Chapter 219 - Sacred syllables for coronation (abhiṣeka-manta)

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Puṣkara said:

I. I shall describe the sacred syllables for the anointment of a king [i.e., abhiṣeka] or god which would destroy sins. One would accomplish everything by sprinkling water from the pot with the kuśa.

2-6. (The sacred syllables are as follows): “May the gods Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha install you. May the gods Indra and others occupying ten cardinal points confer victory on you. The lords of created beings such as Rudra, Dharma, Manu, Dakṣa, Ruci, Śraddhā, Bhṛgu, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumāra, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Marīci and Kaśyapa guard (you) always. May the God of Death, lustrous celestials, (the manes) Barhiṣadas, Agniṣvāttas Kravyādas, Upahūtas, Ājyapas and Sukālins guard you. May (the goddesses) Lakṣmī and others, the consorts of Dharma anoint you with fires.

7-13. May the consorts of Ādityas anḍ others, the progeny of Kaśyapa, having many offspring, the wives of Kṛśāśva, the son of Agni, (the wives) of Ariṣṭanemi, Aśvinī and others, (the wives) of the Moon anḍ the wives of Pulaha, namely, Bhūtā, Kapīśā, Daṃṣṭrī, Surasā, Saramā, Danu, Śyenī, Bhāsī, Krauñcī, Dhṛtarāṣṭrī and Śukī (install you). (May) Aruṇa, the charioteer of the Sun anoint you. May Āyati (future), Niyati (fate), Rātri (night) and Nidrā (sleep) who stabilise the world and support it as well as (the goddesses) Umā, (consort of Śiva), Menā (wife of Himavān), Śacī (wife of Indra) guard (you). May Dhūmrā, Ūrṇā and Nirṛti (confer) victory. May (the goddesses) Gaurī, Śivā, Ṛddhi, Velā, Naḍvalā, Asiknī and Jyotsnā, the consorts of the celestials and the presiding deity of the forest (confer victory). May the mahākalpa (greater cycle of time), kalpa (smaller cycle of time), manvantara (Manu periods), yugas (a certain long period of time), saṃvatsara (years), varṣas and the two half years (based on the movement of the sun) guard you. May the seasons, months, fortnights, night, day, twilight, tithis (lunar days), muhūrtas (period of 48 minutes), which are the constituents of the time personified (guard you).

14-41. May the planets such as the Sun as well as (the fourteen Manus) Svāyambhuva and other Manus guard you. Svāyambhuva, Svārociṣa, Auttami, Tāmasa, Raivata, Cākṣuṣa the sixth, Vaivasvata, Sāvarṇi, Brahmaputra, Dharmaputra, Rudraja, Dakṣaja, Raucya and Bhautya are the fourteen Manus. May the foremost celestials Viśvabhuk, Vipaścit, Sucitti, Śikhī, Vibhu, Manojava, Ojasvī, Bali, Adbhuta, Śānti, Vṛṣa, Ṛtadhāmā, Divaspṛk, Kavi, Indraka, Raivanta, Kumāra, Vatsaka, Vināyaka, Vīrabhadra, Nandī, Viśvakarmā and Purojava anoint you. May the celestial physicians Nāsatyā,^[1] the eight Vasus Dhruva and others, the ten Aṅgirasas and the scriptures anoint you for gaining perfection. May the soul, duration of life, mind, mental power, egoism, life-breath, possessed of oblation, the most important, divine law and truth guard you. May Kratu, Dakṣa, Vasu, Satya, Kālakāma and Dhuri (lead you) to victory. May the Purūravas, Mādravas, Viśvedevas, Rocana, Aṅgāraka and others, Sūrya, Nirṛti and Yama, Ajaikapāt, Ahirbudhnya, Dhūmaketu, Rudrajas, Bharata, Mṛtyu, Kāpāli, Kiṅkiṇī, Bhavana and Bhāvana protect you with their children and wives, Kratuśravāḥ, Mūrddhā, Yājana, Abhyuśanāḥ, Prasava, Avyaya, Dakṣa, Bhṛgu, the celestials, Manaḥ Anumantā, Prāṇaḥ, Nava, Apāna, Vīryavān, Vītihotra, Naya, Sādhya, Haṃsa and Nārāyaṇa protect you. May the foremost among the celestials who are devoted to the welfare of universe such as Vibhu, Prabhu, and the twelve Suns Dhātā, Mitra, Aryamā, Pūṣā, Śakra, Varuṇa, Bhaga, Tvaṣṭā, Vivasvān, Savitā and Viṣṇu as well as Ekajyotis, Dvirjyotis, Trijyotis, Caturjyotis, Ekaśakra, Dviśakra, Triśakra, Mahābala and Indra command (saying) ‘do not’. Then may Pratimākṛt, Mita, Sammita, Amita, Mahābala, Ṛtajit, Satyajit, Suṣeṇa, Senajit, Atimitra, Anumitra, Purumitra, Aparājita, Ṛta, Ṛtavāk, Dhātā, Vidhātā, Dhāraṇa, Dhruva and Vidhāraṇa, the mighty friend of Indra, Īdṛkṣa, Adṛkṣa, Etādṛk, Amitāśana, Krīḍita, Sadṛkṣa, Sarabha, Mahātapas, Dhartā, Dhurya, Dhuri, Bhīma, Abhimukta, Kṣapātsaha, Dhṛti, Vasu Anādhṛṣya, Rāma, Kāma, Jaya, Virāṭ, the forty-nine wind gods protect you. May the Gandharvas—Citrāṅgada, Citraratha, Citrasena, Kali, Ūrṇāyu, Ugrasena, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Nandaka, Hāhā, Hūhū, Nārada, Viśvāvasu and Tumburu anoint you for your victory. May the foremost among the priests and the divine group of damsels Anavadyā, Sukeśī, Menakā, Sahajanyā, Kratusthalā, Ghṛtācī, Viśvācī, Puñjikasthalā, Pramlocā, Ūrvaśī, Rambhā, Pañcacūḍā, Tilottamā, Citralekhā, Lakṣmaṇā, Puṇḍarīkā and Vāruṇī guard you. May the demons Prahlāda, Virocana, Bali and Bāṇa and their sons and other foremost demons Heti, Praheti, Vidyut, Sphūrjathu anoint you. (May) the Yakṣa, the accomplished soul—Maṇibhadra, Nandana, Piṅgākṣa, Dyutimān and Puṣpavanta bring forth victory. (May) the treasures śaṅkha (conch), padma (lotus), makara (fish), kacchapa (tortoise) (bring) victory.

42-46. May the ghosts [i.e., piśāca?] Ūrdhvakeśa and others, the goblins [i.e., bhūta?] who dwell on the earth, the (divine) mothers led by Mahākāla (form of Śiva at deluge) and Narasiṃha (man-lion form of Viṣṇu), Guha (son of Śiva), Skanda, Viśākha and Naigameya (other names of Guha) anoint you. May the female goblins [i.e., ḍākinī?] and female attendants [i.e., yoginī?] on God Śiva dwelling in the sky [i.e., khecara] and on the earth [bhūcara] and the principal birds such as the Garuḍa, Aruṇa and Sampāti guard you. May the great serpents Ananta, Vāsuki, Takṣaka, Airāvata, Mahāpadma, Kambala, Aśvatara, Śaṅkha, Karkoṭaka, Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Dhanañjaya, and the elephants Kumuda, Airāvaṇa, Padma, Puṣpadanta, Vāmana, Supratīka and Añjana protect you always from all evils.

47. May the swan, the bull, the lion and the buffalo, (respectively the vehicles) of Brahmā, Śaṅkara, Durgā and God of Death [=Yama?] guard you.

48. (May) Uccaiḥśravas, the lord of the horses, (lord) Dhanvantari, Kaustubha, the foremost among the conches, always (proect) the mace, spear and the disc.

49. May Nandaka, Dharma, the governor of conduct, Citragupta, the wielder of the punishing rod, Piṅgala, Mṛtyu (death) and Kālaka (the regulator of time) protect the weapons.

50-51. May the sages Vālakhilyas and others and the foremost among the sages such as Vyāsa and Vālmīki, (the foremost among the kings of the past) Pṛthu, Dilīpa, Bharata, Duṣyanta, Śakrajit, Bali, Malla, Kakutstha, Anenas, Yuvanāśva, Jayadratha, Māndhātā, Mucukunda and Purūravas guard you.

52-53. May the presiding deities of the grounds and the twenty-five principles confer victory on you. (May) the golden earth, rocky soil, nether world, blue soil, yellowish red earth, white soil, Rasātala (a nether world), the earth, the terrestrial region and the foremost among the continents Jambū etc. (bring you) fortune.

54-55. May the Uttarakurus and the continents Ramya, Hiraṇyaka, Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Balāhaka, Harivarṣa, Kimpuruṣa, Indradvīpa, Kaśerumān, Tāmravarṇa, Gabhastimān, Nāgadvīpa and Saumyaka guard you.

56-72. Varuṇa, the ninth gandharva, the conferer of dominion protect you. The mountains Himavān. Hemakūṭa Niṣadha, Nīla, Śveta, Śṛṅgavān, Meru, Mālyavān, Gandhamādana, Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Śūktimān, Ṛkṣavān, Vindhya and Pāriyātra bestow peace upon you. May the Ṛgveda and the other (Vedas), the six accessory texts^[2] Itihāsa and Purāṇas, medical science, science of music and archery, the accessory Vedas protect you. Phonetics, the texts laying down rules for sacrificial acts, grammar, etymology, astronomy and metrics, the (four) scriptural texts, mīmāṃsā^[3], the science of logic, code of laws and Purāṇa are the fourteen branches of learning. (The schools of philosophy such as) the Sāṅkhya and Yoga, the Pāśupata^[4], the Vedas and the Pāñcarātra^[5] are the five dogmas. May (the goddesses) Gāyatrī, Śivā, Durgā, Vidyā and Gāndhārī protect you and confer peace on you. May the four oceans of salt, sugarcane juice, liquor, clarified butter, curd, milk and water and the different sacred spots protect you. (They are) Puṣkara, Prayāga, Prabhāsa, the excellent Naimiṣa, Gayāśīrṣa, Brahmaśira, Uttaramānasa, Kālodaka, Nandikuṇḍa, Pañcanadatīrtha, Bhṛgutīrtha, Prabhāsa, Amarakaṇṭaka, Jambūmārga, the spotless, the hermitage of Kapila, Gaṅgādvāra (Haridvāra), Kuśāvarta, Vindhyaka, Nīlaparvata, Varāhaparvata, Kanakhala, Kālañjara, Kedāra, Rudrakoṭi, Vārāṇasī, the great spot Badarikāśrama, Dvārakā, Śrīgiri, Puruṣottoma (Puri), Śālagrāma and Vārāha, the spots of confluence of the rivers with the ocean, Phalgutīrtha, Bindusara, Karavīrāśrama and the rivers Gaṅgā, Sarasvatī, Śatadru, Gaṇḍakī, Acchodā, Vipāśā, Vitastā, Devikā, Kāverī, Varuṇā, Niścirā, Gomatī, Pārā, Carmaṇvatī, Rūpā, Mandākinī, Mahānadī, Tāpī, Payoṣṇī, Veṇā, Gaurī, Vaitaraṇī, Godāvarī, Bhīmarathī, Tuṅgabhadrā, Araṇī and Candrabhāgā (and the goddesses) Śivā (and) Gaurī anoint and protect you.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Literally means helpful, denotes the Aśvinī kumāras, the celestial physicians.

[2]:

Phonetics, the texts laying down rules for sacrificial acts, grammar, etymology, metrics and astronomy.

[3]:

The texts dealing with the interpretation of vedic texts.

[4]:

Śaivite philosophical texts.

[5]:

Vaiṣṇavite philosophical texts.