Chapter 22 - The consecration of the Tattvas

Śailādi said:

1. After performing the rite of ablution and sacrifice and other sacred rites of the sun, the devotee shall observe the rites of Śivasnāna (the ablution pertaining to Śiva), Bhasmasnāna (ablution with Bhasman) and the worship of Śiva.

2. Repeating the sixth Bīja mantra he shall take some earth and devoutly place it on the ground. Repeating the second Bīja mantra he shall sprinkle it with water and by repeating the third Bīja mantra he shall sanctify it.

3-6. Repeating the fourth Bīja mantra he shall divide the earth into two parts. With one part he shall dispel dirt. He shall then bathe. Repeating the sixth Bīja mantra he shall divide the remaining part of the earth kept in the hand, into three parts; he shall apply the middle one all over the body repeating the fourth Bīja mantra. Repeating the sixth Bīja mantra he shall smear the earth over the middle part of the body seven times. Repeating the Mūla mantra he shall stroke the left side. The ritualistic binding of the quarters (Diśābandha) shall be performed repeating the sixth Bīja mantra ten times. The holy water shall be smeared with the left side portion of the mud and the body with the right portion. Repeating all the Bīja mantras he shall take bath remembering the sun. He shall then perform the rite of ablution by means of a horn, leafcups or the petal of the Palāśa flower repeating these splendid mantras pertaining to the sun. They are conducive to the achievement of all Siddhis.

7-12. O sage of good holy rites, I shall mention the mantras pertaining to the sun. They are Bāṣkala and others, which constitute the essential parts of all the Vedas. The following mantra of nine syllables is glorified as Bāṣkala viz:—Oṃ bhūḥ. Oṃ Bhuvaḥ. Oṃ Svaḥ. Oṃ Mahaḥ. Oṃ Janaḥ. Oṃ Tapaḥ. Oṃ Satyam. Oṃ Ṛtam. Oṃ Brahma. The word Ṛta means Akṣara i.e. imperishable which means truth. Each syllable is used with praṇava in the beginning and namaḥ (obeisance) in the end. The following is the Mūla mantra of the sun the great Ātman: Oṃ bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ tat savitur vareṇyaṃ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt:

“We meditate upon the excellent refulgence of the lord sun, the refulgence that urges and guides our intellect. Oṃ obeisance to the sun; obeisance to the great comet in the firmament.

The devotee shall worship the sun of bright face by means of the nine-syllabled Mūla mantra. I shall mention the ancillary mantras, Oṃ bhūḥ, obeisance to Brahman’s heart. Oṃ Bhuvaḥ, obeisance to the head of Viṣṇu. Oṃ svaḥ, obeisance to the tuft of Rudra. Oṃ Bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ, obeisance to one whose tuft has clusters of fiery lustre. Oṃ Mahaḥ, obeisance to Maheś-vara in coat of mail. Oṃ Janaḥ obeisance to Siva in the eyes. Oṃ Tapaḥ Phaṭ unto the scorcher, unto Astra the miraculous missile. Thus, the different kinds of mantras pertaining to the sun have been mentioned to you. The devotee shall pour water over himself by the tip of horn or other vessels repeating these mantras.

13. A brahmin or a kṣatriya or a vaiśya shall pour water with a copper vessel also with, flowers and Kuśa grass all the while repeating the mantras with great concentration.

14-15. O excellent brahmin, he shall then wear a red cloth and perform the rite of Ācamana. During day time he shall repeat the Ācamana mantra beginning with “Sūryaśca.” During the night he shall repeat the mantra beginning with “Agniśca”. During the midday he shall repeat the mantra “Āpaḥ Punantu”. This is called mantrācamana. After performing the purificatory rite repeating the sixth Bīja mantra he shall repeat the first excellent Bīja mantra.

16. Then he shall repeat the excellent nine-syllabed Mūla mantra ending with Vauṣaṭ. He shall perforin the Nyāsa rite on the fingers, viz.—the thumb, middle and ring fingers.

17-21. Then he shall perform Nyāsa in the palm, index finger, thumb and the parts of the fist. He shall then make the lord ritualistically fettered by the nine-syllabled as well as Aṅga mantras. He shall then think thus, “I am the sun”. Holding water in the palm of his left hand shaped like a cup he shall sprinkle it over his body by means of a bundle of kuśa grass repeating the mantras in order.^[1] Scents and white mustard shall be mixed in the water. While sprinkling with water, the mantra “āpo hi ṣṭhā” etc. split into eight sentences shall be repeated. The water that remains shall be smelt through the left nostril. He shall then conceive that Śiva pervades his body. He shall then take up the vessel, keep it over his body and smell through the right nostril. He shall imagine that the lord is outside, seated on the rock and is dark in colour. He shall then perform the rite of Tarpaṇa unto all Devas and sages in particular.

22. He shall then offer Arghya unto the Bhūtas (goblins) and the Pitṛs (manes). He shall worship Sandhyā (junction) and the full moonlight.

23-28. He shall offer Arghya in the morning, midday and evening with water and red sandal paste taking a handful of it and throwing it up in a circle. O excellent brahmins, he shall draw a perfect circle on the ground and pray facing the east. He shall fill a copper vessel with a Prastha of scented water mixed with red sandal paste, red flowers, gingelly seeds, kuśa grass and raw rice grains. It shall be filled with cow’s urine along with Dūrvā grass and Apāmārga or with ghee alone. The devotee shall kneel on the ground and bow down to the lord of Devas. Holding the vessel over his head he shall offer the Arghya repeating the Mūla mantra. By giving Arghya unto the sun he will attain that benefit which is reputed to accrue after performing ten thousand horse-sacrifices. After offering the Arghya he shall worship the three-eyed lord of Devas.

29. Or, after worshipping the sun he shall perform the fiery bath i.e. applying Bhasman over the body. The Śivasnāna shall be as before, only the mantra is different.

30. The ablution pertaining to the sun and Śiva is preceded by the washing of teeth. Then he shall worship Gaṇeśa, Varuna and the preceptor in the holy river.

31-32. He shall sit in the lotus pose (padmasana) inside the holy river and worship the same. He shall take the holy water in a pot and enter the place of worship. He shall walk over the path with sandals in his feet and sanctify the path with the Arghya water. As before, he shall perform the rites of Nyāsa on the fingers and the limbs of his body.

33. Thus, the material of Arghya has been succinctly mentioned. Then the yogin shall sit in the lotus pose and practise Prāṇāyāma.

34-37. He shall collect lotus and other red flowers and put them to his right. He shall place the water-pot towards his left. Copper vessels are sacred to the sun and they are conducive to the achievement of all desired objects. The Arghya vessels shall then be taken and washed duly with the water as stated before. The water shall also be collected in the bigger vessel. The Arghya water shall contain all the articles meant for Arghya, It shall be kept there together with the water consecrated with the Astra mantra. It shall be inspired with the Saṃhitā mantras and worshipped by repeating the first Bīja mantra. Repeating the fourth Bīja mantra he shall cover the mouth of the vessel ānd place it over its pedestal.

38-39. As before, he shall place the Pādya (the water for washṃg the feet) and Acamanīya (the water for sipping) separately in vessels washed with water. The water shall contain scented flowers. After performing the Nyāsa rite with the Saṃhitā mantras and covering it up with Kavaca mantras he shall sprinkle the materials of worship with the Arghya water. He shall perform the japa of the sun bowed to by all Devas.

40. After bowing down to the lord repeating the mantra “Indeed, Āditya increases him, his energy, his strength and his fame,” he shall offer a seat unto the lord.

41. The seat offered shall be ample, free from dirt, strong, very comfortable and worthy of being commended. In the corners beginning with the south-east the rite of Hṛdayanyāsa (fixation in the heart) shall be performed ending with the middle finger.

42-43. The parts of the lotus shall also be fixed, viz:—the seed, the sprout, the stalk containing pores, the fibre containing thorns, the petal, the tip of the petal very white in colour or golden or red. It shall have the pericarp and the filaments too. It shall be surrounded by Dīptā and other Śaktis.

44. There are eight Śaktis beginning with Dīptā, viz. Dīptā, Sūkṣmā, Jayā, Bhadrā, Vibhūti, Vimalā, Aghorā and Vikṛtā.

45. All of them face the sun. They are splendid and they keep their palms joined in reverence or they hold lotuses in their hands. All of them are bedecked in all ornaments.

46. He shall install goddess Sarvatomukhī^[2] the bestower of boons, in the middle. Then he shall invoke the goddess, the sun and the lord.

47. He shall invoke the sun by repeating the nine-syllabled mantra mentioned as Bāṣkala. The rites of invocation and presence shall be performed only by this mantra.

48. The Mudrā (ritualistic show of hand) of the sun, the great Atman, is called Padmamudrā (the gesture of the lotus). Thereafter, Arghya, Pādya and Ācamana shall be offered separately repeating the Mūla mantra.

49-50. Arghya shall be offered once again in accordance with the injunctions, repeating the Bāṣkala mantra. Red lotuses, flowers and red sandal shall also be offered. Light shall be shown, incense offered and Naivedya dedicated. Smelling scents etc. to render the mouth fragrant, betel leaves, wicks, lights shall be offered repeating Bāṣkala mantra.

51. They are offered in six ways (?) in the quarters southeast, north-east, south-west, north-west, east and west.

52. After worshipping duly and performing the Nyāsa rite of all limbs upto the eyes in the pericarp, repeating the mantras beginning with Praṇava and ending with Namaḥ, the devotee shall perform meditation on the form of the lord.

53. All the Mūrtis have the lustre of lightning and are calm. But the Aṣṭamūrti is terrible. This form has the terrible face due to the curved fangs.

54-56. The right hand shows the symbol of bestowing boons; the left hand is adorned with lotus. All Mūrtis are richly bedecked in ornaments; they wear red garlands and clothes and have red unguents smeared over their bodies. Mahādeva is accompanied by his multitude of attendants. His physical form is pink in colour like saffron. He holds the lotus in his hand. Nectar exudes from his face. The lord has two hands and two eyes. He possesses red ornaments, wears red garlands and smears red unguents.

57-61. The devotee shall meditate on the sun, the lord of the worlds who has the form thus—

Outside the lotus all round in the mystic diagram he is accompanied by the splendid Moon, Mars, Mercury Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rāhu and Ketu. All these have a pair of eyes and hands but Rāhu has only the upper part of the body. His face is circular. He has joined his palms together. Saturn has curved fangs in his mouth. His hands show the gestures of granting boons and freedom from fear. For realising virtue, love and wealth they shall be worshipped assiduously by their respective names prefixed with Praṇava and suffixed with namaḥ. They shall be worshipped with their respective emotions.

62-63. The devotee shall worship outside the mystic diagram the seven groups of Gaṇas: sages. Devas, Gandharvas, serpents, Apsarases, Grāmaṇīs, Yātudhānas and prominent Yajñas. He shall worship the seven horses of the lord constituted by the seven Vedic metres.

64. The groups of Vālakhilyas shall be worshipped then. The remnants of worship of the lord shall then be taken out. He shall worship the pedestal of the Mūrti and the deity as well.

65. At the time of invocation, at the conclusion of the worship and at the time of the ritualistic dismissal of the deities Arghya shall be severally offered in accordance with the injunctions.

66. Thereafter, he shall repeat the Bāṣkala mantras a thousand times, five hundred times or one hundred and eight times. He shall then do Homa up to a tenth part of the japa number.

67. To the west the sacrificial pit shall be dug in a circle. There shall be a circular guiding ring too. The depth and the width of the pit shall be four Aṅgulas.

68. In the obligatory and optional rites the external diameter of the pit shall be a Hasta (hand) in extent. The navel of the pit shall be of the shape of the leaf of the Aśvattha and extend to ten Aṅgulas.

69. The Gala (throat) shall be one Aṅgula in width and five Aṅgulas in length. It shall resemble the lip of an elephant. The remaining part shall be two Aṅgulas in width.

70. The Mekhalā (outer ring) of the pit shall be made after leaving a margin of the same width (i.e. two aṅgulas). After making all these assiduously, the devotee shall perform the Homa.

71. He shall perform the rite of Ullekhana (scraping) and sprinkle it with water, repeating the sixth Bīja mantra. He shall offer seat in the middle repeating the first Bīja mantra with great concentration.

72-73. Thereafter, he shall perform the Nyāsa rite of the Śakti named Prabhivatī, repeating the first Bīja mantra. After worshipping by means of scents and fragrant flowers, repeating the Bāṣkala mantra in due order he shall once again perform the rite of Kriyāyajña with the Bāṣkala mantra itself. Thereafter the rite of Pūrṇāhuti shall be performed by the Mūla mantra alone.

74-75. After performing thus, in due order, the solar fire shall be produced. He shall then perform the Nyāsa rite of the lotus mentioned before in accordance with the injunctions laid down before. After worshipping lord sun as before over the face ten Āhutis shall be offered by the Bāṣkala mantra.

76-79. In all the Homas beginning with “Jayā” Homa and ending with “Sviṣṭa” Homa, each of the Aṅga (ancillary) rites shall be separately performed with the Saṃhitā mantras. The offering of Arghya is common to all schools of worshippers in the traditional style. He shall then offer food offering to the sun, the lord of Devas of unmeasured Atman. After performing these rites, viz:—the Pūjā, Homa, Arghya, circumambulation, worship of the Aṅgas, the Udvāsana (the ritualistic dismissal) and Namaskāra (obeisance) the devotee shall perform the worship of Śiva for the realization of virtue, love and wealth.

Thus has been succinctly recounted the worship of the solar deity.

80. He who even for once worships the sun, the lord of Devas, the preceptor of the universe the great Ātman attains the greatest goal.

81. He shall be liberated from all sins. He shall be devoid of all sins. He shall be endowed with all prosperity. He shall be unequalled.

82. Surrounded by his sons, grandsons and great grandsons as well as kinsmen he shall enjoy extensive pleasures here in this world itself. He shall possess in abundance riches and food-grains.

83. He will be richly endowed with vehicles and carriages as well as different kinds of ornaments. Even after passing away he shall rejoice along with the sun for indefinite period.

84-85. Thereafter, he comes back here and becomes a righteous king. Or he may be born as a brahmin endowed with the knowledge of the Vedas and the Vedāṅgas.

In view of the impressions of his previous existence he will be righteous and master of the Vedas. By worshipping the sun he shall attain identity with the sun-god.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

etair mantraiḥ—such as, “āpo hi ṣṭhā mayo-bhuvaḥ” Tattirīya Saṃhitā. 4.1.5.1.

[2]:

sarvatomukhī [sarvatomukhīm]—gāyatrī [gāyatrīm] Śivatoṣiṇī. Of course, Rudra-gāyatrī is meant.