Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions on the Process of Deity Worship
तप्तजाम्बूनदप्रख्यं शङ्खचक्रगदाम्बुजै: । लसच्चतुर्भुजं शान्तं पद्मकिञ्जल्कवाससम् ॥ ३८ ॥ स्फुरत्किरीटकटककटिसूत्रवराङ्गदम् । श्रीवत्सवक्षसं भ्राजत्कौस्तुभं वनमालिनम् ॥ ३९ ॥ ध्यायन्नभ्यर्च्य दारूणि हविषाभिघृतानि च । प्रास्याज्यभागावाघारौ दत्त्वा चाज्यप्लुतं हवि: ॥ ४० ॥ जुहुयान्मूलमन्त्रेण षोडशर्चावदानत: । धर्मादिभ्यो यथान्यायं मन्त्रै: स्विष्टिकृतं बुध: ॥ ४१ ॥
Transliteration
tapta-jāmbūnada-prakhyaṁ śaṅkha-cakra-gadāmbujaiḥ lasac-catur-bhujaṁ śāntaṁ padma-kiñjalka-vāsasamsphurat-kirīṭa-kaṭaka kaṭi-sūtra-varāṅgadam śrīvatsa-vakṣasaṁ bhrājat- kaustubhaṁ vana-mālinamdhyāyann abhyarcya dārūṇi haviṣābhighṛtāni ca prāsyājya-bhāgāv āghārau dattvā cājya-plutaṁ haviḥjuhuyān mūla-mantreṇa ṣoḍaśarcāvadānataḥ dharmādibhyo yathā-nyāyaṁ mantraiḥ sviṣṭi-kṛtaṁ budhaḥ
Synonyms (Word-for-Word)
tapta — molten; jāmbū-nada — of gold; prakhyam — the color; śaṅkha — with His conchshell; cakra — disc; gadā — club; ambujaiḥ — and lotus flower; lasat — brilliant; catuḥ-bhujam — having four arms; śāntam — peaceful; padma — of a lotus; kiñjalka — colored like the filaments; vāsasam — His garment; sphurat — shining; kirīṭa — helmet; kaṭaka — bracelets; kaṭi-sūtra — belt; vara-aṅgadam — fine ornaments on the arms; śrī-vatsa — the emblem of the goddess of fortune; vakṣasam — upon His chest; bhrājat — effulgent; kaustubham — the Kaustubha gem; vana-mālinam — wearing a flower garland; dhyāyan — meditating upon Him; abhyarcya — performing worship of Him; dārūṇi — pieces of dry wood; haviṣā — with the purified butter; abhighṛtāni — soaked; ca — and; prāsya — throwing into the fire; ājya — of the ghee; bhāgau — the two designated portions; āghārau — in the course of performing the āghāra ritual; dattvā — offering; ca — and; ājya — with ghee; plutam — drenched; haviḥ — various oblations; juhuyāt — one should offer into the fire; mūla-mantreṇa — with the primary mantras naming each deity; ṣoḍaśa-ṛcā — with the hymn Puruṣa-sūkta, consisting of sixteen lines of verse; avadānataḥ — pouring an oblation after each line; dharma-ādibhyaḥ — to the demigods, beginning with Yamarāja; yathā-nyāyam — in the proper order; mantraiḥ — with the specific mantras naming each demigod; sviṣṭi-kṛtam — the ritual of this name; budhaḥ — the intelligent devotee.
Translation
“The intelligent devotee should meditate upon that form of the Lord whose color is like molten gold, whose four arms are resplendent with the conchshell, disc, club and lotus flower, and who is always peaceful and dressed in a garment colored like the filaments within a lotus flower. His helmet, bracelets, belt and fine arm ornaments shine brilliantly. The symbol of Śrīvatsa is on His chest, along with the glowing Kaustubha gem and a garland of forest flowers. The devotee should then worship that Lord by taking pieces of firewood soaked in the sacrificial ghee and throwing them into the fire. He should perform the ritual of āghāra, presenting into the fire the various items of oblation drenched in ghee. He should then offer to sixteen demigods, beginning with Yamarāja, the oblation called sviṣṭi-kṛt, reciting the basic mantras of each deity and the sixteen-line Puruṣa-sūkta hymn. Pouring one oblation after each line of the Puruṣa-sūkta, he should utter the particular mantra naming each deity.”