Chapter 91 - Different kinds of mantras for the worship of God

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

The Lord said:

1. One should worship lord Śiva, (lord) Viṣṇu and other gods such as Bhāskara (Sun) after being anointed, accompanied by the sounding of the conch, bherī (a kind of kettle-drum) and bathe (the images) with five things got from a cow.

2-3. Whoever (worships) gods (in this manner) goes to heaven and elevates his departed manes. Whatever sin has accrued to him in the course of millions of years gets reduced to ashes in the fire by anointing gods with ghee. Whoever bathes gods with an āḍhaka (two ma[?]nds) of ghee etc. becomes a celestial.

4-6. After having applied sandal paste, (the lord) should be worshipped with perfumes etc. The gods praised with hymns with little effort always confer ability to know past and future events, proficiency in mantra, enjoyment and emancipation.

7. Having taken principal letters of the mantras, if they are divisible by two, (one should know) (whether they are) auspicious or inauspicious. (If divisible) by three (they denote) jīva, mūla and dhātu, (and if divisible) by four (they denote the four castes) brahmin etc. (Divisible) by five denote the five principles (elements) (earth etc.). So also for muttering (the mantras) etc. (one should find whether they are auspicious or inauspicious). If the mantra consisting of groups of three letters happens to have the letters pa, ma and ka and letter ma comes in the middle it is inauspicious. Lord Indra and a king occurring in the middle are auspicious.

8-9. One should write the mantras of Sūrya, Gaṇapati, Śiva, Durgā (Śaivite goddess), Śrī (consort of Viṣṇu) and Viṣṇu in a lotus. One should write on that the mantras commencing with a three-letter unit to those having four letters in the form of the gomūtra (a particular form of writing letters) with a consecrated stylus.

10. In the same way (one should know) the auspiciousness etc. of (mantras) of sixty-four letters from the fall on or contact of the dice with the odd place.

11. Commencing with one unit of three-lettered (mantras) to eight units of three-lettered (mantras), denoting the dhvaja (flagstaff) etc. even ones are inauspicious and odd ones are auspicious.

12. The mantra known as tripurā is composed of the letter ‘ka’ amplified by ā, ī etc., and preceded by the sixteen letters. along with their vowel sounds.

13. The mantras having for its principal part (the syllable) hrīṃ, preceded by praṇava (oṃ) and concluding with “obeisance” used in worship are twenty-thousand one hundred and sixty.

14. The mantras ‘āṃ, hrīṃ’ are for (goddess) Sarasvatī (goddess of learning), Caṇḍikā, Gaurī and Durgā (different forms of consort of Śiva). So also āṃ, śrīṃ are the mantras for Śrī (goddess Lakṣmī).

15. Then kṣauṃ, krauṃ are the mantras for Sun, and āṃ, hauṃ for god Śiva. Āṃ, gaṃ are the mantras for lord Gaṇeśa and āṃ for lord Hari (Viṣṇu).

16-17. The preceptor should after anointing repeat one hundred and fifty times the letters ‘ka’ etc. as well as the sixteen vowels. With three ‘ka’ at the beginning along with the vowels and ending with ‘ka’ all the mantras are formed. After contemplation (the preceptor) should initiate the disciples.