In Hinduism

Pancaratra (worship of Nārāyaṇa)

Source: archive.org: Catalogue of Pancaratra Agama Texts

Nityayāga (नित्ययाग) (lit. “regular worship routines”) is the name of chapter 3 (Caryāpāda) of the Padmasaṃhitā: the most widely followed of Saṃhitā covering the entire range of concerns of Pāñcarātra doctrine and practice (i.e., the four-fold formulation of subject matter—jñāna, yoga, kriyā and caryā) consisting of roughly 9000 verses.—Description of the chapter [nityayāga]: Brahmā proposes to tell how to worship God daily in the temple. He turns first (2-13) to seven different kinds of pre-worship snāna. Next he tells about opening the temple doors (14-15a), about entering the temple with the right foot first, attending to certain cleaning up, and doing pūjā to the parivāradevatās first. Of course, the pūjāri is to see that he himself is both externally and internally clean and fit to do this worship (alaṁkāra, ātmaśuddhi, mantranyāsa (15b-80). Then he turns to the purification of other instruments of worship—the mantras, the fruits and flowers and waters to be used, the pots and the places where these will be put, etc. (81-104). (Although the icon is standing, the Ācārya mentally) Offers the Lord a place to sit down [yogapīṭha] and other gods are invoked to surround this seat. Then, petitioning God to honor this pūjā out of honor for his own Guru, he begins liturgical worship (105-118a). The steps of the pūjā are given: filling pots with water, showing mudrās, invoking God’s presence for pūjā [āvāhana], offering the deity a seat [saparyāsana], doing mantranyāsa, offering arghya and pādya and flowers, accompanying all actions with mind fastened only on God, etc. Praṇāma-prostration is then done and, with a prārthanā-petition for the ministrations to prove acceptable, the liturgy to the main icon is then interrupted while offerings are made to the attendant deities (118b-139). How to do these for parivāradevatās is also given (140-1472). Then the main deity in its snānabera aspect is afforded His bathing rites [snānāsana] (147b-158), given His decorations and costume [alaṅkārāsana] (159-169a), followed by food offerings [bhojāsana] (169b-177a) and offerings of betel-nut, etc. (177b-178a). By uttering a formula all these things may also be symbolically offered to the attendant deities. The chapter closes with general remarks about doing pūjā and the injunction that the left-overs should be ritually disposed off in an “ātmapūjā” by the officiating priest (178-187).

context information

Pancaratra (पाञ्चरात्र, pāñcarātra) represents a tradition of Hinduism where Narayana is revered and worshipped. Closeley related to Vaishnavism, the Pancaratra literature includes various Agamas and tantras incorporating many Vaishnava philosophies.

See also (Relevant definitions)

Partial matches: Yaga, Nitya.

Full-text: Saparyasana, Bhojasana, Prarthana, Pranama, Snanasana, Yogapitha, Alankarasana.

Relevant text

Search found 1 books and stories containing Nityayaga, Nityayāga, Nitya-yāga, Nitya-yaga; (plurals include: Nityayagas, Nityayāgas, yāgas, yagas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:

Atithi or Guest Reception (study) (by Sarika. P.)

Part 1 - The concept of Yajña (sacrifice) < [Chapter 7 - Pañcamahāyajñas]

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