Mahä Abhiñeka Procedure

Based upon the Çré Çré Kåñëa Janma Tithi Vidhi by Çréla Rüpa Goswämé
As performed at ISKCON Mayapur

Preliminary Activities
● Thoroughly clean, setup and decorate the snäna vedi (bathing place) for the
deities.
● Bring and arrange the items and paraphernalia for worship.
● Purify all the items used in the worship by prokñaëa.
● Draw a goloka yantra with sandalwood paste in the snäna vedi where the
deities will stand. Also, you may decorate around the snäna vedi with fruits Goloka Yantra
and flowers.
● Place tulasé leaves in the center of the snäna vedi, specifically where viñëu-
tattva deities will be placed.
● Dress the deities privately in bathing cloth; usually yellow or white silk. Then offer puñpäïjali to the
Lord’s lotus feet while chanting eña puñpäïjali and the deity müla-mantra.
● Bring the deities to the snäna vedi in procession (on a palanquin if possible) with conches blowing
and cämaras waving, along with the accompaniment of bhajanas or kértanas. Brähmaëas may also
chant svasti-väcana to invoke auspiciousness for the abhiñeka ceremony at this time.1

Abhiñeka2
1 Äsana (seat)
● Place the deities on the snäna vedi, and begin worship with the 16 upacäras.
● Chant idam äsanam and the deity müla-mantra

2 Svägata (welcome)
● Chant svägataà su svägataà and the deity müla-mantra

3 Padya (foot wash)

● Chant etat padyam and the deity müla-mantra

4 Arghya (offering of auspicious articles for reception)

● Chant idam arghyam and the deity müla-mantra

5 Äcamana (water for sipping)

● Chant idam äcamanéyam and the deity müla-mantra

1
If available, brähmaëas may chant the appropriate mantras throughout the abhiñeka as prescribed in Çré Çré Kåñëa
Janma Tithi Vidhi.
2
Offer tulasé leaves with all the items offered to viñëu-tattva deities.

1
6 Madhuparka (high-class honey refreshment)
● Chant eña madhuparkaù and the deity müla -mantra

7 Punar-äcamana (again, water for sipping)

● Chant idaà punar-äcamanéyam and the deity müla -mantra

Piñöa dépa: offer seven times around the Lord’s body.

8 Snäna (bathing)

Sugandha-tailam: massage the deities with fragrant oil.

Til pisti: massage for the deity using sesame seed paste. Some of this paste is also put in the water used for
the next upacära — til snäna.

THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE OFFERED IN A CONCH:

● Til-snäna: water with sesame seed paste

● Pure water

● Païca-gavya-snana: offer the following items from the cow one after another in the following order:
○ milk
○ yogurt
○ ghee
○ cow urine
○ cow dung

● Kuça-snana: kuça grass tips 1-1.5” long mixed in pure water

● Païcämåta-snäna: offer the following items one after another in the following order (everything
should be warm and pourable):
○ milk
○ yogurt
○ ghee
○ honey
○ sugar water

● Fruit juices: five different types of fruit juice. Mango, pomegranate and grapes are recommended by
Hari-bhakti-viläsa, but nothing salty or too sour.

● Colored scents snäna:

○ Orange – musk or jatamamsi
○ Red – rose
○ Saffron – saffron
○ Green – kuça
○ Yellow – aguru

● Sugar cane juice: available according to season

2
 ● Uñnodaka-snäna: rinse with pure warm water

● Powders: dust the deities with a brush made from the hair at the end of a cow’s tail.

● Uñnodaka-snäna: rinse with pure warm water

● Dobs: pour coconut water directly from coconuts

● Tértha-jala: water from sacred places such as the Yamunä and Ganges, Rädhä-kuëòa, etc.

● Pure water

● Sarvauñadhi-snäna3: herbal bath

● Mahauñadhi-snäna: second herbal bath

● Maìgala-snäna: auspicious bath

● Béjäñöaka-snäna: eight-seed bath

● Ratnodaka-snäna: jewel-water — one can either leave the jewels in water for some time, or place
païcaratna or navaratna in the conch shell during the bathing.

● Puñpodaka-snäna: flower-water — bathe with water in which scented flowers have been soaking
for some time.

● Phalodaka-snäna: fruit-water — place a whole peeled banana into the conch, add water and then
pour over the deity. (Be careful to not drop the banana onto the deity)

● Gandhodaka-snäna (asta-ghanda-snäna): scented-water bath — bathe the deities with water

mixed with scents such as musk, aguru, sandalwood, jatamamsi, camphor, saffron, kusa, and
gorocana.4

● Gandha: sandalwood paste — cover the deities bodies (may be left on for a few minutes)

● Candanodaka-snäna: sandalwood-water — bathe the deities with water which has been mixed with
sandalwood paste.

WHILE POURING WATER CONTINUOUSLY INTO A SAHASRA DHÄRA (ROUND TRAY WITH HOLES FOR

SHOWERING), PLACE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS INTO THE SAHASRA DHÄRA, ONE AFTER ANOTHER:

● Mahauñadhi

● Gandha

3 In the Radha-Ramana temple, the sarvauñadhi, mahauñadhi, maìgala, and béjäñöaka are put in the conch and then with water is added. The items could also be placed in pots of

water and allowed to soak for some time before pouring in the conch.

4 As offered to Radha-Ramana during His abhiñeka.

3
 ● Béjäñöaka

● Puñpa

● Phala: peeled banana

● Ratna

THE FOLLOWING TWO ITEMS ARE POURED INTO THE SAHASRA DHÄRA5:

● Pure water: eight kalaças (water pots)

● Tértha-jala: sixteen kalaças of sacred water mixed with tulasi & sandalwood paste — chant Purusa
Sukta while offering.

OFFERING OF SNÄNA IS CONCLUDED AT THIS POINT

● Offer towels to dry and cover the deities.

● Offer fragrant flower petals of various types and colors.

● Escort the deities back to a private area (i.e. pujari room) in order to offer concluding items of
worship.

● Vastra (clothing)

● Upavéta (brähmaëa thread)

● Äbharaëa / Alaìkära (ornaments)

● Nirmaïcana (showing herbs to drive away inauspiciousness)

● Dåñöi Uttarana (deliverance from evil glances)

● Matsya Mocana (deliverance of a fish)

● Gandha (sandalwood paste on head, and/or feet)

● Puñpa (flowers)

● Dhüpa (incense)

5 As done in Mayapur

4
● Dépa (lamp)

● Naivedya (feast)

○ Tämbüla (after-meal refreshment, otherwise known as pan): may be offered after the feast

● Pranama

5
Appendix
Abhiñeka is offered to the deities by clean, brähmaëa-initiated devotees according to the same
standards as other temple worship on the altar.

Piñöa dépa (also called piñöa pradépa):

A nine-wicked lamp offered to the Lord before an abhiñeka. Knead barley flour (or white flour), sugar
and milk into a firm dough and then fashion into nine lamp holders. Draw an eight-petaled lotus with
kum-kuma and rice flour (or kum-kuma mixed with ghee) on a metal plate made of gold, silver or bell
metal. Place one lamp on each lotus petal and one in the center of the lotus.

Padya
çyamaka: millet (Panicum frumentaceum)
viñëukränta: buttterfly pea (Cliteria ternatea)
dürvä: Bent grass (Pancium dactylon)

Powders
Mix barley flour, flour, sindhura, urad dal flour — along with äväöä (banana powder and ground
rice). They are applied to the deities’ body with a brush made from the hair from a cow’s tail. This
produces a nice finish. After cleaning Him with a cow-tail brush, one will then bathe Him with warm
water.

Sarvauñadhi: pure water mixed with following crushed ingredients…

mäàsé or jatämäàsé: spieknard (nardostachys)
väca: sweet flag roots (Acorus calamus)
kuñöha: kuth (Hindi) (Saussurea auriculata)
çaileyaà or saila: dill (Anethum graveolens)
çaöhé: ginger (Curcuma zedoaria)
mustä: nut grass (Cyperus rotundas)
campaka: fruit of a plantain tree
räjané dväya: turmeric (Curcuma longa) and a relative (Curcuma aromatica) (wild turmeric)
däru-haridrä: (Berberis aristata)
murä: (Valerian)

Mahauñadhi: pure water mixed with following crushed ingredients…

sahadevé: (Echites frutescus)
simhé: eggplant (Solanum melongena)
çaìkhapuñpi: dankuni (Bengali) (Canscora decussata)
vyäghré: (Solanum jacquini)
balä: (Sidonia cordifolia)
ati-balä: (Sidonia rhombifolia)
süryavartä: (Polanisia icosandra)
väca: sweet flag roots (Acorus calamus)

6
Mangala-snäna: (sometimes called sumaìgali or sarvamaìgala) water mixed with the following
ingredients…

padmaka or padmakam: (wood from Cerasus puddum) or lotus seeds (crushed)

jäti: chameli (Jasmin grandiflora)
kunda: (Jasmin multiflora)
kuça grass: (Poa cynosuroides)
darbha: (Saccharum cylindricum)
rocana or gorocana: a yellow pigment made from the bile of a cow (crushed)

Bijastaka: water mixed with the following ingredients…

rice paddy
wheat
barley
ñañöhtikä dhänya (60 day rice)
sesame seeds
millet
panic seed
wild rice

Ratnodaka
use païcaratna or navaratna

Nirmancana
sahadevä (bala): (Sida cordifolia)
sadäbhadrä: gamari (Bengali) (Gmelina arborea)
süryavartä: (Polanisia icosandra)
çiréña: (Acacia sirissa)
rajané: turmeric (Curcuma longa)
kuça grass: (Poa cynosuroides)

Cow urine and cow dung

Use a very small amount (teaspoonful) of cow urine and cow dung. Dilute in water. Both should be
filtered through fine cotton cloth.