,h all these species, %hen one finally ,ets a
human life, that person a,ain acts sinfully &y the influence of his previous activities ))
&ecause of not havin, lived accordin, to the principles of devotional life$
A,ain, in the same scripture it is stated"
papam &havati dharmoD pi
tava &haktaih kritam hare
nih shesha)karma karta va)
7py a&hakto narake patet
?E 'ord #ari, even the sinful actions commited &y 5our devotees are considered a
reli,ious action, &ut a nondevotee %ho performs all kinds of reli,ous activities, is still
thro%n into hell$@
The meanin, of D&haktaD and Da&haktaD have &een e3plained already$ ?E 'ord, the apparent
sin of not performin, demi,od and ancestor %orship &y 5our devotees is certainly
considered correct accordin, to the principles of Bha,avata)dharma, &ecause they have
undeviated devotion to the 'ord$ En the other hand, a nondevotee may perform all kinds
of reli,ious actions, &ut as a result he has to fall do%n to hell$ This refers to all the actions
mentioned in the 6edas and Puranas %hich are in the modes of passion and i,norance,
such as Soma)5a,a, 6a4apeya)5a,a, Shad)An,a)5a,a, atonement, Panca,ni Sadhana :the
process in %hich one has to sit do%n li,htin, five fires around himself;, 6ayu)Bho4ana
: or eatin, only air;, Ashvamedha 5a4na, penance and sacrifice %hich involves killin,
animals, and %orshippin, demi,ods$ After Guittin, his &ody such a person sometimes
,oes to the heavenly planets and en4oys the results of his actionsH sometimes he stays on
this planetH and sometimes falls do%n to hell$ I, 'ord Brahma, servant of 5our servants,
&ein, afraid of Kali, pray to 5ou, E 'ord #ari, &y the t%o vocative %ords ?he hareO@
:This section proves that in any varna, the 6aishnava, e3clusively %orshippin, 6ishnu, is
the &est, and amon,st all the 6aishnavas) the &rahmana)sannyasi is the &est$ ;
In the same te3t it is mentioned"
&rahmanah kshatriyo vaishyah
shudro va yadi vetarah
vishnu)&hakti)samayukto
4neyah sarvottamottamah
?A &rahmana, kshatriya, vaishya, shudra or %hoever one may &e, if he is dedicated to
6ishnu, he is considered the &est of people$@
It %as mentioned earlier that a person %ho has taken up the devotional service of 'ord
6ishnu is superior to all others inside or outside the varnashrama system$ #e has
completely re4ected fruitive activities like %orship of demi,ods and forefathers, and
nitya, naimittika and kamya rites mentioned in the 6edas and Puranas %hich are in the
modes of passion and i,norance$ D6aD means applica&le to any of the varnas and DyadiD
means if$ (ven those &orn in lo% families, if they ,ive up all kinds of activities causin,
further entan,lement in material e3istence and take up servin, the devotees, they are
considered the &est$ The shudra %ho is servant of a devotee is superior to the shudra
servin, a &rahmana, kshatriya or vaishya$ There are eleven kinds of shudras accordin, to
#arita Samhita"
pala,andas tantravayo
malakarash ca tailikah
karmakaras tam&uliko
modako thaliko narah
tam&ulikrit tatha shudrah
sat shudrau ,opa)napitau
pala,anda ) a stone %orker or claypot maker
tantravaya ) a %eaver
malakara ) a ,ardener
tailika ) an oilman
karmakara) a &lacksmith
tam&uliko ) seller of &etel nuts
modaka ) a confectioner
thalika ) plate maker
tam&ulikrit ) preparer of &etel leaves
,opa ) a milker of co%s :distinct from the vaishya, %ho o%ns the co%s;
napita ) a &ar&er
All are counted in the shudra cate,ory, &ut the ,opas and napitas are the true shudras$
The vaishya, performin, duties such as farmin,, commerce, and co% protection, and
avoidin, such fruitive actions %hich cause one to en4oy or suffer in heaven or hell, and
servin, only the &rahmanas and kshatriyas, is superior to a shudra servin, the hi,her
classes$
Superior to such a vaishya is a kshatriya, %ho in his occupation serves the &rahmanas of
,reat devotion and faith, and %ith determination protects all livin, entities &y his heroic
Gualities$ Superior to such a kshatriya is a &rahmana %ho has destroyed the karma
causin, material &onda,e and sufferin, in hellish conditions, %ho has the ei,ht or t%elve
Gualities as descri&ed in Shrimad Bha,avatam, and %ho chants only the Brahma)Gayatri
and avoids all rituals aimin, at material en4oyment$ The t%elve Gualities are stated in
Maha&harata &y Sanat Su4ata"
dharmash ca satyam ca damash tapas ca
hy amatsaryam hris titikshanasuya
ya4nash ca danam ca dhritih shrutam ca
vratani vai dvadasha &rahmanasya
?8eli,iosity, truthfulness, sense)control, austerity, nonenvy, modesty, tolerance, freedom
from fault)findin,, sacrifice, charity, steadiness and kno%led,e are the t%elve Gualities of
a &rahmana$@
D6aiD means certainly$ These are the t%elve Gualities of &rahmanas %ho are purified &y
chantin, Gayatri mantra$ DDharmaD means to &e steady in proper &ehaviour, avoidin,
nonreli,ious action$ DSatyamD means al%ays &ein, truthful, even till the end of life$ DDamaD
means sense control$ DTapaD means to &e steady in daily austerity, not ,ivin, trou&le to the
&ody for fruitive results$ D#riD means al%ays &ein, modest &ecause of ,reat civility, out of
fear of social dishonour and fallin, to a lo% position$ DAmatsaryaD means free from
4ealousy, free from sho%in, oneDs household opulence to put do%n others$ A person
should &e enthusiastic to see other7s advancement$ DTitikshaD means to &e tolerant of
a&usive speech, insult, defeat, disre,ard, disrespect and other &odily trou&les$ DAnasuyaD
means not findin, any fault in others$ D5a4naD means non)fruitive sacrifices, &ut the ya4na
of chantin, Gayatri mantra hundreds and thousands of times$ DDanamD refers to those
charita&le activities like distri&utin, %ater, food, clothes to all %hether invited or
uninvited ,uests, relatives and others %ho are %ithin or outside of the varnashrama
system, %ith devotion and accordin, to ones a&ility$ There is no sankalpa :vo%; or desire
to en4oy the fruit of such distri&ution$ DDhritiD means firmness and satisfaction of mind
%ithout distur&ance from the tur&ulence of the material %orld$ DShrutaD means havin,
natural attraction for studyin,, teachin, and hearin, the 6edas in the mode of ,oodness$
The Gualties of &rahmanas are also descri&ed in Shrimad)Bha,avatam 0$0$*A, K$K$/, and
K$..$*.$ In =arada Pancaratra .$*$I* it says that the svadharma of the &rahmanas is to
serve Krishna and to eat #is naivedya :an offerin, of &ho,a to the Deity; and to drink #is
padaka %ater daily$
Superior to such a &rahmana is a &rahmacari %ho practises all the &rahminical Gualities
faithfully throu,hout his life, and practises all the rules of &rahmacarya or penance as
mentioned in the Shruti, Smriti, and Puranas$ Superior to such a &rahmacari is a
,rihastha, a householder %ho has the same &rahminical Gualities and offers service to
,uests, %ho come &y their o%n %ill %ithout any invitation, %ith food and %ater, and
satisfies them accordin, to his a&ility$ The vanaprastha, %ho has renounced his ,rihastha)
ashrama and stays in the forest %ith his %ife, follo%in, strictly all rules of &rahminical
Gualities, is superior to such a householder$ And the sannyasi or an ascetic %ho practices
all the rules and re,ulations as prescri&ed in the 6edas, Puranas, >pa)Puranas, and
Maha&harata is superior to such a vanaprastha$
:This last section sho%s that the sannyasi, the topmost person in the varnashrama system,
,ives up all fruitive actions )%orship of devatas and pitris completely$ #e is a model for
all others to follo%$;
In Bha,avad)Gita .A$*, 'ord Krishna speaks a&out sannyasa to Ar4una"
kamyanam karmanam nyasam
sannyasam kavayo viduh
sarva)karma)phala)tya,am
prahus tya,am vicakshanah
?Givin, up of activities that are &ased on material desire is %hat ,reat learned men call
the renounced order of life :sannyasa;$ And ,ivin, up the result of all activities is %hat
the %ise call renunciation :tya,a;$@
Givin, up of kamya karmas is kno%n &y the learned men as sannyasa, and ,ivin, up the
result of activity is called tya,a or renunciation &y the %ise men$ There is a deep import
in the %ords of the 'ord$ Ene may ask %hether one may perform all the nitya and
naimittika activities if only kamya karmas are re4ected$ If that %ere so, then %hat is the
Guestion of sannyasaL The Shruti says ?om tad van vai karmakrit, sannyaso nai,amam
karma ca, anyasat karmi, :nyasat; sannyasah he hiti$@ Ene %ho does not ,ive up 6edic
performance is a karmi, and one %ho ,ives it up is a sannyasi$ The %ord DhiD means
certainly, Dnai,amaD means activities prescri&ed in the 6edas$ In this %orld the performer
of such activities is certainly called a karmi$ Bein, talented in all such activities he is
called karma9ha or active$ Therefore not performin, such activities ,ives rise to
sannyasa, and one %ho performs the duty of sannyasa is called sannyasi$
The meanin, of sannyasa is mentioned in >ttara Gita"
nityam naimittikam kamyam
karma trividham ucyate
sannyasah karmanam nyaso
nyasi tad dharmam acaran
?There are three kinds of activities, namely nitya, naimittika and kamya$ Givin, up all
such activities is called nyasa, renunciation, and one %ho practices renunciation is called
as sannyasi$@
(3perts in karma understand there are three kinds of activities$ =ot to perform them is
sannyasa and one %ho does so is called sannyasi$ 2hat then is the difference from Dtya,aD,
,ivin, up the results of all such activitiesL
Ene should understand that simply &y performin, the nitya)karma even %ithout desire to
,et the result, one certainly ,ets a result$ Accordin, to the statement of Shruti, Dathaharah
sandhyam upasitaD, one should perform sandhya rites everyday$ That activity is done %ith
the aim to remove accidental sins$ Thou,h one may not desire those results, the result %ill
still come$
As stated in #arita)samhita"
pratyam yas tri)kala4nah
sandhyopasana)krid dvi4ah
&rahma)lokam avapnoti
,ayatri)4apa)tat)parah
?The t%ice &orn :dvi4a; %ho en,a,es in 4apa or chantin, the ,ayatri mantra daily at the
three sandhyas attains the planet of Brahma$@
DDvi4aD means &rahmana, kshatriya, and vaishya$ DTri)kala)4naD means the kno%er of the
three 4unctures of the day )) mornin,, noon and evenin,$ DGayatri)4apa)tatparahD means he
is seriously en,a,ed in ,ayatri 4apa, at the time of sandhya$ #e naturally attains
Brahmaloka after he Guits his &ody, even thou,h he has no desire to en4oy the result of his
%ork$
Also in the naimittika)karmas :such as offerin, pindas to the ancestors; one ,ets the
result of his %ork even %ithout havin, any desire for the results $ As stated in Skanda
Purana"
,ayayam vira4e caiva
mahendre 4anavita9e
atra pinda)prado yati
&rahma)lokam anamayam
?Ene %ho offers pinda, or food, to his forefathers in Gaya, in the re,ion of 6ira4a, on the
hill called Mahendra on the &ank of <ahnavi :Gan,a;, attains the planet of Brahma %hich
is free from diseases$@
DGayaD refers to the lotus feet of 'ord 6ishnu and for an area of t%o miles :kosha; around
or accordin, to the Puranas, four, ei,ht and si3teen miles around$ DaD means
Kurukshetra, Badrinath, Kedaranath, 6enka9acala, Shri 8an,anath kshetra, Shri
Purushottama kshetra and other pil,rima,e places$ In the same %ay, the %ord D<ahnavi)
ta9eD refers to any place %ithin a distance of t%o miles from the Gan,es$ In these places,
one %ho offers pinda, performin, shraddha to his forefathers, certainly accomplishes his
desires and attains Brahmaloka$ Similarly, his sons and ,randsons %ho offer pindas also
attain anamaya, or the place %hich is free from all kinds of distur&ancesPthe three kinds
of miseries, disease and lamentation, for half the lifetime of 'ord Brahma :dviparadha;$
Kamya karmas are specifically performed to fulfill some desire, &ut result is there even if
one performs them %ithout any desire$ As stated in Brihad 6ishnu Purana"
yah kashcid purushoD piha
kritva candrayanam vratam
mucyate sarva)pape&hyas
tatha dvadasha varshikam
?Any one in this %orld can &e free from all kinds of sinful reactions &y performin,
atonement and the t%elve year penance$@
In this %orld, any person even outside the varnashrama system, %ho performs candrayana
or atonement and t%elve years austerity accordin, to his %ealth, %ithout desirin, the
result, &ecomes free from all kinds of sinful reactions, namely pataka, maha pataka,
atipataka, and anupataka$ Ene &ecomes freed not only from sufferin, in the hellish
planets as a result of sinful reactions, &ut &ecomes freed of material &onda,e$
Therefore it is said that sannyasa is to ,ive up completely nitya, naimittika, and kamya
activities, %hereas Dtya,aD is to perform all those activities &ut ,ivin, up the fruits$ There
should &e no confusion a&out this$
Man,alacarana
At the &e,innin, of the vivaha :%eddin,; ceremony :or any other samskara; one should
perform man,alacarana$ !irst one should make a platform :vedi; %hich should &e four
hands lon, :Cft;on &oth sides and four fists hi,h :.ft; %ith a canopy over it$ As stated in
Kapila Pancaratra "
?Ene should &uild an auspicious platform on the &est purified ,round$ It should &e four
hands sGuare and four fists hi,h, and should &e made %ith pure mud and smeared %ith
co%)dun, mi3ed %ith pure %ater %ithout any husk, &ones, hairs, coal, or &urned clay in it
etc$ The mandapa should &e covered %ith a torana :canopy; or a rope that is decorated
%ith many kinds of leaves like man,o, &akula, 4am&u, etc$ Then ei,ht auspicious pots
should &e installed in the ei,ht directions and many kinds of fla,s should &e placed on
top of them startin, from the (ast$ The pots should &e decorated %ith five colors$ Then
the platform should &e decorated %ith a candratapa :si,n of a half moon; and ,arlands$
'adies should decorate the platform and doors %ith five kinds of colors$ The auspicious
man,alacarana should &e recited in that place accompanied &y the &eatin, of drums,
&lo%in, of conchshells, rin,in, of &ells etc$ and mukhya vadya :uluin,; of the %omen$@
Then one should recite the follo%in, man,alacarana prayers to remove all o&stacles and
invoke auspiciousness"
yam &rahma vedanta)vido vadanti
pare pradhanam purusham tathanye
vishvad ,ateh karanam)ishvaram va
tasmai namo vi,hna)vinashanaya
?E&eisances unto #im %ho is the destroyer of all o&stacles, %ho the kno%ers of 6edanta
descri&e as the Supreme Brahman, and %ho others descri&e as the pradhana, or totality of
mundane elements$ Some descri&e #im as the Supreme Male Person, or Purusha, %hile
others descri&e #im as the Supreme 'ord and the cause of the creation of the universe$@
:Brihad 6ishnu Purana;
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
?<ust as those %ith ordinary vision see the sun7s rays in the sky, so the %ise and learned
devotees al%ays see the supreme a&ode of 'ord 6ishnu$ Because those hi,hly
praise%orthy and spiritually a%ake &rahmanas can see that a&ode, they can also reveal it
to others$@ :Sama 6eda;
om krishno vai sac)cid)ananda),hanah
krishna adi purushah
krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah saha sarvai)karyah
krishna kasham krid)adisha mukha)pra&hu)pu4yah
krishno nadis)tasmin)a4andantar &ahye
yam)man,alam tal)la&hate kriti
?'ord Krishna is the color of a ne% rain)cloud, therefore #e is compared to a
transcendental cloud full of eternity, &liss and co,niFance$ #e is the ori,inal and Supreme
Person$ #e is the ori,in of all activities and the one and only 'ord of all$ #e is the
%orshipful 'ord of the &est of demi,ods, the controller of Brahma, 6ishnu and Shiva$
Krishna is %ithout any &e,innin,$ 2hatever auspiciousness is found %ithin or &eyond
this universe the devotee o&tains in Krishna alone$@:Krishnopanishad;
Q RPurusha Sukta :put ne% version;
om sahasra shirsha purushah sahasrakshah sahasrapat
sa &humim vishvato vritva atyatish9had dasan,ulam SS.SS
om purusha eveda,m sarvam yad &hutam yac)ca &havyam
utamrita tva syeshanah yad annena tirohati SS*SS
om etavan)asya mahima ato 4yaya,msh)ca purushah
pado 7sya vishva &hutani tripad)asyamritam divi SSBSS
om tripad urdhva udait purushah pado 7syeha 7&havat)punah
tato vishvan vyakramat sashana nashane a&hi SSISS
om tasmad)virad)a4ayata vira4o adhi purushah
sa 4ato 7tyaricyata pashcad)&humim)atho purah SS0SS
om yat purushena havisha deva ya4nam)atanvata
vasanto asyasid a4yam ,rishma idhma)sharad)dhavih SSCSS
om saptasyasan)paridhayah trih sapta samidhah kritah
deva yad)ya4nam tanvanah a&adhnan)purusham pashum SSKSS
om tam ya4nam &arhishi praukshan purusham 4atam)a,ratah
tena deva aya4anta sadhya rishayash)ca ye SSASS
om tasmad)ya4nat)sarva)hutah sam&hritam prishad)a4yam
pashu,ms)ta,msh)cakre vayavyan aranyan),ramyash)ca ye SS/SS
om tasmad)ya4nat)sarva)hutah ricah samani 4a4nire
chanda,msi 4a4nire tasmat ya4us)tasmad)a4ayata SS.+SS
om tasmad)ashva a4ayanta ye ke co&haya)datah
,avo ha 4a4nire tasmat tasma4)4ata a4a)vayah SS..SS
om yat purusham vyadadhuh katidha vyakalpayan
mukham kimasya kau &ahu kavuru pada vucyete SS.*SS
om &rahmano 7sya mukham)asit &ahu ra4anyah kritah
uru tadasya yad)vaisyah pad&hya,m shudro a4ayata SS.BSS
om candrama manaso 4atah cakshoh suryo a4ayata
mukhad)indrash)ca,nish)ca pranad)vayur)a4ayata SS.ISS
om na&hya asid)antariksham shirshno dhyauh samavartata
pad&hya,m &humir)dishah shrotrat tatha loka,m akalpayan SS.0SS
om vedaham)etam purusham mahantam aditya)varnam tamasastu)pare
sarvani rupani vicitya dhirah namani kritva 7&hivadan yadaste SS.CSS
om dhata purastad)yamuda4ahara shakrah pravidvan)pradishash)catasrah
tamevam vidvan)amrita iha &havati nanyah pantha ayanaya vidyate SS.KSS
om ya4nena ya4nam)aya4anta devah tani dharmani prathamany)asan
te ha nakam mahimanah sacante yatra purve sadhyah santi devah SS.ASS
.; ?The Supreme 'ord in the form of the universe, has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes
and a thousand feet, for #e contains all the livin, entities$ #avin, pervaded the universe
completely to ,ive it e3istence, &ein, independent, #e e3tended #imself &eyond it &y ten
fin,ers$
*; The universes, past, present and future, are &ut manifestations of the Supreme 'ord
%ho e3pands #imself as the Purusha$ #e is the 'ord of immortality &ut has manifest
#imself as the Purusha in the universe so that the 4ivas may en4oy material fruits$
B; The past, present and future universes are manifestations of the 'ord7s po%ers, &ut the
'ord #imself is much ,reater$ The material creation is &ut one Guarter portion, and the
eternal nature in the spiritual sky e3ists in three Guarters portion$
I; The three Guarters portion of the 'ord transcended the material portion$ The 'ord in
the one Guarter portion manifested the universe a,ain, as #e had done repeatedly &efore$
The 'ord of the one Guarter portion &e,an the %ork of creation, &y ,oin, all around,
takin, the form of all animate and inanimate o&4ects$
0; !rom that 'ord, the vira9 or universe %as &orn, and in that the 6ira9 Purusha,
Paramatma of the universe, %as &orn$ #avin, appeared, the 6ira9 Purusha ,re%, and
produced the earth and the &odies of the 4ivas$
C; The devas, &ein, the first &ein,s manifested, performed a mental sacrifice to complete
the creation, usin, the 6ira9 Purusha :the totality of in,redients of the material %orld;, as
the offerin,$ Sprin, %as the ,hee, summer %as the fuel %ood and autumn %as the
offerin,$
K; In this sacrifice, the kusha ,rass &lades stre%n around the fire :for protection from
rakshasas;, %ere seven :the seven vedic poetic metres;, and the fuel sticks %ere t%enty
one :.* months, C seasons and the B %orlds;$ The devas %ho %ere performin, the mental
sacrifice tied the 6ira9 Purusha to offer #im into the fire, 4ust as one %ould tie the
sacrificial animal$
A; The devas, sadhyas and rishis, placed the 6ira9 Purusha, the first &ein, of the universe,
on kusha and sprinkled #im %ith %ater for purification$ In this %ay they conducted the
mental sacrifice usin, the 6ira9 Purusha$
/; !rom that sacrifice %here everythin, in the universe %as sacrificed, yo,urt and ,hee
:all nourishin, foods;, %ere produced$ It created the animals of the air, forest, and villa,e$
.+; !rom that ultimate sacrifice or ?sarva hut@, the 8ik :hymns;, Sama :musical; and
5a4us :prose; portions of the 6edas, and the seven 6edic metres, %ere &orn$
..; !rom the sacrifice horses %ere &orn, and animals %ith t%o sets of teeth such as
donkeys and mules$ !rom the sacrifice, co%s %ere &orn, and like%ise ,oats and sheep$
.*; In the mental sacrifice, %hen they divided up the 6ira9 Purusha, ho% many parts did
they divideL 2hat is stated a&out #is face, #is arms, #is thi,hs and feetL
.B; !rom the face came the &rahmanas$ !rom the t%o arms the kshatriyas came into
&ein,$ !rom the thi,hs of the 6ira9 Purusha came the vaishyas and from #is feet the
shudras %ere &orn$
.I; The moon %as &orn from #is mind, the sun %as &orn from #is t%o eyes$ !rom #is
mouth %ere &orn Indra and A,ni, and from #is &reath 6ayu %as &orn$
.0; !rom #is navel came the antariksha :space &et%een earth and heaven;$ !rom #is
head the heavens arose$ !rom #is feet the earth arose and from #is ears arose the
directions$ In this %ay the %orlds %ere created$
.C; I kno% that ,reat 6ira9 Purusha, efful,ent as the sun, %ho stands &eyond the darkness
of the material creation$ #avin, ,iven all the livin, entities their forms and names, #e
directs their affairs$
.K; Brahma e3plained his realiFation to Indra$ Indra, %ho kno%s all the livin, entities in
all four directions, e3plained it to all others$ Ene %ho kno%s the nature of the 6ira9
Purusha &ecomes immortal even in his life on earth$ There is no other path to reach the
,oal of immortality$
.A; In this %ay the devas conducted the mental sacrifice usin, the 6ira9 Purusha to
manifest variety in the %orld$ By that sacrifice, &oth the physical la%s of nature and the
first spiritual codes of conduct arose$ The ,reat souls &y similar mental %orship attain the
place of immortality %here the sadhyas and devas, the first %orshippers, no% d%ell@$
Q R=arayana >panishad :put ne% version;
om atha purusho ha vai narayano Jkamayata pra4ah shri4eyeti
narayanat prano 4ayate
manah sarvendriyani ca kham vayur 4yotir apah prithivi vishvasya dharini narayanad
&rahma 4ayate
narayanad rudro 4ayate
narayanad indro 4ayate
narayanad pra4apatih pra4ayante
narayanad dvadashaditya rudra vasavah sarvani chanda,msi
narayanad eva samutpadyante
narayanad pravartante
narayane praliyante
ya evam veda
ity upanishat:e; SS . SS
om atha nityo narayanah
&rahma narayanah
shivash ca narayanah
shakrash ca narayanah
kalash ca narayanah
dishash ca narayanah
vidishash ca narayanah
urdhvash ca narayanah
adhash ca narayanah
antar &ahish ca narayanah
narayana eveda, sarvam
yad &hutam yac ca &havyam
nishkalanko niran4ano nirvikalpo nirakhyatah
shuddho deva eko narayanah
na dvitiyo Jsti kashcit:e;
sa vishnur eva &havati sa vishnur eva &havati
ya evam veda
ity upanishat:e; SS * SS
om ity a,re vyaharet:e;
nama iti pashcat:e;
narayanayety uparishtat:e;
om ity ekaksharam
nama iti dve akshare
narayanayeti pancaksharani
etad vai narayanasayastaksharam padam
yo ha vai narayanasyastaksharam padam adhyeti
anapa&ruvah sarvam ayureti
vindate pra4apatya,m rayas posham ,aupatyam
tato Jmritatvam ashnute tato 7mritatva ashnuta iti
ya evam veda
ity upanishat:e; SS B SS
om pratya, anandam &rahma purusham pranava svarupam
akara ukara makara iti
tanekadha sametad om iti
yam uktva mucyate yo,i
4anma samsara &andhanat:e;
om namo narayanayeti mantropasakah
vaikun9ha &huvanam ,amishyati
tad idam pundarikam vi4nana ,hanam
tasmad tadida&ha matram
&rahmanyo devakiputro
&rahmanyo madhusudanah
&rahmanyo pundarikaksho
&rahmanyo vishnur acyuteti
sarva&hutastham ekam narayanam
karana rupam akaranam param &rahma om SS I SS
om pratar adhiyano ratrikritam papam nashayati
shayam adiyano divasa)kritam papam nashayati
madhyahna dinam aditya&himukho Jdhiyanah
panca maha patakopapatakat pramucyate
sarva veda parayana punyam la&hate
narayana)sayu4yam avapnoti
narayana)sayu4yam avapnoti
ya evam veda
ity upanishat:e; SS 0 SS
.; ?Then the Supreme 'ord =arayana desired to create livin, entities$ !rom =arayana
came the life airsH from =arayana came the mind and all the sensesH from =arayana came
the elements ) ether, air, li,ht, %ater and earth, %hich supports the universe$ !rom
=arayana came Brahma, 8udra, Indra, Pra4apati$ !rom =arayana came the t%elve
Adityas, the t%elve 8udras, the t%elve 6asus, all the 6edic metres and all the devas$
(verythin, came from =arayana in the &e,innin, and everythin, enters into =arayana at
the end$
*; Thus =arayana is the eternal &ein,$ Brahma, Shiva, Indra, time, the directions, the
su&directions, up and do%n, inside and outside, are all pervaded &y =arayana$ =arayana
is everythin,, past, present and future$ =arayana is the eternal pure efful,ent 'ord,
%ithout a second to compare$ #e is 6ishnu, the Supreme 'ord, says the >panishad$
B; Ene should place ?om@ first, ?namah@ second and ?=arayanaya@ at the end$ ?Em@ is
one sylla&le, ?namah@ is t%o sylla&les and ?=arayanaya@ is five sylla&les$ To,ether they
make the ei,ht sylla&le =arayana)mantra$ Ene %ho kno%s this ei,ht sylla&le =arayana)
mantra %ith purity in his heart attains all life, offsprin,, %ealth, health and co%s, and
finally attains immortality$ Ene %ho kno%s the =arayana)mantra and =arayana attains
immortality, says the >panishad$
I; The sylla&le ?om@ is directly the Supreme 'ord full of &liss$ omposed of three
sounds ?a@, ?u@ and ?m@, the pranava &ecomes ?om@$ The yo,i %ho utters the pranava
many times &ecomes free from the &onda,e of repeated material &irth$ Ene %ho %orships
the 'ord %ith this mantra %ill certainly ,o to the transcendental realm of 6aikun9ha,
%hich is a lotus full of consciousness shinin, efful,ently$ The transcendental 'ord is
kno%n as the son of Devaki, as Madhusudana, as Pundarikaksha, as 6ishnu and Acyuta$
The one =arayana is situated in all livin, entities$ #e is the cause of all causes, the
supreme Brahman$
0; Ene %ho recites the mantra in the mornin, destroys the sins of the ni,ht$ Ene %ho
recites the mantra in the evenin, destroys the sins of the day$ Ene %ho recites the mantra
at noontime facin, the sun is freed from all types of sins$ That person attains the fruits of
studyin, all the 6edas$ #e attains the %orld of =arayana@$
om svasti no ,ovindah
svasti no Jcyutanantau
svasti no vasudevo vishnur dadhatu
svasti no narayano naro vai
svasti nah padmana&hah purushottamo dadhatu
svasti no vishvakseno vishveshvarah
svasti no hrishikesho harir dadhatu
svasti no vainateyo harih
svasti no Jn4anasuto hanur &ha,avato dadhatu
svasti svasti suman,alaikesho mahan
shri krishnah saccidananda ,hanah
sarveshvareshvaro dadhatu
?May 'ord Govinda, Acyuta, Ananta Shesha, 6asudeva and 'ord 6ishnu &esto%
auspiciousness upon us$ May =ara)=arayana, Padmana&ha and Purushottama &esto%
auspiciousness upon us$ May 6ishvaksena, the 'ord of the universe, #rishikesha and
'ord #ari &esto% auspiciousness upon us$ May Garuda and the son of An4ana, %ho is the
,reat devotee of 'ord 8ama, #anuman, &esto% auspiciousness upon us$ May the ,reat
and only 'ord of auspiciousness, Shri Krishna, %ho is like a transcendental cloud full of
eternity, kno%led,e, and &liss and %ho is the 'ord of all the demi,ods, &esto% upon us
all prosperity and auspiciousness$@ :Krishnopanishad;
karotu svasti me krishna
sarva lokeshvareshvarah
karshnadayash)ca kurvantu
svasti me loka)pavanah
?May Krishna, the 'ord of all 'ords of the universe, and his follo%ers, the deliverers of
the fallen, &esto% auspiciousness on me$@ :Sanmohana Tantra;
krishno mamaiva sarvatra
svasti kuryat shriya samam
tathaiva ca sada karshnih
sarva vi,hna vinashanah
?May Krishna, the destroyer of all o&stacles and his follo%ers &esto% auspiciousness and
prosperity to me at all times and places$@ :6ishnu 5amala Samhita;
atasi)kusumopameya kantir)yamuna)kula kadam&a mulavarti
nava,opa vadhu vilasashali vitanotu no man,alani
?May Krishna, %ho has a comple3ion like the atasi flo%er, %ho is situated under the
kadam&a tree on the &ank of the 5amuna 8iver, %ho is skillful at pastimes %ith the %ives
of the co%herds of 6rindavana, &esto% auspiciousness on us$@ :6ishnu 8ahasya;
krishnah karotu kalyanam
kamsa)kun4ara)keshari
kalindi 4ala kallola
kolahala kutuhalah
?May Krishna, %ho sports %ith ,reat noise in the %aves of the 5amuna river, and %ho,
like a lion, killed the elephant Kamsa, &esto% auspiciousness on me$@ :=aradiya Purana;
madhavo madhavo vaci
madhavo madhavo hridi
smaranti madhavah sarve
sarva karyeshu madhavam
?The devotees al%ays remem&er the 'ord$ The name ?Madhava@ is constantly on their
ton,ues and constantly in their minds, and permeates all of their activities$@ :=arasimha
Purana;
la&has tesham 4ayas tesham
kutas tesham para&havah
yesham)indivara)shyamo
hridaya)stho 4anardanah
?!or those %ho have <anardana, %hose comple3ion is that of a &lue lotus, %ithin their
hearts, there is all ,ain and victory and no defeat in any enterprise$@ :Pandava Gita;
man,alam &ha,avan vishnur
man,alam madhusudanah
man,alam hrishikesho Jyam
man,alayatano harih
vishnuccarana)matrena
krishnasya smaranad)dhareh
sarva vi,hnani nashyanti
man,alam syan)na samsayah
?The Supreme 'ord, 6ishnu is all auspicious$ Madhusudana is all auspicious$ #rishikesha
is all auspicious$ #ari is the a&ode of all auspiciousness$ Simply &y sayin, the name of
6ishnu or &y remem&erin, Krishna all o&stacles are destroyed and all auspiciousness
comes$ This is certain$@ :Brihad 6ishnu Purana;
satyam kaliyu,a vipra
shri harer nama man,alam
param svastyayanam nrinam
nasty)eva ,atir anyatha
?Eh &rahmana, chantin, of the holy name is the auspicious process in Kali 5u,a$ It is the
hi,hest auspiciousness for mankind$ There is no other %ay$@ :Padma Purana;
pundarikaksha ,ovinda
madhavadimsh ca yah smaret
tasya syan)man,alam sarva)
karmadau vi,hna)nashanam
?#e %ho remem&ers all the forms of the 'ord such as Pundarikaksha, Govinda and
Madhava, %ill attain all auspiciousness and destruction of all o&stacles in all his
activities$@ :6ishnu Dharmottara;
man,alayatanam krishnam
,ovindam ,aruda)dhva4am
madhavam pundarikaksham
vishnum narayanam harim
vasudevam 4a,annatham
acyutam madhusudanam
tatha mukundanantadin
yah smaret prathamam sudhih
karta sarvatra sutaram
man,alananta karmanah
?The intelli,ent man %ho first remem&ers the various forms of the 'ord and his pastimes
&efore performin, his activities, %ill attain infinite auspiciousness in all that he does$@
:8udra 5amala;
Adhivasa
Adhivasa is usually performed on the ni,ht precedin, the samskara proper alon, %ith the
acamana, 6ishnu Smaranam, Svasti 6acanam, Gha9a Sthapana, etc$ :see Appendi3 II;$ If
this cannot &e done at that time, it should &e performed on the mornin, of the ceremony,
&efore the Sattvika 6riddhi Shraddha$ The auspicious articles used in the Adhivasa are
earth, stone, paddy, durva, flo%ers, fruit, yo,hurt, ,hee, svastika, sindhura, conch, ka44al,
,orocana, %hite mustard seeds, ,old, silver, copper, lamp, mirror, fra,rant oil, tumeric,
cloth, thread, camara and candana$ Ene should offer prayers %hile sho%in, all the
articles to,ether, and then offer an arati$
R!EET=ET(" 2hile sayin, the appropriate mantra, touch each item to the ,ha9a :see
Appendi3 II; %hich has &een installed and %orshipped :or if the Deity is present, first
touch to #is lotus feet and then to the pot;, then to the earth, and finally to the heads of
the &eneficiaries of the rite :e$,$ &ride and ,room if the samskara is a marria,e;$ After
presentin, all the items, ,ather them to,ether on a tray and present them &efore the :the
Deity;, the pot and the &eneficiaries$
Q (arth from the Gan,a
om &hur)asi &humirasy aditir asi
vishvadhaya vishvasya &huvanasya dhatri
prithivim yaccha prithivim dr,mha prithivim ma himsih
om anaya ,an,a)mrittikya shu&hadhivasah astu
?5ou are the earth, the supporter of the %orlds, the supporter of the universe, sustainin,
everythin,$ ontrol the earth, make the earth firm, do not harm the earth$@
Q Gandha :sandal%ood paste;
om ,andha)dvaram duradharsham nitya push9am karishinim
ishvari,m sarva&hutanam tvam ihopahvaye shriyam
om anena ,andhena shu&adhivasah astu
?By ,andha you &ecome protected, continually nourished$ A&oundin, in purity, %ealth,
&eauty and prosperity, I call you here$@
=ote" ,andha may &e mi3ed %ith other fra,rances like musk, a,uru, saffron, camphor,
etc$
Q Stone
om pra)parvatasya vrisha&hasya prish9han navash)caranti svasi)ca iyanah
ta avavritan na dhara ,udakta ahim &udhnyam anu riyamana
vishnor)vikramanam asi vishnor vikrantam asi vishno krantam asi
om anaya shilaya shu&hadhivasah astu
?The streams of %ater pour spontaneously from the mountain)like hump of the &ull$ They
stream do%n%ards flo%in, on%ards, after Ahi&udhnya$ 5ou are the liftin, of 6ishnu7s
foot, you are the movement of 6ishnu7s foot, you are 6ishnu7s step$
R!ootnote on ahi&udhnya
Q 8ice paddy
om dhanyam)asi dhinuhi devan
R dhinuhi ya4nam dhinuhi ya4napatim #A=G(OOO
dhinuhi mam ya4nanyam
om anena dhanyena shu&hadhivasah astu
?5ou are ,rain$ Please the 'ord, please the sacrifice and the performer of sacrifice$ Brin,
happiness to me as I conduct this sacrifice$@
Q Durva ,rass
om kandat kandat prarohanti purushah purushaspari
eva no durve pratanu sahasrena shatena ca
om anaya durvaya shu&adhivasah astu
?Piece &y piece, 4oint &y 4oint, durva ,rass, you manifest offsprin,$ Give us offsprin,, a
hundred, a thousand$@
Q !lo%ers
om shrish)ca te lakshmish ca patnyav
aho ratre parshve
nakshatrani rupam ashvinau vyattam
ishnannishanamum ma ishana
sarvalokam ma ishana
om anena pushpena shu&hadhivasah astu
?Piety and prosperity are 5our consorts$ Day and ni,ht are 5our sides$ The stars are 5our
form$ The heaven and earth are 5our open mouth$ Besto% %hat %e desire$ Besto% the
,oal in this %orld$ Besto% the hi,hest ,oal$ ?
Q !ruit
om yah phalinir ya aphala apushpa yashca pushpinih
&rihaspati)prasuta)sta no muncantva,m)hasah
om anena phalena shu&hadhivasah astu
?May that po%er that produces the fruit, that makes the flo%er &loom, %hich arises
throu,h the mantras and throu,h the 'ord of mantra, free us from all difficulties$@
Q 5o,hurt
om dadhikravno akarisham 4ishnor ashvasya va4inah
sura&hi no mukha karat pra nayu,mshi tarishat:e;
om anena dadhna shu&hadhivasah astu
?I offer myself unto the 'ord %ho ,ave #imself to the ,opis of 6ra4a in e3chan,e for
yo,hurtH the killer of the horse)demon, %ho is s%ift, %ho ,ives fra,rance to the face, let
#im increase our life span$@
Q Ghee
om ,hritavati &huvananam a&hi shriyorvi prithvi
madhudu,he supeshasa dyava prithivi varunasya
dharmana vishka&hite a4are &huri retasa
om anena ,hritena shu&hadhivasah astu
?The &road earth flo%s %ith ,hee, %hich is s%eet smellin,, &eautiful and &rin,s
prosperity to the %orlds$ The heavens and earth, throu,h the la% of the 4ust 'ord are
a&oundin, in unlimited seed in all places$@
Q Svastikam
om svasti no ,ovindah
svasti no 7cyutanantau
svasti no vasudevo vishnur dadhatu
svasti no narayano naro vai
svasti nah padmana&hah purushottamo dadhatu
svasti no vishvakseno vishveshvarah
svasti no hrishikesho harir dadhatu
svasti no vainateyo harih
svasti no 7n4anasuto hanur &ha,avato dadhatu
svasti svasti suman,alai kesho mahan
shri krishnah saccidananda ,hanah sarveshvareshvaro dadhatu
?May Govinda, Acyuta, Ananta, 6asudeva and 6ishnu, ,ive us auspiciousnessH may
=ara)=arayana, Padmana&ha and Purushottama ,ive us auspiciousnessH may
6ishvaksena, the 'ord of the %orld, #rishikesha and #ari ,ive us auspiciousnessH may
Garuda and the ,reat devotee #anuman, son of An4ana, ,ive us auspiciousnessH may the
,reat auspicious 'ord Krishna, %ho is like a transcendental rain cloud full of eternity,
kno%led,e and &liss, ,ive all prosperity and auspiciousness$@
om svasti na indro vriddha shravah
svasti nah pusha vishvavedah
svasti nas tarkshyo arish9anemih
svasti no &rihaspatir dadhatu
om anena svastikena shu&hadhivasah astu
?May Indra, %ho hears much praise, ,ive us auspiciousnessH may the sun ,od, %ho
kno%s all thin,s, ,ive us auspiciousnessH may Garuda, %ith un&lemished %eapons, ,ive
us auspiciousnessH may Brihaspati, ,ive us auspiciousness$@
=ote" A silver svastika or a svastika dra%n in kum)kum on a silver plate is used$
Q Sindhura
om sindhoriva pradhvane shu,hanaso
vatapramiyah patayanti yahvah ,hritasya
dhara arusho na va4i kash9ha
&hindan nurmi&hih pinvamanah
om anena sindhurena shu&hadhivasah astu
?!lashin, like the sun, like streams of rushin, %ater, stron, and full of life the streams of
,hee fall upon the fire$ 'ike fast steeds carryin, the offerin,, &reakin, throu,h all
o&stacles, the ,hee s%ells in %aves, dissolvin, the %ood$@
Q onch
om pratishrutkaya artanam ,hoshaya &ahuvadinam
anantaya mukam sha&daya adamvara,hatam
mahase vinavadam kroshaya tunavadham
aparasparaya shankhadhvam &alaya vanam) pato
vanyaya davapam
om anena shankhena shu&hadhivasah astu
RT8A=S'ATIE=
Ka44ala :collyrium;
om samiddhvo)an4an kridaram matinam
,hritam a,ne madhumat pinvamanah
va4i vahan va4inam 4atavedo devanam
vakshi priyam asadhastham
om anena an4anena shu&hadhivasah astu
?This an4ana, the offerin, of ,hee, a storehouse of intelli,ence and ,uidance, flamin,,
s%eet and fra,rant, is s%ellin, in the fire$ As a horse carries a rider, the fire carries our
offerin, to the place of eternal pleasure$ ?
Q 8ocana
om yu4anti vradhnat arusham carantam
pari)tasthushah rocante rocana divi
om anena rocanena shu&hadhivasah astu
?Those %ho link themselves to the Supreme 'ord, stron, as a horse, &ri,ht like the sun
travellin, throu,h the sky, shine in the same manner in the eternal sky$@
Q 2hite mustard seed
om rakshohanam &ala,ahanam vaishnavimidam aham tam &ala,amutkirami
yam me nish9yo yamamatyo nicakhanedam aham tam &ala,amutkirami
yam me samano yamasamano nicakhanedam aham tam &ala,amutkirami
yam me sa&andhur yamasa&andhur nicakhanedam aham tam &ala,amutkirani
yam me sa4ato yamasa4ato nicakhanotkrityam kirami
om anena siddharthena shu&hadhivasah astu
?E killer of demons, E voice of 6ishnu that destoys evil spells, I no% destroy any evil
ma,ic that any stran,er or near)one has &uried to do me harmH I no% destroy any evil
ma,ic &uried for me &y anyone eGual to me or uneGual to meH I no% destroy any evil
charm that has &een &uried for me &y any relative or non)relativeH I cast out that ma,ic
spell$@
Q Gold
om hiranya),ar&hah samavarta ta,re
&hutasya 4atah patir)eka asit
sa dadhara prithivim dyam utemam
kasmai devaya havisha vidhema
om anena kancanena shu&hadhivasah astu
?To %hich 'ord should %e offer o&lations in sacrificeL To #e, that in the &e,innin,
created the ,olden %om&, %ho from the &e,innin, %as the Supreme 'ord of all creation
and %ho held the earth and the heavenly planets firmly$
Q Silver
om rupena vo rupam)a&hya,am tutho vo vishvaveda vi&ha4atu ritasya)patha pretacandra
dakshina vi svah pashya vyantariksham yatasva sadasyaih
om anena rupena shu&hadhivasah astu
?Throu,h your &eauty I have &ecome &eautifulH may the tutha) priest, 6ishvaveda,
distri&ute you$ Go forth, ,ivin, li,ht, on the path of truth$ 'ook favora&ly upon the
heavenly planets and space$ >nite %ith the priests %ho keep the ya4nashala$@
R!EET=ET( on tutha priest
Q opper
om asau yas tamro aruna uta &a&hruh suman,alah ye caina,m rudra a&hito dikshu shritah
sahasrasho 7vaisha,m heda imahe
om anena tamrena shu&hadhivasah astu
?The 'ord &ri,ht like the sun, copper red, all auspcious, also called 8udra, resides in all
directions, and e3pands a thousand fold like the rays of the sun$ 2e approach you to
remove our impurities$@
R!EET=ET(" The thousand headed Purusha manifests the three characteristics of
6ishnu, the maintainer, #iranya Gar&ha, the creator and Shiva, the destroyer$ All these
potencies are manifested from #im, thou,h the demi,ods Brahma and Shiva are
desi,nated the position to %ork under the direction of the 'ord$ #ere the Supreme 'ord is
&ein, addressed in #is aspect of Shiva :auspiciousness;, as in this mood, #e can remove
our misconceptions due to false e,o$ The poetic lan,ua,e of the 6edas is %ritten as such,
so that those %hose faith is firm in the modes of passion and i,norance %ill think these
descriptions are referrin, to the demi,ods$ 2hile in actuality, the 6edas only speak of the
Supreme 'ord and #is activities, manifested throu,h #is incarnations, devotees and
unlimited potencies$
Q Ghee 'amp
om mano 4utih 4ushatam
a4yasya &rihaspatih ya4nam
imam tanotu arish9am ya4na,m imam dadhatu vishve devasa iha madayantam
om pratish9ha
om anena dipena shu&hadhivasah astu
?'et the alert mind en4oy the ,hee$ 'et the 'ord start the sacrifice$ 'et the 'ord &esto% a
sacrifice free from fault$ 'et the lords of the universe and sacrificer, en4oy here$ Please
may you all &e present here$@
Q Mirror
om krishno vai sac)cid)ananda),hanah
krishna adi purushah
krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah saha sarvai)karyah
krishna kasham krid)adisha mukha)pra&hu)pu4yah
krishno nadis)tasmin)a4andantar &ahye
yam)man,alam tal)la&hate kriti
om anena darpena shu&hadhivasah astu
?'ord Krishna is the color of a ne% rain)cloud, therefore #e is compared to a
transcendental cloud full of eternity, &liss and co,niFance$ #e is the ori,inal and supreme
person$ #e is the ori,in of all activities and the one and only 'ord of all$ #e is the
%orshipful 'ord of the &est of demi,ods, the controller of Brahma, 6ishnu and Shiva$
Krishna is %ithout any &e,innin,$ 2hatever auspiciousness is found %ithin or &eyond
this universe the devotee o&tains in Krishna alone$@
Q !ra,rant oil
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om anena su,andhi)tailena shu&hadhivasah astu
?The devotees continually see the Supreme a&ode of 6ishnu, %ho like the sun in the sky,
spreads #is influence and &lessin,s every%here$@
Q Tumeric
om vishnoh vikramanam asi vishnoh vikrantam asi
vishnoh krantam)asi vishnoh krantam)asi
yu4yantyasya kamya harih
vipakshasarathe shono ,hrishnuh na vahasa
om anena haridriyena shu&hadhivasah astu
?5ou are the three steps of 6ishnu$ Golden hued, as fleet as &irds, carriers of the man %ho
endeavours, the horses yoked to the chariot of the sun$@
Q loth
om yuva suvasah parivitah a,at
sa u shreyan &havati 4ayamanah
tam dirasah kavaya unnayanti
sadhya manasa devayantah
om anena vastrena shu&hadhivasah astu
?#e comes %ell clothed and youthful %ith sacred thread$ Bein, t%ice &orn he is the &est
and most attractive$ The %ise men, desirin, the 'ord, meditatin, on him %ithin their
minds, are raised up to kno%led,e$@
Thread
A thread dyed in tumeric and sindhura should &e tied around the %rist of the ,room nine
times &y a 6aishnava &rahmana$ A married %omen %ith children should tie a thread
around the &rides7 %rist seven times$ 2hile tyin, they should chant the follo%in, mantras
"
om sutranam prithivim dyam anehasam susharmanam aditi supranitam devo naram
surindram ana,asam asmaratim aruhe masma syaye
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om krishno vai sac)cid)ananda),hanah
krishna adi purushah
krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah saha sarvai)karyah
krishna kasham krid)adisha mukha)pra&hu)pu4yah
krishno nadis)tasmin)a4andantar &ahye
yam)man,alam tal)la&hate kriti
R!EET =ET(" !or a man, the thread is tied on the ri,ht %rist, for a %oman, on the left$
As the ri,ht side of a man7s &ody is considered auspicious, %hile for the %oman, the left$
This procedure of tyin, the threads to the %rists of the &eneficieries is also applica&le in
other samskaras %henever the Adhivasa is performed$
Q amara
om vato va mano va ,andharvah saptavimshatih
te a,re 7shvamayun4aste asmin4avamadadhuh
om anena camarena shu&hadhivasah astu
?The %ind, the mind, the all kno%in, ,andharva, the t%enty seven constellations, all
,ather &efore 5ou and offer homa,e unto 5ou$@
Q Sandal %ood
om kah asi katamah asi kasmai tva kaya tva
sushloka suman,ala satya ra4an
om anena camarena shu&hadhivasah astu
?5ou are the Supreme 'ord$ 5ou are one %ithout a second$ 5ou are the o&4ect of all
offerin,s and the instrument of all activities$ 5ou are the Supreme ruler, the most famous,
the most auspicious and pure$@
=ote" A piece of sandal %ood, not paste, is to &e sho%n$
Q All Items
All the items should &e ,athered to,ether on a tray and offered"
om pratipan asi pratipade tva
anupadasy anupade tva
sampadasi sampade tva
te4o7si te4ase tva
?5ou are the &e,innin,$ I approach 5ou to commence this rite$ 5ou are the activity in
pro,ress$ !or continuin, the activity I approach 5ou$ 5ou are the completion of the
activity$ !or success I approach 5ou$@
The tray of articles should &e ,iven :to the ya4amana ;to touch$
A four)%ick, a five)%ick, a seven)%ick lamp or somethin, similar, should no% &e offered
:in the same manner as the other items;$
Sattvika 6riddhi Shraddha
The performance of =andi Mukha)Shraddha is not performed &y 6aishnavas as it is an
offense to the holy name to %orship the forefathers$ Therefore, this ceremony is replaced
&y %orship of the ,uru)parampara and the offerin, of mahaprasadam :Sattvika 6riddhi
Shraddha;$Accordin, to ones7 capacity, one should first offer ,ifts such as cloth and rice
to 6aishnavas and the &rahmanas, %ithout hesitation, %hile meditatin, on the 'ord and
doin, so only for #is pleasure$
Then, one should perform vasudhara and make marks on the %all %ith ,hee$ Then in the
same place one should %orship Maha)Bha,avata edira4a %ith mahaprasada, %ater etc$
:!or the all the preliminary procedures see Appendi3 II;
R!EET=ET( "
Shrila 6ishvanatha akravarti Thakura in his Madhurya Kadam&ini descri&es three
devotees as most ma,naminous, Shrila =ityananda Pra&hu, <ada Bharata and edira4a
>paricara 6asu$ The story of >paricara 6asu, the ,reat 6aishnava kin, of edi, is
descri&ed in the Shanti Parva of Maha&harata and in the 6ishnu)Dharmottara Purana$
>paricara %as cursed &y the rishis to ,o to Patalaloka &ut even there he continued to
%orship 'ord =arayana$2hen the daityas sa% him they attacked him %ith their %eapons,
&ut %ere una&le to hu
t him$Then they tried preachin, atheistic philosophy to him, &ut to no avail$ !inally,
seein, the daityas determination, edira4a 6asu &esto%ed his mercy upon them,
convertin, them all into devotees$ The demi,ods, seein, the condition of this e3alted
6aishnava, &lessed him that %hile residin, in Patala the pan,s of hun,er, thirst, %eakness
and distress %ould not affect him$ #e %ould drink the streaks of ,hee called ?vasudhara@
that &rahmanas offered to him %ith concentrated minds in sacrifice$ Soon after, 'ord
6ishnu sent #is carrier Garuda to &rin, edira4a >paricara 6asu to 6aikun9ha$
(=D !EET=ET(
6asudevarcanam
En the day of the %eddin,, that devotee of Govinda %ho has accepted panca)samskara
initiation from a &ona)fide ,uru, no matter %hich varna he is from, should take his &ath in
the mornin,, perform his standard daily duties :such as sandhya)vandana etc;, and in a
decorated mandapa or temple of 6ishnu, should sit on kusha and perform acamana and
vishnu)smaranam :&y chantin, the man,alacarana prayers;$
#e should esta&lish a pot in a &eautiful mandala and put a copper plate on top$ En the
plate he should place a shala,rama and then procede to %orship the shala,rama %ith the
Purusha Sukta prayers$ At a %eddin, or any other function, 'ord =arayana or #is
shala,rama form should al%ays &e %orshipped$ It is an offence to devotional service and
to the holy name to %orship Ganesha and the other demi,ods such as the panca)devatas,
Surya and the other planetary deities, Indra and the deities of the directions, Gauri and the
matrikas etc$ Instead, the 6aishnavas are %orshipped$ The evidence for this is in Padma
Purana"
shuddha)sattvamayo vishnuh
kalyana),una)sa,arah
narayanah param&rahma
vipranam daivatam harih
&rahmanyah shripatir)vishnur
vasudevo 4anardanah
&rahmanyah pundarikaksho
,ovindo harir)acyutah
?'ord 6ishnu is made of transcendental ,oodness, #e is an ocean of auspicious Gualities$
#e is =arayana, the Param&rahma, #e is the %orshippa&le Deity of the &rahmanas$ #e is
the 'ord of 'akshmi, the Supreme 'ord 6ishnu, <anardana, 6asudeva, Pundarikaksha,
Govinda, #ari and Acyuta$@
sa eva pu4ayo vipranam
netare purusha)sha&hah
mohad yah pu4ayedanyam
sa pashandi &haved dhruvam
?E &est of menO #e is %orshipped &y the &rahmanas and no one else is to &e %orshipped$
If someone %orships other ,ods due to illusion, he &ecomes a pashandi$@
smaranadeva krishnasya
vimuktih papanam api
tasya padodakam sevyam
&huktocchish9anca pavanam
?Those sinful people %ho meditate upon 'ord Krishna attain li&eration$ They honour the
%ater that has &athed #is lotus feet and partake of #is remnants$@
svar,a)pavar,adam nrinam
&rahmananam visheshatah
vishnor)niveditam nityam
deve&hyo 4uhuyadva&ih
?They can attain the heavenly planets and &ecome freed from the five kleshas that trou&le
the livin, entities$ That is %hy the 'ord7s prasadam is especially honoured and eaten &y
the &rahmanas, %ho al%ays offer the remnants of 'ord 6ishnu in the fire of sacrifice to
the demi,ods$
pitri&hyash)caiva tadadyat
sarvam)anantyamashnute
yo na dadyadvarer &huktam
pitrinam shraddha)karmani
?That person that offers the remnants of the 'ord to his forefathers in the shraddha
ceremony, recieves infinite re%ards and endless ,ain$@
ashnute pitaras)tasya
vinmutram satatam dvi4ah
tan)mad vishnoh prasaddo vai
sevitavyo dvi4anmana
?E &rahmanasO That person %ho performs shraddha &ut does not offer 6ishnu)prasada to
his forefathers, condemns them to continuously eat stool and urine$@
itaresham tu devanam
nirmalyam ,arhitam &havet
sakrideva hi yohashnati
&rahmano 4nana)purvatah
?Therefore, a &rahmana must al%ays honour the 'ords7 remnants, other%ise if he takes
the remnants of the demi,ods he &ecomes utterly condemned$@
nirmalyam shankaradinam
sa candalo &haved dhruvam
kalpa)ko9i)sahasrani
pacyate naraka,nina
?If a &rahmana kno%in,ly partakes of the prasada of 'ord Shiva or any other deva even
once, he certainly &ecomes a candala and &urns in the fires of hell for one thousand ko9i
kalpas$@
nirmalyam tu dvi4a)shresh9a
rudradinam divoikasam
raksho)yaksho)pishacanam
madya)mamsa)surasamam
?E &est of the t%ice)&ornO The remnants of the demi,ods such as Shiva etc, rakshasas,
yakshas, and pishacas are no different from meat and %ine$@
tad &rahmanaina &hoktavyam
devanam &hun4itam havih
tasmad)anyam paritya4ya
vishnum)eva sanatanam
?Therefore, the &rahmanas should not honour the remnants of the devas$ Because 'ord
6ishnu is the only eternal Supreme 'ord, all others should &e re4ected$@
pu4ayadvam dvi4a)shresh9a
yava44ivamatendratah
arccayen)mantra)ratnena
vidhina purushottamam
?E &est of the t%ice)&ornO As lon, as there is life in the &ody one should enthusiastically
%orship 'ord Purushottama accordin, to scriptural in4unctions and %ith the &est of
mantras$@
prasadaya vai kuryani)
nityam &haktimatendritah
tasyavarana pu4ayam
tridashannarcchayet sudhih
R? Ene should al%ays attentively do #is service in order to ,et #is mercy$ T8A=S$LLL
ananya sharano &hakto
nama mantreshu dikshitah
kada cin narcayed devan
,aneshadims tu vaishnavah
?The devotee interested in pure devotion to the 'ord, and initiated %ith 6aishnava mantra
should never %orship Ganesha and the other devatas$
yatra yatra surah pu4ya
,aneshadyas tu karminam
vishnvarcane tatra tatra
vaishnavanam hi vaishnavah
? 2herever the materialists prescri&e %orship of Ganesha and the devatas, the 6aishnava
should instead %orship the pure devotees of 'ord 6ishnu@
vishvaksenam sa sanakam
sanatana matah param
sananda sanat kumara
pancaitan pu4ayet tatah
?Thus instead of %orshippin, Ganesha to remove material o&stacles, the devotee should
%orship 6ishvaksena and the four Kumaras to remove o&stacles on the spiritual path$@
yasmin)nava,raha arcchyas)
tatra kavyadayo nava
yatra ya4anti vidhina
dik)paladimstu karminah
tatra prapu4ayedetan
vidhim &ha,avatam shukam
sada)shivam vainateyam
naradam kapilam &alim
tato &ha,avatam &hishmam
prahlad)an4ana)sutam
am&arishamsh ca 4anakam
maha&ha,avatam yamam
manum svayam&huvam vyas)
adikanca vaishnavottamam
yu,e yu,e ca vikhyatan)
aparan vaishnavanapi
?2hereas the materialist %ill %orship the nava,rahas :the nine demi,ods presidin, over
the nine planets;, the devotee %ill %orship Kavya Muni and the other navayo,endras$
2hen the non devotees %orship the deities of the directions :dikpalas;, the devotees
should %orship Brahma, the ,reat devotee Shukhadeva, Sada)Shiva, Garuda, =arada,
Kapila, Bali, the ,reat Bhishma, Prahlada, #anuman, Am&arisha, the ,reat 5ama,
Svayam&huva Manu, and the ,reat 6aishnava 6yasa$This %orship of 'ord 6ishnu and the
6aishnavas is %ell kno%n and has &een performed a,e after a,e,@
harayarcchanai ya4e)nityam
na tu devan kadacana
yatra matri,anah pu4yas)
tatra hyetah prapu4ayet
sada &ha,avati paurna)
masi padmastaran,ika
,an,a kalindatanaya
,opi candravali tatha
,ayatri tulasi vani
prithivi ,aush)ca vaishnavi
shri yashoda devahutih
devaki rohinimutha
shri sita draupadi kunti
apara ya maharshayah
rukmininyadyas tatha cash9a
mahishya yash)ca ta api
?E ,reat sa,esO 2orship and sacrifice to 'ord #ari is eternal, &ut the %orship of the
devas is not$ 2henever others %orship the matri,anas, the 6aishnavas instead %orship
Bha,avati Paurnamasi, Padma, Antaran,ika, Gan,a, 5amuna, andravali, Gayatri,
Tulasi, Sarasvati, Prithivi, 6aishnavi, Go, 5ashoda, Devahuti, Devaki, 8ohini, Sita,
Draupadi, Kunti, 8ukmini, and the other ei,ht Gueens of the 'ord$@
,opalopasakash)caiva
shridamadin visheshatah
tatrasyavaranatvena
,opalan paripu4ayet
?The devotee of 'ord Gopala %ill also %orship the co%herd friends of the 'ord, in
particular Shridama etc$@
shri krishnapasakastva tad)
arcchane sarva)karmani
lalitadyah sahacarih
sa sakhi)ran,ini yutah
?In every function, the devotee of Shri Krishna %ill %orship 'ord Krishna and #is
dearest sakhis, such as 'alita etc$@
pu4ayedvidhina karsno
yato vaishnava)daivatah
nanyan kadarcidvi&udha)
nupadevamsh ca shuddha&uddhih
?The devotee of Shri Krishna, %ith ,reat intelli,ence, should %orship these 6aishnavas
accordin, to the proper scriptural rules and should never %orship the primary or
secondary demi,ods$@
vaishnavanansh karyanam
kriyaisha sattviki yathah
na ra4asi na tamasi
pashanda)dharma&hititah
?These rituals that are performed &y the devotees are very %onderful &ecause they are in
the mode of ,oodness$ They are not in the modes of passion and i,norance unlike the so)
called reli,ious &ooks of the atheists :demi,od %orshippers;$@
Also in the Padma Purana, the sa,e Bhri,u says to the 'ord)
aho rupam aho shilam)
aho shastir)aho daya
aho sunirmala kshantir)
aho sattvam ,una hareh
?E #ari, 5our form, nature, chastisement, mercy, purity, tolerance, munificent Gualities
are all %onderful$@
naisar,ikam shu&ham sattvam
tavaiva ,unavaridhe
nanyesham vidyate kincit
sarvesham tridivoikasam
?E ocean of ,ood Gualities, 5our nature is auspicious and transcendental$ 2hen 5ou are
in the midst of all the demi,ods, they &ecome insi,nificant$@
&rahmanyash ca sharanyash ca
tvameva purushottama
&rahmananam tvamevesho
nanyah pu4ah surah kvacit
?E PurushottamaO 5ou are the A&solute Truth, the Supreme Shelter, the 'ord of the
&rahmanas$ Ene should never %orship any other ,od at any time$@
yeharcchayanti surananyan
tvam vina purushottamam
te pashanda)tvamapannah
sarva)loka)vi,arhitah
?E PurushottamaO If someone ne,lects 5our %orship and instead %orships another deity,
that person &ecomes a candala and is deemed as most a&omina&le in all the %orlds$@
vipranam vedavidysham
tvameve4yo 4anardana
nanyah kashcit suranantam
pu4aniyoha,ra4anmanam
?E <anardanaO Those &rahmanas %ell versed in the scriptures %orship 5ou$ =o&ody
should %orship the multitudes of demi,ods$@
ashuddha &rahma)rudradya
ra4as)tamo)vimishritah
tvam shuddha)sattva),unavan
pu4aniyoha),ra4anmanam
?Ether demi,ods such as Brahma and 8udra are not completely pure and are tainted &y
the modes of passion and i,norance$ #o%ever, 5ou are made up of pure ,oodness and
therefore the &rahmanas %orship 5ou$@
tvat padasalilam sevyam
pitrinanca divoikasam
sarvesham &husuranam ca
muktidam kalmashapaham
?By takin, the %ater that has &athed 5our lotus feet, all the sins of the pitris, demi,ods
and &rahmanas can &e destroyed and they can achieve li&eration$
tvad)&huktocchish9a shesham vai
pitrinam ca divoikasam
&husuranam ca sevyam syat
nanyeshatam tu kadacana
?5our remnants are accepted even &y the pitris, demi,ods and &rahmanas, &ut the
remnants of other persons should not &e taken$@
itaresham tu devanam
annam pushpam 4aladikam
asprishyam tu &havet sarvam
nirmalyam suraya samam
?Thin,s such as rice, flo%ers, %ater and other items that are offered to the demi,ods
should not &e touched$@
tasmadaiva &rahmano nityam
pu4ayitva sanatanam
ta tirtham &huktamannanca
&ha4e tairanisham &udhah
?Therefore, a kno%led,a&le &rahmana al%ays %orships the (ternal 'ord and respects #is
mahaprasada and the transcendental %ater that has &athed #is feet$@
nanya)devam niriksheta
&rahmano na ca pu4ayet
nanya prasadam &hun4ita
nanya)dayatanam vishet
?A &rahmana should not look at the deities of the demi,ods neither should he %orship
them$ #e should not partake of their remnants, nor should he enter their temples$@
taddadati hi yo vipra
pitrinam shraddha)karmani
tad &huktam annam tirthanca
tat sarvam viphalam &havet
?That &rahmana that honours the forefathers &y performin, shraddha rites, and %ho eats
the remnants of the devas and drinks the %ater that has %ashed their feet, accrues no
merit %hatsoever$@
kalpa)ko9i sahasrani
kalpa)ko9i shatani ca
patanti pitaras tasya
narake puyashonite
?That &rahmanas7 forefathers remain in the hellish planets, su&mer,ed in lakes full of
&lood and pus for one hundred thousand ko9i kalpas$@
niveditam &hava vi&ho
yo 4uhoti dadati va
devatanans ca pitrinam)
anastyam dhruvamashnu te
?That person %ho offers 5our remnants in sacrifice to the demi,ods and to the pitris,
certainly recieves infinite &enefit$@
tasmatvameva vipranam
pu4yo nany7sti kashcana
mohad yah pu4ayedanyam
sa pashandi &haved dhruvam
?Therefore, 5ou alone are %orshipped &y the &rahmanas ) and no other deityO If anyone,
due to illusion offers %orship to other ,ods, he is to &e considered as a pashandi$@
R:!EET=ET(; If one approaches a deva directly, the results are surely inauspicious$
8ather one should %orship them %ith the remnants of 'ord 6ishnu;$
tvam hi narayanah shriman
vasudeva sanatanah
vishnuh sarva,ato nityah
paramatma maheshvarah
?5ou are =arayana, the 'ord of 'akshmi, 6asudeva, the (ternal Ene$ 5ou are 6ishnu, the
All)Pervadin, Ene, the Super)Soul, the Supreme ontroller$@
tvameva sevyo vipranam
&rahmanyah shuddhasattvan
pu4yatvad &rahmananam
vai shuddha sattva,unapi
?5ou are the 'ord of transcendental ,oodness, the %orshippa&le 'ord of the &rahmanas$
5ou are %orshipped &y all the &rahmanas and the demi,ods, By cultivatin, the Guality of
pure transcendental ,oodness, one attains the Supreme and remains fi3ed in #im$@
sarvesham eva devanam
&rahmanatvam vapyate
tvameva hi sada vipro
&ha4anti purushottamam
&rahmanatve vadhu vuste
nanya tatra na samshayah
?E PurushottamaO Since the &rahmanas are al%ays en,a,ed in 5our %orship, they attain
the Supreme a&ode and no other place$ Ef this there is no dou&t$@
It is also stated in the Skanda Purana )
&rahma4no &rahmanah proktah
shuddha)sattvashayah sada
devadidevam ,ovindam)
mrite nanyat prapu4ayet
nityo naimitike kamyo
sarva)man,ala)karmani
yadi mohat tu vi&udhan
sa candalo &haved dhruvam
?That &rahmana %ho kno%s the A&solute Truth, and %ho is eternally situated on the
platform of pure ,oodness, only %orships Govinda, the 'ord of all the demi,ods in his
nitya, naimitika and kamya pu4as$ #e %orships no one else$ If he does so due to illusion,
he &ecomes eGual to a candala$@
The Brahma 6aivarta Purana says )
mohad yo &rahmano &hutva
hya4nana4 4nana)puvatah
arcchaye)dvi&udhamsh)caitu
vina vishnum)adho),atih
?That &rahmana %ho, due to illusion, %hether kno%in,ly or unkno%in,ly, %orships other
deities other than 6ishnu, takes &irth a,ain in a misera&le lo%er species of life$@
The >ttara Gita states )
vaishnavan &ha4a kaunteya
ma &ha4astanya devatah
upadevams tatha yaksha)
raksho &huta,anan api
?E Kaunteya, one should only %orship 6aishnava DeitiesH one should never %orship
primary demi,ods, secondary demi,ods, yakshas, rakshasas or ,hosts$@
Also in the Brihad 6ishnu Purana )
mamriteha nyamsta vi&udhan
vaishnavo &rahmano tatha
yadyarcchayed vaishnavamsh )
candalatvam avapnuyat
? If a 6aishnava or a &rahmana %orships any other deity other than 'ord 6ishnu, he
&ecomes eGual to a candala$@
All this evidence is easy to understand, therefore %e have not e3plained it any further as
to do so %ould increase the siFe of the &ook$ !urther proof is also found in Shrimad
Bha,avatam :.$*$*C)*/; )
mumukshavo ,hora)rupan
hitva &huta)patin atha
narayana)kalah shanta
&ha4anti hy anasuyavah
ra4as)tamah)prakritayah
sama)shila &ha4anti vai
pitri)&huta)pra4eshadin
shriyaishvarya)pra4epsavah
vasudeva)para veda
vasudeva)para makhah
vasudeva)para yo,a
vasudeva)parah kriyah
vasudeva)param 4nanam
vasudeva)param tapah
vasudeva)paro dharmo
vasudeva)para ,atih
?Those %ho are serious a&out li&eration are certainly nonenvious, and they respect all$
5et they re4ect the horri&le and ,hastly forms of the demi,ods and %orship only the all)
&lissful forms of 'ord 6ishnu and #is plenary portions$
Those %ho are in the modes of passion and i,norance %orship the forefathers, other
livin, &ein,s and the demi,ods %ho are in char,e of cosmic activities, for they are ur,ed
&y a desire to &e materially &enefited %ith %omen, %ealth, po%er and pro,eny$
In the revealed scriptures, the ultimate o&4ect of kno%led,e is Shri Krishna, the
Personality of Godhead$ The purpose of performin, sacrifice is to please #im$ 5o,a is for
realiFin, #im$ All fruitive activities are ultimately re%arded &y #im only$ #e is supreme
kno%led,e, and all severe austerities are performed to kno% #im$ 8eli,ion :dharma; is
renderin, lovin, service unto #im$ #e is the supreme ,oal of life$@
Therefore, %hen %orshippin, 'ord 6ishnu, one should not &e,in &y %orshippin,
Ganesha and the other devas, rather one should perform ?Panca)Maha&ha,avata Pu4a@
instead &y installin, and %orshippin, Shri 6ishvaksena, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana
and Sanat Kumara$
Similarly, instead of %orshippin, the nava,rahas, one should %orship Shri Kavi, #avya,
Antariksha and the other navayo,endras$
Instead of doin, pu4a to Indra and the dikpalas, the 6aishnavas should %orship the ,reat
devotees, namely Brahma, Shukhadeva, Sada)Shiva, Garuda, =arada, Kapila, Bali,
Bhishma, Prahlada, #anuman, Am&arisha, <anaka, 5amadeva, Svayam&huva Manu,
>ddhava, and 6yasa$
In Satya 5u,a, Treta 5u,a, Dvapara 5u,a and Kali 5u,a, these Maha)&ha,avatas are
al%ays %orshipped$
The devotees of the 'ord su&stitute the %orship of Gauri and the matri,anas %ith the
%orship of the 6aishnavis i$e$ Paurnamasi, 'akshmi, Antaran,a, Gan,a, 5amuna, Gopi,
6rindavati, Gayatri, Tulasi, Sarasvati, Prithivi, Go, 5ashoda, Devahuti, Devaki, 8ohini,
Sita, Draupadi, Kunti, 8ukmini, Satya&hama, <am&avati, =a,na4iti, 'akshmana, Kalindi,
&hadra, and Mitravinda$
The devotees of 'ord Gopala should also %orship Shridama and the other co%herd &oys$
The devotee of Shri Shri 8adha)Krishna should also %orship the Divine ouples7
intimate associates such as 'alita and the other ,opis$ The devotees should %orship 'ord
Shriman =arayanas7 e3pansions such as Matsya etc and #is respective parshada
devotees$
'ike this, 'ord 6asudeva and his devotees, should &e %orshipped %ith si3teen, t%elve,
ten, or five items, %ith the Purusha Sukta prayers or other choice mantras from the 6edas
or A,amas$ Then, one should perform the adhivasa accordin, to the rules of the shastras$
In this %ay, the &rahmanas and householder 6aishnavas only %orship the Supreme 'ord
in their daily activities, occasional activities, fruitive activities and other auspicious rites$
They only %orship the 'ords7 associates such as 6ishvaksena etc$ and never %orship the
demi,ods, not even in their dreams$
6ivaha Karma
:marria,e;
#erein the procedures for %eddin,s are e3plained$
<nati Karma :rites performed &y relatives;"
En the mornin, of the %eddin, the &ride and ,room should &e ceremoniously &athed &y
relatives and friends %ith scented %ater at their homes$
The &ody of the &ride should &e ru&&ed %ith po%dered mun,, urad, masur and &arley for
purification$
The name of the ,room should &e %ritten on a leaf and thro%n in a pot of %ater$ A small
portion of this %ater should &e poured over the &ride7s head %ith the mantra"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
4nati karmani kanyayah sharira)plavane viniyo,ah
om vishnu deva shri vishnu namasi
samanaya $$$$$$$:name of ,room;
prahva te a&havat
param)atra 4anma,neh
tapaso nirmito7sti svaha
?Eh 'ord, you are kno%n as 6ishnu, the all)pervadin,$ Brin, :name of ,room; to,ether
%ith the &ride$ She has &een o&edient to you and %ithin her &ody is the supreme fire of
creation, made po%erful &y her austerities$@
A small portion of %ater should &e poured &elo% her navel %ith the mantra"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
madhyo)4yotir)4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
4nati karmani kanyayah na&heradhodesha)prakshalane viniyo,ah
om imam adhodesham na&heh madhuna prakshalayami
pra4apateh mukham)etat dvitiyam
tena pumso J&hi&havasi sarvan
avashan vashini asi ra4ni svaha
?I %ash her &elo% the navel %ith honey$ That is the second face of Pra4apati$ By that you
conGuer all uncontrolla&le men$ 5our are the ruler, the controller$@
Ene should then pour a little %ater on her head, and the rest over the other parts of her
&ody %ith the mantra"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
uparish9a)4yotir)trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
4nati karmani kanyayah shira adi pada paryanta sarva)sharira plavane viniyo,ah
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
?The devotees continually see the supreme a&ode of 6ishnu, %hich, like the sun in the
sky, spreads its &rilliance throu,h the %hole universe$@
Sampradanam :,ivin, the &ride a%ay;
2hen the auspicious hour arrives, the ceremony should start %ith the reception of the
,room$ A co% should &e tied in the =orth side of the room$
The father of the &ride should sit facin, =orth and perform Acamana$
R2hen the ,room enters the room, the father should recite LLLLLL6ishnu Smaranam and
Svasti 6acanam :see appendi3 II;
Then the father says to the ,room"
om sadhu &havan astam
?2elcome, &e comforta&le$@
The ,room replies"
om sadhu aham ase
?I have &een %ell received$@
The father says "
om arcayishyamo &havantam
?I shall no% %orship you$@
The ,room replies"
om arcaya
?Please perform the %orship$@
The father should %orship him &y offerin, candana, ,arland, rin,s, upavita and upper and
lo%er cloth, sayin,"
etani ,andha)pushpa vasamsi om varaya namah
The ,room should accept the items sayin,"
om svasti
The father should fold his hands and say"
om vishnuh
om tat sat
adya
$$$$mase :month;
$$$$rashi sthe &haskare :Fodiac si,n;
$$$$pakshe :fortni,ht;
$$$$tithau :tithi;
kanyadan artham e&hih ,andhadi&hih a&hyarcya,
&havantam aham varatvena vrine
?Today, at this time, $$$$$$$$havin, honored you %ith ,andha etc$ I select you as the suita&le
hus&and to %hom I shall ,ive my dau,hter$@
The ,room replies"
om vrito Jsmi
?I accept$@
The &ride, covered up, should &e escorted around the standin, ,room seven times &y her
%omen friends$ The &ride should then &e uncovered, and the &ride and ,room should see
each other, and e3chan,e ,arlands$
The father should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
arhaniya ,oh vishnuh devata
,avopasthapane viniyo,ah
om arhana putravasa sa dhenur)a&havad yame
sa nah payasvati duha uttaram)uttaram samam
?The %orshipa&le co% ,ives a&undant milk$ May he milk her year after year$@
The ,room should sit on an asana facin, (ast sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
virad vishnuh devata
upavishad arhaniya 4ape viniyo,ah
om idam)aham)imam padyam vira4am annadyayadhi tish9hami
?I preside over this far reachin, step for sustenance$@
The father should take t%enty five leaves of kusha %ound t%o and a half times in counter
clock%ise direction in the palms of this hands %ith tips pointin, =orth and say"
om vish9aro vish9aro vish9arah prati ,rihyatam
?Please receive this kusha ,rass$@
The ,room should reply"
om vish9aram prati,rihnami
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
aushadhyo vishnuh devata
vish9arasya asanadane viniyo,ah
om ya oshadhih soma ra4nih vahvi shata)vicakshanah
ta mahyam)asmin asane acchidrah sharma yacchata
?I receive it$ The ,reat her&, the Gueen of Soma, &ein, plentiful, faultless, and a hundred
times %ise, &esto% &lessin,s on me as I sit upon you for an asana$@
#e should place the tips pointin, =orth and sit on it$
The father should offer kusha a,ain"
vish9aro vish9aro vish9arah prati,hriyatam
The ,room says"
om vish9aram prati ,rihnami
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
aushadhyo vishnuh devata
vish9arasya padayoradhasta dane viniyo,ah
om ya oshadih soma ra4nih vish9hitah prithivim anu
ta mahyam)asmin padayoh acchidrah sharma yacchata
?Great her&, Gueen of Soma, ,ro%in, %herever there is earth, faultless, please &esto%
&lessin,s on me at my t%o feet$@
#e should place the kusha &eneath his feet %ith tips facin, =orth$
The father should offer %ater for his feet"
om padyah padyah padyah prati,rihyantam
The ,room should reply"
om padyah prati,rihnami
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
virad ,ayatri chandah
apo vishnuh devata
pada prakshalanarthodakavikshane viniyo,ah
om yato devih pratipashyamy) apas tato ma riddhir a,acchatu
?May prosperity come to me, oh %ater, from lookin, at you$@
The ,room should receive the %ater from the father, place it on the earth, ,aFe at it, then
pour %ater on the left foot, then ri,ht foot, then &oth feet %ith the follo%in, mantras"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
virad ,ayatri chandah
apo vishnuh devata
savya)pada prakshane viniyo,ah
om savyam padam avaneni4e asmin rash9re shriyam dadhe
?I %ash the left foot and &esto% %ealth in this domain$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
virad ,ayatri chandah
apo vishnuh devata
dakshina)pada prakshane viniyo,ah
om dakshinam padam avaneni4e asmin rash9re shriyamaveshayami
?I %ash the ri,ht foot and take possession of %ealth in this domain$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
virad ,ayatri chandah
apo vishnuh devata
u&haya)pada prakshane viniyo,ah
om purvam anyam param anyam
u&haya padau avaneni4e
rash9rasardhya a&hayasyavaruddhyai
?I %ash one foot then the other$ By prosperity of this domain may I attain fearlessness$@
The father should take durva, %hite rice, etc in a conch and offer ar,hya, sayin,"
om ar,hyam ar,hyam ar,hyam prati,rihyatam
The ,room should say"
om ar,hya prati,rihnami
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ar,hya)rupo vishnuh devata
ar,hya)prati,rahne viniyo,ah
om annasya rash9rir)asi
rash9ris)te &huyasam
?5ou are the ruler of food$ May I &ecome your master$@
The father should offer acamaniyam"
om acamaniyam acamaniyam acamaniyam prati,rihyatam
The ,room should reply"
om acamaniyam prati,rihnami
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
acamaniyam vishnuh devata
acamaniyacamane viniyo,ah
om yasho Jsi yasho mayi dhehi
?5ou are fame$ Give fame to me$@
#e should sip the %ater facin, =orth$
The father should take a pot of madhuparka and offer"
om madhuparko madhuparko madhuparkah prati,rihyatam
The ,room should take the madhuparka, and place the container on the earth sayin,"
om madhuparkam prati,rihnami
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
madhuparko vishnuh devata
aharniya madhhuparkam ,rahane viniyo,ah
om yashaso yasho Jsi
?5ou are fame incarnate$@
#e should drink three times sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
madhuparko vishnuh devata
aharniya madhuparka prashane viniyo,ah
om yashaso &haksho Jsi
mahaso &haksho Jsi
shrir &haksho Jsi
shriyam mayi dhehi
?5ou are the food of fame, the food of ,reatness$ 5ou are the food of virtues$ Give me all
virtues$@
#e should drink once silently$
The ,room should no% face (astH the father of the &ride should face =orth or 2est$
The ,room and &ride should perform acamana and then smear kum)kum, ,orocana and
candana on their ri,ht hands$
The ,room should take the &ride7s ri,ht hand and place it on top of his ri,ht hand, and a
married %oman %ith a son should &ind the t%o hands %ith kusha and ,arlands, %hile
auspicious sounds are made &y the %omen$
The father of the &ride should take a pot of %ater mi3ed %ith ,andha, flo%ers, tulasi and
fruit Rand recite vishnu smaranam :see Appendi3 LLLLLLLLLLL;$
The father should ,ive the &ride, sayin,"
om vishnu
om tat sat
adya &rahmano dvitiya)parardhe,
sveta varaha kalpe, vaivasvatakhya manvantare,
ash9avimshati kali)yu,asya prathama sandhyayam
&rahma vimshatau vartamanayam
$$$$$samvatsare :year;
$$$$$ayane :course of the sun;
$$$$$ritau :season;
$$$$$masi :month;
$$$$$pakshe :fortni,ht;
$$$$$rashi sthite &haskare :sun si,n;
$$$$$tithau :lunar day;
$$$$$varanvitayam :day of the %eek;
$$$$$nakshatra samyutayam :constellation;
4am&udvipe &harata khande
medhi&hutasya sumeroh dakshine
lavanarnavasyottare kone
,an,ayah pashcime &ha,e
shri shala,rama shila ,o &rahmana vaishnava vahni sannidhau
$$$$$sharmanah prapautraya :to the ,reat ,randson of$$$$;
$$$$$sharmanah pautraya :to the ,randson of$$$$;
$$$$$sharmanah putraya :to the son of$$$$;
shri $$$$$sharmane visish9a varaya :to the ,room named$$$;
$$$$$sharmanah prapautrim :the ,reat ,rand dau,hter of $$$$;
$$$$$sharmanah pautrim :the ,reat ,randdau,hter of$$$$;
$$$$ sharmanah putrim :the dau,hter of$$$$$$;
shrimatim$$$$a&hidhanam etam kanyam :the &ride named$$$$;
sa vastram yatha shakty)alankritam
aro,inim apravasinim yatha kalopasthapinim
om pra4apati vishnu devatakam
shri shri radha)krishna smarana purvakam
$$$$$sharma dvara Tthrou,h the a,ency of $$$$$$$:father;U
svayam shri shri radha)krishnau dattam
?May 8adha and Krishna personally ,ive this &ride named$$$$:identified &y father7s
ancestors;, eGuipped %ith cloth and ornaments, healthy, of a,e and fi3ed residence, to the
,room named$$$$$$:identified &y his father7s ancestors; at the time$$$$$$$$, at the
place$$$$$$%ith shala,rama, the co%, the &rahmana, vaishnava and fire as %itness$@
The father should pour the %ater over their &ound hands$
The ,room should say"
om svasti
om narayanaya vidmahe
vasudevaya dhimahi
tanno vishnuh pracodayat:e;
om trailokya)mohanaya vidmahe
kamadevaya dhimahi
tanno vishnuh pracodayat:e;
Then he should meditate upon Shri Shri 8adha)Krishna chantin,"
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
om kanyeyam om pra4apati vishnu devataka
?This &ride &elon,s to Pra4apati 6ishnu$@
Touchin, the &ride7s heart he should recite the Kama Stuti "
om ka idam kasma adat
kamah kamayadat
kamo data kamah prati,rahita
kamah samudram avishat
kamena tva prati,rihnami
kamaitat te
?2ho has ,iven this heart and to %homL 'ove has ,iven unto love$ 'ove is the ,iver,
love is the receiver$ 'ove has entered the ocean of love$ I receive you throu,h love$ Eh
love, this heart is yours$@
The father should say"
om vishnuh
om tat sat
adya shrimate$$$$$sharmane varaya :name of ,room;
kritaitat kanya sampradana supratish9hartham
dakshinam suvarna mulyopakalpitam
shri shri radha krishna smarana purvakam
shri$$$$ dvara :name of father;
shri shri radha krishnau dattam
?May 8adha and Krishna, on this day of $$$$ to firmly esta&lish this act of &esto%al,
present a suita&le do%ry of valua&le items in remem&rance of 8adha and Krishna, to $$$$$
:,room; throu,h the a,ency of $$$$:father;$@
The ,room should say"
om svasti
Then he should recite the Kama Stuti"
om ka idam kasma adat
kamah kamayadat
kamo data kamah prati,rahita
kamah samudram avishat
kamena tva prati,rihnami
kamaitat te
om narayanaya vidmahe
vasudevaya dhimahi
tanno vishnuh pracodayat
om trailokya)mohanaya vidmahe
kamadevaya dhimahi
tanno vishnuh pracodayat:e;
Then he should meditate upon Shri Shri 8adha)Krishna chantin,"
hare krishna hare krishna krishna krishna hare hare
hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare
#e should then meditate upon his favourite Deitys7 name such as =arayana,
6ishnu, 8ama, =risimha, #ari, 6amana etc
At this time, the father can ,ive a do%ery and ,ifts to the Deity and the 6aishnavas$
The father or a married %oman %ith sons %ill then tie the upper cloth of the ,room and
the veil of the &ride %ith a cloth containin, haritaki, &etel, ,andha, flo%ers, tulasi, kum)
kum, and tumeric$
The follo%in, shloka should &e recited"
shri lakshmi)pitam&arayoh revati)&alaramayoh
tatha sita)ramayosh ca shri dur,a)shivayor yatha
devahuti)kardamayoh shaci)ma,havator yatha
shatarupa)svayam&huvayoh)renuka)4amada,nyoh
yatha Jhalya),autamayor devaki)vasudevayoh
mandodari)ravanayor yashoda)nandayor yatha
shri draupadi)pandavayoh shri taravali)&hu&hu4oh
damayanti)nalakayoh shri)radha)krishnayor yatha
anayoh kanya varayos tatha syad ,ranthi &andhanam
RT8A=S'ATIE=
The father may undo the kusha knot on their hands and seat the &ride to the ri,ht hand
side of the ,room$
Q Go Moksha :releasin, the co%;"
A co% should &e presented to the ,room$
A &ar&er should e3claim"
,auh ,auh
?#ere is a co%$@
The ,room should reply"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chando
,orupo vishnuh devata
purva)&andha),avi)mokshane viniyo,ah
om munca ,am varuna pashad dvishantam me a&hidhehi
tam 4ahi$$$$$:name of father; co&hayor utshri4a
,amattu trinani pivatudakam
?!ree the co% from the ropes of 6aruna$ all the name of he %ho opposes$ Dismiss him
on &ehalf of $$$$$:father;$ 'et the co% free, let her eat ,rass and drink %ater$@
2hile the co% is released the ,room %ill say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chando
,orupo vishnuh devata
,avanu mantrene viniyo,ah
om mata rudranam duhita vasunam svasadityanam amritasya na&hih
pra nu vocam cikitushe 4anaya ma ,amana ,am aditim vadhish9a
?The co% is the mother of the 8udras, the dau,hter of the 6asus$ She is the sister of the
Adityas, the source of nectar$ To him %ho understands I say, ?Do not kill the sinless co%,
Aditi$@
The co% is then released$
Q Acchidra 6acana :%ords to a&solve oneself of faults;"
Acchidra vacana is then recited &y the father"
om asmin kanya sampradana karmani
an,a hinam kriya hinam vidhi hinam ca yad &havet
astu tat sarvam acchidram krishna karshna prasadatah
?2hatever &reach of rules, lack of in,redients or ceremony there has &een in this
&esto%al of the &ride, let that &e overlooked, &y the mercy of Krishna and his associates$@
om tat sat
om adya krite Jsmin kanya sampradana karmani
yat kincit vai,unyam 4atam
tad dosha prashamanaya
shri vishnu smaranam aham karomi
?To alleviate any fault %hich may have &een committed in the ceremony of &esto%in, the
&ride, I no% perform remem&rance of 6ishnu$@
The father should perform 6ishnu Smaranam :see Appendi3 II; and recite the maha)
mantra, follo%ed &y kirtana and offerin, o&eisances to the spiritual master, the
6aishnavas, 'ord haitanya and Gandarvika)Giridhari$
K>ShA=DIKA :Preliminary rites for the ya4na;
The ,room should no% perform the Kushandika rites accordin, to the scriptural rules,
either in the same place %here the Sampradana %as performed or in the main house$ #e
should install Shri 6ishnu7s form as the fire named ?5o4aka@
Before &uildin, the vedi:ya4na kunda; of four hands &y four hands :appro3$ Cft, &y Cft;,
he should clean the place of all dirt, hair, husk, charcoal, &ones, ,ravel etc$ #e should
,radually make the =orth and (astern sides :of the kunda; level and smear it and the
floor of the covered Mandapa %ith co% dun,$ #e should purify himself accordin, to the
scriptural rules, perform acamana and %ear t%o pieces of cloth$ Sittin, on a kusha)asana
facin, (ast,
Q A&hyukshana Patra Sthapana :esta&lishin, the pot of %ater;"
A copper %aterpot should &e filled %ith %ater, ,andha, flo%ers, tulasi, &arley, &etel,
haritaki, durva, %hite rice, tumeric and mustard seeds and placed on the =orth side of the
fire$ This %ill &e used for purifyin, items &y sprinklin, :a&hyukshana;$
Q Panca 8ekha Sthapana :dra%in, five lines in the kunda;"
#e should face east, on the %est side of the fire pit :ya4na kunda;$ Placin, the ri,ht knee
on the ,round, and placin, the left hand on the ,round %ith palm up, %hile holdin, a
kusha ,rass &lade of one pradesha len,th :appro3$ /in; in it$ Takin, another kusha ,rass
&lade %ith the ri,ht hand, he should dra% in the kunda a line t%elve fin,ers lon, :one
pradesha, / inches; and pointin, (ast :see Appendi3 I;, %hile meditatin, on the
personality of earth$ #e should say"
R!EET=ET(" one pradesha V t%elve fin,ers V nine inches
om rekhe tvam prithvi)rupa pitavarnasi
?Eh line, you are earth, yello% in color@$
Q !rom the &ase of the first line he should dra% a second line t%enty)one fin,ers lon,,
pointin, to%ards the =orth %hile meditatin, on the co%"
om rekhe tvam ,o)rupa lohita varnasi
?Eh line, you are the co%, reddish in color@$
Q Parallel to the first line &ut seven fin,ers to its left, startin, from the second line, he
should dra% a third line the len,th of one pradesha in the (astern direction, %hile
meditatin, on Kalindi$ #e should say"
om rekhe tvam kalindi)rupa)krishna varnasi
?Eh line, you are 5amuna, &lack in color$@
Q Parallel to the third line at a distance of seven fin,ers he should dra% a fourth line
startin, from the second line, in the (astern direction, one pradesha in len,th, %hile
meditatin, on 'akshmi"
om rekhe tvam shri)rupa)svarna varnasi
?Eh line, your are Shri, ,olden in color@$
Q At a distance of seven fin,ers from the last line and parallel to it he should dra% a fifth
line of one pradesha len,th in the (astern direction, meditatin, on Sarasvati$ #e should
say"
om rekhe tvam sarasvati)rupa shukla varnasi
?Eh line, you are Sarasvati, %hite in color@$
Q >tkara =irasana :e3pellin, the impurities;"
#e should take a pinch of earth from each line %ith the thum& and rin, fin,er of the ri,ht
hand and thro% out the earth from the kunda to a distance of one ?aratni? :distance from
el&o% to tip of little fin,er; in the =orth (ast direction, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
utkara nirasane viniyo,ah
om nirastah paravasuh
?The depleter of fortune has &een thro%n out and destroyed@$
R!EET=ET( " The viniyo,as are not chanted durin, the ya4na, as stated in the =arada
Samhita"
homakalas na drishyate pra4achandarshi devata
? The chantin, of the application :viniyo,a; , the metre, the rishi, or the devata is not
o&served at the time of ya4na@$
(=D !EET=ET(
Q 8ekha&hyukshana :purifyin, the lines %ith %ater;"
Takin, %ater from the a&hyukshana patra he should sprinkle it on the lines$
Q A,ni Samskara :purifyin, the fire;"
!rom the fire %hich is kindled &ut not yet placed in the pit he should take one &urnin,
stick and cast it in the South 2estern direction to e3pel the inauspicious elements of the
fire"
R!ootnote" !ire can either &e started &y mantra, churned from the arani %ith proper
concentration, started from the sunli,ht &y a ma,nifyin, ,lass focused on camphor
placed on a &ell)metal plate, &rou,ht from a lamp in the Deity room or from a &rahmanaDs
house :meanin, from his daily household ya4na;$ If none of the a&ove methods are
practical, then one can use matches etc$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a,ni)samskara viniyo,ah
om kravyadam a,nim prainomi duram
yamara4yo J,acchatu vipravaah
?I cast the inauspicious fire in char,e of &urnin, corpses far a%ay$ May those %ho oppose
this rite ,o to the kin,dom of death@$
Q A,ni Sthapana :esta&lishin, the fire;"
#e should take a &urnin, stick from the purified fire and place it on the third line sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a,ni)sthapane viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah om
Q A,ni Avahana
#e should then install the fire for %eddin,s %ho is named ?5o4aka A,ni@
om yo4aka nama,naye iha,accha
a,ne tvam yo4aka namasi
shri vishnos)te4a evayam
?Eh fire named 5o4aka A,ni, kindly &e present here$ E fire of 'ord 6ishnu please come$@
Q A,ni Pu4a :%orship of the fire;"
Meditatin, on the fire as 6ishnu he should %orship the fire %ith articles &e,innin, %ith
padyam, etc$
R !ootnote" The s%eet !orm of Krishna is not installed in the fire$ Enly forms of 'ord
6ishnu are installed$
Q 6ishnu Stuti :praise of 6ishnu;"
2ith folded hands he should say the names of 6ishnu"
R translations
om krishnananta mukunda madhava hare ,ovinda vamsimukha
shri ,opi4anavalla&ha vra4asuhrit &hakta priyedyacyuta
&hakta premavasha kriya phala rasanandaika dinarti hrit
radha kanta duranta samshriti haretyakhyahi 4ihve sada
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
?<ust as those %ith ordinary vision see the sun7s rays in the sky, so the %ise and learned
devotees al%ays see the supreme a&ode of 'ord 6ishnu$@
om krishno vai saccidananda ,hanah
krishnah adi purushah krishnah purusottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah sa ha sarvaikaryah
krishnah kasham krit adisha mukha pra&hu pu4yah
krishno 7nadis tasmin a4andantar &ahye
yan man,alam tal la&hate kriti
?'ord Krishna is the color of a ne% rain)cloud, therefore #e is compared to a
transcendental cloud full of eternity, &liss and co,niFance$ #e is the ori,inal and Supreme
Person$ #e is the ori,in of all activities and the one and only 'ord of all$ #e is the
%orshipful 'ord of the &est of demi,ods, the controller of Brahma, 6ishnu and Shiva$
Krishna is %ithout any &e,innin,$ 2hatever auspiciousness is found %ithin or &eyond
this universe the devotee o&tains in Krishna alone$@
om a,nim duram purodadhe
havyavaham upa&ruve
deva ashadayad iha
?The fire from afar I place in front of me$ I call near the &earer :the fire; of the o&lations$
May the 'ord sho% compassion here@$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a,ni)sthapane viniyo,ah
om ihaivayam itaro
4ataveda deve&hyo
havyam vahatu pra4anan
?May the remainin, fire here, omniscient <atavedas, carry the o&lations to the ,ods@$
Q Brahma Sthapana :installin, and %orshippin, the &rahma ;"
#e may receive a 6aishnava &rahmana conversant %ith the rituals, alternatively he can
make a doll of kusha :kushamaya &rahmana; and esta&lish it as the &rahma$
Rfootnote" In the case of receivin, the kushamaya &rahmana, the hotri :in this case the
,room; should recite all the mantras$
#e addresses the &rahma thus"
?om sadhu &havan astam@
?May you &e comforta&le$@
The &rahma replies"
?om sadhu aham ase@
?I am comforta&le$@
The ,room says"
?om arcayishyamo &havantam@
?I %ill %orship you$@
The &rahma replies"
?om arcaya@
?5ou may honor me$@
Touchin, the &rahma7s knee %ith ,andha, flo%ers, tulasi, cloth etc the ,room should say"
om ,ovinda ,ovinda ,ovinda
om tat sat
adya $$$
WWWWWWWmase :month;
WWWWWWWpakshe :lunar fortni,ht;
WWWWWWWtithau :lunar day;
asyaWWWWWWkarmano :function;
homa karmani kritakritavekshana rupa &rahma tvena &havantam aham vrine
?En this day of WWWWWW, in the month of WWWWWW, in the lunar fortni,ht of WWWWWW, on the
lunar day of WWWWWW, on the occasion of WWWWWW, I choose you as &rahma for supervisin,
the proper e3ecution of the rituals$@
The &rahma replies"
?om vrito 7smi@
?I have &een selected@
The ,room says"
?om yatha yatham &rahma kama kuru@
?Please perform your activities in a &efittin, %ay@
The &rahma should reply"
?om yatha 4nanam karavam@
?May I perform to the &est of my a&ilities@
Q The ,room, takin, the %ater vessel, should proceed to the South side of the fire and at a
distance of one aratni :distance from el&o% to tip of little fin,er; from the fire, sprinkle
%ater to%ards the (ast, and over that he should place kusha ,rass %ith tips facin, (ast$
Q Then facin, 2est %ith the stre%n kusha in front of him, he should take one &lade of that
stre%n kusha in the thum& and rin, fin,er of the left hand and thro% it in the South%est
direction, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
trinanirasane viniyo,ah
om nirasthah paravasuh
?The depleter of fortune has &een thro%n a%ay$@
Q !acin, =orth %ith the ri,ht foot pressin, the left foot, the ,room should sprinkle %ater
on the stre%n kusha and then seat the &rahma on the kusha, facin, him to%ards the =orth
:in the case of a kushamaya &rahma, he should face the (ast;$ Touchin, %ater, he should
say to the &rahma "
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vaishnava)&rahmo)pareshane viniyo,ah
om a vasoh sadane sida
?Sit on this seat of %ealth$@
The &rahma replies"
sidami
?I sit$@
Q The ,room should offer the Brahma some mahaprasada, candana, kum)kum, fruit,
s%eets, etc$ to honor him$ 8etracin, his steps to the (ast side of the fire he should sit$
Q To nullify any mistakes durin, the sacrifice, the &rahma says"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ayan4iya va,)vacanimita 4ape viniyo,ah
om idam vishnuh vicakrame
tredha nidadhe padam
samudham asya pa,mshule
?6ishnu has stridden here$ #e has placed three pure steps on this earth$@
Q aru Sthapana :Placin, the caru or cooked ,rains;"
aru, havin, &een prepared &efore the function, should &e placed on the =orth side of the
fire at this time$
Q Bhumi <apa :prayers to the earth;"
Kneelin,, and placin, &oth his hands on the earth, palms do%n, the ,room should say"
om paramesh9i vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
&humi 4ape viniyo,ah
om idam &humeh &ha4amahe
idam &hadram suman,alam
para sapatnan vadhasva
anyesham vindate dhanam
:=B" At ni,ht replace the %ord ?dhanam@ %ith ?vasum@;$
?2e receive this auspicious offerin, from the earth$ 8epel the enemies, %ho take the
%ealth of others@$
Q A,ni Sanmukhi Karana :respects to the fire;"
!acin, the fire, he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a,ni)sanmukhi)karane viniyo,ah
om eko ha devah pradisho nu sarvah
purvo ha 4atah sa u ,ar&he antah
sa eva 4atah sa 4anishyamanah
pratyan4anas tish9hati sarvato mukhah
?The 'ord is one$ By his order all others e3ist$ #e, %ho %as the first e3istin,, sometimes
appears in the %om& like a human &ein,$ #e has appeared &efore and %ill appear a,ain$
All men are turned to%ards #im, %ho is present every%here@$
Q Trinadi Shodhana :cleanin, the area, stre%in, kusha;"
#e should take kusha ,rass in his ri,ht hand, and startin, from the =orth side of the
mandapa, ,o around, %hile chantin,"
R !ootnote" Placin, the kusha ,rass around the fire is for protection a,ainst 8akshasas$
om kautsa rishih
4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prish9asya shadahasya shash9ehani a,ni)marute shastre parisamuhane viniyo,ah
om kautsah
om imam stomam arhate 4atavedase
rathamiva sanmahema manishaya
&hadra hi nah pramatih asya samsadi
a,ne sakhye ma rishama vayam tava
Q Goin, around the second time, he should chant"
om kautsah
om &haram idhmam krinvama harimshi te
citayantah parvana parvana vayam
4ivatave prataram sadhaya dhiyah
a,ne sakhye ma rishama vayam tava
Q 2hile ,oin, third time he should chant"
om kautsah
om shakema tva samidham sadhaya dhiyah
tve deva havih adantyahutam
tvamadityan a vaha tan hrusmasi
a,ne sakhye ma rishama vayam tava
Q After he should put the kusha in ishanakona :=orth N(ast;$ Then takin, them one &y
one, the stra%s should &e placed on the floor in B lines %ithout chantin, mantras$ #e
should start from =$($ corner, and make one line of kusha stra%s touchin, each other to
the S$($ corner$In the same %ay he should put * more lines ne3t to the first one$ The lines
are touchin, at the point %here they start$ In a similar %ay he should put kusha in B lines,
startin, from S$($ corner and ,oin, to S$2$ corner$ After that B lines from =$2$ corner to
=$($ corner, and from S$2$ corner to =$2$ corner$
Q Svastika =ivedana :%orshippin, the directions;"
#e should offer flo%ers and candana :%hich has &een offered to the 'ord; to the ten
directions$ sayin,"
om etan mahaprasada naivedyadi
purvasyam shri naradaya svaha :(ast;
a,neyam shri kapila devaya svaha :South)(ast;
yamye shri yama&ha,avataya svaha :South;
nairrityam shri &hishmadevaya svaha :South)2est;
praticyam shri shukadevaya svaha :2est;
vayavyam shri 4anakaya svaha :=orth)2est;
udicyam shri sadashivaya svaha :=orth;
aishanyam shri praladaya svaha :=orth)(ast;
urdhvam shri &rahmane svaha :up;
adhah shri &alira4aya svaha :do%n;
Q 6imshati Kash9hika #oma :offerin, t%enty sticks into the fire;"
#e should take t%enty sticks of khadira, palasha, or udum&ara %ood, or kusha ,rass,
%hich are of t%o pradeshas :.A inches; in len,th$ #e should pour a sruva of ,hee over the
middle portion and offer into the fire %ithout mantra %hile meditatin, on 6ishnu$
Q A4ya Samskara :purifyin, the ,hee;"
Takin, t%o &lades of kusha ,rass %ith tips intact he should &ind them %ith a third kusha
and cut them to the len,th of one pradesha %ithout usin, the fin,er nails, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
pavitre vishnuh devata
pavitrecchadane viniyo,ah
om pavitre stho vaishnavyau
?Eh pavitras, you are devotees of 6ishnu$@
Q Sprinklin, them %ith %ater he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
pavitre vishnuh devata
pavitre mar44ane viniyo,ah
om vishnoh manasa pute sthah
?5ou are pure throu,h the desire of 6ishnu$@
Q #e should place them in a copper vessel and pour ,hee into the vessel$ >sin, the thum&
and rin, fin,er of the ri,ht hand he should ,rasp the tips of the kushas and %ith the
thum& and rin, fin,er of the left hand he should ,rasp the root end$ The ri,ht hand should
&e palm up and the left hand palm do%n$ By dippin, the middle portion into the ,hee he
should then offer ,hee into the fire one time, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
a4yam vishnuh devata
a4yat)plavane viniyo,ah
om devas tva savitot punatu
acchidrena pavitrena
vasoh suryasya rashmi&hih svaha
?May Savita purify you %ith this faultless kusha, %ith these rays from the sun$@
Q #e should then offer t%o more o&lations of ,hee into the fire in the same %ay %ithout
mantra$
Q #oldin, the kushas in his left hand, he should sprinkle %ater on them and then usin, the
ri,ht hand, thro% them into the fire$
Q #e should sprinkle the vessel of ,hee %ith %ater and then lo%er it into the =orth part of
the fire three times, and then lay it on stre%n kusha ,rass$
Q Sruva Samskara :purifyin, the spoon;"
The sruva should &e made from khadira, palasha or udum&ara %ood, and of a len,th of
one ?aratni? :distance from el&o% to tip of little fin,er;$ #e should purify the sruva &y
sprinklin, it %ith %ater, then &y lo%erin, it into the =orth part of the fire three times$
Q >dakan4aliseka :takin, &lessin,s for performin, the sacrifice;"
Keepin, his ri,ht knee on the earth and his left knee raised, he should pour %ater from
his cupped hands from 2est to (ast on the South side of the fire, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ananto devata
udakan4aliseke viniyo,ah
om ananta anumanyasva
?Please allo% this rite, Ananta$@
Q #e should pour on the 2est side from South to =orth, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyuto devata
udakan4aliseke viniyo,ah
om acyuta anumanyasva
?Please allo% this rite, Acyuta$@
Q #e should pour on the =orth side from 2est to (ast sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
udakan4aliseke viniyo,ah
om sarasvaty anumanyasva
?Please allo% this rite, Sarasvati$@
Q A,ni paryukshana :sprinklin, %ater around the fire;"
#e should sprinkle %ater around the fire in clock%ise direction"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri aniruddho devata
a,ni)paryukshane viniyo,ah
om pra&ho aniruddha prasuva ya4nam
pra suva ya4napatim &ha,aya
pata sarva &huta sthah
ketapuh ketam nah punatu
va,ishah vacam nah svadatu
?Eh Aniruddha, &rin, forth the sacrifice, &rin, forth the 'ord of the sacrifice for ,ood
fortune$ 5ou are situated every%here$ Purifier of desires, purify our desires$ May the 'ord
of %ords relish our prayers$@
Q 6irupaksha <apa :prayer to the 'ord as 6irupaksha;"
8aisin, his ri,ht knee from the ,round, he should hold fruit, flo%ers, rice and kusha
&et%een his fists, the ri,ht fist &ein, a&ove and the left fist &ein, &elo%$ #e should recite
the follo%in,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
rudra)rupo vishnuh devata
shri maha&ha,avata virupaksha 4ape viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah
om mahantam virupaksham tvam atmana prapadye,
&ha,avata virupaksho 7si dantan4ih tasya te shayya parne,
,riham antarikshe vimitam hiranmayam S
tad devanam hridayani ayasmae kum&he 7nthah sannihitani tani S
&ala&ric ca &alasac ca raksato Jpramani animishat:e; S
tat satyam yatte dvadasha putrah,
te tva samvatsare samvatsare kama prena ya4nena ya4ayitva
punah &rahma acaryam upayanti S
tam deveshu &rahmano 7si, aham manushyeshu, &rahmano vai
&rahmanam upadhavati, upa tva dhavami,
4apantam ma ma prati4apih,
4uhvantam ma ma prati haushih,
kurvantam ma ma pratikarshih
tvam prapadye S tvaya prasuta
idam karma karishyami,
tan me radhyatam
tam me samridhyatam,
tan me upapadyatam S
samudro ma vishvavyacah S &rahma anu4anatu,
tutho ma vishvavedah S &rahma anah putro anu4anatu,
svatro ma pracetah S maitra varuno anu4anatu,
tasmai virupakshaya dantan4aye, samudraya
vishvavyacase, tuthaya vishvavedase, svatraya
pracetase saasrakshaya &rahmanah putraya
parama &ha,avatottamaya namah S
?I surrender %ith &ody, mind and soul to the ,reat, &eautiful Personality of Godhead,
manifested as A,ni, possessed of unlimited eyes and flashin, teeth, %hose restin, place is
under a palasha tree, %hose ,olden a&ode flashes in the sky like li,htenin,, %ho is
accompanied &y all the devatas, %ho are situated in the metal kum&ha$ Bein, full of
stren,th, attentive and un&linkin,, 5ou %atch for demons$
5ou are manifest in t%elve forms, kno%n as 5our sons$ Those aspirants %ho, throu,hout
the years, %orship 5ou %ith sacrifices, achieve the spiritual status of Brahman$
5ou are the &est amon,st the devas$ May I &ecome the &est amon,st men &y &ecomin,
5our devotee$ #e %ho is part of the 'ord, follo%s after the 'ord$ May I thus seek after
5ou$ May I not offend &y my faulty chantin,, my faulty offerin,s, my faulty activities$
I surrender to 5ouH inspired &y 5ou, I perform this activity$ May it &rin, me satisfaction$
May it &rin, me spiritual prosperity$ May I reach the ultimate ,oal$
5ou are the all)pervadin, Personality, unlimited ocean$ Be merciful upon me$ 5ou are
Tutha, 6ishvadeva, and the son of Brahma$ Be merciful upon me$ 5ou are the deliverer
from fear, the %isest one, the sun and the moon$ Please &e merciful upon me$
To the many)eyed, smilin, 'ord, the all pervadin, ocean of mercy, to the all po%erful, all
%ealthy, all stron,, all kno%in,, all perceivin, Personality, the son of Brahma, the
Supreme 'ord, possessor of all opulences, I pay my respects$@
Q #e should thro% the rice to the =orth (ast, and ,ive the flo%ers and fruit to the &rahma
priest$
Q Then he should say"
om tapash ca te4as ca shraddha ca
hrish ca satyam ca akrodhash ca
tya,ash ca dhritish ca dharmash ca sattvan ca
vak ca manash ca atma ca &rahma ca
tani prapadye, tani mam avantu
?I surrender to austerity, ener,y, faith, humility, truth, a&sence of an,er, renunciation,
patience, ri,hteousness, ,oodness, %ords, mind, soul$ May they &e merciful upon me$@
Q Amantrika #oma :silent homa;"
#e should thro% ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th %ith flo%ers and ,andha into the
fire silently$
Q 6astra Paridhapana :puttin, on ne% cloth;"
After the ,room has completed the kushandika rites, one of the friends of the ,room
should take a pot of %ater &rou,ht from a permanent &ody of %ater )) %hich is covered
%ith a cloth Nand pass silently &y the (ast side of the fire to the South side and stand
facin, =orth$ Another friend should follo% him and stand &ehind him holdin, a rod for
stirrin, food %hile cookin,$
En the 2est side of the fire should &e placed a %inno%in, &asket filled %ith four
handfuls of popped rice :for prosperity; mi3ed %ith sami leaves :representin, A,ni, for
fertility;$
Beside the &asket should &e placed a ,rindin, stone %ith its pestle, and to the 2est of that
a mat made of &irana or kusha ,rass, covered %ith cloth$
The ,room should present to the &ride upper and lo%er clothes, %hich are ne% and
%ashed, %hich she should accept :and may put on;$
Presentin, the lo%er cloth, the ,room says"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
adho)vastra paridhapane viniyo,ah
om ya akrintan avayan ya atanvata yash ca devyo antan a&hitah atatantha
tas tva devyo 4arasa samvyayanta ayushmatidam paridhatsva vasah
?May the devatas %ho cut, %ove and stretched the cloth and se%ed up the hems, clothe
you %ith lon, life$ E 2oman, &lessed %ith lon, life, put on the cloth$@
Presentin, the upper cloth, he %ill say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
utariya)vastra paridhapane viniyo,ah
om pari dhatta dhatta vasasainam shatayushim krinuta dir,ham ayuh
shatam ca 4iva sharadah suvarca vasuni carye vi&hra4asi 4ivan
?Besto% to her cloth, ,ive her lon, life, a hundred years$ =o&le %oman, live a hundred
autumns, and %hile you live, &rin, spiritual %ealth to your hus&and$@
Q Sindhura Dana"
#e should put sindhura on her forehead sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
sindhura)dane viniyo,ah
om sindhor)iva pradhavane shu,hanaso
vata pramiyah patayanti yahvah
,hritasya dhara arusho nah va4i
kash9ha &hindan urmi&hih pinvamanah
?!lashin, like the sun, like streams of rushin, %ater, stron, and full of life the streams of
,hee fall upon the fire$ 'ike fast steeds carryin, the offerin,, &reakin, throu,h all
o&stacles, the ,hee s%ells in %aves, dissolvin, the %ood$@
The ,room should lead the &ride to the fire and say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
pratyuh kanya)nayana 4ape viniyo,ah
om somo dadad ,andharvaya ,andharvo dadad a,naye
rayim ca putramsh cadada,nirs mahyam atha imam
?Soma ,ave you to Gandharva, Gandharva ,ave you to A,ni$ !or the hi,hest %ealth and
sons, A,ni has ,iven you to me$@
The ,room should lead the &ride to the mat on the 2est side of the fire so that her ri,ht
foot touches the &order of the kusha mat$ #e should make her say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
dvipa44a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ka9apada)pravartane viniyo,ah
om pra me patiyanah panthah kalpatam shiva arish9a patilokam ,ameyam
?'et the path my hus&and treads &e prepared for me$ May I enter into his house in &liss
and safety$@
Q A4ya #oma :The ,rooms o&lations for the &ride7s %elfare;"
The &ride should sit on the mat facin, the fire on the ,room7s ri,ht side$ The ,room
should put ,hee soaked %ood into the fire %ithout mantra, then perform Mahavyahriti
#oma %ith ,hee"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
She should then stand and %hile touchin, the ri,ht shoulder of the ,room %ith her ri,ht
hand, the ,room should offer si3 o&lations of ,hee, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ati4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a4ya home viniyo,ah
om vishnuh etu prathamo vai sarve&hyah so Jsyai pra4am muncatu mrityu pashat
tad ayam pra&huh acyutah anumanyatam yatheyam stri pautram a,ham na rodat
svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
?'et 6ishnu, ,o first amon,st all &ein,s, 'et #im release the &ride7s children from the
ropes of death$ May 'ord Acyuta a,ree to this, so that this %oman %ill never lament the
death of a son$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ati4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a4ya home viniyo,ah
om imam krishnah trayatam ,arhapatyah pra4am)asyai 4aradash9im krinotu
ashunyopahasta 4ivatam astu mata pautram anandam a&hivivudhyatam iyam
svaha ) idam krishnaya idam na mama
?May Krishna protect her in household life$ May #e ,ive her children until old a,e$ May
she live %ithout a&sence of children at her &reast$ May she &e a mother, kno%in, the &liss
of raisin, children$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
shakvari chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a4ya home viniyo,ah
om harih te prish9ham rakshatu vishnuh uru nara narayanau
stanadvayamte putran shri krishna&hirakshat)vavasasah )
paridhanad anantah asya avatara)&hirakshantu pashcat
svaha ) idam haraye idam na mama
?May #ari protect your &ack and 6ishnu, your thi,hs$ May =ara)=arayana protect your
t%o &reasts, and may Krishna protect your sons until they %ear cloth$ May Ananta and all
#is avataras protect you from &ehind$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ati4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a4ya home viniyo,ah
om ma te ,riheshu nishi ,hosha utthad)anyatra tvat rudratyah samvishantu
ma tvam rudati ur) a vadhish9ha 4ivapatni pati)loke vira4a pashyanti pra4am )
su)manasyamanam
svaha ) idam krishnaya idam na mama
?May lamentation not arise in your house at ni,ht$ 'et %eepin, %omen enter other
houses$ May you not &e %eepin,, strikin, your &reasts in sorro%$ May you &e ,lorious,
livin, as a partner in your hus&and7s house seein, children, maintainin, no&ility of &ody
and mind$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
upavish9ad &rihati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a4ya home viniyo,ah
om apra4asyam pautra)marttyam papmanam utavai a,ham
shirshnah sra4am ivonmucya dvishad&hyah prati)muncami pasham
svaha ) idam krishnaya idam na mama
?I free myself from the noose of ,reat sins causin, a&sence of offsprin, and death of
sons$ Discardin, this ,arland from the head, I flin, it to the enemies of ri,hteous life$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a4ya home viniyo,ah
om paraitu mrityuh amritam ma,ad )vaivasvato no a&hayam krinotu
param mrityo anuparehi pantham yatra no anya itaro devayanat
cakshushmate shrinvate te &ravimi ma nah pra4am ririsho mota viran
svaha ) idam krisnaya idam na mama
?May death ,o else%here and may immortality come to me$ May 6aivasvata remove all
cause of fear$ Go, death, upon some distant path, not on the path of saintly men$ Death,
do not harm my valiant children$ I say this to you, %ho can see and hear$@
Q 6yasta Samasta Mahavyhriti #oma"
The ,room should offer four o&lations of ,hee"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
Q 'a4a #oma and Ashmakramana :o&lations of popped rice and mountin, the stone;"
The &ride and ,room should stand$
The ,room, passin, &ehind the &ride, should ,o to the South side :her ri,ht side; and face
=orth$
#e should hold &oth her hands in his ri,ht hand$
The mother of the &ride, her &rother or a &rahmana should place the ,rindin, stone and
pestle in front of the &ride and place her ri,ht foot on the stone$
The ,room should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ashmakramane viniyo,ah
om imam ashmanam aroha ashmeva tvam sthira &hava
dvishantam apa vadhasva ma ca tvam dvishatam adhah
?Mount this stone and like a stone &e steadfast in devotion at the feet of the 'ord$
Annihilate those %ho %ould harm you$ May you never fall under their influence$@
The ,room should place t%o sruvas of ,hee in the &rides cupped hands and the mother of
the &ride should place one fifth of the la4a over the ,hee$
The ,room should pour t%o sruvas of ,hee over the la4a$
The &ride, %ithout separatin, her hand, should pour the la4a into the fire$
The ,room should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishi
uparish9a)4yotishmati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
la4a home viniyo,ah
om iyam nary)upa&rute a,nau la4an avapatni
dir,hayur astu me patih shatam varshani 4ivatvedhantam nau hari &haktih
svaha ) idam krishnaya idam na mama
?This %oman speaks, %hile offerin, la4a to the fire" May my hus&and &e lon, lived, may
he live a hundred years$ May our devotion to the 'ord flourish$@
The pair should circumam&ulate the fire, %ith the %ife in front$
The ,room should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
kanya)parinayane viniyo,ah
om kanyala pitri&hyah patilokam yatiyamapa dikshamashash9a
kanya uta tvaya vayam dhara udanya ivati ,ahemahi dvisha
?The &ride is ,oin, from her parent7s house, to the house of the ,room,
havin, done her duties %ell &efore her &etrothal$Eh &ride, help us to remove the enemies,
as a flood of %ater cleans the earth$@
8eturnin, to the stone a,ain, the ,room, facin, =orth, should take the &ride7s hand in his
ri,ht hand$
The mother should place the &ride7s ri,ht foot on the stone, and stand %ith the &asket of
la4a$
The ,room %ill say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ashmakramane viniyo,ah
om imam ashmanam arohashmeva tvam sthira &hava
dvishantam apa vadhasva ma ca tvam dvishatam adhah
?Mount this stone and like a stone &e steadfast in devotion at the feet of the 'ord$
Annihilate those %ho %ould harm you$ May you never fall under their influence$@
The &ride should receive la4a and ,hee in her hands and offer into the fire$
The ,room %ill say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
uparish9ad &rihati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
la4a home viniyo,ah
om vishnum nu devam kanya harim ayakshata
sa imam devo vishnuh preto muncatu mam uta
svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
?The ,irl has made sacrifice to 6ishnu, to #ari$ May 6ishnu, the Supreme 'ord, release
her and me$@
A,ain the ,room %ith the &ride %ill circumam&ulate the fire, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
la4a home viniyo,ah
om kanyala pitri&hyah patilokam yatiyamapa dikshamashash9a
kanya uta tvaya vayam dhara udanya ivati ,ahemahi dvisha
?The &ride is ,oin, from her parent7s house, to the house of the ,room,
havin, done her duties %ell &efore her &etrothal$Eh &ride, help us to remove the enemies,
as a flood of %ater cleans the earth$@
The mother %ill a,ain put the &ride7s ri,ht foot on the stone"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ashmakramane viniyo,ah
om imam ashmanam arohashmeva tvam sthira &hava
dvishantam apa vadhasva ma ca tvam dvishatam adhah
?Mount this stone and like a stone &e steadfast in devotion at the feet of the 'ord$
Annihilate those %ho %ould harm you$ May you never fall under their influence$@
The &ride %ill receive la4a and ,hee and offer into the fire$
The ,room %ill say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
uparish9ad &rihati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
la4a home viniyo,ah
om vishnum nu devam kanya harim ayakshata
sa imam devo vishnuh preto muncatu mam
ta
svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
?The ,irl has made sacrifice to 6ishnu, to #ari$ May 6ishnu, the Supreme 'ord, release
her and me$@
They %ill a,ain circumam&ulate"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
kanya)parinayane viniyo,ah
om kanyala pitri&hyah patilokam yatiyamapa dikshamashash9a
kanya uta tvaya vayam dhara udanya ivati ,ahemahi dvisha
?The &ride is ,oin, from her parent7s house, to the house of the ,room,
havin, done her duties %ell &efore her &etrothal$Eh &ride, help us to remove the enemies,
as a flood of %ater cleans the earth$@
The ,room should then pour t%o sruvas of ,hee on the ed,e of the %inno%in, &asket,
place the remainin, la4a there and add t%o more sruvas of ,hee and offer the contents of
the &asket into the fire, sayin,"
om svish9i krite shri acyutaya svaha$
?This is an offerin, unto Acyuta, %ho makes everythin, auspicious$@
Q Sapta Padi Gamana :takin, seven steps;"
2ith rice)flour paste seven small circles should &e dra%n in a line ,oin, in the =orth)
eastern direction$ The ,room should lead the &ride to step into each circle$ She should
place the ri,ht foot first, the left &ehind$ The ,room should say"
ma vama)padena dakshina padam akrama
?Don7t let the left foot cross &eyond the ri,ht$@
2ith the first step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ekapad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ekapada)kramane viniyo,ah
om ekamishe vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu lead you to stren,th$@
2ith the second step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
dvipad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dvipada)kramane viniyo,ah
om dve ur4e vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu lead you to po%er$@
2ith the third step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
tripad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
tripada)kramane viniyo,ah
om trini vrataya vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu led you to uphold your vo%s$ ?
2ith the fourth step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
catushpad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
catushpada)kramane viniyo,ah
om catvari mayo&havaya vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu lead you to happiness$@
2ith the fifth step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
pancapad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
pancapada)kramane viniyo,ah
om panca pashu&hyo vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu lead you to plenty of co%s$@
2ith the si3th step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
sha9pad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
sha9pada)kramane viniyo,ah
om shadrayas poshaya vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu lead you to multiplyin, spiritual %ealth$@
2ith the seventh step he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
saptapad virat chandah
shri vishnuh devata
saptapada)kramane viniyo,ah
om sapta sapta&hyo hotra&hyo vishnus tva nayatu
?May 6ishnu lead you to maintain the seven sacrifices$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
samiki)pankti chandah
shri harih devata
pada)kramanantaram ashasane viniyo,ah
om sakha saptapadi &hava
sakhyan te ,ameyam
sakhyan te ma yoshah
sakhyan te ma yosh9hyah
?Be my companion for life, fi3ed in seven vo%s$ May I attain companionship %ith you$
Do not &reak this &ond$@
The ,room should address the assem&led ,uests"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishi
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vivaha)prekshaka4ana mantrane viniyo,ah
om su man,aliriyam vadhurimam samete pashyata
sau&ha,yam asyai dattva yathastam viparetana
?This %ife is most faithful$ ome and &ehold her$ #avin, &rou,ht her ,ood fortune, you
may no% depart$@
The friend holdin, the %ater pot should then approach the seven circles &y passin, on the
2est side of the fire and sprinkle first the ,room7s head, then the &ride7s head$
(ach time the ,room should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vasudevasya devata
murdha&hishecane viniyo,ah
om saman4antu vasudevah samapo hridayami nau
sam matarishva sandhata samudesh9ri dadhatu nau
?May 6asudeva and all #is e3pansions anoint us as one$ May the %ater make our hearts
one$ May the lord of the %ind, our maintainer make us one$ May her lordship make us
one$@
2ih the completion of Sapta Padi Gamana the &ride and ,room are considered married$
Q Pani Grahanam :takin, the &ride7s hands;"
The ,room should take the &ride7s t%o hands in his left hand and %ith his ri,ht hand he
should ,rasp the thum& of the upturned ri,ht hand of the &ride$
The ,room should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
sanakadayo devata
,rihita)kanyapane patyuh 4ape viniyo,ah
om ,ri&hnami te sau&ha,atvaya hastam maya patya 4aradash9ir yathasah
sanaka)sanatana)sanandana)sanat kumarah mahyam tvaduh ,arha patyaya karshnah
?!or ,ood fortune I hold your hand, so that you may attain old a,e in the company of
your hus&and$ The four kumaras have ,iven you to me for performance of household
duties as a devotee of Krishna$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
,rihita)kanyapane patyuh 4ape viniyo,ah
om a,hora cakshuh apati,hnedhi shiva pashu&hyah sumanah suvarcah
virasuh 4ivasuh krishna kama syona sanno &hava dvipade sam catushpade
?Be ,entle)eyed, protectin, your hus&and$ Be kind to the animals, &e ,ood minded,
&eautiful$ Be the mother of heroes, mother of life, dear to Krishna, &rin,in, the hi,hest
happiness$ Be ,ood to us, &oth man and &east$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
4a,ati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
,rihita)kanyapane patyuh 4ape viniyo,ah
om a nah pra4am 4anayatu vishnuh a4arasaya samanaktu krishnah
adurman,alih patilokam avisha sanno &hava dvipade sam catushpade
?May 6ishnu ,enerate pro,eny for us$ May Krishna keep us to,ether until old a,e$ (nter
your hus&and7s house, %ith auspiciousness$ Be ,ood to us, &oth man and &east$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
,rihita)kanyapane patyuh 4ape viniyo,ah
om imam tvam vishno midhvah suputram su&ha,am kridhi
dashasyam putran adhehi patim ekadasham kuru
?Eh 6ishnu, impre,nate her, make fine, stron, sons$
Put ten sons in her, make eleven men in the house$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
,rihita)kanyapane patyuh 4ape viniyo,ah
om samran4i shvasure &hava
samran4i shvashrvam &hava
nanandari ca samran4i &hava
samran4i adhi devrishu
?Be the ruler of your hus&and7s father$ Be the ruler of your hus&and7s mother$
Be the ruler of your hus&and7s sisters$ Be the ruler of your hus&and7s &rothers$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
,rihita)kanyapane patyuh 4ape viniyo,ah
om mama vrate te hridayam dadhatu mama cittam anu cittam te Jstu
mama vac eka mana 4ushasvashri vishnuh tva niyunaktu mayam
?May your heart &e fi3ed on my life7s ,oals$ May your mind follo% after mine$
2ith &ody and soul &e devoted to my %ords$ May 6ishnu 4oin us to,ether$@
Q 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
2ith the &ride on his left the ,room should offer ,hee"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
#e should then offer ,hee)soaked %ood %ithout mantra, and then perform Sha9yayana
#oma, recite the 6amadevya Ganam prayers, perform the other rites of the >dicya
Karma, and ,ive dakshina to the &rahmanas$ But if on the day of the %eddin, the
athurthi #oma is performed, the Sha9yayana #oma should &e performed after that$
Q >ttara 6ivaha :su&seGuent rites;"
The ,room should esta&lish the fire named ?yo4aka@ in the kunda %hen the stars are
visi&le in the sky$ 2hile the &ride sits silently, the ,room should thro% %ood into the fire
silently, then perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma$
Then the ,room should offer ,hee into the fire si3 times %ith the follo%in, mantras,
sprinklin, the remnants from the sruva on the &ride7s head$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
uttara vivahe pani,rahanasya4ya home viniyo,ah
om lekha sandhishu pakshmasv)avarteshu ca yanite
tani te purnahutya sarvani shamayamy)aham svaha
?2hatever lies inauspicious in the com&inations of markin,s, in your eyelids, in the curls
of your hair, I nullify that &y this final sacrifice$@
om kesheshu yac ca papaka nikshite rudite ca yat
tani te purnahutya sarvani shamayamy)aham svaha
?2hatever faults lie in your hair and in your %eepin,, I nullify that &y this final
sacrifice$@
om shileshu yac ca papakam &hashite hasite ca yat
tani te purnahutya sarvani shamayamy)aham svaha
?2hatever faults lie in your character, in your %ords and in your smile, I nullify that &y
this final sacrifice$@
om arokeshu ca danteshu hastayoh padayosh ca yat
tani te purnahutya sarvani shamayamy)aham svaha
?2hatever faults lie in your ,lances, in your teeth, in your hands and feet, I nullify that
&y this final sacrifice$@
om urvor upasthe 4an,hayoh sandhaneshu ca yani te
tani te purnahutya sarvani shamayamy)aham svaha
?2hatever faults lie in your thi,hs, in your hips, in your ankles and in your 4oints, I
nullify that &y this final sacrifice$@
om yani kani ca ,horani sarvan,eshu tava&havan
purnahuti&hir a4yasya sarvani tany)ashishamam svaha
?2hatever %as inauspicious in the parts of your &ody, I have nullified &y this final
sacrifice$@
Q Dhruva Darshana :vie%in, the pole star;"
The ,room and &ride should rise and ,o outside$ The ,room should point out the pole star
to her and make her vo%"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri dhruva)priyo devata
dhruva)darshane viniyo,ah
om druvam asi dhruvaham
pati kule shri vishnu vaishnava sevasu &huyasam
shri $$$$$ :his name; adhikarinah anu,ata shri $$$$$ :her name; devy)aham
?5ou are the pole star, fi3ed forever$ May I &e fi3ed like the pole star in my hus&and7s
house, in the service of 6ishnu and his devotees$@
#e should sho% her the constellation Arundhati, situated in the ,reat &ear or seven sa,es,
and make her recite the follo%in,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
arundhati darshane viniyo,ah
om arundhaty) avaruddhaham asmi
?Eh Arundhati, faithful %ife of 6asish9ha :one of the seven sa,es;,
as a %ife, I also am no% fi3ed, in my hus&and7s house$@
The ,room should look at his %ife and say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
kanyanu)mantrane viniyo,ah
om dhruva dyauh dhruva prthivi
dhruvam vishvam idam 4a,at
dhruvasah parvata ime
dhruva stri pati kule
shri vishnu vaishnava sevasu iyam
?!i3ed is the sky, fi3ed is the earth$ !i3ed is the %orld, the universe$
!i3ed are these mountains, fi3ed is this %ife, in her hus&and7s house, in the service of
6ishnu and his devotees$@
The &ride should say"
$$$$$$$$ ,otra shri :her name; devi aham
&ho &havantam $$$$$$$$ :hus&and7s; ,otram a&hivadaye
?I, &ein, of $$$$$$$$ ,otra, salute you, hus&and, of $$$$$$$$ ,otra$@
The ,room should respond"
om krishna matih &hava saumye
?!i3 your mind in Krishna$@
A %oman %ith hus&and and child should lead them to a pedestal and sprinkle %ater over
them from a pot usin, man,o leaves$
The hus&and should ,o to the fire, perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma,
and then silently offer ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire$
#e should perform >dicya Karma$
Q Bho4ana"
The ,room should take mahaprasadam rice sayin, the follo%in, mantras"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
mahaprasadanna &ho4ane viniyo,ah
om shri mahaprasadannenanena prana sutrena vishnuna
&adhnami satya ,ranthina manash ca hridayam ca te
?By this mahaprasadam, the thread of life, By 6ishnu, &y the knot of hi,hest truth,
I &ind your mind and heart$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
shri vishnu)vaishnava)sevana)karmasu dampatyoh hridayaikya)prathane viniyo,ah
yad etad hridayam tava
tad astu hridayam mama
tad idam hridayam mama
tad astu hridayam tava
?2hat is your heart, let that &e my heart$ 2hat is my heart, let that &e yours$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
dvipa44a,ati chandah
shri harih devata
annasutoi viniyo,ah
om annam pranasya panktim shah
tena &adhnami tva :%ife7s name; asau
?This is nourishment for the five airs of life$ By this I &ind you, $$$$$$$$devi :%ife7s name;$@
The ,room should eat, then the &ride should eat the remnants$ !or three ni,hts the %ife
should take mahaprasadam only and maintain &rahmacarya, sleepin, on the ,round, :not
on a &ed;$
Q 5anarohana :mountin, the vehicle;"
En the fourth mornin, after the %eddin,, the hus&and should lead the %ife to a vehicle
sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
yanarohane viniyo,ah
om su kimshukam shalmalim vishvarupam suvarna)varnam sukritam sucakram
aroha surye amritasya na&him syonam patye vahatum krinushva
?Eh efful,ent %oman, mount this ,olden %ell)made carria,e, %ith fine %heels,
containin, the %hole universe, the source of immortality, &ri,ht as the sun$ Make it carry
you to your hus&and7s house$@
At the crossin, of four roads, %hile travellin, he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
catushpathadya)mantrane viniyo,ah
om ma vidan paripanthino yasidanti dampati su,e&hir dur,amatitamp)adrantu
ratayah
?May those that oppose the couple not succeed$ May %e pass the hard 4ourney pleasantly$
May the foes melt a%ay$@
Steppin, from the vehicle the ,room should sin, the 6amadevya Ganam$
#e should lead the &ride into his house$ Some married %omen %ith children should seat
the &ride comforta&ly and the ,room %ill say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
asano)paveshane viniyo,ah
om iha ,avah pra4ayadhvam ihashva iha purushah
iho premna samarcito shri vasudevo vira4atam
?#ere may the co%s, the horses and the men multiply %ith offsprin,$ #ere may 6ishnu,
%orshipped %ith love, remain ,lorious$@
Q Dhriti #oma"
(nterin, his house, the ,room should perform Kushandika rites, esta&lishin, the fire
named ?dhriti@, perform silent homa %ith ,hee)soaked %ood, and then 6yasta Samasta
Mahavyahriti #oma$
#e %ill then offer ei,ht o&lations of ,hee sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dhriti home viniyo,ah
om iha dhritih svaha
?May constancy rei,n in this house@
om iha svadhritih svaha
?May self control rei,n in this house$@
om iha ratih svaha
?May there &e deli,ht here$@
om iha ramasva svaha
?Please en4oy this house$@
om mayi dhritih svaha
?May constancy rei,n %ithin me$@
om mayi svadhritih svaha
?May self control prevail %ithin me$@
om mayi ramah svaha
?May there &e deli,ht for me$ ?
om mayi ramasva svaha
?May you find pleasure in me$@
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma, and offer ,hee)soaked %ood
into the fire silently$
The &ride should ,ive salutations to his family, statin, her father7s ,otra"
:father7s ,otra; ,otrasya shri :her o%n name; aham &ho &havatah a&hivadaye
?I, named$$$$$$, of$$$$$$$$,otra, pay my respects to you$@
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, recite the 6amadevya Ganam prayers, perform the
other rites of >dicya Karma and ,ive ,ifts to the priests and 6aishnavas$
Q aturthi #oma"
After the Dhriti #oma, on the fourth day after the marria,e, the hus&and should perform
Kushandika rites and call the fire named ?Shikhi@ After silently offerin, ,hee soaked
%ood into the fire and performin, 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahrti #oma the hus&and
should place his %ife on his ri,ht side and place a pot of %ater mi3ed %ith tulasi,
candana, flo%ers and kusha on the South side of the fire$ The hus&and should offer
t%enty o&lations of ,hee into the fire %ith the follo%in, mantras :as prayashcitta to
remove any elements in his %ife that oppose faith in 'ord 6ishnu;$
After each o&lation the remainin, drops of ,hee in the sruva should &e put in the
%aterpot$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri krishno devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om krishna prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittir asi)
dasastva nathakama upadhavami yasya avaishnavi lakshmis tam asya apa4ahi
svaha ) idam krishnaya idam na mama
?E Krishna, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant and
desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the misfortune of non)vaishnavic
tendencies in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri keshavo devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om keshava prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittir asi)
dasastva nathakama upadhavami yasya avaishnavi lakshmis tam asya apa4ahi
svaha ) idam keshavaya idam na mama
?E Keshava, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the misfortune of non)vaishnavic
tendencies in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ,ovindo devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om ,ovinda prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittir asi)
dasastva nathakama upadhavami ya asya avaishnavi lakshmis tam asya apa4ahi
svaha ) idam ,ovindaya idam na mama
?E Govinda, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the misfortune of non)vaishnavic
tendencies in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri narayano devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om narayana prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittir asi)
dasatva nathakama upadhavami yasya avaishnavi lakshmis tam asya apa4ahi
svaha) idam narayanaya idam na mama
?E =arayana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the misfortune of non)vaishnavic
tendencies in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri krishna keshava ,ovinda narayanashcatasro devatah
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om krishna keshava ,ovinda narayanah prayashcittayo yuyam 4ivanam prayashcittayah
stha
daso vo nathakama upadhavami yasya avaishnavi lakshmis tamsya apa4ahi
svaha ) idam krishna keshava ,ovinda narayane&hya idam na mama
?E Krishna, Keshava, Govinda, =arayana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho
atones$ Bein, 5our servant and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the
misfortune of non)vaishnavic tendencies in her$@
The hus&and should no% offer o&lations to remove Avaishnava 'akshmi : the
personification of strife and &ad luck; if she is present in his %ife$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri hareh devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om hare prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah &hakti,hni tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam haraye idam na mama
?E #ari, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant and
desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to devotion in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri madhavo devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om madhava prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah &hakti,hni tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam madhavaya idam na mama
?E Madhava, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to devotion in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ananto devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om ananta prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah &hakti,hni tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam anantaya idam na mama
?E Ananta, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant and
desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to devotion in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri madhusudano devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om madhusudana prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah &hakti,hni tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam madhusudanaya idam na mama
?E Madhusudana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our
servant and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to devotion in
her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri hari madhava ananta madhusudanashcatasro devatah
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om hari madhava ananta madhusudanah prayashcittyah yuyam 4ivanam prayashcittyah
sta
daso vo nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah &hakti,hni tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam hari madhava ananta madhusudana&hyah idam na mama
?E #ari, Madhava, Ananta, Madhusudana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho
atones$ Bein, 5our servant and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the
o&stacles to devotion in her$@
The hus&and should offer o&lations to remove o&stacles in &e,ettin, sons"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om vishnu prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam vishnave idam na mama
?E 6ishnu, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant and
desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to &e,ettin, sons in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri nrisimho devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om nrisimha prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam nrisimhaya idam na mama
?E =risimha, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to &e,ettin, sons in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyuto devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om acyuta prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam acyutaya idam na mama
?E Acyuta, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant and
desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to &e,ettin, sons in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri 4anardano devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om 4anardana prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam 4anardanaya idam na mama
?E <anardana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles to &e,ettin, sons in her$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnu nrisimhacyuta 4anardanashcatasro devatah
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om vishnu nrisimhacyuta 4anardanah prayashcittyah yuyam 4ivanam prayashcittyah sta
daso vo nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam vishnu nrisimhacyuta 4anardana&hyah idam na mama
?E 6ishnu, =risimha, Acyuta, <anardana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho
atones$ Bein, 5our servant and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the
o&stacles to &e,ettin, sons in her$@
The hus&and should offer the follo%in, o&lations to remove o&stacles in raisin, co%s"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vasudevo devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om vasudeva prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah apashavya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam vasudevaya idam na mama
?E 6asudeva, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles in raisin, co%s$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri sankarshano devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om sankarshana prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam sankarshanaya idam na mama
?E Sankarshana, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our
servant and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles in raisin, co%s$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri pradyumno devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om pradyumna prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam pradyumnaya idam na mama
?E Pradyumna, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles in raisin, co%s$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri aniruddho devata
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om aniruddha prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam aniruddhaya idam na mama
?E Aniruddha, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant
and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the o&stacles in raisin, co%s$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vasudeva sankarshana pradyumnaniruddhah catasro devatah
cathurthi home viniyo,ah
om vasudeva sankarshana pradyumnaniruddhah prayashcitte tvam 4ivanam prayashcittih
asi
dasah tva nathakama upadhavami
ya asyah aputrya tanuh tam asyah apa4ahi svaha
idam vasudeva sankarshana pradyumnaniruddha&hyah idam na mama
?E 6asudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna, Aniruddha, in this act of atonement, 5ou are the
one %ho atones$ Bein, 5our servant and desirin, 5our shelter, I entreat 5ou to destroy the
o&stacles in raisin, co%s$@
Then a married %oman %ho has children should make the ,room and &ride stand and
should lead them to the =orth side of the fire takin, the %ater pot %ith the ,hee remnants$
She should sprinkle this on the heads of the ,room and &ride usin, leaves$The ,room
should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahrti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
#e should offer ,hee)soaked %ood into the fire %ithout mantra$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of udicya
karma$
>dicya Karma
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma :remedial sacrifice; to allay any faults in the
performance, &e,innin, %ith the Sankalpa$
om vishnuh
om tat sat
WWWWWW:time and place;
WWWWWW karmani :name of ceremony;
yat kincit vai,unya 4atam
tad dosha prasamanaya
shri krishna smaranam purvakam
sha9yayana homam aham kurviya
Q #e should call the fire named ?6idhu?,%orship #im as mentioned &efore and offer ,hee
and %ood of one pradesha len,th into the fire %ithout mantra, then perform the
Mahavyahrti #oma
#e should recite the follo%in, verse meditatin, on Krishna"
om krishno vai saccidananda ,hanah
krishnah adi purushah krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishna sa ha sarvaikaryah
krishnah kasham krit adisha mukha pra&hu pu4yah
krishno7nadis tasmin a4andantar &ahye
yan man,alam tal la&hate kriti
?'ord Krishna is the color of a ne% rain)cloud, therefore #e is compared to a
transcendental cloud full of eternity, &liss and co,niFance$ #e is the ori,inal and Supreme
Person$ #e is the ori,in of all activities and the one and only 'ord of all$ #e is the
%orshipful 'ord of the &est of demi,ods, the controller of Brahma, 6ishnu and Shiva$
Krishna is %ithout any &e,innin,$ 2hatever auspiciousness is found %ithin or &eyond
this universe the devotee o&tains in Krishna alone$@
#e should then perform the Prayashcitta #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om pahi no 7cyuta enase svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Eh Acyuta, ,ive us protection from our sins$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om pahi no vishva vedase svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Eh 'ord, ,ive us protection for the &enefit of the universe$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om ya4nam pahi hare vi&ho svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Eh 'ord of all opulences, protect this ya4na$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om sarvam pahi shriyah pate svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Eh 'ord of 'akshmi, protect everythin, here$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om pahi no Dnanto ekaya pahi uta dvitiyaya
pahi ur4am trtiyaya pahi ,ir&his catashri&hih vishno svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Eh Ananta, &y this first o&lation protect us, and &y the second also, preserve our stren,th
&y the third, &y the four prayers protect us$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om punah ur4a nivartasva punah vishnor isa ayusah
punah na pahi ahamsah svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Stren,th, come forth, 6ishnu come forth %ith food and lon, life$ Protect us from sin$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om saha rayya nivartasva vishno pinvasva dharaya
vishvapsya vishvatas pari svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?ome forth %ith everythin, ,ood$ E 6ishnu, increase like streams of milk from a co%,
E 6ishnu, throu,hout the universe$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om a4natam yad ana4natam ya4nasya kriyate mithuh
vishno tad asya kalpaya tvam hi vekha yatha tatham svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?E 6ishnu, rectify %hatever %as performed %ron,ly, consciously or unconsciously, in
this sacrifice$ >nderstand our sincere intention$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
prayashcitta home viniyo,ah
om pra4apateh vishno nat tvat etani anyo
vishva 4atani pari ta &a&huva
yat kamah te 4uhuma tat no 7stu
vaya,m syama patayo rayinam svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?E 6ishnu, master of all creatures, there is no one &esides 5ou$ The 'ord has
encompassed everythin,$ 2ith desire for 5ou, %e have sacrificed unto 5ou$ May those
desires &e fulfilled$ May %e &ecome the masters of spiritual %ealth$@
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahrti #oma a,ain and offer %ood in the fire$
6aishnava #oma
#e should first offer o&lations to the Panca Maha)&ha,avatas"
om vishvaksenaya svaha idam vishvaksenaya idam na mama
om sanakaya svaha idam sanakaya idam na mama
om sanatanaya svaha idam sanatanaya idam na mama
om sanandanaya svaha idam sanandanaya idam na mama
om sanat kumaraya svaha idam sanat kumaraya idam na mama
#e should then offer o&lations to the =ava)5o,endras"
om kavaye svaha idam kavaye idam na mama
om havaye svaha idam havaye idam na mama
om antarikshaya svaha idam antarikshaya idam na mama
om pra&uddhaya svaha idam pra&uddhaya idam na mama
om pippalayanaya svaha idam pippalayanaya idam na mama
om avihotraya svaha idam avihotraya idam na mama
om drumilaya svaha idam drumilaya idam na mama
om camasaya svaha idam camasaya idam na mama
om kara&ha4anaya svaha idam kara&ha4anaya idam na mama
#e should offer o&lations to the Dasha Maha)&ha,avatas"
om naradaya svaha idam naradaya idam na mama
om kapilaya svaha idam kapilaya idam na mama
om yama&ha,avataya svaha idam yama&ha,avataya idam na mama
om &hishmadevaya svaha idam &hishmadevaya idam na mama
om shukadevaya svaha idam shukadevaya idam na mama
om 4anakaya svaha idam 4anakaya idam na mama
om sadashivaya svaha idam sadashivaya idam na mama
om praladaya svaha idam praladaya idam na mama
om &rahmane svaha idam &rahmane idam na mama
om &alira4aya svaha idam &alira4aya idam na mama
Then to the follo%in, personalities"
om svayam &huvaya svaha idam svayam &huvaya idam na mama
om ,arudaya svaha idam ,arudaya idam na mama
om hanumate svaha idam hanumate idam na mama
om am&arishaya svaha idam am&arishaya idam na mama
om vyasadevaya svaha idam vyasadevaya idam na mama
om uddhavaya svaha idam uddhavaya idam na mama
om yudhish9hiraya svaha idam yudhish9hiraya idam na mama
om &himaya svaha idam &himaya idam na mama
om ar4unaya svaha idam ar4unaya idam na mama
om nakulaya svaha idam nakulaya idam na mama
om sahadevaya svaha idam sahadevaya idam na mama
om viduraya svaha idam viduraya idam na mama
om vishnurataya svaha idam vishnurataya idam na mama
om vi&hishanaya svaha idam vi&hishanaya idam na mama
Then he should offer o&lations to the follo%in, personalities"
om shri krishna chaitanyaya svaha
idam ,auraya idam na mama
om shri nityanandaya svaha
idam nityanandaya idam na mama
om shri advaitaya svaha
idam advaitaya idam na mama
om pandita ,adadharadi&hyah svaha
idam pandita ,adadharadi&hyah idam na mama
om shrivasadi&hyah svaha
idam shrivasadi&hyah idam na mama
om shri rupaya svaha
idam rupaya idam na mama
om shri sanatanaya svaha
idam sanatanaya idam na mama
om &ha99a ra,hunathaya svaha
idam &ha99a ra,hunathaya idam na mama
om shri 4ivaya svaha
idam 4ivaya idam na mama
om ,opala &ha99aya svaha
idam ,opala &ha99aya idam na mama
om dasa ra,hunathaya svaha
idam dasa ra,hunathaya idam na mama
om diksha ,urave svaha
idam diksha ,urave idam na mama
om shiksha ,uru&hyah svaha
idam shiksha ,uru&hyah idam na mama
om shri navadvipa dhamne svaha
idam navadvipa dhamne idam na mama
om mayapura yo,api9haya svaha
idam mayapura yo,api9haya idam na mama
#e should then offer ahutis to the Krishna Preyasis"
om antaran,ayai svaha idam antaran,ayai idam na mama
om paurnamasyai svaha idam paurnamasyai idam na mama
om padmayai svaha idam padmayai idam na mama
om mahalakshmyai svaha idam mahalakshmyai idam na mama
om ,an,ayai svaha idam ,an,ayai idam na mama
om yamunayai svaha idam yamunayai idam na mama
om sarasvatyai svaha idam sarasvatyai idam na mama
om ,opyai svaha idam ,opyai idam na mama
om vrindayai svaha idam vrindayai idam na mama
om ,ayatryai svaha idam ,ayatryai idam na mama
om tulasyai svaha idam tulasyai idam na mama
om prithivyai svaha idam prithivyai idam na mama
om ,ave svaha idam ,ave idam na mama
om yashodayai svaha idam yashodayai idam na mama
om devahutyai svaha idam devahutyai idam na mama
om devakyai svaha idam devakyai idam na mama
om rohinyai svaha idam rohinyai idam na mama
om sitayai svaha idam sitayai idam na mama
om draupadyai svaha idam draupadyai idam na mama
om kuntyai svaha idam kuntyai idam na mama
om rukminyai svaha idam rukminyai idam na mama
om satya&hamayai svaha idam satya&hamayai idam na mama
om 4am&avatyai svaha idam 4am&avatyai idam na mama
om na,na4ityai svaha idam na,na4ityai idam na mama
om lakshmanayai svaha idam lakshmanayai idam na mama
om kalindyai svaha idam kalindyai idam na mama
om &hadrayai svaha idam &hadrayai idam na mama
om mitravindayai svaha idam mitravindayai idam na mama
The %orshipper of Shri Gopala should offer o&lations to Shridama etc
om shridamne svaha idam shridamne idam na mama
om sudamne svaha idam sudamne idam na mama
om stoka)krishnaya svaha
idam stoka)krishnaya idam na mama
om lavan,aya svaha idam lavan,aya idam na mama
om ar4unaya svaha idam ar4unaya idam na mama
om vasudamne svaha idam vasudamne idam na mama
om vishalaya svaha idam vishalaya idam na mama
om su&alaya svaha idam su&alaya idam na mama
om shri ramaya svaha idam shri ramaya idam na mama
om shri krishnaya svaha idam shri krishnaya idam na mama
om narma sakhi&hyah svaha
idam narma sakhi&hyah idam na mama
om priya narma sakhi&hyah svaha
idam priya narma sakhi&hyah idam na mama
om sahacare&hyah svaha
idam sahacare&hyah idam na mama
om sarva ,opale&hyah svaha
idam sarva ,opale&hyah idam na mama
om nandaya svaha idam nandaya idam na mama
om upanandaya svaha idam upanandaya idam na mama
om sunandaya svaha idam sunandaya idam na mama
om mahanandaya svaha idam mahanandaya idam na mama
om shu&hanandaya svaha idam shu&hanandaya idam na mama
om prananandaya svaha idam prananandaya idam na mama
om sadanandaya svaha idam sadanandaya idam na mama
The devotees of Shri Shri 8adha) Krishna should perform Krishnavarana #oma and offer
o&lations to the priya sakhis, sahacaris, ran,inis, Shri 'alita and the other Gopis,
&e,innin, %ith o&lations to the spiritual masters"
om ,urave svaha idam ,urave idam na mama
om sarve&hyo mahanta ,uru&hyah svaha
idam sarve&hyo mahanta ,uru&hyah idam na mama
om caitya ,urave svaha idam caitya ,urave idam na mama
om varshas&hanavi ,andharvike kartikadevi shri krishna priye sarveshvari
klim shri vrindavana sevadhikara prade
shrim hrim tu&hyam shri radhikayai svaha
idam radhikayai idam na mama
om krishno vai saccidananda ,hanah
krishnah adi purushah krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah sa ha sarvaikaryah
krishnah kasham krit adisha mukha pra&hu pu4yah
krishno 7nadis tasmin a4andantar &ahye
yan man,alam tal la&hate kriti
klim krishnaya svaha ) idam krishnaya idam na mama
om lalitayai svaha idam lalitayai idam na mama
om syamalayai svaha idam syamalayai idam na mama
om vishakhayai svaha idam vishakhayai idam na mama
om campakalatayai svaha idam campakalatayai idam na mama
om sucitrayai svaha idam sucitrayai idam na mama
om tun,avidyayai svaha idam tun,avidyayai idam na mama
om indulekhayai svaha idam indulekhayai idam na mama
om ran,adevyai svaha idam ran,adevyai idam na mama
om sudevyai svaha idam sudevyai idam na mama
om kundalatayai svaha idam kundalatayai idam na mama
om dhanyayai svaha idam dhanyayai idam na mama
om man,alayai svaha idam man,alayai idam na mama
om padmayai svaha idam padmayai idam na mama
om shai&yayai svaha idam shai&yayai idam na mama
om &hadrayai svaha idam &hadrayai idam na mama
om citrotpalayai svaha idam citrotpalayai idam na mama
om palyai svaha idam palyai idam na mama
om tarayai svaha idam tarayai idam na mama
om kun4akalikayai svaha idam kun4akalikayai idam na mama
om nikun4akalikayai svaha idam nikun4akalikayai idam na mama
om sukhakalikayai svaha idam sukhakalikayai idam na mama
om rasakalikayai svaha idam rasakalikayai idam na mama
om pramodayai svaha idam pramodayai idam na mama
om dhanish9hayai svaha idam dhanish9hayai idam na mama
om tulasyai svaha idam tulasyai idam na mama
om ramayai svaha idam ramayai idam na mama
om ramyayai svaha idam ramyayai idam na mama
om vimvosh9hyai svaha idam vimvosh9hyai idam na mama
om rasadayai svaha idam rasadayai idam na mama
om anandadayai svaha idam anandadayai idam na mama
om kalavatyai svaha idam kalavatyai idam na mama
om rupa man4aryai svaha idam rupa man4aryai idam na mama
om anan,a man4aryai svaha idam anan,a man4aryai idam na mama
om rati man4aryai svaha idam rati man4aryai idam na mama
om ,una man4aryai svaha idam ,una man4aryai idam na mama
om lavan,a man4aryai svaha idam lavan,a man4aryai idam na mama
om vilasa man4aryai svaha idam vilasa man4aryai idam na mama
om rasa man4aryai svaha idam rasa man4aryai idam na mama
om karpura man4aryai svaha idam karpura man4aryai idam na mama
om sarva sakhi&hyah svaha
idam sarva sakhi&hyah idam na mama
om sarva sahacari&hyah svaha
idam sarva sahacari&hyah idam na mama
om sarva san,ini&hyah svaha
idam sarva san,ini&hyah idam na mama
om sarva ran,ini&hyah svaha
idam sarva ran,ini&hyah idam na mama
om vrisha&hanu&hyah svaha
idam vrisha&hanu&hyah idam na mama
om vrisha&hanu ,ane&hyah svaha
idam vrisha&hanu ,ane&hyah idam na mama
om kirtidayai svaha idam kirtidayai idam na mama
om sarva karshne&hyah svaha
idam sarva karshne&hyah idam na mama
om sarva vaishnave&hyah svaha
idam sarva vaishnave&hyah idam na mama
om sarva vaishnavi&hyah svaha
idam sarva vaishnavi&hyah idam na mama
Then he should offer o&lations to the follo%in,"
om narayanaya svaha idam narayanaya idam na mama
om karana&dhishayine svaha
idam karana&dhishayine idam na mama
om ,ar&hodashayine svaha
idam ,ar&hodashayine idam na mama
om kshira&dhishayine svaha
idam kshira&dhishayine idam na mama
om vaikun9ha dhamne svaha
idam vaikun9ha dhamne idam na mama
om vasudevaya svaha idam vasudevaya idam na mama
om sankarshanaya svaha
idam sankarshanaya idam na mama
om pradyumnaya svaha
idam pradyumnaya idam na mama
om aniruddhaya svaha
idam aniruddhaya idam na mama
om ,oloka dhamne svaha
idam ,oloka dhamne idam na mama
om mathura dhamne svaha
idam mathura dhamne idam na mama
om dvaraka dhamne svaha
idam dvaraka dhamne idam na mama
om matsyaya svaha idam matsyaya idam na mama
om kurmaya svaha idam kurmaya idam na mama
om varahaya svaha idam varahaya idam na mama
om nrisimhaya svaha idam nrisimhaya idam na mama
om vamanaya svaha idam vamanaya idam na mama
om sankarshana ramaya svaha
idam sankarshana ramaya idam na mama
om ra,hunatha ramaya svaha
idam ra,hunatha ramaya idam na mama
om 4amada,nya ramaya svaha
idam 4amada,nya ramaya idam na mama
om &uddhaya svaha idam &uddhaya idam na mama
om kalkine svaha idam kalkine idam na mama
om sarve&hyo ,unavatare&hyah svaha
idam sarve&hyo ,unavatare&hyah idam na mama
om sarve&hyo manvantaravatare&hyah svaha
idam sarve&hyo manvantaravatare&hyah idam na mama
om hamsaya svaha idam hamsaya idam na mama
om ya4naya svaha idam ya4naya idam na mama
om dattatreyaya svaha
idam dattatreyaya idam na mama
om prithave svaha idam prithave idam na mama
om danvantarye svaha idam danvantarye idam na mama
om mohinyai svaha idam mohinyai idam na mama
om vira4e svaha idam vira4e idam na mama
om satya yu,avataraya shuklamurtaye svaha
idam satya yu,avataraya shuklamurtaye idam na mama
om treta yu,avataraya raktamurtaye svaha
idam treta yu,avataraya raktamurtaye idam na mama
om dvapara yu,avataraya krishnamurtaye svaha
idam dvapara yu,avataraya krishnamurtaye idam na mama
om kali yu,avataraya pitamurtaye svaha
idam kali yu,avataraya pitamurtaye idam na mama
om shri vrindavana dhamne svaha
idam vrindavana dhamne idam na mama
om vrindavanaya svaha
idam vrindavanaya idam na mama
om dvadasha vane&hyah svaha
idam dvadasha vane&hyah idam na mama
om dvatrimshata upavane&hyah svaha
idam dvatrimshata upavane&hyah idam na mama
om shrim klim vra4avasi sthavara 4an,ama saparikara shri radha)krishna&hyah svaha
idam radha)krishna&hyam idam na mama
#e should offer %ood dipped in ,hee of a pradesha len,th into the fire %ithout mantra
and perform udakan4ali seka and a,ni paryukshana"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri aniruddho devata
a,ni paryukshane viniyo,ah
om pra&ho aniruddha prasuva ya4nam
pra suva ya4napatim &ha,aya
pata sarva &huta sthah
ketapuh ketam nah punatu
va,ishah vacam nah svadatu
?E Aniruddha, &rin, forth the sacrifice, &rin, forth the 'ord of the sacrifice for ,ood
fortune$ 5ou are situated every%here$ Purifier of desires, purify our desires$ May the 'ord
of %ords relish our prayers$@
2ith the follo%in, mantras, he should perform the udakan4ali seka &y sprinklin, %ater
on the South side from 2est to (ast sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ananto devata
udakan4ali seke viniyo,ah
om ananta anvamamsthah
?Ananta please sanction this$@
#e should sprinkle %ater on the 2est side from South to =orth, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyuto devata
udakan4ali seke viniyo,ah
om acyuta anvamamsthah
?Acyuta please sanction this$@
#e should sprinkle %ater on the =orth side from 2est to (ast sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
udakan4ali seke viniyo,ah
om sarasvaty anvamamsthah
?Sarasvati please sanction this$@
Q Dar&ha <utika #oma :offerin, ,rass into the fire;"
#e should take some kusha ,rass in his hands %ith palms up%ards$ #e should sprinkle
the kusha %ith ,hee three times, on the tips, middle portion and root portion, recitin, the
follo%in, mantra each time"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dar&ha)trna)&hya4ane viniyo,ah
om aktam rihana vyantu vayah
?May this sprinklin, of ,hee produce &lessin,s$@
Q #oldin, the kusha in his left hand, he should then sprinkle the kusha ,rass %ith %ater
and thro% into the fire usin, his ri,ht hand, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anushtupa chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dar&ha)4utika)homa viniyo,ah
om &ho vaishnavanam)adhipate vishno
rudrah tanticaro vrisha
pashun asmakam ma himsit
etad astu hutam tava svaha
?Eh 6ishnu, 'ord of the devotees, let this &e an offerin, to you so that 8udra, %ho
%anders near the tied up co%s, does not harm our animals$@
Q Purna Ahuti :final offerin,;"
Standin, up he should make the final offerin, of mahaprasadam, cloth, thread, ,andha,
,arland, sandal%ood, flo%ers, fruit, and &etel, into the fire sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
virad ,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vishnu)dasya yashaskamasya ya4aniya)prayo,e viniyo,ah
om purna homam yashase vishnave 4uhomi
yah asmai vishnave 4uhomi
sa varam asmai dadati
vishnoh varam vrine
yashasa &hami loke svaha
?I make this final offerin, to 6ishnu, %ho is fame$ 2hoever makes an offerin, to 6ishnu
,ives the most select items as offerin,$ I choose the &est for 6ishnu$ May my stay in this
%orld lead to ,lory$@
Q Shanti Dana :sprinklin, prokshana %ater over the fire;"
The hotri should ,o around the fire and release the knot from the kusha ,rass &rahma,
then return to his seat$ Sittin,, he should sprinkle %ater from the a&hyukshana patra on
the =orth (ast part of the fire, repeatin, the Shanti Dana mantras three times"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
shanti)karmani 4ape viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah
kaya nashcitra a&huvaduti sada vridhah sakha
kaya shacish9haya vrita
om &hur &huvah svah
kastva satyo madanam mam hish9ho matsadandhasah
drida cidaru4e vasu
om &hur &huvah svah
a&hi shunah sakhinam avita 4aritrinam
shatam &havasyutaye
?The 'ord is %orshippa&le$ #e is our helper, constantly e3pandin,$ #e is our eternal
friend$ #e displays this throu,h #is %onderful activites$
5ou are the %orshippa&le a&solute truth and the source of all pleasura&le e3perience$
Bein, stron,, 5ou &reak the opposition of the foes$
5ou are the protector of those %ho sin, 5our praises$ 5ou are affectionate to those %ho
accept 5ou as a friend$ Be %ith us a hundred times, to ,ive us protection, E $@
om svasti no ,ovindah
svasti no 7cyutanantau
svasti no vasudevo vishnur dadhatu
svasti no narayano naro vai
svasti nah padmana&hah purushottamo dadhatu
svasti no vishvakseno vishveshvarah
svasti no hrishikesho harir dadhatu
svasti no vainateyo harih
svasti no 7n4anasuto hanur &ha,avato dadhatu
svasti svasti suman,alai kesho mahan
shri krishnah saccidananda ,hanah sarveshvareshvaro dadhatu
om dyauh shantih
antariksha,X shantih
prithivi shantih
apah shantih
vayuh shantih
te4ah shantih
oshadhayah shantih
lokah shantih
&rahmana shantih
vaishnava shantih
shantir astu dhritir astu
om shantih om shantih om shantih
?May there &e peace in the heavenly planets, in the ether, on the earth, in the %ater, in the
air, in the li,ht, in the her&s, in all the planetary systems, %ith the &rahmanas, %ith the
6aishnavas$ 'et there &e peace, let there &e satisfaction$@
#e should ,ive dakshina to the 6aishnavas that have pancaratrika initiation and to the
&rahmanas present, accordin, to his a&ility$
The hotri should chant the acchidra)vacana and vai,unyasamadana :to allay any faults;
To the &est of his a&ilitiy, he should serve all the elevated 6aishnavas and other livin,
entities %ith ,reat care$
The devotees should perform Krishna)samkirtana as nicely as possi&le$ The ,room
should pay dandavatas to all$ This is the udicya karma$
This ends the 6ivaha rites$
Gar&hadhanam
:Impre,nation;"
In the mornin,, the hus&and after performin, acamana and his daily sandhya rites should
chant the Purusha Sukta and accordin, to the scriptural rules, %orship 'ord =arayana and
#is 6aishnava parshadas$ That same evenin, at an auspicious time, he should mi3 co%)
urine, mud and %ater and smear it on the ,round$ #e should face a Deity of the 'ord or
Shri Shala,rama and after recitin, the 6ishnu Smaranam and Svasti 6acanam, he should
offer an ar,hya. to the Shala,rama or the Deity of the house in a conch or earthen vessel
five times %ith the follo%in, mantras$
om 4a,annatha maha&aho
sarvopadrava nashana
nava pushpotsave me7r,hyam
,rihana 4a,adishvara
etad)ar,hyam ) om shri vishnave namah
om narayana hare rama
,ovinda ,aruda)dhva4a
navapushpotsve me 7r,hyam
,rihana parameshvara
etad)ar,hyam ) om shri vishnave namah
om dina&andho kripa sindho
paramananda madhava
navapushpotsave me7r,hyam
,rihana madhusudana
etad)ar,hyam ) om shri vishnave namah
om vishvatman vishva&andho
vishvesha vishvalocana
navapushpotsave me7r,hyam
,rihana syamasundara
etad)ar,hyam ) om shri vishnave namah
om cidananda hrishikesha
&haktavashya 4anardana
navapushpotsave me7r,hyam
,rihana kamalapate
etad)ar,hyam ) om shri vishnave namah
?Eh Supreme 'ord, at this festive occasion %ith fresh flo%ers please accept the ar,hya
offered &y me$@
2ith the %orship of 'ord 6ishnu and the 6aishnavas completed, he should procede to the
place %here he %ill unite %ith his %ife$ Before offerin, the ar,hya, or 4ust &efore the act
of union, the hus&and should &e clean and decorated %ith sandal%ood pulp and %earin,
nice cloth$
The hus&and facin, (ast, should situate himself &ehind his seated %ife$ 2ith his ri,ht
hand reachin, over her ri,ht shoulder he should touch her yoni sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnu acyuta hari 4a,adisha devata
,ar&hadhane viniyo,ah
om vishnuh yonim kalpayatu
acyuto rupani pimshatu
asincatu harih ,ar&ham
4a,adisho dadhatu te
?May 6ishnu prepare the yoniH may Acyuta fashion the formsH may #ari carry out the
fertiliFationH may <a,adisha present the child to you$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri ,ar&hodashayi nara)narayano devata
,ar&hadhane viniyo,ah
om ,ar&ham dhehi ,ar&hodashayin ,ar&ham te naranarayanau
adhattam pushkara sra4au
?Gar&hodashayi 6ishnu please &esto% the childH =ara)=arayana, &edecked %ith lotus
,arlands, please ,ive her the child$@
Touchin, her navel he should say"
om dir,hayusham krishna &haktam
putram 4anaya suvrate
?Eh virtuous %ife, &ear a lon,)livin, son, a devotee of Krishna$@
Then they should unite$
This is the Gar&hadhana rite accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
Pumsavana
:8ite for makin, a male child;
In the case of a first pre,nancy this rite should &e performed durin, the third month of
pre,nancy$
R!EET=ET("
It may &e performed later for other pre,nancies, %hen the si,ns of pre,nancy &e,in to
sho%$ Manu says that it should &e performed %hen the foetus &e,ins to move in the
%om&$ Some commentators say the rite should &e performed on the first pre,nancy only,
and not durin, the follo%in, pre,nancies$
It should &e performed %hen the moon is in a male constellation$
The %oman should fast, &athe and put on a ne% cloth$
(=D !EET=ET(
The hus&and havin, taken his mornin, &ath, should %orship 'ord 6ishnu and %orship
the ,uru parampara %ith 6ishnu maha)prasada and caranamritam
#e should then set up a ya4na, performin, Kushandika rites, callin, the fire named
?andra,@ and endin, %ith virupaksha 4apa$
#e should seat his %ife to his o%n ri,ht side on the 2est side of the fire upon a
kushasana$ They should &oth face (ast$
Silently he should place ,hee)soaked %ood of one pradesha len,th into the fire and then
perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahrti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
The hus&and, standin, &ehind his %ife, should touch her ri,ht shoulder, then her navel,
repeatin, the follo%in, mantra three times"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri mahavishnu vasudevacyutananta ,ovinda vishnavo devatah
pumsavane viniyo,ah
om pumamsau mahavishnu vasudevau
pumamsau acyutanantau u&hau
puman ,ovindash ca vishnush ca
puman ,ar&has tavodare
? May the Supreme 'ord, the Supreme Male, Mahavishnu, 6asudeva, Acyuta, Ananta,
Govinda and 6ishnu, and the male child reside in your %om&$@
#e should then perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma, and then thro% ,hee)
soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should then perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of
>dicya Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas$
This is the Pumsavana rite accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
R!EET=ET("
Accordin, to some te3ts the 4uice from crushed &anyan leaf sprouts should &e poured into
her ri,ht nostril to ,ive her stren,th at this time$
Durin, the time of pre,nancy she should avoid havin, se3, sleepin, in the daytime,
stayin, a%ake at ni,ht, e3ertin, herself physically, ridin, in vehicles, takin, pur,atives,
e3periencin, all types of mental strain, and eatin, spicy, overly)salty, sour, or heavy
foods$
(=D !EET=ET(
Simantonnayanam
:Partin, the 2ife7s #air;
In the fourth, si3th or ei,hth month of the first pre,nancy, Simantonnayanam should &e
performed$ If the Gar&hadhana and Pumsavana ceremonies have not &een performed yet,
they should &e done on this day, follo%ed &y the Simantonnayanam ceremony$
Rfootnote"
Accordin, to the Ashvalayana Smriti" ?(vil demons, &ent on suckin, the &lood, come to
the pre,nant %oman to devour the feotus$ In order to remove them, the hus&and should
perform simantonnayanam$ !rom the fourth month of pre,nancy the formation of the
mind of the child &e,ins, therefore the pre,nant %oman is reGuired to take the utmost
care to avoid any physical shock to the feotus$@
Markandeya Purana says" ?E &rahmana, 6irupa and 6ikriti ,enerally d%ell in trees,
trenches, ramparts and seas$ They are al%ays in search of pre,nant %omen$ Therefore,
they should not visit these places$@
Padma Purana says" ?A pre,nant %oman should not &athe in a river, ,o to a deserted
house, sit on an ant hill or scratch the earth %ith her nails$ She should not &e continually
sleepin, and dormant, she should avoid e3ercise, she should not touch husk, coal, ashes
and skulls, she should avoid ar,uin, %ith her family, she should not leave her hair
dishevelled and never remain impure$ 2hile sleepin, she should not have her head facin,
=orth, nor should she sleep naked or %et footed$ She should not utter inauspicious %ords,
nor lau,h too much$@
Matsya Purana says" ?A pre,nant %oman should not take meals durin, t%ili,ht, should
not stay under the shade of a tree, she should &athe %ith %arm %ater mi3ed %ith
medicinal her&s, ,ive charity, %orship 6ishnu$ She should avoid s%ift %alkin,, clim&in,
stairs and mountains, keepin, a%ake at ni,ht, or eatin, saline, sour, hot, stale and heavy
foods$ The son of a %oman %ho o&serves these rules &ecomes lon,)lived and talentedH
other%ise a&ortion takes place %ithout a dou&t$@
The hus&and should &athe, perform 6ishnu Pu4a and Sattvika 6riddhi Shraddha$ #e
should prepare the ya4na &y performin, Kushandika, callin, in the fire called ?Man,ala@,
and perform all the rites to the end of 6irupaksha <apa$
If he has not performed the Gar&hadhana or Pumsavana rites he should perform them &y
chantin, the sankalpa &e,innin, %ith ? om vishnur) ? etc and then perform the
Sha9yayana #oma$
#e should then perform the Gar&hadhana and Pumsavana rites accordin, to the te3t$
#e should then perform the Simantonnayanam samskara as follo%s"
After takin, her &ath, the %ife should &e seated facin, (ast, on the 2est side of the fire
on the ri,ht hand side of her hus&and upon kusha %ith tips facin, =orth$
The hus&and should thro% ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha lten,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
Standin, &ehind his %ife and facin, (ast the hus&and should, %ith silk strin,, tie t%o
udum&ara fruits :fi,s; %ith the stalks still attatched, or &arley sprouts, alon, %ith nima,
mustard and &ael, around his %ife7s neck, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
udum&ara)phalayu,ala)&andane viniyo,ah
om ayam ur4avato vriksha
ur4iva phalini &hava
parnam vanaspate nutva
nutva ca suyatam rayih
?'ike this stron, tree, &ecome fruitful and stron,$ Kin, of trees, havin, &rou,ht forth
a&undant leaves may she &rin, forth fruit$@
#oldin, three pin4alis, he should dra% them over the part in her hair from front to &ack
and &ind them at the side, sayin,"
Rfootnote"
A pin4ali is t%o &lades of kusha ,rass of pradesha len,th &ound to,ether &y a third of the
same len,th$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dar&ha)pin4ali&hih simattonnayane viniyo,ah
om &hur
Takin, three more pin4alis, he should place it in her hair in the same manner, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dar&ha)pin4ali&hih simattonnayane viniyo,ah
om &huvah
Takin, three more pin4alis, he should a,ain place them in her hair in the same manner
sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
dar&ha)pin4ali&hih simattonnayane viniyo,ah
om svah
Takin, a porcupine Guill, the hus&and should pass it over her part, and fi3 it in her hair,
sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
sharena simattonnayane viniyo,ah
om yena aditeh simanam nayati
pra4apatih vishnuh mahate sau&ha,aya
tena aham asyai simanam nayami
pra4am asyai 4aradash9im krinomi
?I part her hair %ith the instrument %ith %hich Pra4apati 6ishnu parts the hair of Aditi, for
,reat fortune$ In this %ay I create lon, livin, sons for her$@
!astenin, the Guill in her hair, he should dra% a spindle full of thread over the part of his
%ife7s hair and fi3 in the hair sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
4a,ati chandah
shri ramo devata
sutra)purn)tarkuna simattonnayane viniyo,ah
om ramam aham suhavam sush9uti huve
krinotu nah su&ha,a &odhatu atmana
sivyatu apah sucya acchidyamanaya
dadatu viram shatadayamukhyam
?I call the easily approacha&le 'ord %ith %ords of praise$ May the 'ord understand our
needs and fulfil our prayers$ May the fin,er stitch %ith un&roken needle, and may she
&esto% &rave, praise%orthy sons$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
4a,ati chandah
shri ramo devata
trishvetaya shalalya:kash9akaskatikaya; simattonnayane viniyo,ah
om yaste rama sumatayah supeshaso
ya&hih dadasi dasushe vasuni ta&hih
nah adya sumana upa,ahi
sahasra posham su&ha,a raranah
?(ndo%ed %ith 4ust mind and &eauty, you ,ive results to those %ho sacrifice$ 2ith that
,enerous mind, come to us today to &esto% a thousand pro,eny, oh ,iver of fortune$@
Sesame, urad and rice should &e cooked to,ether and ,hee should &e poured over it$
The hus&and should sho% this to the %ife sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vadhuprashne viniyo,ah
om kim pashyasi
?2hat do you seeL@
The %ife should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
stalipakavokshane viniyo,ah
om pra4am pashun sau&ha,yam
dridha krishna &haktitvam avayoh
dir,hayush9vam patyuh
?May there &e offsprin,, animals ,ood fortune, firm Krishna)&hakti for the t%o of us$
May there &e lon, life for my hus&and$@
#e should then perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and thro% ,hee)soaked
%ood of pradesha len,th in the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and &rahmanas$
Then married %omen %ho have livin, children should put the couple on a raised platform
and sprinkle them %ith %ater from a pot sayin,"
&hakta virasus tvam &hava
4ivashus tvam &hava
4ivapatni tvam &hava
?Brin, forth stron, devotees, &rin, forth life, &e a lon,)livin, %ife$@
The %ife should then eat the cooked rice, sesame and urad dahl$
This is the Simantonnayanam rite accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
R!EET=ET("
She should remain silent until the stars appear in the sky$ Then, touchin, a calf, she
should &reak her silence &y sayin, ?&huh &huvah svah@$
(=D !EET=ET(
Shoshyanti #oma
:8ite !or the 2oman A&out to Give Birth;"
R!EET=ET(
A fe% days &efore the &irth of the child, amidst cele&ration and &lo%in, of conch shells,
the %ife should &e moved to the confinement room :sutika ,riha; %hich may &e located
in the South)2est part of the house, facin, (ast$
(=D !EET=ET(
2hen the %ife is a&out to &ear the child, the hus&and should perform this rite for the safe
delivery of the child and the %ife7s ,ood health$
The hus&and should &athe, perform %orship of 6ishnu and 6aishnavas, and Sattvika
6riddhi Shraddha and then recite the sankalpa"
om vishnur
om tat sat
adya
WWWWWWWmase :lunar month ;
WWWWWWWpakshe : lunar fortni,ht;
WWWWWWWtithau :lunar day ;
acyuta ,otrah
WWWWWWW :name;
WWWWWWW:name of %ife; a&hidhanaya madiyapatnyah
sukha prasavartham
shri vishnu smarana purvakam
shoshyanti homam aham kurviya
?En $$$$$$$$$$:date;, for the safe delivery of child of my %ife named $$$$$$$$, I perform this
Shoshyanti #oma$@
#e should perform Kushandika and call the fire named ?Man,ala@, performin, rites to
the end of 6irupaksha <apa$
#e should thro% ,hee)soaked %ood into the fire silently$
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
#e should offer ,hee, 6ishnu caranamrita and prasadam into the fire sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
panktih chandah
shri vishnuh devata
shoshyanti home viniyo,ah
om vishno
ya tirashci nipadyate
aham vidharani iti
tam ,hritasya dharaya
ya4e samradhanim aham
samradhanyai devyai desh9ryai
idam tvat prasadamritam svaha
?E 6ishnu, I %orship %ith streams of ,hee the 'ord7s consort, %ho is pleased &y our
%orship and %ho &rin,s forth the child$ I offer this nectarean prasadam to the merciful
consort of the 'ord$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vipashcin)maha)vishnuh devata
shoshyanti home viniyo,ah
om vipashcit mahavishnuh puccham a&harat
tat dhata punah aharat
pare ehi tvam vipashcit mahavishnuh
puman ayam 4anishyate :name of future child;$dasa sharma
nama svaha
?'ord, perform this sacred rite in the future$ My son, named$$$$$$$$$$, %ill &e &orn$@
Rfootnote" It is mentioned in smriti that the name ,iven at this time is a secret name only
kno%n to the parents, as a matter of protection for the child$ The official name is ,iven at
the time of the =ama Karana samskara$
#e should them perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and should thro% %ood
into the fire %ithout mantra$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and &rahmanas$
This is the Shoshyanti #oma accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
<ata Karma
:eremony at Birth;"
Rfootnote"
<ata karma is performed immediately upon the &irth of the child, %ithin the sutika ,riha$
This ceremony is also called medha 4anana, a ceremony to produce intelli,ence in the
child$
2hen the child emer,es from the %om& the coverin, should &e removed and the child
should &e cleaned$ The father should say"
ma na&him krintata stanyan ca ma datta
?Do not cut the um&ilical cord$ Do not ,ive the &reast milk$@
The father should &athe, and then recite prayers to ,uru parampara and vishnu
smaranam:see the man,alacarana at the &e,innin, of the &ook;$
A &rahmacari, youn, ,irl, pre,nant mother,6aishnava scholar or initiated 6aishnava
should, on a %ashed stone sla&, ,rind rice and &arely into a po%der usin, an unused
stone$ The father should take the po%der usin, the thum& and rin, fin,er of his ri,ht
hand, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri ananto devata
&rihiyavacurnen
4ihva)mar44ane viniyo,ah
om iyam a4na idam annam idam ayuh idam ,hritam
?#ere is the order$ #ere is rice :sustenance;$ #ere is lon, life$ #ere is ,hee$@
#e should place the po%der and some ,hee on the ton,ue of the ne%&orn child, usin, a
,olden spoon, sayin,"
Rfootnote"
Ghee is used &ecause, accordin, to Ayurveda it produces &eauty, memory, intellect,
talent, lustre, stron, semen and lon, life$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri madhava)hari)vamanacyutananta devatah
kumarasya sarpih prashane viniyo,ah
om medham te madhava vamanau
medham harih dadhatu
medham te acyutanantau
adhattam pushkara sra4au svaha
?May Madhava, 6amana, and #ari ,ive you intelli,ence$ May Acyuta and Ananta,
%earin, lotus ,arlands, &esto% intelli,ence to you$@
#e should ,ive ,hee a,ain sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
kumarasya sarpih prashane viniyo,ah
om sadasi ati priyam krishnasya kamyam sanim medham ayasisham svaha
?At this place I have attained the most precious &oon, intelli,ence for understandin,
Krishna$@
#e should ,ive permission to cut the cord &y sayin,"
na&him krintata stanyan ca datta
?ut the cord, ,ive milk$@
The cord should &e tied and cut at the proper place and the child should &e %ashed and
fed &reast)milk$
The father should a,ain take &ath$
This is the <ata Karma rite accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda,
*!EET=ET(
=ishkramanam
:Takin, the hild Eutside !or the !irst Time;"
R!EET=ET("
The mother and child should leave the room of confinement :sutika ,riha;, at the end of
period of impurity after &earin, a child :asauca;, %hich is ten days for the %ife of a
&rahmana, t%elve for the %ife of a kshatriya, fifteen for %ife of a vaishya and thirty for
the %ife of a shudra$
(=D !EET=ET(
The mother and child should remain indoors ho%ever until the third lunar day of the third
%a3in, moon after the child7s &irth$
The child should &e &athed in the mornin,, and at sundo%n the hus&and and %ife should
,o %ith the child to the temple of the 'ord$ They should stand facin, the Deity, the %ife
on the hus&and7s left side$ The child should &e %rapped in a clean cloth$
The %ife should ,ive the child into her hus&and7s hands, and then procede &ehind the
hus&and and stand on his ri,ht side facin, the Deity$
The hus&and should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh sarvatomukho devata
kumarasya shri vishnu darshane viniyo,ah
om ekah purastat ya idam &a&huva
yato &a&huva &huvanasya ,opta
yam apyeti &huvanam samparaye
namami tam aham sarvato mukham
tat pra&ho sarvato mukham
naham pautram a,ham ni,am
?I pay respects to the all)pervadin, 'ord %ho e3isted &efore the material creation, from
%hom emer,ed the protector of the %orlds, and into %hom the %ords mer,e at the time of
destruction$ E all)pervadin, 'ord, may misfortune not come to my son$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh mrityumrityuh devata
kumarasya shri vishnu darshane viniyo,ah
om ya atmada &alada yasay vishve
upasate prashisham yasya devah
yasya chaya amritam yasya mrityuh
kasmai devaya havisha vidhema
tasmat pra&ho mrityu mrityo
naham pautram a,ham risham
?The 'ord, %ho is the ,iver of consciousness, ,iver of stren,th, %hose order all &ein,s in
the universe o&ey, %hose very shado% is immmortality, %ho is death to death personified,
%ho %e should %orship %ith fine offerin,s$ Therefore E 'ord, death of death personified,
may misfortune not come to my son$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri nara)narayanau devate
kumarasya shri vishnu darshane viniyo,ah
om nara)narayanau sharma yacchatam
pra4ayai me pra4apati
yathayam na pramiyate
putro 4anitrya adhi
?May =ara =arayana, the 'ords of procreation, &esto% to the child and to me, the ,ood
fortune that mother and son not &e destroyed$@
Sayin, this he should point out the Deities to his son and offer ar,hya sayin,"
om krishna madhavo ,ovinda pundarikaksha vamana
,rihitar,hyam hrishikesha ramaya sahito mama
#e should then ,ive the child to the mother and sin, 6amadevya Ganam :see the udicya
karma section;$
They should then return home %ith the child$
After three more %a3in, moons, on the third lunar day, at the evenin, sandhya, the father
should ,o to the Deity and offer flo%ers three times sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri maha)vishnuh devatah
kumarasya &ha,avan)murti darshane viniyo,ah
yasmat na 4atah paro anyo asti
ya avivesha &huvanani vishva
pra4apatih pra4aya samvidanah
trini 4yotimshi sacate sa shodasim
etat vidvan mahavishno
naham pautram a,aham rudam
?The 'ord, to %hom no livin, &ein, is superior, %ho has entered the %orlds as the livin,
entities, is the 'ord of the livin, entities, &ut is intimately united %ith them$ The three
luminaries %ith the si3teen phases of li,ht, accompany the 'ord$ All kno%in, 6ishnu,
pervadin, all, may harm not come to our son$@
#e should return home sin,in, 6amadevya Ganam :? om kaya nah citra etc;$ #e may
perform this rite %ithout the son and %ife &ein, present$
This ends the =ishkramanam ceremony$
=ama Karana
:Givin, a =ame to the hild;"
The child should &e named on the tenth, t%elfth, hundred and first day, or one full year
from his &irth$
The father, havin, taken his mornin, &ath, %orshipped 6ishnu and performed Sattvika
6riddhi Shraddha, should perform Kushandika rites to the end of 6irupaksha <apa,
callin, the fire named ?Parthiva@$
#e should offer ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
The mother, holdin, the child covered in clean cloth, should &e situated on the hus&and7s
ri,ht side$
She should ,ive the child to her hus&and and pass &ehind him and come to his left side$
She should sit facin, (ast on kusha ,rass %ith tips facin, =orth$
The hus&and should offer o&lations sayin,"
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om shri vishnave svaha ) vishnave idam na mama
om $$$$$$$$:tithi, e,$ Pratipade; svaha
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om $$$$$$:e,$ Pratipat; tithi devatayai vishnave svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om vaishnave&hyo svaha ) idam sarva vaishnave&hyo idam na mama
om$$$$$$:nakshatra e,$ Ashvinyai; svaha
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om $$$$$$$$$$:e, Ashvini; nakshatra devatayai vishnave svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om vaishnave&hyo svaha
idam sarva vaishnave&hyo idam na mama
The father should touch the mouth, nostrils, eyes, and ears of the child %ith his ri,ht hand
and say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
nama karane viniyo,ah
om ko Jsi katamo Jsi esho Jsi amrito Jsi7 ahaspatyam masam pravisha shri :name of son;
dasa
?5ou are immortal like the 'ord$ Eh$$$$$$$$:name of son; enter in this solar month$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri madhavo devata
nama karane viniyo,ah
om sa tva ahne paridadatu
ahah tva ratriyai paridadatu
ratrih tva aho ratra&hyam paridadatu
aho ratrau tva ardha mase&hyah paridattam
ardha masah tva mase&hyah paridadatu
masah tva ritu&hyah paridadatu
ritavah tva samvatsaraya paridadatu
samvatsarah tva ayushe 4arayai paridadatu
:name of son; dasa
?May the 'ord consi,n you to the day$ May the day consi,n you to the ni,ht$ May the
ni,ht consi,n you to the day and ni,ht$ May day and ni,ht consi,n you to half months$
May the half month consi,n you to the full months$ May the months consi,n you to the
seasons$ May the sasons consi,n you to the year$ May the years consi,n you to lon, life,
oh$$$$$$$$$$$$$:name of child;$@
The hus&and should %hisper the name in the left ear of his %ife sayin,"
shri :name of child; deva sharma ayam te putra
?$$$$$$$$$$$is your son$@
#e should ,ive the child &ack to his %ife7s hands$
#e should offer %ood silently into the fire$
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and offer ,hee)soaked %ood of
pradesha len,th silently into the fire$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and &rahmanas$
This is the =ama Karana rite accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
Paush9ika Karma
:eremony !or ontinuin, #ealth of the hild;"
This ceremony should &e performed every month on the tithi and paksha :%a3in, or
%anin, phase of the moon correspondin, to the tithi and paksha on %hich the child %as
&orn$B
The father should take his mornin, &ath, perform %orship of 'ord 6ishnu and recite
Svasti 6acana :om svasti no ,ovinda etc;$ #e should chant ?om tad vishnoh@ etc and ?om
krishno vai saccidanada ,hana etc$
#e should perform Kushandika endin, %ith 6irupaksha <apa, callin, the fire named
?Balada$@
Then he should offer ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently and
perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
#e should then offer o&lations %ith the follo%in, three mantras"
om acyutananta&hyam svaha )
acyutananta&hyam idam na mama
om damodara purushottama&hyam svaha )
damodara purushottama&hyam idam na mama
om vasudeva vamana vishnu vaikun9hadi&hyah svaha )
vasudeva vamana vishnu vaikun9hadi&hyah idam na mama
#e should then offer o&lations to the tithi and nakshatra devatas sayin,"
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om vishnave$$$$$:tithi name e,$ dvitiya; tithi devatayai svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om vishnave$$$$$$$$$$:nakshatra e,$ Ashvini; devatayai svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
om vaishnave&hyo svaha )
idam sarva vaishnave&hyo idam na mama
The father should offer as many o&lations as he can usin, the mantras ?om tad vishnoh )@
and ?om krishno vai saccidananda)$@
#e should then perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and offer ,hee)soaked %ood
of pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and &rahmanas$
This is the childs7 Paush9ik Karma accordin, to the follo%ers of the Sama 6eda$
Anna Prashana
:!eedin, the !irst Grains;"
In the case of a male child the rite should &e performed in the si3th or ei,th month, on an
auspicious day$ In the case of ,irl, it should &e performed in the fifth or seventh month,
on an auspicious day$
!EET=ET("
This ceremony should not &e performed &efore the fourth month, and not later than a
year, for the sake of the child7s health$ Si,ns of teeth are the indication that the child is
ready for solid foodsI$
(=D !EET=ET(
The father, havin, taken his mornin, &ath and performed 6ishnu and 6aishnava arcana
and Sattvika6riddhi Shraddha, should perform Kushandika to the end of 6irupaksha
<apa, callin, the fire named ?Shuci$@
#e should offer ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently and perform
6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
#e should offer an o&lation of mahaprasadam rice into the fire, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shrimad ananto devata
purushadhi)patyarthasya catushpathe a,nau ananta&himukhasya a4ya home viniyo,ah
om mahaprasadannam vai ekam chandasyam
tat hi ekam &hute&hyah chandayati svaha )
idam sarva &hute&hyah idam na mama
?This mahaprasada rice is an offerin, for the &hutas$@
The father should offer o&lations of ,hee %ith the follo%in, mantras"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shrimad ananto devata
purushadhi)patyarthasya catushpathe a,nau ananta&himukhasya a4ya home viniyo,ah
om shrih vai esha yat sattvano virocano
sankarshano mayi sattvam avadhatu svaha )
idam sankarshanaya idam na mama
?This offerin, is for prosperity$ May 6irocana, Sattvana, Sankarshana &esto% truth in
me$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shrimad ananto devata
purushadhi)patyarthasya catushpathe a,nau ananta&himukhasya a4ya home viniyo,ah
om annasya ,hritam)eva rasah)te4ah
sampadartha tad anantaya 4uhomi svaha )
idam anantaya idam na mama
?Amon, food ,hee is happiness, &eauty, stren,th and no&ility$ I offer it to Ananta for all
success$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shrimad ananto devata
mahaprasada)sevana vrittyavicchattyarthasya sayam pratah kshuddhame viniyo,ah
om vishnave kshudhe svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
?To 6ishnu for hun,er$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shrimad ananto devata
mahaprasada)sevana vrittyavicchattyarthasya sayam pratah kshuddhame viniyo,ah
om shri vishnave kshuta pipasa&hyam svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
?To 6ishnu for hun,er and thirst$@
#e should offer o&lations to the five life airs, sayin,"
om pranaya svaha ) idam pranaya idam na mama
om apanaya svaha ) idam apanaya idam na mama
om samanaya svaha ) idam samanaya idam na mama
om udanaya svaha ) idam udanaya idam na mama
om vyanaya svaha ) idam vyanaya idam na mama
#e should then perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and thro% ,hee)soaked
%ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and &rahmanas$
#e should then feed the child ,rains sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri acyuto devata
kumarasya mahaprasadanna)prashane viniyo,ah
om acyuta
annapate annasya no dhehy)anamivasya shushminah
pradataram tarishah ur4am no dhehi dvipade catushpade svaha
om pranaya svaha
?Eh Acyuta master of food, &esto% food %hich ,ives stren,th and %hich is free from
disease$ 5ou should lead the performer of sacrifice on%ards$ Give stren,th to us and the
animals$ I make this sacrifice to the prana$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri 4anardano devata
kumarasya mahaprasadanna)prashane viniyo,ah
om 4anardana
annapate krinuta annam no dhehi piyusha
asaktam te Jnnam yad yad yu,e no dhehi dvipade catushpade svaha
om apanaya svaha
?Eh <anardana, 'ord of sustenance and food, provide our sustenance, &esto% 5our food
of &liss and immortality$ At all times &esto% upon us, &oth human and &east$ I make this
sacrifice to the apana$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri lakshmi)narayanau devate
kumarasya mahaprasadanna)prashane viniyo,ah
om lakshmi narayanau
annapati annam amritam no dhehi kamala samskritam
te &hukta shesham no dhehi dvipade catushpade svaha
om samanaya svaha
?Eh 'akshmi)=arayana, rulers of sustenance, ,ive us the food of immortality, prepared
&y 'akshmi herself$ Besto% upon us 5our remnants, to the humans and the animals alike$
I make this sacrifice to the samana$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ya4no devata
kumarasya mahaprasadanna)prashane viniyo,ah
om annapate ya4na annam adhiya4nam tvadiyam
no dhehi sarva durla&ham manushyam vai sudhayutam
no dhehi dvipade catushpade svaha
om udanaya svaha
?Eh 'ord of sustenance, ,ive us 5our principal sacrifice, the food of that sacrifice$
Besto% to us the human form and nature so hard ot attain, made eternal$ Besto% that to
us, humans and animals alike$ I make this sacrifice to the udana$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri 4anardano devata
kumarasya mahaprasadanna)prashane viniyo,ah
om annapate 4anardana shad rasam amrita siktam
niveditam te sad annam no dhehi kil&ishapaham
no dhehi dvipade catushpade svaha
om vyanaya svaha
?Eh <anardana, ,ive to us, &oth man and &east, 5our eternal food, that %hich has &een
offered to 5ou, soaked %ith the nectar of the si3 flavors, and capa&le of destroyin, all
sins$ I make this sacrifice to the vyana$@
After the Anna Prashana ceremony, he should ,ive as much dakshina that he possi&ly can
to all the initiated 6aishnavas and to all the vaishnava)&rahmanas$ #e should serve
:prasada; to all the devotees, ,uests and other livin, entities$
After the Anna Prashana the ne3t samskara is Putra Murdha&hi,hranam
This ends the Anna Prashana rites$
Putra Murdha&hi,hranam
:Smellin, the Son7s #ead;"
This may &e performed after the Anna Prashana ceremony, %hile ,ivin, &lessin,s, %hen
the father returns from a lon, 4ourney$
The father should %ash his feet, perform acamana and facin, (ast hold the childs7 head
:or the eldest son7s head first, if there are more than one son;, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri padmana&ho devata
putrasya murddhanam upasam,rihya 4ape viniyo,ah
om an,at an,at samshravasi
hridayat adhi4ayase
pranam te pranena samdadhami
4iva me yavad ayusham
?Breath of life, from lim& to lim& you flo%$ !rom the heart you conGuer$ Eh son, to you
&y my &reathin, I ,ive life$ 'ive a lon, life for me$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
putrasya murddhanam upasam,rihya 4ape viniyo,ah
om an,at an,at sam&havasi
hridayat adhi4ayase
vedo vai putranamasi
sam4iva sharadah shatam
?!rom lim& to lim& you flo%$ !rom the heart you conGuer$ 5our name is the 6eda, eternal
kno%led,e$ 'ive a hundred autumns, a hundred harvests$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri narayano devata
putrasya murddhanam upasam,rihya 4ape viniyo,ah
om asma &hava parashuh &hava
hiranyam amritam &hava
atmasi putra ma mrithah
sam4iva sharadah shatam
?Be like a stone, &e like a thunder&olt, &e immortal %ealth$ Eh son, you are my very self$
Do not die$ 'ive a hundred autumns$@
#e should smell the child7s head, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri purushottamo devata
putra murddha&hi,hrane viniyo,ah
om pashunam tva himkarena
a&hi4i,hrami :name of son;dasa
?Eh $$$$:name of son;, makin, a sound like the &reathin, of the co%s, I smell your head$@
#e should then apolo,iFe for any faults in the ceremony :acchidra vacanam;"
If the father has not ,one on a lon, 4ourney, the ceremony can &e performed %hen the
child can reco,niFe the father$ Ether%ise it is performed after the >panayanam ceremony
This ends the Putra Murdha&hi,hranam$
uda Karanam
:#air uttin, eremony;"
This should &e performed durin, the third or fifth year0$
#avin, performed early mornin, &ath, %orship of 6ishnu and Sattvika 6riddhi Shraddha,
the father should perform Kushandika rites, callin, the fire called ?Satya@$
After completin, 6irupaksha <apa, on the South side of the fire he should place t%enty
one pin4alis :A pin4al is composed of t%o &lades of kusha ,rass of pradesha len,th tied
to,ether &y a third &lade$ These are divided into three ,roups of seven each;$ #e should
also place there a &ell metal vessel %ith %arm %ater, a copper raFor or mirror$ A &ar&er
%ith an re,ular raFor should &e situated there also$
En the =orth side of the fire he should place &ull dun, and a pot of kitchuri made of
sesame, rice and urad)dhal cooked to,ether$
En the (ast side of the fire he should place three cups of ra% rice and &arley, and three
cups of uncooked sesame, rice and urad)dhal$
The mother, %ith the cleanly dressed child in her lap, should sit on kusha ,rass on the
2est side of the fire on the left side of her hus&and, facin, (ast$
The father should offer ,hee soaked %ood in the fire silently, then perform 6yasta
Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
!ollo%in, this the hus&and should rise, and facin, (ast, stand &ehind his %ife$ 'ookin,
to%ards the &ar&er he should meditate on 6ishnu, sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
sarveshvarah shri &ha,avan devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om a ayam a,at sarveshvarah shri &ha,avan kuru kumaram
enam avatu vai mundanam mantravashayina kshurena
?May the 'ord come here and cut the hair of this child %ith this &lade made potent &y
mantra$@
'ookin, at the %arm %ater he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om a ayam a,at shri vishnuh, kuru kumaram
enam avatu vai mundanam ushnodakena
?May 6ishnu come here and cut the hair of the child usin, this %arm %ater$@
#e should take the %arm %ater in his ri,ht hand and apply a&ove the ri,ht ear of the child
sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyuto devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om apa undantu 4ivase
?May these %aters moisten his hair so that he may live lon,$@
'ookin, at the copper raFor or mirror he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om vishnoh damstro Jsi kuru kumaram
enam avatu vai vishnuh sakshat mundanam kshura
?5ou are the teeth of 6ishnu$ May 6ishnu #imself cut the hair of this child$@
#e should place a &undle of the kushas, root side up, over the ri,ht ear of the child,
sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyutananta narayana devatah
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om acyutananta narayanah kurvantu kumaram
enam cira4ivinam aushadhe tryashva enam
?May Acyuta, Ananta and =arayana ,ive this child lon, life$ Eh her&s, protect this
child$@
#oldin, the kusha %ith his left hand, he should place the copper raFor or mirror over the
ri,ht ear of the child sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri sankarshano devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om sankarshanah kuru kumaram
enam avatu vai mundanam svadhite ma enam himsih
?May Sankarshana cut the hair of the child %ithout harmin, him$@
Movin, the copper &lade %ithout cuttin, the hair he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri purushottamo devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om yena purushottamah vasudeva vishnvoracyutasya cavapat
tena te vapami vaikun9hena 4ivatave 4ivanaya dir,haysh9aya &alaya varcase
?!or continued life, lon, life, for stren,th, for &eauty, I shave you %ith this harmless
&lade &y %hich the Supreme 'ord cuts hair$@
Silently he should repeat this t%o more times$
>sin, the re,ular &lade, hair should &e shaved a&ove the ri,ht ear and placed on the &ull)
dun, held &y a friend of the &oy$
The previous seven mantras should &e said %hile shavin, the area &elo% the shikha, and
a,ain %hile shavin, the hair over the left ear$ The cut hair should &e placed on the &ull)
dun,$
#oldin, the child7s head the father should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri 4amada,ni kashyapa,astyadyo devata
cuda karane viniyo,ah
om 4amada,nes tryayusham
om kashyapasya tryayusham
om a,astyasya tryayusham
om yad devanam tryayusham om tat te Jstu tryayusham
?May there &e three lifespans for <amada,ni, for Kashyapa, for A,astya, for the devatas
and for the child$@
The father should take the child to the =orth side of the fire$ The &ar&er should &e
,arlanded$ The &ar&er should face the child (ast or =orth and shave him, leavin, a
shikhaC$ The hair should &e placed on the dun,$ This should &e placed in a forest or
amon,st &am&oo stalks$
Karna 6edha :piercin, the ears; may &e performed at this time :see Appendi3 III;$
The father should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma, thro% ,hee soaked %ood
of one pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ #e should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and &rahmanas$
#e should feed the 6aishnavas and ,uests and ,ive the kitchuri and ,rains around the fire
to the &ar&er$
This ends the uda Karanam rites$
>panayanam
:Takin, the hild Back to Godhead;"
This ceremony should &e conducted countin, ei,ht years from conception or ei,ht years
from the &irth of the son, for &rahmanas, on an auspicious day$
Ether%ise, the ceremony should take place at least &efore the si3teenth year of the child
has passed$ Accordin, to the ori,inal rules, if there is more delay, the child is not entitled
to under,o the ceremony and receive the sacred thread$
:Accordin, to some authorities, the &rahmana child should take the thread &et%een the
a,es of five and si3teenH the kshatriya child should take the thread &et%een the a,es of si3
and t%enty t%oH the vaishya should take the thread &et%een the a,es of ei,ht and t%enty
four;$
The ceremony should &e performed &y an authorised acarya$
$
En the mornin, of the >panayanam ceremony, the acarya should take &ath, perform
%orship of the Supreme 'ord and the 6aishnavas and then perform Sattvika 6riddhi
Shraddha$
#e should then perform Kushandika rites endin, %ith 6irupaksha <apa, callin, the fire
named ?Samud&hava@$
The child should &e fed a little prasadamH he should &e clean)shaved :%ith shikha;,
&athed, decorated, and dressed in one piece of clean silk or cotton cloth$
Passin, &y the =orth side of the fire, the child should sit on the ri,ht hand side of the
acarya, facin, (ast$
The acarya should start &y thro%in, ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire
silently$
#e should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &huvah svaha ) idam acyutaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om svah svaha ) idam narayanaya idam na mama
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
vyasta samasta mahavyahrti home viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah svaha ) idam anantaya idam na mama
The acarya or hotri should offer five o&lations of ,hee sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayana home viniyo,ah
om vishno vratapate vratam carishyami
tat te pra&ravimi
tat shakeyam tenardhyasam
idam aham anritat satyam upaimi svaha )
idam vishnave idam na mama
?Eh 6ishnu, 'ord of scriptural rules$ I reGuest that 5ou ,ive mercy so I can perform this
>panayanam rite$ By this, may I attain success$ To remove illusion I undertake this act of
a&solute truth$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri acyuto devata
upanayana home viniyo,ah
om acyuta vratapate vratam carishyami
tat te pra&ravimi
tat shakeyam tenardhyasam
idam aham anritat satyam upaimi svaha )
idam acyutaya idam na mama
?Eh Acyuta, 'ord of scriptural rules$ I reGuest that 5ou ,ive mercy so I can perform this
>panayanam rite$ By this, may I attain success$ To remove illusion I undertake this act of
a&solute truth$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri narayano devata
upanayana home viniyo,ah
om narayana vratapate vratam carishyami
tat te pra&ravimi
tat shakeyam tenardhyasam
idam aham anritat satyam upaimi svaha )
idam narayanaya idam na mama
?Eh =arayana, 'ord of scriptural rules$ I reGuest that 5ou ,ive mercy so I can perform
this >panayanam rite$ By this, may I attain success$ To remove illusion I undertake this
act of a&solute truth$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
&rihati chandah
shri ananto devata
upanayana home viniyo,ah
om ananta vratapate vratam carishyami
tat te pra&ravimi
tat shakeyam tenardhyasam
idam aham anritat satyam upaimi svaha )
idam anantaya idam na mama
?Eh Ananta, 'ord of scriptural rules$ I reGuest that 5ou ,ive mercy so I can perform this
>panayanam rite$ By this, may I attain success$ To remove illusion I undertake this act of
a&solute truth$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
panktih chandah
shri sankarshano devata
upanayana home viniyo,ah
om sankarshana vratanam vratapate vratam carishyami
tat te pra&ravimi
tat shakeyam tenardhyasam
idam aham anritat satyam upaimi svaha )
idam sankarshanaya idam na mama
?Eh Sankarshana, 'ord of scriptural rules$ I reGuest that 5ou ,ive mercy so I can perform
this >panayanam rite$ By this, may I attain success$ To remove illusion I undertake this
act of a&solute truth$@
The acarya should then stand facin, (ast on the 2est side of the fire %ith his hands
folded in prayer, upon a kushasana %ith tips facin, =orth$
The child should stand facin, the acarya &et%een the fire and the acarya, upon a
kushasana %ith tips facin, =orth$
A &rahmana should stand on the child7s ri,ht hand side and ,ive first to the child, then to
the acarya, handfuls of %ater$
The acarya should look at the child and say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnu narayana vasudeva sankarshano devatah
upanayane acaryasya manavakam prekshamanasya 4ape viniyo,ah
a,antra sam a,anmahi
pra sumartyam yuyotana
arish9ah sancaremahi
svasti sancaratat ayam
?Eh 'ord, %e have met %ith this &oy %ho has come for >panayanam and testify to his
character$ Please &esto% 5our company to this splendid youth$ 'et us ,o %ithout
o&stacles to the supreme ,oal of life$ May the &oy attain the ultimate ,oal$@
#e should have the child say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane acarayasya manavaka pa9ane viniyo,ah
om &rahmacaryam a,am
upa ma nayasva
?I have come to accept the vo% of &rahmacaryam$ Please initiate me$@
The acarya asks"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane acarayasya manavaka nama)prashane viniyo,ah
om ko nama asi
?2hat is your nameL@
The child should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane acarayasya manavaka kathane viniyo,ah
om$$$$$$$$$$$deva sharma nama asmi
?My name is$$$$$$$$$$$@
The child and the acarya should pour the %ater from their hands$
The acarya should hold the ri,ht hand and thum& of the child in his ri,ht hand and say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnu narayana vasudeva sankarshana devatah
upanayane acarayasya manavaka hasta),rahane viniyo,ah
om devasya te vishnoh prasave
narayana vasudevayoh &ahu&hyam
sankarshanasya hasta&hyam
hastam ,rihnami$$$$$$$:name of child;
?In this activity of 6ishnu, I ,rasp your hand %ith the arms of =arayana and 6asudeva,
%ith the hands of Sankarshana$@
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane ,rihitata manavaka hastasya acarayasya 4ape viniyo,ah
om vishnuh te hastam)a,rahit
narayano mahavishnuh hastam a,rahit
mukundo pra&havishnuh hastam a,rahit
mitrah tvam asi karmana
vishnuh acaryah tava
?May 6ishnu take your hand$ May =arayana and Mahavishnu take your hand$ May
Mukunda and Pra&havishnu take your hand$ By this action, you are a friend$ 6ishnu is
your teacher$@
The acarya should then circumam&ulate the child and then face (ast %hile sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
manavakasya avarttane viniyo,ah
om vishnoh vikramanam anvavartasva shri :name of child; deva sharman
?Turn the child follo%in, the strides of 6ishnu$@
The acarya should then touch the ri,ht shoulder of the child %ith his ri,ht hand and then
lo%er the hand to the child7s navel :uncovered; sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyuto devata
upanayane &rahmacari na&hideshasparshane viniyo,ah
om prananam ,ranthih asi
ma vishrasah acyuta
tu&hyam idam paridadami shri :name of child; deva sharman
?5ou are the knot of the life airs$ Do not &ecome loosened$ Acyuta, to 5ou I ,ive this
child$@
Touchin, a&ove the navel the acarya should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri narayano devata
upanayane &rahmacari na&hideshasparshane viniyo,ah
om narayana, tu&hyam idam paridadami shri :name of child; deva sharman
?Eh =arayana, to 5ou I ,ive this child$@
Touchin, the child7s heart he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri 4anardano devata
upanayane &rahmacari na&hideshasparshane viniyo,ah
om 4anardana tu&hyam idam paridadami shri :name of child; deva sharman
?Eh <anardana, to 5ou I ,ive this child$@
Touchin, the child7s ri,ht shoulder %ith his ri,ht hand he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane &rahmacari dakshina skandha shasparshane viniyo,ah
om vishnave pra4apataye tva paridadami shri :name of child; deva sharman
?To 6ishnu, Pra4apati I ,ive 5ou this child@
Touchin, the child7s left shoulder %ith his left hand he should say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane &rahmacari vama skandha sparshane viniyo,ah
om vishnave damodaraya tva paridadami shri:childs7 name; deva sharman
?To 6ishnu, to Damodara I ,ive 5ou this child$@
#e should address the child sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane &rahmacari sasvodhane viniyo,ah
om &rahmacari asi shri :name of child; deva sharman
?5ou are a &rahmacari$$$$$$$@
The acarya should order the &rahmacari"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane &rahmacari preshane viniyo,ah
om samidham adhehi
?Put %ood on the fire$@
The child should reply "
om va9am
?I %ill@
The acarya otrders"
om apah ashana
?Drink %ater for purification :acamana;$@
#e child should reply "
om va9am
?I %ill@
The acarya orders"
om karma kuru
?Do your %ork$@
#e child should reply"
om va9am
?I %ill@
The acarya orders "
om ma diva svapsih
?8efrain from sleepin, in the daytime$@
The child should reply "
om va9am
?I %ill@
The acarya should ,o and sit on the =orth side of the fire facin, (ast upon kusha %ith
tips facin, =orth$
The child should face the acarya, and kneel %ith ri,ht knee touchin, the ,round, upon
kusha %ith tips facin, =orth$
The acarya should %rap the child7s %aist three times %ith a &elt of three strands of kusha,
&y %alkin, around him three times in a clock%ise direction$
Rfootnote"
6araha Griha Sutras say" ?The triple &elt sym&olises that the &rahmacari is al%ays
surrounded &y the three 6edas$@
#e should make the child say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane &rahmacari mekhala paridhapane viniyo,ah
om iyam dur uktat pari vadhamana
varnam pavitram punati me a,at
pranapana&hyam &alam avahanti
svasa devi su&ha,a mekhala iyam
?This &elt is the consort of the 'ord, pure and auspicious$ 'ike a sister, freein, and
protectin, one from &ad %ords and acts$ It preserves the purity of ones varna, &rin,in,
stren,th for inhalin, and e3halin, &reath$ I have o&tained this &elt$@
om ritasya ,optri tapasah parasvi
,hnati rakshah sahamana aratih
sa ma samantam a&hiparyehi &hadre
dhartarah te mekhale ma rishama
?This &elt is the protector of truth, the ,reatest %ealth of austerity, %hich prevents in4ury,
and causes victory over enemies$ E secret &elt of fortune, please surround me completely$
As your %earers may %e not &rin, harm to you$@
The acarya should take the sacred thread sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane ya4nopavita dane viniyo,ah
om ya4nopavitam asi ya4nasya tva ya4nopavitena upanahyami
?5ou are the sacred thread for sacrifice$ I tie you %ith this thread for the purpose of
performin, sacrifices$@
#e should place the thread on the child7s left shoulder and under the ri,ht arm sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane manavakasya ya4nopavitam paridhapane viniyo,ah
om yaM4noMpaMviMtam paMraMmam paMvitram S
praM4apaYteMr yat saYhaM4am puraMstaYt SS
aMyuMshyaYm a,ryaMm pratiYmunca shuM&hram S
yaY4nopaviMtam &alaYm astu te4aYh SS
?The sacred thread is most pure, &orn at the time of the appearance of the 'ord, lon,
&efore$ Put on this shinin, %hite thread &esto%in, lon, life$ 'et there &e stren,th and
ener,y$@
The acarya should place the deer skin in the child7s hands and make him say"
Rfootnote"
The deer skin %as of practical use in forest life$ It %as used &y the &rahmacari as an
upper ,arment to keep the rain off, and as an asana to sit and meditate, as snakes %ould
not distur& him as they dislike the su&tle smell of the skin, and the hairs of the skin hurt
their scales$
Brahmanas %ould %ear the skin of the &lack &uck :%hich is non)different from
Brahman;, kshatriyas %ould %ear the skin of a spotted antelope, and vaishyas %ould
%ear the skin of a ,oat$ #o%ever, some te3ts su&stitute the animal skin for a ne% cloth$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane manavakasya a4ina paridhapane viniyo,ah
om mitrasya cakshuh dharunam &aliyah
te4o yashasvi sthaviram samidham
anahanasyam vasanam 4arishnu pari
idam va4i a4inam dadhe aham
?I am ,ivin, you this deer skin, %hich is the li,ht of the sun, the presidin, 'ord, stren,th,
ener,y and fame, eternal and efful,ent, chaste, ,ivin, valor, ,ivin, lon, life$@
The child should put on the deer skin$
The child, foldin, his hands, should stand in front of the acarya and say"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
acarya mantrane viniyo,ah
om adhihi &hoh savitrim me &havan anu&ravitu
?Teach me, sir$ Please recite to me the Gayatri mantra$@
The acarya should make the child recite each phrase three times"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane 4apopanayane viniyo,ah
om tat savituh varenyam :B3;
om &har,o devasya dhimahi :B3;
om dhiyo yo nah pracodayat:e; :B3;
The acarya should make the child repeat the follo%in, t%o phrases three times each"
om tat savituh varenyam &har,o devasya dhimahi :B3;
om dhiyo yo nah pracodayat :B3;
The acarya should make the child recite the full mantra three times"
om tat savituh varenyam
&har,o devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yo nah pracodayat :B3;
The acarya should make the child recite each of the Mahavyahritis as follo%s"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
maha)vyahrti pa9e viniyo,ah
om &hur om
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
ushnik chandah
shri vishnuh devata
maha)vyahrti pa9e viniyo,ah
om &huvah om
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
maha)vyahrti pa9e viniyo,ah
om svah om
The acarya should make the child recite the Gayatri mantra %ith the Mahavyahritis three
times"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
4apopanayane viniyo,ah
om &hur &huvah svah
tat savitur varenyam
&har,o devasy dhimahi
dhiyo yo nah pracodayat om :B3;
Then the acarya should hand the child a stick of &ilva or palasha %ood and make him
address the stick, sayin,"
Rfootnote"
The danda is ,iven for protection and for tendin, the spiritual master7s cattle$
Sym&olically it represents the sym&ol of a traveller, in other %ords, the &rahmacari is a
traveller on the road of spiritual life$
The &rahmana7s danda should measure up to his hairline, the kshatriya7s up to the place
&et%een eye&ro%s, and the vaishya7s up to the tip of his nose$
The danda should &e un&roken, unscratched and %ith &ark$ It should &e strai,ht, fine
lookin, and not &urnt &y fire$
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
pankti chandah
shri vishnuh devata
upanayane manavaka dandarpane viniyo,ah
om sushravah sushravasam
ma kuru yatha tvam sushravah
sushrava deveshu evam
aham sushravah sushrava
&rahmaneshu &huyasam
?5ou, &ein, ,lorious %ith kno%led,e, make me ,lorious %ith the same kno%led,e$ E
,lorious one, as you are ,lorious amon, the devas, may I &e ,lorious amon, the
&rahmanas$@
Takin, the danda the &rahmacari should &e,in &e,,in,, &y first ,oin, to his mother and
sayin,"
om &havati &hiksham dehi
?Eh ,ood %oman, please ,ive alms$@
Rfootnote"
In the Dharma shastra it e3plains that
a &rahmana %ill e3claim ?&havati &hiksham dehi@,
a kshatriya, ?&hiksham dehi &havati@,
and a vaishya, ?dehi &havati &hiksham@$
8eceivin, alms he should say"
om svasti
?May there &e auspiciousness@
In the same manner he should approach %omen friends of his mother and then thank
them on receivin, the alms$
#e should then ,o to his father and say"
om &havan &hiksham dehi
?Eh sir, please ,ive alms$@
Rfootnote"
The same manner of address %ill apply as said to the mother$
8eceivin, alms he should say"
om svasti
?May there &e auspiciousness@
#e should approach friends of his father in the same %ay$
#e should ,ive all that he receives to the acarya$
The acarya should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and should offer ,hee)
soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ The father of the child should ,ive dakshina to the initiated 6aishnavas and
&rahmanas$ #e should serve prasada to all the devotees and ,uests$
The &rahmacari should remain at the place of the homa silently until sunset$ #e should
then perform Kushandika rites, dra%in, the lines and purifyin, then, esta&lishin, the fire
and callin, the fire called ?Samud&hava$@ #e should fold his hands and say"
om ihaivayam itaro 4ataveda
deve&hyo havyam vahatu pra4anan
?May this fire, all kno%in, <ataveda, carry the offerin, to the devatas$@
#e should perform >dakan4ali Seka and A,ni)Paryukshana :see the section on
Kushandika;
Takin, three sticks of ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th, he should offer the first
%ithout mantra$
The second he should offer sayin,"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
a,nau samidadhane viniyo,ah
om vishno a,naye samidham aharyam
vrihate 4atavedase
yatha a,nih samidha samidhyati
evam aham ayusha medhaya varcasa
pra4aya pashu&hih &rahmavacasena
dhanena annadyena samedhishiya svaha ) idam vishnave idam na mama
?I have &rou,ht the %ood of the ,reat fire, the kno%er of all livin, entities$ <ust as the fire
shines &ri,htly &y means of the fuel, may I shine %ith lon, life, %isdom, vitality, ,ood
offsprin,, many co%s, kno%led,e of the 6edas, necessary %ealth and sustenance$@
#e should offer the third stick silently$
#e should perform A,ni Paryukshana and >dakan4ali Seka a,ain$
Identifyin, himself &y ,otra he should salute the fire, sayin,"
om $$$$$$ ,otrah shri :his o%n name; deva sharmaham &ho J&hivadaye
?I $$$$$$$$$$ of $$$$$ ,otra salute you, oh fire$@
#e should dismiss the fire sayin,"
om kshamsva
?Please for,ive my offenses$@
After the sun has set, the child should eat the ,rains that he has &e,,ed %ith ,hee &ut
%ithout salt$ Before eatin, he should sprinkle the ,rains %ith %ater, then sip %ater
sayin,"
om amritopastaranam asi svaha
?5ou are the sittin, place of nectar$@
#e should take small particles of food in his rin,, middle fin,er and thum& of his ri,ht
hand and sayin, the follo%in, five mantras offer the ,rains five times to the life airs &y
s%allo%in, them %ithout che%in,$ (ach time some ,rains should remain in his hand,
%hich he should discard on the earth$ The left hand should &e touchin, the plate$
Rfootnote"
If the rice is prasadam, then the discarded rice should &e kept in a corner of the plate$
This process of pariseshana :sippin, %ater and an offerin, of cooked rice to the life airs;
is to respect Krishna7s potencies as #is manifestation as 6aishvanara, the fire of di,estion
and the five life airs$
aham vaishvanaro &hutva
praninam deham ashritah
pranapana)samayuktah
pacamy annam catur)vidham
?I am the fire of di,estion in the &odies of all livin, entities, and I 4oin %ith the air of life,
out,oin, and incomin,, to di,est the four kinds of foodstuff$@ :B, .0$.I;
om pranaya svaha
om apanaya svaha
om samanaya svaha
om udanaya svaha
om vyanaya svaha
After finishin, his meal he should a,ain sip %ater sayin,"
om amritapidhanam asi svaha
?5ou are the %ater to cover the nectar$@
As lon, as he lives as a &rahmacari, that is up until the Samavartana samskara, the &oy
should perform the Samidadhanam #oma every mornin, and evenin,$
!or the rest of his life he should take his meals in this manner$
This is the >panayanam ceremony$
Savitri aru #oma
This homa is performed on the fourth day after the >panayanam rites &y the acarya$
After havin, &athed, he should perform A,ni Sthapana callin, the fire ?Samud&hava@$ #e
should do the rites upto the Brahma Sthapana$ Then facin, (ast he should sit do%n and
cook caru in the same fire$
The process :of makin, caru; is as follo%s"
En the 2estern side of the fire he should place kusha %ith their tips facin, (ast and on
top of that he should place a mortar and pestle made of %ood$ #e should also place a
&am&oo %inno%in, &asket there and a &ell)metal &o%l %ith &arley ,rains in it$ #e should
purify all the items %ith %ater from a %ooden spoon :prokshani;$ #e should chant the
follo%in, mantra"
om savitre tva yush9am nirvapami
Then he should take a portion of the &arley from the &ell)metal &o%l and place it in the
mortar %ithout mantra$ The rest of the &arley should &e divided into t%o portions$ Then
holdin, the pestle in his ri,ht hand, he should crush the ,rains in the mortar and then
thresh them %ith the %inno%in, &asket$ Similarly, crush and thresh the other t%o
portions of &arley$ After doin, this thrice, he should %ash the ,rains three times$
Keepin, t%o pieces of kusha on the carusthali :the place %here the pot of caru %ill &e
kept; %ith their tips facin, =orth, he should put the %ashed ,rains in a pot and slo%ly
add milk and %ater, a little at a time$ Stirrin, it %ith a spoon in a clock%ise direction, he
should cook it on the fire :that he has installed; makin, sure that it doesn7t &ecome
&urned or that the %ater evaporates completely$ The spoon he uses for stirrin, should &e
made from khadir, palasha or udum&ara %ood %ith a flat face on &oth sides, half an inch
thick and of a sGuare shape$
2hen the caru is ready, he should add t%o spoons of ,hee and keep it on the =orth side
of the fire on top of the kusha$ #e should then add one more spoon of ,hee$
#e should then continue %ith Bhumi <apa and end %ith the Sruva Samskara$ #e should
keep the ,hee on top of kusha on the 2estern side of the fire, and then perform
>dakan4ali Seka and finish the Kushandika rites %ith the 6irupaksha <apa$
#e should &e,in the homa &y offerin, ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire
silently$
At the start of the aru #oma, the Mahavyahrti #oma should not &e chanted, &ut it
should &e done after%ards$
If the performer of the aru #oma %ishes to make the homa shorter, due to lack of
,rains, then he can put only one spoon of ,hee into the caru and take one spoonful of caru
from the carustali and offer it into the fire chantin,"
om vishnave savitre svaha
Accordin, to Pravara Sankhyanusara, one should make three or five mekhalas$ If one
%ants to ,et more &enefit and there is enou,h &arley ,rains, then those &rahmanas %ho
&elon, to Bhri,u ,otra should put five spoons of ,hee and others should put four into the
=orth side of the fire pourin, to%ards the east chantin,"
om vishnave svaha
Then they should offer to the Southern side of the fire chantin,$
om anantaya svaha
If the &rahmacari &elon,s to the Bhri,u ,otra then one should put one spoon of ,hee in
the
&arley ,rains and one spoon in the caru$ Then one should take one spoon of caru and put
it in %ith the &arley, then put one spoon of ,hee in the (astern side of the carustali$ Take
another spoonful of caru and put it %ith the &arley, then a,ain put one spoon of ,hee in
the carustali on the 2estern side$ Ence a,ain take some caru and put it %ith the &arley
then offer another spoon of ,hee in the caru$ Pour a spoonful of ,hee onto the &arley and
offer to the fire chantin,"
om vishnave savitre svaha
#o%ever, if the &rahmacari &elon,s to another ,otra, then one should not pour any ,hee
in the 2estern side of the carustali$ Pour one spoon of ,hee in the caru as e3plained
&efore, and pour one spoon of ,hee on the &arley and offer to the fire %ith the same
mantra$
Then the &rahmacari from the Bhri,u ,otra should pour t%o spoons of ,hee on the &arley
and one spoon of ,hee in the =orth side of the carustali and put some caru onto the
&arley$ #e should put t%o spoons of ,hee on top of the &arley and offer it in the =orth
(ast side of the fire, chantin,"
om svasti krite acyutaya svaha
Ethers from different ,otras should put only one spoon of ,hee on the &arley$ The rest of
the ritual is the same$
After that, %hatever in,rediants are left should &e offered in the fire %ithout mantra$
Then he should perform Mahavyahrti #oma and offer %ood into the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma$ The &rahmacari should ,ive dakshina to the acarya and to the initiated 6aishnava
%ho officiated as the &rahma %ho arran,ed the ceremony$
This ends the Savitri aru #oma$
Samavartana
:'eavin, the Gurukula;"
This ceremony is performed %hen the student finishes his 6edic studies$
R!EET=ET(
The Samavartana samskara is performed for those students :upakurvana &rahmacaris;
%ho, after completin, their studies, have decided to eventually live as a ,rihastha or
married man, rather than accept the vo% of naish9hika :permanent &rahmacarya;$
Because the ,raduate student is sprinkled %ith %ater in this ceremony he is called
?snataka@$ A snataka is considered ready to teach and he may attend seminars ,iven &y
others to further his kno%led,e$
(=D !EET=ET(
En the day of the Samavartana, the acarya should perform 6ishnu Pu4a and Sattvika
6riddhi Shraddha$
#e should perform Kushandika rites, callin, the fire named ?Te4ah@, and finishin, %ith
6irupaksha <apa$
The &rahmacari should sit on his ri,ht hand side$
The acarya should thro% ,hee)soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire %ithout
mantra and perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma$
Then he should offer ,hee into the fire five times sayin, each of the follo%n, mantras"
om pra4apatih vishnu rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ananto devata
samavartana home viniyo,ah
om ananta vratapate vratam acarisham
tat te pra&ravimi
tat ashakam tena aratsam
idam aham anritat satyam upa,am svaha )
idam anantaya idam na mama
?Eh Ananta, 'ord of vratas, I have undertaken this vrata$ I announce to you that I have
accomplished the vo% and have satisfied 5ou$ Evercomin, illusion I have arrived at
truth$@
om parameshvara rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vasudevo devata
samavartana home viniyo,ah
om vasudeva vratapate vratam acarisham
tat te pra&ravimi
tat ashakam tena aratsam
idam aham anritat satyam upa,am svaha )
idam vasudevaya idam na mama
?Eh 6asudeva, 'ord of vratas, I have undertaken this vrata$ I announce to you that I have
accomplished the vo% and have satisfied 5ou$ Evercomin, illusion I have arrived at
truth$@
om sanaka rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri catur)&hu4o devata
samavartana home viniyo,ah
om catur)&hu4a vratapate vratam acarisham
tat te pra&ravimi
tat ashakam tena aratsam
idam aham anritat satyam upa,am svaha )
idam catur)&hu4aya idam na mama
?Eh atur)&hu4a, 'ord of vratas, I have undertaken this vrata$ I announce to you that I
have accomplished the vo% and have satisfied 5ou$ Evercomin, illusion I have arrived at
truth$@
om sanat kumara rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri sarveshvaro devata
samavartana home viniyo,ah
om sarveshvara vratapate vratam acarisham
tat te pra&ravimi
tat ashakam tena aratsam
idam aham anritat satyam upa,am svaha )
idam sarveshvaraya idam na mama
?Eh Sarveshvara, 'ord of vratas, I have undertaken this vrata$ I announce to you that I
have accomplished the vo% and have satisfied 5ou$ Evercomin, illusion I have arrived at
truth$@
om ayushman rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri acyuto devata
samavartana home viniyo,ah
om acyuta vratapate vratam acarisham
tat te pra&ravimi
tat ashakam tena aratsam
idam aham anritat satyam upa,am svaha )
idam acyutaya idam na mama
?Eh Acyuta, 'ord of vratas, I have undertaken this vrata$ I announce to you that I have
accomplished the vo% and have satisfied 5ou$ Evercomin, illusion I have arrived at
truth$@
The acarya should sit facin, =orth on kusha %ith tips facin, =orth$
The &rahmacari should sit in the =orth 2est, facin, (ast, on kusha %ith tips facin,
=orth$
The &rahmacari should take a pot of hot and cold %ater mi3ed to,ether %hich also
contains rice, &arley, urad)dhal, mun,)dhal, sarvaushadhi, her&s and candana$
The student should fill his hands %ith this mi3ture and pour it on the ,round sayin,"
om shaunaka rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri naryananantadayo devata
samavartane &rahmacarayudakan4ali tya,e viniyo,ah
om apsu antah narayananantadayah pravish9ah
,ohya upa,ohya mayukho manohah
khalo vira4ah tanudushih indriya ha
ati tanat a,nin shri4ami
?In this %ater =arayana, Ananta and others have entered$ I re4ect the inauspicious fires
%hich cover, %hich conceal, %hich contaminate, %hich cause pain, and &rin, destruction
to the mind, &ody and senses$@
The student should take %ater a,ain and pour on the ,round sayin,"
om yad apam ,horam yad apam kruram yad apam ashantam
ati tat shri4ami
?I a&andon %hat is terri&le, cruel and violent in this %ater$@
Directed &y the acarya, the student should sprinkle some of the %ater on himself sayin,"
om sanatana rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri varaho devata
samavartane &rahmacaryudakan4ali seke viniyo,ah
om varaha tvam iha &hava
tenaham atmanam a&hishancami
?Be present here, 6araha$ I sprinkle myself %ith this %ater$@
Directed &y the acarya, the student should fill his hands %ith %ater and sprinkle himself
a,ain sayin,"
om shri narada rishih
&rihati chandah
shrimad ananto devata
samavartane &rahmacaryudakan4ali seke viniyo,ah
om yashase te4ase &rahma varcasaya &alaya
indriyaya viryaya annadyaya rayas
poshaya tvish9yai apacittai
?This is for fame, for ener,y, for kno%led,e, for stren,th, for the senses, for coura,e, for
sustenance, for %ealth and prosperity, for &rilliance and respect$@
#e should sprinkle himself %ith %ater a,ain sayin,"
om parameshvara rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri ananto devata
samavartane &rahmacaryudakan4ali seke viniyo,ah
om yena krishna yasho,anam
yena shayya yena asanam
yena upanat yena chatram
vya4anam sutram vasanam
yat yat seva yashah te sarvam
tena mam a&hishinca tvam
?Bathe me %ith those thin,s %hich attain fame &y servin, you ) son,s of praise, your
&ed, seat, shoes, um&rella, fan, sacred thread and cloth$@
The student should sprinkle himself %ith %ater once more %ithout mantra$
2hile standin,, facin, (ast, lookin, at the Deity of 6ishnu, he should praise the Deity
sayin,"
om veda vyasa rishih
vira9 chandah
shri vishnuh devata
shri narayanopastane viniyo,ah
narayanah vira4an &hra4a&hrishnuh indro marud&hih asthat
pratah yava&hih parshadaih
dashashanih asi dashasanim
ma kuru a tva vishamy a ma visa
?=arayana, shinin, %ith all pervadin, li,ht, the Kin, of all forces of nature, stands %ith
the months ) #is associates ) in the mornin,$ 5ou are the &esto%er of ten ,ifts$ Make me
the ,iver of ten ,ifts$ I ,o to%ards 5ou$ Please come to%ards me$@
om vaishampayana rishih
anush9up chandah
shri sahasra)shirsha purusho devata
shri narayanopastane viniyo,ah
narayanah vira4an &hra4a&hrishnuh indro marud&hih asthat
diva yava&hih avaranaih
shatasanih asi shatasanim
ma kuru a tva vishamy a ma visa
?=arayana, shinin, %ith all pervadin, li,ht, the Kin, of all forces of nature, stands %ith
the months ) #is follo%ers ) in the daytime$ 5ou are the &esto%er of a hundred ,ifts$
Make me the ,iver of a hundred ,ifts$ I ,o to%ards 5ou$ Please come to%ards me$@
om sanandana rishih
anush9up chandah
shri hrishikesho devata
shri narayanopastane viniyo,ah
om narayano vira4an &ra4a&hrishnuh indro marud&hih asthat
sayam yava&hih shakhi&hih
sahasrasanih asi sahasra sanim
ma kuru a tva vishamy a ma visa
?=arayana, the Supreme 'ord, shinin, %ith all pervadin, li,ht, stands %ith the forces of
nature, stands %ith the months ) #is friends ) in the evenin,$ 5ou are the &esto%er of a
thousand ,ifts$ Make such a &esto%er of me$ I am attemptin, to approach 5ou$ Please
come to%ards me$@
om sanatana rishih
trish9up chandah
shri vishvam&haro devata
shri narayanopastane viniyo,ah
om eko devah sarva&huteshu ,udha
sarvavyapi sarva &hutantaratma
karmadhyakshah sarva&hutadhivasah
sakshi ceta kevalo nir,unash ca
?5ou are the Supreme 'ord, in the heart of all livin, entities$ 5ou are the all pervadin,
,uide of all souls, the controller of all activities, the 'ord of all livin, entities$ 5ou are the
%itness, the destroyer, the complete %hole, transcendental to material nature$@
om nityo nityanam cetanash cetananam
eko &ahunam yo vidadhati kaman
tam pi9ha,am ye anu&ha4anti dhirah
tesham sukham shashvatam netaresham
om namo namas tu&hyam narayanaya
?Enly the %ise men %ho surrender unto the (ternal of all eternals, the onsciousness of
all consciousnesses, the 'ord %ho fulfills the desires of all livin, entities, %ho is situated
in #is o%n a&ode, attain eternal &liss$ I pay o&eisances a,ain and a,ain to =arayana$@
The student should take off his kusha &elt &y lo%erin, it to his feet, %hile sayin,"
om harih rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vasudevatma4o devata
mekhala mocane viniyo,ah
om ud uttamam varuna pasham
asmat ava adhamam
vi madhyamam srathaya
athah vishno vrate vayam
tava ana,asah shriyai syama
?Slip the noose of 6aruna, the impediments in life, from the upper part of my &ody, from
the lo%er part of my &ody and from the middle$ Then let us, free from sin, &e fi3ed in
performin, service to 5ou, for the %elfare of all$@
The acarya should thro% the student7s danda into the fire$
The acarya should perform 6yasta Samasta Mahavyahriti #oma and should thro% ,hee)
soaked %ood of pradesha len,th into the fire silently$
#e should perform Sha9yayana #oma, 6amadevya Ganam and the other rites of >dicya
Karma
The &rahmacari should feed the assem&led vaishnavas, then he should take a meal
himself$
Shavin, his head and face, cuttin, his nails, he should then &athe, put on t%o pieces of
ne% cloth and ornaments$
#e should put on t%o ya4nopavitas, sayin,"
om sanandana rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri harih devata
samavartane ya4nopavita)dharane viniyo,ah
om ya4nopavitam asi ya4nasya tva ya4nopavitena upanahyami
?5ou are the thread for ya4na$ I &ind you %ith this thread for performin, ya4na$@
#e should put on a ,arland sayin,H
om kara&ha4ana rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri &ha,avati devata
sra, &andhane viniyo,ah
om shrih asi mayi &ha,avati ramasva
?5ou are prosperity$ (sta&lish that in me$@
#e should put on shoes, sayin,"
om 4amada,ni rishi
virad ,ayatri chandah
shri upendracyutau devate
upanata)paridhane viniyo,ah
om netrau stho nayata mam
?5ou are my eyes$ Please lead me to the Supreme 'ord$@
#e should receive a &am&oo danda of his o%n hei,ht sayin,"
om parameshvara rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri keshavo devata
danda),rahane viniyo,ah
narayanasyas tvam vihito ,andharvo7si upama ava
?5ou are made &y =arayana$ 5ou are the revealer of truth$ Please &e favora&le to me$@
#e should place :tie; his deerskin and old ya4nopavita on the danda$
#e should ,o and look at the acarya, sayin,"
om sanandana rishih
trish9up chandah
shri ishvaracaryo devata
acaryaparishad &ikshane viniyo,ah
om yaksham iva cakshusah priyo vo &huyasam
?'et me &e ,raced &y you, &y your ,lance upon me$@
#e should sit &eside the acarya and place the fin,ers of his ri,ht hand in front of his
mouth, so that the &reath touches his hand$ #e should say"
om kara&ha4ana rishih
savitri chandah
sanatano devata
mukhya)prana)sparshane viniyo,ah
om osh9hapidhana nakuli danta parimitah parih
4ihve ma vihvalo vacam carum adyeha vadaya
?Eh ton,ue, covered &y fickle lips and surrounded &y teeth, do not stray, speak s%eet
%ords for me here today$@
The acarya should %orship the ,raduate &y %ashin, his feet etc$
The ,raduate should approach a cart yoked %ith t%o co%s$ #e should touch the t%o poles
%hich fi3 the yoke to the cart and mount the car, sayin, the three lines of the verse"
om narada rishih
anush9up chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ratha&himarshane viniyo,ah
om vanaspate vidvan,o hi &huyah
asmatsakha prataranah suvirah
,o&hih sannadho7si vidayasva
?Eh 'ord of the forest, &e steady$ Eh friend to us, yoked to the co%s, full of stren,th, you
lead us to the 'ord$ Impart stren,th to us$@
#e should sit on the cart sayin, the last line of the verse"
om parameshvara rishih
,ayatri chandah
shri vishnuh devata
ratha&himarshane viniyo,ah
om asthata te 4ayatu 4etvani
?May he %ho has mounted you :the cart; conGuer the enemies$@
Drivin, the cart to the (ast or =orth he should ,o some distance, then turn to the ri,ht
and return to%ards the acarya$
The acarya should %orship him a,ain %ith foot%ash etc$
The father :of the ,raduate; should offer the acarya and vaishnava &rahmanas dakshina$
(veryone should &e fed$ To allay any offenses, the participants should perform Krishna
=ama <apa and pay o&eisances to Krishna and the 6aishnavas$
This is the Samavartana rite$
Thus ends the &ook ?Sat Kriya Sara Dipika@$
G'ESSA85"
A,nikona ) the South)(ast corner$
Ahuti ) the o&lation offered in the sacrificial fire$
Akshata ) un&roken rice ,rains mi3ed %ith tumeric, used in the svasti vacana$
aru ) oppulent, thick s%eet)rice cooked %ith rice, milk, ,hee, raisins, cashe%s, su,ar,
etc$H used as o&lations in the ya4na$ Before offerin,, plenty of %arm ,hee should &e
poured on the top$
Dakshina ) the donation offered &y the ya4amana to the priests %ho perform the sacrifice$
Durva ) a type of ,rass that is considered sacred and is praised throu,hout the 6edas and
Puranas$
Ishanakona ) the =orth)(ast corner$
Khadira ) 4ackfruit %ood$
Kusha ) a sacred ,rass used in 6edic ceremonies$ The Puranas mention that kusha is the
&odily hair of 5a4na)6araha$
Kushandika ) the openin, rituals of a ya4na$
Pradesha ) a measurement of t%elve fin,ers :apro3$nine inches; measured from the tip of
the small fin,er to the tip of the thum& of the out)stretched palm$
Prokshana ) pancaratrika method of purifyin, o&4ects &y sprinklin, %ith sanctified %ater$
Sankalpa ) a vo% or determination to please the 'ord &y the performance of a ceremony,
in %hich the reciter promises to complete on a certain month, tithi, day, etc$
>dicya karma ) the closin, rites of a ya4na$
6iniyo,a ) %hen utterin, any vedic mantra, as a rule one should first identify it &y the
rishi %ho preserved it, &y the chandah :metre;, &y the Deity &ein, invoked in the mantra,
and &y the present application of the mantra$ The purpose of this system is to ,uarantee
that one understands the meanin,, function, herita,e and correct intonation of the mantra$
This use of the viniyo,a is optionally chanted durin, a ceremony, ho%ever, it %ill not &e
recited durin, performance of a ya4na accordin, to the =arada Samhita$
APP(=DIZ I
5a4na And Its Eri,ins
?5a4na@ is the 6edic method of %orshippin, 6ishnu &y offerin,s of ,hee, ,rains, spices,
fruit, etc$ into the sacred fire accompanied &y the chantin, of mantras$ Accordin, to the
Amar)kosha, the %ord ?ya4na@ is derived from the Sanskrit root ?ya4a@ ) to %orship$ In
the Purusha Sukta :8i, 6eda .+$./$.C;, %e read that %hen the demi,ods, after &ein,
created &y the 'ord, desired to %orship #im throu,h the system of ya4na$ By their %ill
and contemplation, they offered the 'ord #imself as the first o&lation for the creation of
the universeH this %as the first ya4na :?yat purushena havisha deva ya4nam atanvata@; and
from it emer,ed the first elements of life :?tani dharmani prathaman ya san@;$
!urthermore, the Puranas descri&e ho% all ya4nas have their &asis in the Supreme 'ordH
?ya4na varahasya shariram ya4natam a,at@, all varieties of ya4nas emer,ed from the &ody
of 5a4na)6araha$
The !ire
5a4na involves the installation and %orship of the fire),od, A,ni$ The first mantra of the
8i, 6eda addresses him as ?#ota@ or ?the chief sacrificial priest@$ It is his service to act
as the mouth of 6ishnu, the consumin, a,ent, %ho carries the offerin,s to the 'ord$ It is
thus descri&ed, that the %ood of the fire is A,nideva7s ears, the smoke his nostrils, the
small flames his eyes, the coals his head and the fully &laFin, flames his ton,ue$ Thus,
the &est offerin, is to A,ni7s ton,ue$
The fire for the ya4na , may come from a &rahmanaDs house :meanin, from his daily
household ya4na;, from the lamp in the Deity)room, produced &y the chantin, of mantra,
churned from the arani sticks or
y placin, camphor on a pure &ell)metal plate and i,nitin, it &y the use of a ma,nifyin,
,lass directin, li,ht from the sun$
Durin, the kushandika rites, for various ceremonies and samskaras, different forms of
A,ni are called to carry the o&lations to the 'ord )
6ivaha :marria,e; ) 5o4aka A,ni
athurthi #oma :esta&lishin, household ya4na; ) Shikhi A,ni
Dhriti #oma :conclusion of marria,e;) Dhriti A,ni
Pumsavana :rites to &e,et a male child; ) andra A,ni
Simantonnayanam :partin, the %ife7s hair; ) Man,ala A,ni
Shoshyanti #oma :rites &efore child&irth; ) Man,ala A,ni
=ama Karana :name),ivin, ceremony; ) Parthiva A,ni
Paush9ika Karma :ceremony for the child7s health; ) Balada A,ni
Anna Prashana :first ,rains; ) Suci A,ni
uda Karana :hair cuttin,; ) Satya A,ni
>panayanam :sacred thread;) Samud&hava A,ni
Samavartana :,raduation from the ,urukula &efore marria,e;) Te4ah A,ni
>dicya Karma :concludin, rites of the ya4na;) 6idhu A,ni
6astu #oma :enterin, or &uildin, a ne% residence;) Pra4apati A,ni
Diksha #oma :initiation;) 6aishnava,ni
=itya #oma :daily Deity %orship ya4na; ) 6aishnava,ni
The Mandapa
The mandapa is the place %here the ya4na)kunda is situated and the ceremony %ill &e
performed$ The mandapa should &e sprinkled %ith pure %ater, cleaned %ith a mi3ture of
co%)dun, and %ater and decorated %ith desi,ns on the floor, &anana trees, leaves,
,arlands, fla,s and ?man,ala),ha9as@ :auspicious pots that have &een installed &y
mantra; in the ei,ht directions, and the four 6edas installed in pots in the four cardinal
directions$
The Kunda
In the mandapa a sGuare pit is &uilt measurin, one ?hasta? :the distance from the el&o%
to the tip of the middle fin,er, appro3$ .A inches; %ith a one ?mush9i? :the %idth of the
fist, appro3$ B inches; step on each side$ The siFe of the kunda, accordin, to convenience,
may &e lar,er dependin, upon the area availa&le, the ceremony, num&er of ,uests, etc$
The pit may &e surrounded &y one or three step %alls$ If a kunda cannot &e constructed,
one can perform the ya4na on a &ed of sand of the same dimensions :this is kno%n as a
?sthandila?;$ In the Krishna 5a4ur 6eda Samhita it is stated"
vedish ca samamar4anoddananadi&hih samskaraih samskrita &humih
?2hen a ya4na)kunda is &uilt, everythin, &ecomes %ell esta&lished ) %ealth, %elfare,
ener,y, health, and spiritual kno%led,e$@
The 2ood
The %ood should &e cut to the siFe of the kunda and some should &e cut to one
?pradesha@ len,th :apro3$ / inches;$ Ene should avoid usin, any type of second)hand
%ood :i$e$ oran,e)crates and old chairs etc;, %et %ood, %ood from a dirty place, %ood
contaminated &y impure items, %ood eaten &y %orms, %ood %ith thorns, or %ood %ith
&itter, milky or sour sap :such as nim, &anyan, or pine)%ood;$
The E&lations
=ormally, the o&lations offered into the fire consist of ,hee, &arley and sesame seeds,
althou,h one can also add other in,redients such ,ur, dry fruit, durva),rass, camphor,
lotus)seeds, etc$ In some ya4nas it is perscri&ed that one should offer caru$ This is made in
t%o %ays, one can either make s%eet caru %hich is &asically the same as s%eet)rice %ith
raisins, cardamon pods etc$ or one can make the caru as one makes khichari$ In &oth cases
one should add e3tra ,hee so that the offerin,s &urn easily in the fire$
In the final offerin, :Purna Ahuti; one may offer fruits, ne% cloth, haritaki, pan, &etel
nuts, flo%ers, navaratna, etc$ The remnants from the Lurna Ahuti may &e accepted as
prasadam after the ya4na ) as this final o&lation is an offerin, to the 'ord for #is
satisfaction$ Ene7s karma does not contaminate the final offerin,$ It is understood that the
spiritual master takes on the reactions of his dependents, as e3plained in the J#ari Bhakti
6ilasa7 Guotin, the J=iti Shastra7 )
ra4anam rastrakritam papam
ra4a papam purohitam
&haratanam strikritam papam
shishya papam ,urum vra4et
?The sins of the citiFens are suffered &y the kin,H the kin,7s sins &y the ra4a),uruH the
%ife7s sins &y the hus&and and the disciple7s sins &y the ,uru$@
The Priests
A ya4na may involve the follo%in, four priests :ritviks; )
#otri" The priest %ho invokes and %orships the 'ord, throu,h the medium of the fire$
>d,atri" The priest %ho is in char,e of chantin, the mantras$
Advaryu" The priest %ho prepares and installs the paraphernalia, and i,nites the sacred
fire$ #e sees to the smooth runnin, of the ceremony$
Brahma" The master of ceremonies$ #e sees that all the mantras are recited properly,
corrects any errors that occur durin, the proceedin,s and sees to the proper stokin, of the
fire$
If there are only three priests, there %ill &e the adhvaryu, ud,atri and the ritvik :the hotri;$
If only t%o, the ud,atri and hotri, and one, the hotri$
5a4na Paraphernalia
The implements used in the ya4na are kno%n as ?ya4nayudha? or ?the %eapons of the
ya4na?$ The reason for this name is ,iven in the Aitareya Brahmana :BI$.; of the 8i,
6eda N
?At the time %hen the 'ord created 5a4na, the &rahmanas and kshatriyas also came into
&ein,$ 5a4na &e,an runnin, a%ay and the &rahmanas and kshatriyas chased it armed %ith
their o%n %eapons$ The %eapons of the kshatriyas %ere horses, chariots, s%ords, &o%s,
etc$, and the %eapons of the &rahmanas %ere the utensils used in the ya4na$ 2hen the
kshatriyas persued the 5a4na, 5a4na, &ein, scared, ran faster and the kshatriyas returned in
defeat$ #o%ever, the &rahmanas %ere successful ) &y sho%in, 5a4na their %eapons, it
reco,niFed them as its7 o%n %eapons, and thus consented to stay %ith the &rahmanas$@
There are innumera&le items used in different ya4nas, &ut %e %ill only list the ones that
are of ma4or importance"
Sphya" This is a small %ooden s%ord %hich is used for makin, the lines durin, the
panca)rekha)sthapana$ It is also used for cuttin, durva),rass and for stirrin, the caru$
Generally, the sphya is one ?aratni@ lon, :distance from el&o% to tip of little fin,er V *I
an,ulas ) %idths of a fin,er V apro3$ .A inches; and is sharpened &efore use %ith kusha
,rass$
Sruk" The sruk is a lon, ladle %hich has a &o%l on top of it at one end %ith a &eak shaped
like an elephantDs lips for ,hee to &e poured out$ It may also have a co%7s or lion7s face$
The sruk may &e a &ahu :BC an,ulas ) *K inches;, an aratni :*I an,ulas ) .A inches;, or a
pradesha :.* an,ulas ) / inches; in len,th$ It ori,inally manifest from the snout of 5a4na
6araha$ The sruk is ,enerally used for offerin, the purna)ahuti :final o&lation;$
Sruva" This is a spoon used for offerin, the main o&lations of ,hee durin, the ya4na$ It is
an aratni in len,th$ The depression of the &o%l is the %idth of the first 4oint of the thum&
and is split into t%o parts, representin, the sun and the moon, ida :the &reath throu,h the
left nostril, controlled &y the moon ; and pin,ala :the &reath throu,h the ri,ht nostril,
controlled &y the sun;H as the sruva ori,inally manifest from the nostrils of 5a4na 6araha$
Prokshani" The prokshani is .* an,ulas lon, :/ inches; %ith a depression shaped like a
lotus leaf or lotus &ud$ This vessel holds purified %ater, for sprinklin, on the various
paraphenalia in order to purify them, and for pourin, %ater around the fire durin,
Kushandika$ Blades of durva),rass are placed in the %ater for sanctification$
>pavesha" The fire is stoked &y a %ooden stick kno%n as an ?upavesha@, the head of
%hich is shaped like a hand$ It is of a len,th of .* an,ulas :/ inches; or one aratni :.A
inches;$ It is also used for movin, &urnin, %ood %hen it falls out of place$
The 5a4amana
The ya4amana is the person %ho sponsors andSor is the &enefactor of a particular
ceremony" i$e$ in the case of the %eddin, it is the ,roomH in case of samskaras concernin,
the %ife, it is the hus&andH and in case of those concernin, the child, it is the father$ In the
case of a &rahmana, he may perform his o%n ceremonies$ #o%ever, if he is una&le to do
this, he may invite a 6aishnava &rahmana to perform or ,uide the rites on his &ehalf :act
as ritvik;$
Dakshina or Dana
Accordin, to 6edic custom, on the completion of the ceremony, the ya4amana should
satisfy the priests and 6aishnavas %ith ,ifts and prasadam$ It is said that %ithout pleasin,
the &rahmanas the ceremony has no value$ As Shri Krishna says in Bha,avad Gita .K$.I"
vidhi)hinam ashrish9annam
mantra)hinam adakshinam
shraddha)viraitam ya4nam
tamasam paricakshate
And that sacrifice performed in defiance of the scriptural in4unctions, in %hich no
spiritual food is distri&uted, no hymns are chanted and no remunerations are made to the
priests, and %hich is faithless ) that sacrifice is of the nature of i,norance$
APP(=DIZ II
Add 6ishnu smaranam and details on sankalpa :names of the years, nakshatras etc$;
The ommon 8ites
The ni,ht &efore the samskara proper, one &e,ins %ith the esta&lishment of the ,ha9a,
6ishnu pu4a, and adhivasa$ The ne3t mornin,, one should recite the Svasti 6acana,
Sankalpa, esta&lish the ,ha9a, %orship 'ord 6ishnu, %orship the parampara acaryas
:Sattvika 6riddhi Shraddha;, and perform edira4a Pu4a :6asudhara;$
Q Svasti 6acana
R T8A=S from Pratistha 6idhi &ook
Three &rahmanas should chant"
om punantu mam deva4anah
punantu manasa dhiyah
punantu vishva &hutani
4atavedah punihi mam
Ene &rahmana chants"
om asya karmanah punyaham &havanto &hruvantu
At least three &rahmanas thro% akshata in the air three times, %hile chantin,"
om punyaham om punyaham om punyaham
To,ether they chant"
om ud,at eva shakune sama ,ayasi
&rahma putra iva savaneshu samshasi
vrisheva va4i shishumatirapitya
sarvato nah shakune &hadrama vada
vishvato nah shakune punyama vada
Ene &rahmana chants"
om asya karmanah svasti &havanto &hruvantu ayushmate svasti
The &rahmanas thro% akshata in the air three times, %hile chantin,"
om svasti om svasti om svasti
To,ether"
om svasti na indro vriddhashravah
svasti nah pusha vishvavedah
svasti nas tarkshyo arish9anemih
svasti no &rihaspatih dadhatu
Ene &rahmana chants"
om asya karmana riddhim &havanto &hruvantu
The &rahmanas thro% akshata in the air three times, %hile chantin,"
om ridhyatam om ridhyatam om ridhyatam
To,ether"
om ridhyama stomam sanuyama va4a ma no
mantram sara thehopa yatam
yasho na pakvam madhu ,oshvanta ra
&hutamso ashvinoh kamamaprah
om svasti no ,ovindah
svasti no 7cyutanantau
svasti no vasudevo vishnur dadhatu
svasti no narayana naro vai
svasti nah padmana&hah purushottamo dadhatu
svasti no vishvakseno vishveshvarah
svasti no hrishikesho harir dadhatu
svasti no vainateyo harih
svasti no 7n4anasuto hanur &ha,avato dadhatu
svasti svasti suman,alaikesho mahan
shri krishnah saccidananda ,hanah sarveshvareshvaro dadhatu
The &rahmanas should thro% the remainder of the akshata$
The man,alacarana prayers may &e recited at this point$
Sankalpa
Sankalpa should &e performed usin, a small copper vessel$ Silver, stone, clay, conch or
&ell metal should not &e used, nor should sankalpa &e performed usin, only the hands$
Ene should fill the pot %ith %ater, and add sesame, three &lades of kusha :%ith root and
tip intact;, flo%ers, and haritaki or &anana$
Ene should chant the sankalpa"
om vishnur
om tat sat
adya
WWWWWWWmase :lunar month ;
WWWWWWWpakshe : lunar fortni,ht;
WWWWWWWtithau :lunar day ;
acyuta ,otrah
:name of sponsor; dasa
:name of function; karma&huyadayartham
shri krishna prityartham
shri &ha,avatarcana vasudhara sampatanayusha sukta 4apa&hyudaika shraddha
karmamyaham karishye
Rtranslation"
Ene should then thro% some of the %ater in the =orth)(ast direction, pour the &alance
%ater on the ,round :or into a visar4ana patra placed on the floor; turn the vessel upside
do%n and place ,andha and pushpa on it$
Then recite Sama 6ediya Sankalpa Sukta
om devo vo dravinodah purnam vivash9vasicam
udhva sincadhva mupa va prinadhva deva uhate
om sankalpitarithasya siddhirastu
Rtranslation"
G#ATA ST#APA=A
The ,ha9a or %ater pot, &y assem&lin, %ith the proper mantras and callin, in the 'ord,
&ecomes a form of the 'ord %hich can &e %orshipped %ith upacaras :articles such as foot
%ash, ar,hya, lamps etc$; in the manner that one %orships a murti$
The ,ha9a :pot; may &e made of ,old, silver, copper, &ell metal, stone or clay$ Those
made of clay are suita&le for all purposes, &ut should &e un&roken, clean and should only
&e used once$
Ene should place either nava)ratna :pearl, cat7s eye, ,omed, diamond, coral, yello%
sapphire, emerald, &lue sapphire, ru&y;, panca)ratna :pearl, cat7s seye, diamond, sapphire,
ru&y;, or a piece of ,old in the %ater %ithin the pot$
The leaves used may &e &anyan, pippal, man,o, or udum&ara$ Man,o leaves are the most
commonly used$
The fruit is usually coconut :,reen, %ith stemH or ripened %ith tuft;, &ut &anana may also
&e used$
The ,ha9a should &e esta&lished in the =orth)(ast part of the mandapa, or (ast of the fire
pit$ one may dra% an ei,ht petalled lotus on the ,round usin, five colored dyes :%hite,
red, yello%, &lack and ,reen; %ith paddy in the centre and place the ,ha9a on top of the
,rains$
Avahana :callin, the Deity into the pot;"
Ene may call Shri haitanya Mahapra&hu first and %orship %ith .C upacaras, and then
call Shri Shri 8adha and Krishna and %orship them %ith appropriate upacaras and
mantras$
shri krishna )
iha vaha iha vaha :avahani mudra;
iha tish9ha iha tish9ha :sthapani mudra;
iha sannidehi iha sannidehi :sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva iha sannirudhyasva :sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava iha sanmukho &hava :sanmukhikarana mudra;
R P>T 8(ST E! I=STA''ATIE= MA=T8AS !8EM D(IT5 BEEK
Gha9a Pu4a
2orship the Deity:s; in the pot %ith five, ten or si3teen items :upacaras; usin, the Deity
mula mantras$ Instead of offerin, the %orship to the 'ord in the pot, one may %orship a
shala,rama or a murti directly$
esha pushpan4ali [ deity mula mantra
idam asanam [ deity mula mantra
sva,atam su sva,atam [ deity mula mantra
etat padyam [ deity mula mantra
idam ar,hyam [ deity mula mantra
idam acamaniyam [ deity mula mantra
esha madhuparkah [ deity mula mantra
idam acamaniyam [ deity mula mantra
idam snaniyam [ deity mula mantra
idam vastram [ deity mula mantra
imani a&haranani [ deity mula mantra
esha ,andhah [ deity mula mantra
idam su,andha pushpam [ deity mula mantra
esha dhupah [ deity mula mantra
esha dipah [ deity mula mantra
idam naivedyam [ deity mula mantra
Deity stuti and Pranamas :optional;
:chant stutis and pranamas for Shri haitanya and 8adha)Krishna;
Sattvika 6riddhi Shraddha : A&hyudayika Shraddha;
2orship of the Acaryas and Maha Bha,avatas
Ene should install the acarya parampara in the same pot as used in the ,ha9a sthapana"
om sarva sampradayacarye)
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rput nyasa
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha)pushpe)
om ,urave namah
om ISKE= pratish9acaryaya namah
om parama ,urave namah
om parapara ,urave namah
om maha ,urave namah
om paramesh9hi ,urave namah
om sarve&hyo mahanta),uru&hyoh namah
om sarva)vaishnave&hyoh namah
Ene should then install the five Maha Bha,avatas in the pot"
om vishvaksenadi panca maha)&ha,avate
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rput nyasa
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha)pushpe )
om vishvaksenaya namah
om sanakaya namah
om sanatanaya namah
om sanandanaya namah
om sanat kumaraya namah
Ene should then install the dikpalas in the pot
om naradadi sarva dikpale)
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rnyasa
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha)pushpe )
om naradaya namah
om kapilaya namah
om yama&ha,avataya namah
om &hishmadevaya namah
om shukadevaya namah
om 4anakaya namah
om sadashivaya namah
om prahladaya namah
om &rahmane namah
om &alira4aya namah
om svayam &huvaya namah
Ene should then install the =avayo,endras in the pot"
om kavayadi navayo,endrah )
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rnyasa
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha pushpe )
om kavaye namah
om havaye namah
om antarikshaya namah
om pra&uddhaya namah
om pippalayanaya namah
om avihotraya namah
om drumilaya namah
om camasaya namah
om kara&ha4anaya namah
Ene should then install the Bhakti Shaktis in the pot"
om paurnamasyadi &hakti)shaktayah )
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rnyasa
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha pushpe )
om paurnamasyai namah
om padmayai namah
om antaran,ayai namah
om ,an,ayai namah
om yamunayai namah
om candravalyai namah
om ,ayatrai namah
om tulasyai namah
om sarasvatyai namah
om prithivyai namah
om vaishnavyai namah
om ,ave namah
om yashodayai namah
om devahutyai namah
om devakyai namah
om rohinyai namah
om sitayai namah
om draupadyai namah
om kuntyai namah
om rukminyai namah
Ene should then install Krishna7s Sakhas in the pot"
om shridamadi sarva),opal),anah
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rnyasa
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha pushpe
om shridamne namah
om sudamne namah
om stoka)krishnaya namah
om lavan,aya namah
om ar4unaya namah
om vasudamne namah
om vishalaya namah
om su&alaya namah
om shri ramaya namah
om shri krishnaya namah
Ene should then install Krishna7s Sakhis in the pot"
om lalitadi sarva)sakhyah
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Then one should %orship them %ith candana and flo%ers"
om ete ,andha)pushpe )
om lalitayai namah
om syamalayai namah
om vishakhayai namah
om campakalatayai namah
om sucitrayai namah
om tun,avidyayai namah
om indulekhayai namah
om ran,adevyai namah
om sudevyai namah
Ene should then take vishnu prasadam and offer to the ,uru, acaryas and
maha&ha,avatas$
idam mahaprasadam nirmalyadikam)
om ,urave namah
om sarve&hyo mahanta),uru&hyoh namah
om sarve&hyo maha&ha,avate&hyoh namah
6asudhara
Ene should dra% %ith sindhura on the (ast or =orth %all :in the room in %hich the pu4a
is &ein, performed; of the &uildin, a half moon, a trian,le :%ith the point at the top;, and
a svastika$ >nder these dra%in,s make seven dots %ith the sindhura startin, from left to
ri,ht$ The dra%in,s should &e on the same level as one7s navel$ Takin, a piece of kusha
,rass %ith the tip dipped in ,hee, touch each dot so that the ,hee runs do%n the %all
to%ards the floor$ 2hile touchin, the dots %ith ,hee one should chant"
om yad varccho hiranyasya
yadva varccho ,avamuta
satyasya &rahmano varcchas)
tena ma sam shri4amasi
Rtranslation
Ene should then install edira4a in the pot"
om cedira4a vasave)
iha vaha :sho% avahani mudra;
iha tish9a :sho% sthapana mudra;
iha sannidehi :sho% sannidhapani mudra;
iha sannirudhyasva :sho% sannirodhani mudra;
iha sanmukho &hava :sho% sanmukhikarana mudra;
Rnyasa
Effer five upacaras that have all &een offered to Krishna first"
esha ,andhah ) om cedira4a vasave namah
etani pushpani ) om cedira4a vasave namah
esha dhupah ) om cedira4a vasave namah
esha dipah ) om cedira4a vasave namah
idam naivedyam ) om cedira4a vasave namah
hant the follo%in, pranama mantra"
om cedira4a namastu&hyam
shapa,rasta mahamate
kshuta)pipasandade danta
cedira4a namo7stu te
Rtranslation
om cedira4a vaso kshamasva
Rtranslation
Ene should chant the Ayushya Sukta"
om ayurvishvayurvashvam vishvamayurasimahi
pra4astvash9aradhinidhe hyasmai shatam 4ivema sharado vayante
om ayusho me pavasva varcaso me pavasva vidhuh prithivya divo 4anitrayah
shrinvstvapohadah ksharanti somo hoda,aya mamayushe
mama &rahmavarcasaya ya4amanasyardhhya shri:name of sponsor; :name of function;
karmano ra4aya
Rtranslation
&ho4apatra >tsar,a
Ene should prepare a lar,e plate %ith uncooked rice, dahl, ,hee, salt, uncut fruits and
ve,eta&les, &etal nuts, s%eets and cloth$
The ya4amana should put his ri,ht hand turned up%ards on the plate and %ith his left
hand take some %ater from the acamana cup and sprinkle the items after recitin, each of
the follo%in, mantras"
om etasmai sopakarna amanna &ho4aya namah :sprinkle %ith %ater;
om idam adhipate ) shri vishnave namah :sprinkle %ith %ater;
om etat sampradanaya ) sattvata &rahmanaya namah :sprinkle %ith %ater;
Rtranslation
Then takin, %ater a,ain in the left hand he should chant"
om vishnur
om tat sat
adya
WWWWWWWmase :lunar month ;
WWWWWWWpakshe : lunar fortni,ht;
WWWWWWWtithau :lunar day ;
shri krishna priti kama
: name of ya4amanas@ ,otra; ,otrasya
shri :name of ya4amana;
shu&he :name of function; karma&huyadayartham
: name of forefathers7 ,otra; ,otranam nandi)mukhanam pitrinam
parama)pritaye idam shopakarna amanna &ho4yamarcitam shri vishnu daivatam yatha
nama ,otrasya shri :name of forefather; sattvika &rahmanayaham dadani
Rtranslation
Dakshina :in the form of money; should &e offered to the 6aishnava &rahmana on a plate$
Before offerin,, the ya4amana should offer ,andha)pushpa to the dakshina sayin,"
om ete ,anda)pushpe ) etasmai kancana mulyaya namah
om etat adhipataye ) om &ha,avate shri vishnave namah
Rtranslation
#e should chant the follo%in, sankalpa"
om vishnur
om tat sat
adya
WWWWWWWmase :lunar month ;
WWWWWWWpakshe : lunar fortni,ht;
WWWWWWWtithau :lunar day ;
shri krishna priti kama
: name of ya4amanas7 ,otra; ,otrasya
shri :name of ya4amana;
shu&he :name of function; karma&huyadayartham
sopakarna amanna &ho4ya)dan karmanah san,atartham dakshinamidam
kancana mulyam shri vishnu daivatam yatha nama ,otraya sattvata &rahmanayaham
dadani
Rtranslation
#e should no% offer the dakshina to the 6aishnava &rahmana$
APP(=DIZ III
Karna 6edha
:Borin, the (ars;"
Accordin, to Sushruta, this ceremony should &e performed in the si3th or seventh month
after &irth, thou,h it may &e performed alon, %ith the uda Karana ceremony or at
>panayanam$
Rfootnote"
Sushruta says" ?The ears of a child should &e pierced for protection from diseases and for
decoration$@
Ether Ayur)vedic te3ts descri&e ho% %hen the nerves in the ear are pierced at this time in
the child7s life, lust is decreased in later years$
It should &e performed durin, the %a3in, phase of the moon on an auspicious day, &efore
noon$
The child should &e held on the lap of the mother$
>sin, a ,old, silver or iron needle, the sur,eon should take the ri,ht ear of the &oy or left
ear of a ,irl first, and pierce the ears %ith a sin,le stroke$
Rfootnote"
The 6iramitrodaya Samskara Prakasha says" ?A ,old needle ,ives ele,ance, &ut one can
use silver or even iron needles accordin, to his means$@
Ether te3ts say that a &rahmana and a vaishya should use silver needles, a kshatriya, ,old,
and a shudra, iron$
Gifts should &e ,iven to the vaishnavas, and sur,eon$
6idyaram&ha
:'earnin, the Alpha&et;"
This is performed %hen the child is five, or at the same time as the hair cuttin, ceremony,
&ut &efore >panayanam$ An auspicious day should &e chosen %hen the sun is in the
=orthern course$
The child should &e &athed, dressed in fresh cloth and decorated$ The parents should
perform 6ishnu Arcana$ The teacher should face (ast, and the child should face him$
En a silver plate kum)kum should &e sprinkled and %ith a ,old pen the %ords ?om namo
&ha,avate vasudevaya@ or ?hare krishna@ should &e %ritten and read three times &y the
child, %ith the help of the teacher$ If silver and ,old are not availa&le other materials may
&e used, such as kusha ,rass or tulasi$
The child should pay his o&eisances to the teacher, present the teacher %ith cloth and
ornaments and circumam&ulate the Deities$ Brahmanas should ,ive &lessin,s$ 2omen
%ho have hus&ands and children alive should %ave lamps in front of the child$ Dakshina
should &e presented to the &rahmanas and prasadam should &e distri&uted$
$