The Agni Purana

by N. Gangadharan | 1954 | 360,691 words | ISBN-10: 8120803590 | ISBN-13: 9788120803596

This page describes Mode of installation of the image of Vasudeva which is chapter 60 of the English translation of the Agni Purana, one of the eighteen major puranas dealing with all topics concerning ancient Indian culture, tradition and sciences. Containing roughly 15,000 Sanskrit metrical verses, subjects contained in the Agni-Purana include cosmology, philosophy, architecture, iconography, economics, diplomacy, pilgrimage guides, ancient geography, gemology, ayurveda, etc.

Chapter 60 - Mode of installation of the image of Vāsudeva

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[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The Lord said:

1. One should divide the length of adytum into seven parts for the installation of the pedestal. The wise man should fix the image on the part of Brahman.

2-3. (One should) never (fix it) in the parts (presided over) by the celestials, mortals and goblins, leaving out the part (presided over by) Brahman. The pedestal should be carefully fixed off the regions of celestials and mortals. Gems should be imbedded in the case of a hermaphrodite stone.

4-5. Having performed oblation with (the mantra sacred to) Narasiṃha (the man-lion form of Viṣṇu), the gems. should be placed with (the repetition of) the same (mantra). Rice grains, gems, three (kinds of) minerals, iron and other metallic substances, sandal wood etc., should be placed in the nine holes commencing with the east at the centre as one likes. Then the holes should be filled with the guggulu (a kind of fragrant gum resin) with (the recitation of) the mantras—indra etc.

6. After having performed the insertion of gems, the preceptor should rub the image with sticks of sahadeva (tree) and bunches of darbha (grass).

7. The outer and inner surface (of the image) should be cleansed and then purified with the pañcagavya (the five things got from a cow). Water should be sprinkled with the darbha. grass as well as with the waters of the river.

8. The ground for kindling the sacrificial fire should be made ready with sand. An excellent site should be of the measure of a. cubit and a half on all sides.

9. The pitchers also should be placed in the eight directions commencing with the east. The consecrated fire should be brought in uttering the eight letters (described already).

10. The twigs should be offered into the fire with (the mantras)—tvam agne dyubhiḥ^[1] and gāyatrī. Clarified butter should be offered with (the recitation of) eight letters, eight hundred times.

11. The appeasing water sanctified hundred times by the principal mantra should be sprinkled on the head of the image with (the recitation of) the hymn śrīśca te.^[2]

12. The image should be lifted up with (the mantra) brahmajajñāna^[3] and should be led to the temple with the mantra uttiṣṭha brahmaṇaṣpate^[4] and tadviṣṇoḥ^[5].

13. Lord Hari should be placed in a palanquin and carried towards the divine edifice accompanied by songs and vedic hymns. He should be held at the gates of the temple.

14. Lord Hari should be bathed with waters from eight auspicious pitchers by women and brahmins. Then the priest should worship the image with perfumes etc. and with the principal mantra^[6].

15. Then the dress, the devotional offerings of eight kinds should be offered with (the mantra) ato devā^[7]. (The image) should be fixed on the pedestal at the fixed moment with (the recitation of) devasya tvā^[8].

16. The learned (priest) should fix the image on the pedestal (with the recitation of the following mantra). “O Conqueror of three spaces! Oṃ! salutations to you who surpassed the three regions”.

17. The image should be bathed with the pañcagavya (five things got from a cow) with (the recitation of) the mantra dhruvā dyauḥ^[9] and viśvatascakṣuḥ^[10] and bathed again with perfumed water.

18. Lord Hari should be worshipped along with the attendants and paraphernalia. The heavens should be contemplated as his form and the earth as the seat.

19. His body should be imagined as composed of lustrous minute particles. (One should say), “I am invoking his spirit pervading the twenty-five principles.”

20-21. O Supreme Lord! you become firmly established in the image. I invoke you, the spirit of supreme happiness, one devoid of (three states) waking, dreaming and deep sleep, one who is devoid of a body, sense-organs, intellect, life and egoism, and one who resides in the hearts of all beings beginning with Brahman and ending with a dump of grass.

22. You make the image imbued with your soul both inside and outside. You have taken your abode in this image (of the size of) a thumb with attributes.

23. Having invoked (the god in the image), the supreme brahman, lustrous form of knowledge and who is one without a second, that is deemed as alive by the use of (the mantra) Oṃ.

24. The act of bringing the god near consists in uttering (the mantra) and touching the heart (of the image). (The priest) should recite the puruṣasūkta^[11] and should recite the following (mantra) in secret.

25-27. Salutations to the Lord of celestials who is of the form of happiness and fortune, of the form of knowledge and wisdom and who attends on the lustre of the supreme brahman. (Salutations to) the one who is beyond properties, the great being, devoid of decay, old age. O Viṣṇu, you be present here. Whichever is the supreme principle in you and that which is your form verily (made up) of knowledge, all that be present here in this form. May you awake!

28. Stationing oneself in from of the deity, (the priest) should establish Brahman and other attendant gods as well as the respective weapons (by showing) the mudrā (different postures shown with the hand).

29-30. (The priest) should infer the presence of the god from the yātrā^[12] and varṣā^[13]. Having saluted and sung the glories and recited the mantras of eight syllables^[14] etc., the priest should come out and worship Caṇḍa and Pracaṇḍa (the two guardians) at the gate. (The priest) should go to the place of sacrificial fire, install the image of Garuḍa (the vehicle bird of Lord Viṣṇu) and worship.

31. Having installed and worshipped (the images) of different presiding deities of the quarters in their respective quarters, the priest should install the image of Lord Viṣvaksena^[15] and worship the conch, disc etc.

32. Offerings should be made to the attendant gods and to the goblins. The priest should be given the fees—(which may be of the form of) proprietary right over a village, clothes and gold.

33. The materials required for (the performance of) sacrificial ceremony should be given to the principal priest. The attendant priests should be paid fees half of what was paid to the principal priest.

34. The other priests should be paid their fees. The brahmins should then be fed. Without any restraint the benefits of sacrifice should be extended to the patron-employer by the principal priest.

35. The consecrator of the image of Viṣṇu leads the self,. as well as his entire family (to the region of the god). This is the general mode of performance for all gods. Only the principal mantra would be different. The other formalities are the same.