48 verses
Uddhava said: O Lord, O master of the devotees! Please explain your worship called kriyā-yoga, taking shelter of which the devotees worship you in a proper way.
All the great sages repeatedly declare that such worship brings the greatest benefit in human life. This is the opinion of Nārada Muni, the great Vyāsadeva and my own guru, Bṛhaspati.
etad vai sarva-varṇānām āśramāṇāṁ ca sammatam śreyasām uttamaṁ manye strī-śūdrāṇāṁ ca māna-da
O most magnanimous Lord, the instructions on deity worship first emanated from your lotus mouth. Then they were spoken by the great Lord Brahmā to his sons, headed by Bhṛgu, and by Lord Śiva to his wife, Pārvatī. This type of worship is approved as the best for all the occupational and spiritual orders of society, even for women and śūdras.
Etat means deity worship.
O lotus-eyed one! O Supreme Lord of all lords of the universe! Please explain this means of liberation from the bondage of work for your devotee having material attachments.
But you are my devotee, completely attached to me. Why do you need this? Explain this for the devotee who has attachment to material things.
The Supreme Lord said: O Uddhava! There is no end to the details of deity worship; so I shall explain this topic to you briefly, one step at a time.
There is no end to the details of karma-kāṇòa, meaning deity worship, because there can be no end to that which is unlimited in terms of scripture and performance.
One should carefully worship me by selecting one of the three methods of deity worship: Vedic, tantric or mixed.
Vedic worship consists of using mantras such as purusā-sūkta from the Vedas, and using procedures from the Vedas. Tāntrika means procedures described in works such as Gautamīya-tantra. Mixed deity worship uses procedures or mantras such as the eight syllable mantra, described in both the Vedas and tantras. Makhaḥ means deity worship. Among the three methods, one should worship me by ones preferred method.
Please understand how (yadā), having attained twice-born status according to the rules of the Vedas according to his qualification (sva-nigamena), a person should worship me.
A twice-born person should worship me, his worshipable Lord, without duplicity, offering appropriate paraphernalia in loving devotion to me in the deity form, in the ground, in fire, in the sun, in water or within the worshipers own heart.
Arcāyām means in the deity form.
One should first purify his body by cleansing his teeth and bathing. Then one should perform a second cleansing by smearing the body with earth and chanting both Vedic and tantric mantras.
He should use both Vedic and tantric mantras for the second cleansing.
Completely satisfied, the person should perform my worship, which destroys karma, along with performing his various prescribed duties, such as chanting the Gāyatrī mantra at the three junctures of the day mentioned in the Vedas.
He, completely satisfied (samyak-saḍkalpaḥ), should perform my worship, which destroys karma, along with duties prescribed in the Vedas.
The deity form of the Lord is said to appear in eight varietiesstone, wood, metal, clay, paint, sand, the mind or jewels.
The types of deities are mentioned. Śailī means made of stone. Lauhī means made of metals like gold.
O Uddhava! The deity form of the Lord, who is nondifferent from me, the shelter of all living entities, can be established in two ways: as a movable or immovable form. But a deity, having been installed, is not subject to calling and sending away.
Pratiṣṭhā means that which is established with great power or permanently. The deity form is the shelter of all jīvas (jīva-mandiram). That means the deity is directly the Lord. The forms may be fixed, such as Jagannātha, or movable such as a baby form of Mukunda. The procedures of visarjana and āvāhana (daily invoking the Lord and dismissing him) are not performed on a permanent form (sthirāyām) of deity, whether moving or fixed, which is installed, since one permanently called the Lord at the time of installation.
The deity made of perishable material can optionally be called forth and sent away, or installed. But calling and sending away should always be performed when the deity is traced upon the ground. Bathing should be done with water except if the deity is made of clay, paint or wood, in which cases one wipes the form without using water.
There is choice in the case of forms which are impermanent such as sand or clay. If that form will remain for some days, one person may not install the form (performing āvāhana and visarjana only), whereas another person will install the deity, according to different types of faith and bhakti. However one does not install a śālagrāma, (since the Lord is already present). When the form is drawn on the ground, or in other cases where the form is my nature very impermanent, such as forms made of sand, one should perform āvāhana and visarjana. One should bathe the deity with water except if the form is a painting or made of clay. In those cases, and when the form is wood, one should simply wipe the deity.
One should worship my forms by offering the most excellent paraphernalia. But a devotee completely freed from material desire may worship me with whatever he is able to obtain, and may even worship me within his heart with mental paraphernalia.
One should worship using the best items such as cooked grains, sugar candy, ghee, sandalwood and saffron. The devotee with no material desires can worship using whatever is available or can worship by meditating on rare objects in his mind, such as sweet rice made from milk of Surabhi cows.
sūrye cābhyarhaṇaṁ preṣṭhaṁ salile salilādibhiḥ śraddhayopāhṛtaṁ preṣṭhaṁ bhaktena mama vāry api
In worshiping the deity forms, my dear Uddhava, bathing and decoration are the most pleasing offerings. For the deity traced on sacred ground, the process of tattva-vinyāsa is most dear. Oblations of sesame and barley soaked in ghee are the preferred offering to the sacrificial fire. Worship consisting of offering arghya is preferred for the sun. One should worship me in the form of water by offering water itself. Actually, whatever is offered to me with faith by my devoteeeven if only a little wateris most dear to me.
One should worship forms on the ground (such as vastu-puruṣa-maṇòala), simply by placing the devatās of the principle limbs in particular places using specific mantras. In that worship one does not offer ornaments and other items. One worships the Lord in fire by offering sacrificial items like sesame, soaked in ghee. One worships the Lord in the sun by performing arghya offerings (abhyarhaṇam). One worships the Lord in water by offering water and other items.
Even excellent presentations do not satisfy me if they are offered by nondevotees. But I am pleased by any insignificant offering made by devotees, what to speak of a presentations of fragrant oil, incense, flowers and palatable foods.
Sumanasaḥ means flowers.
After cleansing himself and collecting all the paraphernalia, the worshiper should arrange his own seat with blades of kuśa grass whose tips point eastward. He should then sit facing either east or north, or else, if the deity is fixed in one place, he should sit facing the deity.
Now the procedures for worship are described. He should face either east or north (prāg udag) or face the deity if it is immovable.
The devotee should sanctify the various parts of his body by touching them and chanting mantras. He should do the same for my deity forms and then with his hands he should clean the deity of old flowers and the remnants of previous offerings. He should properly prepare the sacred pot and the vessel containing water for sprinkling.
Then after offering respects to guru and others, according to the teachings, he should perform nyāsa on his body. He should then purify the deity form by removing old garlands etc., after placing the mūla-mantra (obtained through initiation) on the deitys limbs. He should prepare an auspicious pot full of water (pūrṇa-kumbha) and prepare a vessel of water to be used for sprinkling on items to purify them.
Then, with the water of that prokṣaṇīya vessel he should sprinkle the area where the deity is being worshiped, the offerings that are going to be presented, and his own body. Next he should prepare with various auspicious substances and water three vessels.
He should sprinkle water from the prokṣaṇīya vessel on the place of worship, the articles and himself. The articles placed in the three vessels are as follows:
pādye śyāmāka-dūrvābja-viṣṇu-krāntābhir iṣyate |
gandha-puṣpākṣata-yava-kuśāgra-tila-sarṣapāḥ |
dūrvā ceti kramād arghya-dravyāṣṭakam udīritam |
jātī-lavaḍga-kakkolair matam ācamanīyakam ||
Pādya consists of millet (panicum frumentaceum), dūrvā (panic grass), water, viṣṇu-krānta and other items. Arghya consists of eight items: fragrance, flowers, white rice, barley, tips of kuśa, sesame, mustard seed and dūrvā grass. Ācamanīya consists of nutmeg, clove and kakkola.
The worshiper should then purify those three vessels. He should sanctify the vessel holding water for washing the Lords feet by chanting hṛdayāya namaḥ, the vessel containing water for arghya by chanting śirase svāhā, and the vessel containing water for washing the Lords mouth by chanting śikhāyai vaṣaṭ. Also, the gayatrī mantra should be chanted over all three vessels.
He should then chant the particular mantra over the particular vessel and as well chant the gayatrī mantra over all of them.
The worshiper should meditate upon my subtle form, whose portion is the jīva which is situated within the worshipers own body, now purified by air and fire. This form of the Lord is experienced by self-realized sages in the last part of the vibration of the sacred syllable oṁ.
The body should be purified by air and fire. It should be dried up by air from the abdomen region and burned by fire from the mulādhāra-cakra region.1 One should then make the body full of nectar by flooding it with nectar from the moon globe situated in the forehead. One should then meditate of the highest form, Nārāyaṇa, whose portion is the jīva, situated in the lotus of the heart. Oṁ consists of five parts: a, u, m, the nasal anusvāra (the dot), and nāda (the semicircle in oṁ). Nārāyaṇa is meditated on by the perfected beings in the nāda portion of oṁ (nādānte). Śruti says yo vedādau svaraḥ prokto vedānte ca pratiṣṭhitaḥ: the sound pronounced in the beginning of oṁ has its foundation in the last part of the sound. (Mahā-nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad)
When Paramātmā pervades the devotees body, the devotee, filled with Paramātmā, worships the Paramātmā there, and then being filled with Paramātmā, one calls Paramātmā into the deity form and fixes him there. Performing nyāsa on the deitys limbs, he then worships that form.
The body is pervaded by the effulgence from the Paramātmā, a form of the deity, just as a room is pervaded by the light of a lamp. One should worship Paramātmā in the body using articles produced in ones mind. When the body becomes filled with Paramātmā, one calls him into the deity form, fixes him there and performs nyāsas on the deitys limbs.2
padmam aṣṭa-dalaṁ tatra karṇikā-kesarojjvalam ubhābhyāṁ veda-tantrābhyāṁ mahyaṁ tūbhaya-siddhaye
After making my seat in the form of an eight-petalled lotus effulgent with a pericarp and stamens, endowed with the personified deities of religion, knowledge, renunciation and opulence and with my nine spiritual energies, following the regulations of both the Vedas and the tantras, he should offer me water for washing the feet, water for washing the mouth, arghya and other items of worship. By this process he achieves both material enjoyment and liberation.
One should offer pādya, ācamana (upasparśa) and arghya (arhanā). But one should first make a yoga-pīṭha of eight lotus petals my sitting place, with dharma, jñāna, vairāgya and aiśvarya in the south-east, south-west, north-west and north-east corners and adharma, ajñāna, avairāgya and anaiśvarya in the east, south, west and north directions. In a smaller circle one should place the nine śaktis: Vimalā, Utkarṣiṇī, Jñānā, Kriyā, Yogā, Prahvī, Satyā, Īśānā and Anugrahā. One should offer articles to me for attaining bhukti and mukti (ubhaya-siddhaye), by the methods outlined in the Vedas and tantras.
One should worship the Lords Sudarśana disc, his Pāñcajanya conchshell, his club, sword, arrows, bow, and plow, his pestle, his Kaustubha gem, his flower garland and the Śrīvatsa curl of hair on his chest.
The weapons from disc to pestle are located in the eight directions. The Kaustubha, garland and Śrīvatsa are on the Lords chest.
One should worship the Lords associates Nanda and Sunanda, Garuòa, Pracaṇòa and Caṇòa, Mahābala and Bala, and Kumuda and Kumudekṣaṇa.
One worships these associates in their respective places, facing them. The eight associates are in the eight directions and Garuòa is in front.
With prokṣaṇa and other items, one should worship Durgā, Vināyaka, Vyāsa, Viṣvaksena, the gurus and the various devatās. All these personalities should be in their proper places facing the deity of the Lord.
Gurus are on the left side. The devatās starting with Indra are in the directions starting with east.3 After sprinkling water for purification one should offer them arghya and other items
svarṇa-gharmānuvākena mahāpuruṣa-vidyayā pauruṣeṇāpi sūktena sāmabhī rājanādibhiḥ
The worshiper should bathe the deity every day, as much as his assets permit, using waters scented with sandalwood, uśīra root, camphor, saffron and aguru. He should also chant various Vedic hymns, such as the anuvāka known as Svarṇa-gharma, the Mahāpuruṣa-vidyā, the Puruṣa-sūkta and various songs of the Sāma Veda, such as the Rājana and the Rauhiṇya.
What mantras should one use? Svarṇa-gharma mantra starts with svarṇaṁ gharmaṁ parivedanam. Mahāpuruṣa-vidyā starts with jitaṁ te puṇòarīkākṣa namas te viśva-bhāvana. Puruṣa-sūkta starts with sahasra-śṛiṣā. The Rājana verses start with indraṁ naro nema-dhitā. Ādi inicates the Rauhiṇya verses and others.
My devotee should then lovingly decorate me with clothing, a sacred thread, various ornaments, tulasī garlands, and he should anoint my body with unguents, all in the prescribed manner.
Patra-srak means garlands made of tulasī leaves.
The worshiper should faithfully present me with water for washing my feet and mouth, fragrant oils, flowers and unbroken grains, along with incense, lamps and other offerings.
If possible, the devotee should arrange to offer me sugar candy, sweet rice, ghee, śaṣkulī āpūpa, modaka, saṁyāva, yogurt, vegetable soups and other palatable foods.
Guòa means items made from raw sugar, such as sugar candy sugar cane juice. Pāyasam means rice boiled in milk. Śaśkuli is a sweet in the shape of an ear and fried in ghee. Āpūpa is known as puyā. If possible (sati), he should make these items.
On special occasions, and daily if possible, the deity should be massaged with oils, and wiped to remove the oils, shown a mirror, offered a stick for brushing his teeth, bathed with the five kinds of liquid, offered all kinds of fine foods, and entertained with singing and dancing.
First one offers the tooth brush. Then one massages the deity with fragrant oils. One removes the oils with powder scented with saffron and camphor. One should bathe the deity in pañcāmṛta and scented water. Then one offers precious silk cloth, jewel ornaments, sandalwood and other unguents, and garlands. One then offers a mirror and then fragrance, flowers, incense, lamp and mouth wash. One should offer rice, scented drinking water, betel nut, garlands, ārātrika, flowers, bed and fan. Then one should playing musical instruments, sing and dance. This can be done on festival days or daily.
In an arena constructed according to scriptural injunctions, using his hands, the devotee should place fire in a pit surrounded with a three-tiered wall, and concentrate it in one place.
The method of worship in fire is described for those who desire extra benefit.
vistārocchrāyatas tisro mekhalāś catur-aḍgulāḥ |
hasta-mātro bhaved gartaḥ sa-yonir vedikā tathā ||
The fire altar should have three girdles four fingers wide and four fingers high. The pit should be one hasta across and should be furnished with a receptacle on the side facing the sacrificer.
He should bring the blazing fire into one place in it.
After spreading kuśa grass around the pit and sprinkling water around it, one should offer wood into the fire according to the prescribed rules. Then one should arrange the items to be offered as oblations and should sanctify them with water from the sprinkling vessel. The worshiper should next meditate upon me within the fire.
Surrounding the pit with kuśa grass, one should then sprinkle water around the pit. One should offer wood in the fire (anvādhāya) uttering the vyāhṛtis (oṁ bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ). Placing materials to the north of the fire, one should sprinkle them with prokṣaṇa water and then meditate on my presence in the fire.
sphurat-kirīṭa-kaṭaka kaṭi-sūtra-varāḍgadam śrīvatsa-vakṣasaṁ bhrājat- kaustubhaṁ vana-mālinam
dhyāyann abhyarcya dārūṇi
haviṣābhighṛtāni ca
prāsyājya-bhāgāv āghārau
dattvā cājya-plutaṁ haviḥ
juhuyān mūla-mantreṇa
ṣoòaśarcāvadānataḥ
dharmādibhyo yathā-nyāyaṁ
mantraiḥ sviṣṭi-kṛtaṁ budhaḥ
The intelligent devotee should meditate upon that form of the Lord whose color is like molten gold, whose four arms are resplendent with the conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower, and who is always peaceful and dressed in a garment colored like the filaments within a lotus flower. His helmet, bracelets, belt and fine arm ornaments shine brilliantly. The symbol of Śrīvatsa is on his chest, along with the glowing Kaustubha gem and a garland of forest flowers. The devotee should then worship that Lord by taking pieces of firewood soaked in the sacrificial ghee and throwing them into the fire. He should perform the ritual of āghāra, offering two portions of ghee. He should then offer various items of oblation drenched in ghee to sixteen devatās, beginning with Yamarāja. Pouring one oblation after each verse of the Puruṣa-sūkta, he should utter the mūla-mantra of the Lord, the particular name of each deity, and add sviṣṭi-kṛte svāhā.
The devotee should throw wood soaked (abhighṛtāni) in ghee into the fire. He should offer two portions of ghee for the two āghāra oblations. Then, with each verse of the puruṣa-sūkta he should offer sesame and other items soaked in ghee to each of the devatās with their respective mantras. Thus he should say agnaye sviṣṭi-kṛte svāhā etc.
Having thus worshiped the Lord in the sacrificial fire, the devotee should offer his obeisances to the Lords personal associates by bowing down and should then present offerings to them. He should then chant quietly the mūla-mantra of the deity of the Lord, remembering Brahman as Nārāyaṇa.
Remembering Brahman whose svarūpa is Nārāyaṇa, one should chant the mūla-mantra.
After offering him mouth wash, one should give the remnants of the Lords food to Viṣvaksena. Then he should present the Lord with fragrant spices for his mouth and prepared betel nut.
After offering Viṣvakṣena the remnants, with his permission one can eat. This is the comment of Śrīdhara Svāmī.
Singing along with others, chanting loudly and dancing, acting out my transcendental pastimes, and hearing and telling stories about me, the devotee should for some time absorb himself in such festivity.
Kṣaṇikaḥ means one who enjoys a festival, one who is absorbed in the festivity.
The devotee should offer homage to the Lord with all kinds of hymns and prayers, both from the Purāṇas and from ordinary traditions. Praying, O Lord, please be merciful to me! he should fall down flat like a rod to offer his obeisances.
Stavas are verses of praise from the scripture. Stotras are composed by men. Announcing O Lord! Be pleased with this! he should fall on the ground to offer respects.
Placing his head at the feet of the deity with arms together, he prays, O my Lord, please protect me, who am surrendered unto you. I am most fearful of this ocean of material existence, the mouth of death.
The method of offering obeisances is described. However, it is said:
agre pṛṣṭhe vāma-bhāge samīpe garbha-mandire |
japa-homa-namaskārān na kuryāt keśavālaye ||
While in the temple, one should not chant japa, perform sacrifice or offer respects directly in front of the deity, behind, on the left, very close, or in the deity room. Hari-bhakti-vilāsa 8.391
Thus one should offer respects to the Lords feet on the right side of the deity, somewhat distance, by lowering the head. Both arms should be in front with the fingers showing the tarka-mūdra.4 What does he say? That is described in the last line.
Praying in this way, the devotee should respectfully place upon his head the remnants given by me. And if the particular deity is meant to be sent away at the end of the worship, then this should be performed. The devotee once again places the light of the deitys presence inside the light of the lotus within his own heart.
After offering respects, meditating that the remnants are given by the mercy of the Lord, he should then place the remnants on his head. If the Lord is to be dismissed, in a form made of sand etc., one should again place my form of light in the light situated in the lotus in ones heart.
Whenever one develops faith in mein my form as the deity or in other formsone should worship me in that form. I certainly exist both within all created beings and also separately in my original form, since I am the supreme soul.
Though worship of the deity form has mainly been described here, faith is the cause of my appearing. Without faith, realization of my presence will not take place in that form though I am directly present. Virāṭ aviduṣām: those who are ignorant see me as matter. (SB 10.43.17) Thus this verse shows that faith is necessary. To show the principle places of his appearance he mentioned the deity and other forms in this chapter. But if one has great faith, I can be seen in all things. I was easily visible in the pillar of Hiraṇyakaśipu.
By worshiping me through the various methods prescribed in the Vedas and tantras, one will gain from me his desired perfection in both this life and the next.
Ubhayataḥ means in this life and the next.
One should engage religious, wealthy men who take it as their duty to support daily worship, special occasions and festivals, in building temples and attractive flower gardens for the Lord.
If possible these can be done. One should persuade religious persons with money, who think it is their duty to support daily worship, occasions like Jamnāstamī and festivals like the spring celebration, to build temples and gardens.
One who offers the deity gifts of land, markets, cities and villages so that the regular daily worship and special festivals of the deity may go on continually will achieve wealth equal to mine.
Even a wealthy man can become successful by using wealth for the Lord. He will obtain wealth equal to mine.
By installing the deity of the Lord one becomes king of the entire earth, by building a temple for the Lord one becomes ruler of the three worlds, by worshiping and serving the deity one goes to the planet of Lord Brahmā, and by performing all three of these activities one achieves a transcendental form like mine.
The result of doing one or all of the items is described. By installing a deity, by building a temple and supporting the worship one attains a form like the Lords (mat-sāmyatām).
But one who simply engages in devotional service with no motives at all attains prema, and by prema attains me.
He who worships my deity form without other desires such as jñāna and karma, or he who engages others in worship (pūjayeta)5 by making them give wealth, land and shops, attains prema (bhakti-yogam), and by prema (bhakti-yogena), he attains me.
Anyone who steals the property of the devatās or the brāhmaṇas, whether originally given to them by himself or someone else, must live as a worm in stool for one hundred million years.
The various results for someone who gives wealth or land for worshipping the Lord have been stated. The result for a person who takes away the property of the Lord is now stated.
Not only the performer of the theft but also anyone who assists him, instigates the crime or applaud it, must also receive this result after death, since they must share the karma. According to the gravity of the crime, they must suffer a proportionate consequence.
The result accrues not only to the thief but to all involved. The result of the crime after death is experienced by those who assist the act, those who instigate the act, and those who applaud the act, since they should share the results of the crime. According to the seriousness of the crime (bhūyasi) there were will be greater suffering (bhūyaḥ).
Thus ends the commentary on the Twenty-seventh Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas.
In the Twenty-seventh Chapter, Kṛṣṇa describes bhakti in the form of deity worship, called kriyā-yoga, along with the various articles of worship, while engaging in ones prescribed duties. Bhakti without association of devotees is difficult for persons whose minds are attached to sons and wife. Uddhava asks about such persons, who follow deity worship mentioned in the scriptures in order to free them from this attachment. Describe kriyā-yoga, taking shelter of which (yasmāt) the devotees worship you.