Pavitrāropaṇa Vidhi

Pavitrāropaṇa Vidhi · pavitra-āropaṇa vidhi, “the rite of offering the sacred thread”

The pavitrāropaṇa is the yearly rite of placing a pavitrā, a sacred thread, on the mūrti (sacred image) of a deva. It is an Āgamic ceremony taught in the Agni Purāṇa. For Bhagavān Vishṇu it is kept on Śrāvaṇa-dvādaśī. For Bhagavān Śiva it is kept on a separate occasion. The thread is made of kuśa grass, or of gold or silver, and is consecrated with mantras. The Agni Purāṇa gives the rite in Chapters 33, 35 to 37 and 78 to 79.

In Chapters 33 to 37 Agni Deva teaches the rite to a muni. Done once a year, between the bright ekādaśī of Āshāḍha and the bright ekādaśī of Kārttika, on the tithi of one’s own devatā, it gives the fruit of a whole year’s pūjā of Bhagavān Śrī Hari. On the ekādaśī the devotee makes and colours the pavitrakas, the knotted thread-garlands, worships Bhagavān Vishṇu with bhūta-śuddhi, the inner pūjā and the pūjā of all his enclosures, ties the kautuka thread on his hand and takes the vow. In the evening he worships the doors, prepares the pañcagavya, the kalaśas and the homa, consecrates the pavitrakas and keeps vigil through the night. Next morning he offers the pavitrakas by their grades, the vanamālā to Bhagavān Vishṇu himself, gives the pūrṇāhuti, feeds all who come and sends the pavitraka to Vishṇuloka. The same rite is given in brief for Brahmā, Bhagavān Śiva, Sūrya, Gaṇeśa and Śakti Devī. In Chapters 78 and 79 the Śaiva form, the Pavitrārohaṇa, is given in full, begun on the evening of a saptamī or a trayodaśī. The Purāṇa promises that the upāsaka dwells in Vishṇuloka for as many thousand yugas as there are threads in his pavitraka, and that the pavitraka offered to Bhagavān Śiva destroys all pāpa and makes a broken vrata whole.

The pavitrā and its meaning

The pavitrā is a sacred thread made from kuśa grass. For more elaborate occasions it is made from gold or silver. The Agni Purāṇa teaches that this thread stands for Bhagavān Vishṇu‘s own thread of existence, the thread by which He sustains the worlds.

The yajñopavīta is the sacred thread worn by an initiated brāhmaṇa. It joins him to the order of the Vedas. In the same way, the pavitrā placed on the mūrti renews the bond between the mūrti and the community that offers pūjā. The Agni Purāṇa speaks of the rite as a yearly renewal of the living relationship between the devotee and Bhagavān Vishṇu. Doing it is an act of devotion and an honouring of the supreme purity of the deva.

In Chapter 33 Agni Deva names the materials of the pavitraka: wires of gold, silver or copper, or cotton thread. Thread spun by the hand of a brāhmaṇa woman is the very best; if that is not to be had, any thread may be taken, purified and used. The thread is made threefold, and that again threefold. At the offering the devotee says to Bhagavān Vishṇu: “This was born from your own tejas. It is beautiful, the destroyer of all pāpas, the giver of all desires.” Wearing his own pavitraka, he says: “This is of the form of Vishṇu’s tejas. It destroys the great pāpas” (Chapter 35). He calls it a brahma-sūtra, the means of completing the rite (Chapter 36).

Each thread carries its own blessing, and the devotee offers it with these words (Chapter 37):

• “This thread of the pavitraka is made of Nārāyaṇa and Aniruddha. It gives wealth, grain, long life and health.”
• “This excellent thread is made of Pradyumna and Saṅkarshaṇa. It gives vidyā, progeny and good fortune.”
• “This sūtra made of Vāsudeva gives dharma, artha, kāma and moksha. It is the best means to cross the ocean of saṃsāra.”
• “This sūtra made of Viśvarūpa fulfils all desires and destroys all pāpas. It uplifts the past generations and the coming ones.”

In the Śaiva rite the pavitraka is contemplated as joined with the spheres of the moon, of fire and of the sun, and as equal to Bhagavān Śiva himself, and it is held at the heart (Chapter 78).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 33, 35–37, 78

When it is kept

Agni Deva teaches that the rite is done once a year, in the time from the bright ekādaśī of Āshāḍha to the bright ekādaśī of Kārttika; the pratipat (the first tithi) is left out. From the dvitīyā onwards each tithi belongs to a devatā, and for each upāsaka the tithi of the devatā he worships is his holy tithi. The method is the same for all the devatās; only the mantras differ (Chapter 33).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 33

Kinds and measures of the pavitraka

Chapter 33 gives the kinds of pavitraka offered on the mūrtis of the devatās:

• one that reaches to the navel of the mūrti (the kanishṭha, the least);
• one that reaches to the thighs (the madhyama, the middle);
• one that reaches to the knees (the uttama, the best);
• one that hangs down to the feet, called the vanamālā. It is made of 1,008 threads, with 108 knots tied two aṅgulas apart.

A pavitraka of 108 threads or more is of the uttama and higher grades. The kanishṭha, madhyama and uttama pavitrakas have twelve, twenty-four and thirty-six knots, or all of them have twelve. Ordinary pavitrakas are made according to one’s means, or twice sixteen aṅgulas long. On yantras, cakras and maṇḍalas that have a karṇikā (pericarp), filaments and petals, the pavitraka covers them from top to bottom; on a maṇḍala of one cakra and one lotus it is as many aṅgulas as the maṇḍala measures. The pavitraka for the vedī (altar) is thirty-seven aṅgulas by one’s own hand. For the pīṭha it follows the pīṭha’s length, and for the kuṇḍa (fire-pit) it reaches to its girdle. Those made for the ācārya, for the parents and for a book hang to the navel, with twelve knots, smeared with fine sandal. Men of the lowest, middle and highest grade take up the pavitrakas with the ring finger, the middle finger and the thumb. To the attendants of Bhagavān Vishṇu knotted threads are offered according to one’s means, or seventeen threads without knots, and to the attendant Bhadra a trisūtra, a three-strand thread. Offering pavitrakas to Sūrya, to the kalaśa, to Agni and the others as to Bhagavān Vishṇu is declared best.

The pavitraka is coloured with gorocana, with turmeric mixed with aguru and camphor, and with kuṅkuma.

Chapter 37 adds that pavitrakas are of two kinds, svarasa and analaga, and that the munis of old offered four kinds of pavitraka, the kanishṭha, the madhyama, the uttama and the paramottama, in order, with mantras.

In the Śaiva rite (Chapter 78) a fourth kind of pavitraka, for all mūrtis, is as long as the mūrti or its pedestal; it is called the Gaṅgāvatāraka. It has ten knots, or as many as it has threads, set one, two or four aṅgulas apart so that it looks beautiful. The devatās of the knots are Prakṛti, Paurushī, Vīrā, Aparājitā, Jayā, Vijayā, Sadāśivā, Manonmanī and Sarvatomukhī. For a Śiva-liṅga the pavitraka is one to nine hastas long: one hasta long it has twenty-eight knots, and ten knots more for each further hasta, so that at nine hastas it has 108; the knots are one or two aṅgulas apart, and the measure follows the size of the liṅga.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 33, 37, 78

Vishṇu pavitrāropaṇa

When it is kept

The Vaishṇava pavitrāropaṇa is kept on Śrāvaṇa-dvādaśī. This is the twelfth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Śrāvaṇa. It is one of the most auspicious days in the Vaishṇava calendar and is linked with the sacred thread of Bhagavān Vishṇu.

The vidhi

1. The pavitrā is prepared from properly chosen kuśa grass. It is twisted and braided as the rules lay down.
2. The thread is consecrated with two mantras. The first is the ashṭākshari (eight-syllable) mantra. The second is the dvādaśākshari (twelve-syllable) mantra. These two mantras fill the kuśa with the power of the chief Vaishṇava mantras.

Oṃ Namo Nārāyaṇāya

Oṃ Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya

1. The mūrti is bathed with pañcāmṛta (the five sacred substances) and with pure water, as part of the renewal.
2. The pavitrā itself is soaked in pañcāmṛta. It receives the same purification as the mūrti.
3. The Agni Purāṇa adds that the soaking is done in kalaśas (water pots) placed in the east, south, west and the other directions. Each kalaśa is filled with its own fragrant materials.
4. With set mudrās (hand-gestures) and mantras, the pavitrā is placed on the mūrti. It is put on the neck, on the arm, or on the place the āgama lays down for that form of the deva.
5. The homa (fire offering) that goes with the rite completes the ceremony.

The opening prayer

Before the rite the devotee prays to his ishṭa-devatā: “The means you have taught for removing the fault that arises from lapses in rites, that I am doing. Wherever a pavitraka is needed, there I shall offer one. By your grace may no obstacle arise in this work. Imperishable Parameśvara, victory to you.” Then the pavitraka is tied to the maṇḍala of the ishṭa-devatā with that devatā’s Gāyatrī. For Nārāyaṇa it is: oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya vidmahe vāsudevāya dhīmahi, tan no vishṇuḥ pracodayāt. For another devatā the Gāyatrī follows that devatā’s name (Chapter 33).

The ekādaśī: pūjā, the kautuka thread and the vow

On the ekādaśī the devotee bathes, does his sandhyā, enters the pūjā room and worships Bhagavān Śrī Hari, offering bali to his whole retinue. Then he worships the devatās of the door: Kshetrapāla at its side with kshaṃ kshetrapālāya namaḥ; Śrī Devī above it with śriyai namaḥ; Dhātā and Gaṅgā on the right; Vidhātā and Yamunā on the left; and the Śaṅkha-nidhi and the Padma-nidhi on the right and the left. Inside, striking the ground three times with the right heel, he drives away the obstacles, and with sāraṅgāya namaḥ the bhūtas that cause them. With oṃ hāṃ vāstvadhipataye brahmaṇe namaḥ he places flowers on the seat of Brahmā, the lord of the vāstu.

Seated, he performs bhūta-śuddhi, contemplating the earth, water, fire, air and ākāśa in their places in the body and dissolving each into the next, and then dries, burns and floods the body with amṛta in contemplation, with the bījas yaṃ, raṃ and vaṃ, until a divine body arises from the ash; then he does aṅga-nyāsa and kara-nyāsa. In the mānasa-yāga, the inner pūjā, he places Mahāvishṇu with his aṅga-devatās on the lotus of the heart and worships him with flowers of the mind, praying: “Deva, Devādhideva, Keśava, welcome to you. Be near me and accept the pūjā of my mind.”

He worships the pīṭha: in its middle Kūrma, the ādhāra-śakti that bears it, with Ananta and Pṛthivī; in the corners Dharma, Jñāna, Vairāgya and Aiśvarya; in the directions Adharma, Ajñāna, Avairāgya and Anaiśvarya; in the middle the three guṇas, the lotus, Māyā, Avidyā, Kāla, the spheres of Sūrya and the others, and Garuḍa, king of birds; and from the north-west to the north-east the row of gurus, that is, the gaṇas, Sarasvatī, Nārada, Nalakūbara, the guru, the parama-guru and their pādukās. On the filaments he worships the śaktis Lakshmī, Sarasvatī, Prīti, Kīrti, Śānti, Kānti, Pushṭi and Tushṭi, and with them Dhṛti, Śrī, Rati and the others; in their midst Śrī Hari shines.

Bhagavān Acyuta is installed with the mūla-mantra and asked, “oṃ abhimukho bhava“, to face the devotee, and is worshipped with arghya, pādya and the other upacāras, and with the aṅga-mantras bhīshaya bhīshaya hṛdayāya namaḥ, oṃ trāsaya trāsaya śirase namaḥ, the mantras of the śikhā, the three eyes and the kavaca, and oṃ huṃ phaṭ astrāya namaḥ. Then come the enclosures: Vāsudeva, Saṅkarshaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha in the four directions; Śrī, Rati, Dhṛti and Kānti, “these too are forms of Śrī Hari”, in the corners; the divine śaṅkha, cakra, gadā and padma; the musala, the sword and the vanamālā; then Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirṛti, Varuṇa, Vāyu, Kubera and Īśāna, with Ananta and Brahmā; then their weapons beginning with the vajra; then their vāhanas, Airāvata, the goat, the buffalo, the monkey, the fish, the deer, the hare, the bull, the tortoise and the haṃsa; and last the door-keepers Pṛśnigarbha, Kumuda and the others, two in each direction. Bali is given to the attendants of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and in the north-east Vishvaksena is worshipped with oṃ viśvāya vishvaksenāya namaḥ.

Then the devotee ties the protective kautuka thread on the right hand of the deva, saying: “Deva, wear this kautuka-sūtra for the pavitrāropaṇa that is to be done, so that the full fruit of your pūjā done through the whole year may be gained.” Near Bhagavān Vishṇu he takes the vow: “Keeping the niyama, I shall fast and so please my ishṭa-devatā. Deveśvara, from today until the festival day may no fault of kāma, krodha and the rest come near me.” One who has taken the vow but cannot fast eats only at night. After the homa and a stotra he gives Bhagavān Vishṇu leave. The mantra of this pūjā is oṃ hrīṃ śrīṃ śrīdharāya trailokyamohanāya namaḥ, to Śrīdhara who enchants the three worlds, and the daily pūjā of Bhagavān Vishṇu brings Lakshmī (Chapter 33).

The evening: the maṇḍapa, the kalaśas and the homa

In the evening the sādhaka enters the yāga-maṇḍapa with the mantra of Śrīdhara and bows to Bhagavān Vishṇu: “Namaskāra to Śrīdhara, the imperishable, who does good to the Vedas and the brāhmaṇas. The Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma and Atharva Vedas are the form of Vishṇu; all sound is the form of Vishṇu.” He draws the Sarvatobhadra and the other maṇḍalas and gathers the materials (Chapter 34).

1. The doors. He worships the lords of the arches, and in the east and the other directions the trees aśvattha, udumbara, vaṭa and plaksha; in the east the Ṛgveda, Indra and Śobhana, in the south the Yajurveda, Yama and Subhadra, in the west the Sāmaveda, Varuṇa and Sudhanvā, and in the north the Atharvaveda, Soma and Suhotra. He ties flags, sets two kalaśas at each arch, worships the elephants of the quarters beginning with Kumuda, and worships the two door-keepers of each door: Pūrṇa and Pushkara, Ānanda and Nandana, Vīrasena and Susheṇa, Sambhava and Prabhava. With the astra-mantra “phaṭ” he scatters flowers, removes the obstacles and enters the maṇḍala, does bhūta-śuddhi, nyāsa and the mudrās, and scatters mustard in the four directions.
2. The pañcagavya. He takes cow’s urine with the Vāsudeva mantra, cow dung with the Saṅkarshaṇa mantra, milk with the Pradyumna mantra, curd with the Aniruddha mantra and ghee with the Nārāyaṇa mantra, and mixes them, making it once, twice or three times: for sprinkling the maṇḍapa, for drinking and for bathing.
3. The kalaśas. He sets up ten kalaśas and worships Indra and the other lokapālas on them, telling them: “By the command of Śrī Hari you must always stay here to protect this yajña.” He scatters the vikira, mustard and the like, reciting “astrāya phaṭ” seven times. On a kūrca of kuśa in the north-east he sets the kalaśa and the vardhanī; on the kalaśa he worships Śrī Hari with his aṅgas, and in the vardhanī the astra. With an unbroken stream from the vardhanī he wets the maṇḍapa in pradakshiṇa. He puts the five gems into the kalaśa, wraps it with cloth and worships Śrī Hari on it, and beside it Vāstu, Lakshmī, Bhū and Vināyaka.
4. The bath of the deva. Nine kalaśas are set in the corners, the directions and the middle of the maṇḍapa, holding pādya, arghya, ācamanīya and pañcagavya, and in the corners water mixed with pañcāmṛta. With the mūla-mantra he bathes the ishṭa-devatā with pañcāmṛta, sprinkles pure water from the middle kalaśa on the head of the mūrti, offers pādya, arghya and ācamana, wipes and clothes the mūrti and takes it to the maṇḍala.
5. The homa. He draws three lines to the east and three to the north in the kuṇḍa, installs Agni contemplated as his own ātmā, sets out the vessels, cooks the caru and installs Brahmā south of the fire. Through the saṃskāras from garbhādhāna to samāvartana, with eight āhutis each, he makes the fire Vaishṇava. He offers to Kuṇḍa-Lakshmī, Prakṛti of the three guṇas, contemplated in the kuṇḍa, and meditates on Agni Deva with seven tongues, shining like crores of suns, with a face like the moon, offering him 108 āhutis, or fifty-four and eight more, and ten to each of the aṅgas.

The adhivāsana: consecrating the pavitrakas

On the evening before the offering (Chapter 35) the pavitrakas are wetted with the ghee left from the āhutis. They are consecrated with the Nṛsiṃha mantra and protected with the astra-mantra, and, still wrapped in cloth in a vessel, sprinkled once or twice with water mixed with bilva. Around the vessel the guru places, for their protection: in the east a tooth-stick and āmalaka with the Saṅkarshaṇa mantra; in the south ash and sesame with the Pradyumna mantra; in the west kuśa-water with the Nārāyaṇa mantra; in the south-east kuṅkuma and gorocana with the heart-mantra; in the north-east incense with the head-mantra; in the south-west divine flowers with the śikhā-mantra; and in the north-west sandal, water, akshata, curd and dūrvā in a leaf-cup with the kavaca-mantra. He winds the trisūtra round the maṇḍapa and scatters mustard again.

In the order in which the devatās were worshipped he offers them the gandha-pavitrakas, the pavitrakas smeared with sandal, with their mantras, and to the door-keepers with their name-mantras. To Bhagavān Vishṇu in the kumbha he says: “O Deva, this was born from your own tejas. It is beautiful, the destroyer of all pāpas, the giver of all desires. I offer it to you.” At the door of the maṇḍapa he wears a pavitraka himself, saying: “This is of the form of Vishṇu’s tejas. It destroys the great pāpas. I wear it for dharma, artha and kāma.” He gives pavitrakas to Śrī Hari’s retinue and to the guru, offers one to Śrī Hari with the mantra beginning vishṇutejo-bhavam, and one to Mahāvishṇu present in the fire, and prays: “Keśava, you lie on the bed of Śesha in the ocean of milk. I shall do your pūjā in the morning. Be present here.” He gives bali to the dikpālas and the attendants of Bhagavān Vishṇu, worships a full kalaśa with two cloths, places the pañcagavya, the caru and the tooth-stick on three plastered maṇḍalas east of the maṇḍapa, and keeps vigil through the night, hearing the Purāṇas and reciting stotras. All the gandha-pavitrakas are consecrated at this time, except those of persons who serve others, of children, of women, of those given to enjoyment and the like.

The morning: the offering

In the morning (Chapter 36) he bathes, worships the door-keepers, enters the inner shrine and takes one of the consecrated pavitrakas as prasāda. He removes the old cloths, ornaments and offerings, bathes Bhagavān Vishṇu with pañcāmṛta, astringent waters and scented water, offers the cloth, sandal and flowers, does the homa, praises Bhagavān Vishṇu, places his head at his feet and offers him all his karma. Then, with ato devāḥ or the mūla-mantra, he prays to Śrī Hari on the kalaśa: “O Kṛshṇa, Kṛshṇa, namaskāra to you. Accept this pavitra. It purifies the upāsaka and gives the full fruit of the pūjā done for a year. Parameśvara, destroy the pāpas I have done and make me supremely pure. Sureśvara, by your grace I shall become pure.”

He sprinkles the pavitraka and himself, removes the kautuka thread from the deva and offers the pavitraka: “Accept this brahma-sūtra I have made. It is the means of completing the rite. Complete this pavitrāropaṇa so that no fault of any kind remains.” Then the pavitrakas are offered by their grades:

• the kanishṭha, reaching the navel, to the door-keepers;
• the madhyama, reaching the thighs, to the yoga-pīṭha;
• the uttama, reaching the knees, to the gurus;
• the vanamālā, reaching the feet, to Bhagavān Vishṇu himself, with the mūla-mantra.

With namo vishvaksenāya a pavitraka is offered to Vishvaksena, and in the homa to the Viśvedevas and the others present in the fire. For prāyaścitta he gives the pūrṇāhuti with the mūla-mantra, 108 times or with the five upanishad-mantras, counting on a rosary of gems or with mandāra flowers. At the end he prays: “O Garuḍadhvaja, may this yearly pūjā I have done bear fruit. As the vanamālā makes your chest shine, so may these threads of the pavitraka remove the lapses in my pūjā, known and unknown, and make it fully fruitful.” Asking forgiveness, he places the pavitraka on his head.

He gives bali, pleases the Vaishṇava guru with dakshiṇā, and for one day or for a fortnight pleases the brāhmaṇas with food and cloth. On the festival day he must feed everyone who comes, refusing no one, and only then eat himself. At the time of visarjana he worships the pavitraka and says: “O Pavitraka, you have made this yearly pūjā well accomplished. Now I give you leave. Go to Vishṇuloka.” Between the north and the north-east he worships Vishvaksena and his pavitraka and gives them to brāhmaṇas.

The phala

The Agni Purāṇa names three fruits of the rite: the full purification of the mūrti, the renewal of the presence of the deva, and great puṇya (merit) for the one who performs it and for the temple.

Done once a year, the pavitrāropaṇa gives the fruit of the pūjā of Śrī Hari for the whole year (Chapter 33). For as many threads as there are in the pavitraka, for so many thousand yugas the upāsaka dwells in Vishṇuloka. The sādhaka who has done the pavitrāropaṇa uplifts a hundred generations after him, takes ten generations before him and ten after him to Vishṇuloka, and himself becomes mukta, freed (Chapter 36).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 33–36

Śiva pavitrāropaṇa

A separate yearly pavitrāropaṇa for Bhagavān Śiva is taught in Chapter 79 of the Agni Purāṇa. It differs from the Vaishṇava rite in its time and in its mantras.

• The Śaiva pañcākshari mantra replaces the Vaishṇava mantras in consecrating the pavitrā.

Namaḥ Śivāya

• The mantras of the five faces of Bhagavān Śiva are used as well. These are Sadyojāta, Vāmadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Īśāna.
• The preparation of the thread differs in some small points. The whole order of the rite is the same as in the Vaishṇava form.

The steps are these: preparing the thread, consecrating it with the mantras of the deva, bathing the mūrti, soaking the thread, placing it on the liṅga or mūrti, and the homa.

The phala of Bhagavān Śiva’s pavitrā is the full anugraha (grace) of the deva for the year ahead. It also cleanses any offences committed by mistake during the year’s pūjā.

The Pavitrārohaṇa of Chapters 78 and 79

The Agni Purāṇa calls the Śaiva rite the Pavitrārohaṇa, a vārshika karma, a yearly rite, and gives it over two chapters.

Making the pavitrakas. The pavitraka is cleaned with the Sadyojāta mantra, knotted with the Vāmadeva mantra, purified with the Aghora mantra, and smeared with red sandal and kuṅkuma with the Tatpurusha mantra; or it may be coloured with musk, gorocana, camphor, turmeric, red ochre and the like. One pavitraka each is offered to oneself, contemplated as of the form of Bhagavān Śiva, to the book and to the group of gurus, and one each is placed on the door-keepers, the dikpālas, the kalaśa and the rest (Chapter 78).

The first evening. On the saptamī or the trayodaśī the upāsaka finishes his daily rites and in the evening decorates the house of the rite with flowers and cloths. He does the twilight rite and special tarpaṇas and worships Sūrya. The ācārya sprinkles and worships the doors in the east and the other directions with the mantras of the kalās, and the two door-keepers of each door; then the dikpālas in their directions, and Brahmā, Bhagavān Vishṇu, Bhagavān Śiva and the others in the middle of the maṇḍapa. Proclaiming the command of Bhagavān Śiva, he pours an unbroken stream from the vardhanī, going pradakshiṇa from the east to the north-east, and turns it on all four sides for the protection of the maṇḍapa. Bhagavān Śiva is worshipped on the kalaśa, and his weapons on the vardhanī; the two are joined with the liṅga-mudrā, and the sword of knowledge is offered on the kalaśa. Gaṇeśa is worshipped in the north-west. Bhagavān Śiva is bathed with pañcāmṛta and worshipped, and worshipped in the kuṇḍa in the form of Agni. The caru is cooked and divided into three, for Bhagavān Śiva, for Agni and for oneself.

The offerings in the directions. With the Tatpurusha mantra and “huṃ” the tooth-stick is offered to the ishṭa-devatā in the east; with the Aghora mantra and “vaushaṭ” an āmalaka in the north; with the Vāmadeva mantra and “svāhā” water; and with the Īśāna mantra fragrant water in the north-east. Leaf-cups of pañcagavya and palāśa are set in all the directions; flowers in the north-east, gorocana in the south-east, aguru in the south-west and catuḥsama in the north-west, a fragrance of two parts musk, four of sandal, three of kuṅkuma and three of camphor. A staff, a rosary, a loincloth and an alms-bowl are also offered to the mūrti, with collyrium, kuṅkuma and fragrant oil. Āhutis are given to the dikpālas, the bhūtas, the mātṛs, the eleven Rudras and the kshetrapālas, and bali to them with “ayaṃ baliḥ“, followed by the pūrṇāhuti and the four āhutis to Agni, Soma, Agnīshoma and Agni Svishṭakṛt.

Consecrating the pavitrakas. Bhagavān Śiva worshipped in the fire is joined with Bhagavān Śiva in the kalaśa by nāḍī-sandhāna. All the pavitrakas are placed in a vessel like a bamboo basket and consecrated with the five kalā-mantras ending in “kalātmane namaḥ“, the kalās of Śānti, Vidyā, Nivṛtti, Pratishṭhā and Śāntyatīta. With the praṇava or the mūla-mantra shaḍaṅga-nyāsa is done, they are wound round with threads, worshipped with the six aṅga endings, and offered with bhakti to Bhagavān Śiva for their protection. A pavitraka is offered on the book of the Śaiva siddhānta, and at the guru’s feet. On three maṇḍalas smeared with cow dung the pañcagavya, the caru and the tooth-stick are worshipped. The sādhaka keeps vigil all night with music; one who seeks enjoyments sleeps after midnight on a seat of kuśa, remembering Bhagavān Śiva, and one who seeks moksha fasts and sleeps on a bed of sacred ash (Chapter 78).

The second day. The pavitrakas are offered to Bhagavān Śiva with mantras for the three tattvas: oṃ padmayonipālita-ātmatattveśvarāya prakṛtilayāya oṃ namaḥ śivāya, for the ātma-tattva guarded by Brahmā; vishṇukāraṇapālita-vidyātattveśvarāya oṃ namaḥ śivāya, for the vidyā-tattva guarded by Bhagavān Vishṇu; and rudrakaraṇapālita-śivatattveśvarāya oṃ namaḥ śivāya, for the śiva-tattva guarded by Rudra. Then the upāsaka of good vrata offers the Gaṅgāvatāra thread with sarvakāraṇapālāya śivālayalayāya oṃ namaḥ śivāya. Those who seek moksha offer in the order ātma-, vidyā-, śiva-tattva, with mantras ending in svāhā; those who seek enjoyments in the order śiva-, vidyā-, ātma-tattva, with mantras ending in namaḥ: oṃ hāṃ ātmatattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā, oṃ hāṃ vidyātattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā, oṃ hoṃ śivatattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā.

After offering the Gaṅgāvatāraka the upāsaka bows to Bhagavān Śiva and prays:

त्वं गतिः सर्वभूतानां संस्थिति स्त्वं चराचरे

tvaṃ gatiḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ saṃsthiti stvaṃ carācare

You alone are the refuge of all beings; you alone are the support of the moving and unmoving world.

Source: Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 79

The prayer goes on: “Moving within all beings, you are their witness. By mind, speech and body I have no refuge but you. Whatever fault there was in mantra, act, materials, japa, homa and arcana in the pūjā I do for you each day, forgive it all and make my karma complete. O Parameśvara, you are supremely pure; this pavitraka offered to you destroys all pāpas. Whatever vrata I have broken through agitation or a defect of limb, may it, threaded on the sūtra of your command, become unbroken.”

Bhagavān Śiva has said that all the undertakings of one with whom the guru is fully satisfied bear fruit. So the upāsaka offers the guru a pavitraka that hangs to the heart, feeds the brāhmaṇas, gives cloth, and prays: “May Sadāśiva, the lord of the devas, be pleased by these gifts.” In the morning, after bathing, he gathers the pavitrakas from the mūrti of Bhagavān Śiva, does the ashṭa-pushpa pūjā with eight flowers, and gives leave. After the prāyaścitta-homa and the pūrṇāhuti, the one who seeks enjoyments offers all his karma to Bhagavān Śiva and prays, “By your grace may I gain from this karma the fruits my mind desires”, and the one who seeks moksha prays, “O Nātha, may my karma not be a cause of bondage.” The pavitrakas, with the nirmālya of Bhagavān Śiva, are given to Caṇḍeśvara after his pūjā, with the prayer: “Caṇḍanātha, if there is any lack or excess in the yearly rite I have done, remove it and make the rite complete with all its parts.” Then Bhagavān Śiva is bathed and worshipped again. Even if the guru is five yojanas away, one should go to him to perform the Pavitrārohaṇa (Chapter 79).

The great maṇḍala. In Chapter 320 Īśvara (Bhagavān Śiva) teaches Skanda the great maṇḍala made for the Pavitrārohaṇa and like rites: a field of eight hastas divided by twenty-six, with thirty lotuses without petal-joints, eight blue lotuses in the directions, a svastika mark, red corners, a yellow vīthi and a blue central lotus.

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 78, 79, 320

Pavitrāropaṇa for all the devas

Chapter 37 of the Agni Purāṇa extends the pavitrāropaṇa to the other chief devas of the pañcāyatana (group of five) and beyond. Sūrya, Durgā, Gaṇeśa and the rest of the sacred assembly each receive their own pavitrā. Each is consecrated with the bīja-mantra (seed mantra) and the chief mantra of that deva.

• For Sūrya, the Sūrya mantras and the Gāyatrī are used.
• For Durgā, the Durgā bīja is used.
• For Gaṇeśa, the Gaṇapati bīja and the chief Gaṇeśa mantra are used.

The steps common to all devas are:

1. preparing the kuśa thread;
2. consecrating it with the mantra of the deva;
3. soaking it in pañcāmṛta;
4. placing it on the mūrti with a mudrā;
5. the homa.

The differences lie mainly in the mantras and in the place on the mūrti where the pavitrā is put, as the āgama tradition of each deva lays down.

In Chapter 37 Agni Deva says: “Now I tell briefly the method of pavitrāropaṇa for all the devatās. Listen.” The pavitrakas of the marks already told are offered. The devatā is first invited, as with Brahmā: “Brahmā Deva, cause of the world, come here with your retinue. I invite you. Tomorrow morning I shall offer you the pavitraka.” Next day the pavitrakas are offered with these prayers:

• To Brahmā: “Vidhātā, creator of the world, namaskāra to you. Accept this pavitraka. I offer it to you for my purification. It gives the fruit of the pūjā done all the year.”
• To Bhagavān Śiva: “Śiva, Deva, protector of those who know the Vedas, namaskāra to you. Accept this pavitraka. Through it may the pūjā done to you all year with gems, corals, mandāra flowers and the rest be accomplished.” At visarjana the pavitraka is told: “Having duly accomplished this yearly pūjā, go to Svargaloka.”
• To Sūrya: “Sūrya Deva, namaskāra to you. Accept this pavitraka. I offer it to you that it may purify. It will give the fruit of the pūjā done for a year.”
• To Gaṇeśa: “Gaṇeśa, namaskāra to you. Accept this pavitraka. It is given for purification. It gives the fruit of the pūjā done for a year.”
• To Śakti Devī: “O Śakti Devī, namaskāra to you. Accept this pavitraka. It is given that it may purify. It gives the fruit of the pūjā done for a year.”

In the installation of a mūrti of Bhagavān Vishṇu too, among the upacāras offered each with its own mantra, the pavitraka is offered with the mantra “Idaṃ vishṇuḥ” (Chapter 58). Among the subjects that the Agni Purāṇa names in its closing chapter is the Pavitrārohaṇa, with the Vaishṇava āgama, pūjā, dīkshā and pratishṭhā (Chapter 383).

Sources: Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 37, 58, 383

Sources

• Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 33–37, 58, 78–79, 320, 383