Snapana and Śālagrāma Pūjā
Snapana Śālagrāma Pūjā, “the sacred bath and the Śālagrāma worship”
The snapana is the ritual bath of the image of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The Śālagrāma is the sacred stone that is itself a form of Bhagavān Vishṇu. The Agni Purāṇa teaches both, in Chapters 46–47, 58, 69, 72 and 80. The snapana purifies the image and renews the presence of Bhagavān Vishṇu in it. The Śālagrāma pūjā stands on its own and needs no consecration (pratishṭhā) of the stone.
In the Agni Purāṇa, Bhagavān Hayagrīva teaches Brahmā the long series of baths given to a new mūrti before its installation, each with its own Vedic mantra (Chapter 58), and the eighteen forms of Hari known by the marks on the Śālagrāma stones, with the three grades of their pūjā (Chapters 46–47). At saṅkrānti and like times Śrī Mahāvishṇu is bathed from nine kalaśas (Chapter 34). The great snapana-utsava, the bathing festival of one thousand and eight kalaśas set in nine groups of nine, gives a man all his desires (Chapter 69). The damanaka plant is offered to Bhagavān Śiva, and the one who offers it gains the full fruit of the month of Caitra and, at the end, svarga (Chapter 80).
The snapana: the ritual bath of the mūrti
The snapana is done as part of the daily pūjā. It is also a special rite in its own right at pratishṭhā, pavitrāropaṇa and festivals. The Agni Purāṇa gives the full order of the bath in Chapters 58, 69 and 72. Each substance has its own mantra and its own purpose:
- Kshīra (milk) is the first of the pañcāmṛta (five nectars). It purifies the image with the chief Vishṇu mantra.
- Dadhi (curd) gives prosperity and abundance to the community that worships.
- Ghṛta (ghee) gives strength, life and steadiness to the presence of Bhagavān Vishṇu in the mūrti.
- Madhu (honey) gives eloquence, sweetness and the power of sacred speech to all who are connected with the temple.
- Śarkarā (sugar) gives happiness, joy and auspiciousness to all who worship there.
After the pañcāmṛta bath the image is bathed with pure water (śuddhodaka). Then it is bathed with scented water, made fragrant with camphor, sandalwood, rose water or other sweet-smelling things as laid down. The image is wiped dry gently with a clean silk cloth. Sandalwood paste (candana) and turmeric are applied and fresh flowers are offered. The image is dressed in fresh garments and adorned with ornaments.
The baths of a new mūrti
In Chapter 58, “the rite of snapana and the rest”, Bhagavān Hayagrīva tells Brahmā how a new mūrti of Bhagavān Vishṇu is bathed before its installation. The ācārya builds a homa-kuṇḍa in the north-east, establishes the Vaishṇava fire in it, offers a hundred and eight homas with the Gāyatrī mantra and sprinkles the kalaśas with the remnant of the homa ghee. The yajamāna (the sponsor), with the mūrtipālakas and the śilpīs (sculptors), goes with music to the workshop. Reciting “Vishṇave śipivishṭāya namaḥ“, he ties the kautuka-sūtra (the protective thread) on the right hand of the image, and a kautuka of woollen thread, mustard and silk is tied on the ācārya’s hand too.
The pratimā (the image), wrapped in cloth, is placed on the maṇḍala and praised: “O pratimā, made by Viśvakarmā, O Deveśvarī, namaskāra to you. O Jagadambā, I bow to you again and again. On you I worship Nārāyaṇa, who is free of all affliction. May no fault of the sculptor’s craft remain in you. Be always full of prosperity for me.” Then it is taken to the bathing house. The śilpī is given wealth and the guru a cow. With “Citraṃ devānām” the eyes of the pratimā are opened, and with “Agnir jyotiḥ” the sight is made to move. The pratimā is set on a bhadra-pīṭha (an auspicious seat), and the ācārya places white flowers, ghee, mustard, dūrvā and kuśa on its head. With “Madhu vātā” collyrium is applied to the eyes, while “Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ” and “Imaṃ me varuṇa” are recited.
Then come the baths, in this order, each with its mantra:
| Mantra | The bath |
|---|---|
| Ghṛtavatī | ghee is smeared on the body |
| Ā devāḥ | the body is rubbed with chickpea flour |
| Sapta te agne | it is washed |
| Drupadād iva | it is smeared with paste (anulepana) |
| Āpo hi shṭhā | abhisheka |
| (after the abhisheka) | water of river-tīrthas |
| the Pāvamānī ṛk | water touched by gems |
| Samudraṃ gaccha svāhā | tīrtha-earth and kalaśa water |
| Śaṃ no devī and the Gāyatrī | hot water |
| Hiraṇyagarbhaḥ and related mantras | five kinds of earth |
| Imaṃ me gaṅge yamune | water mixed with sand |
| Tad vishṇoḥ paramaṃ padam | water mixed with ant-hill earth |
| Oshadhīḥ | water mixed with herbs |
| Yajñā yajñā | water mixed with astringent things such as āmalaka |
| Payaḥ pṛthivyām | pañcagavya |
| Yāḥ phalinīḥ | water mixed with fruits |
| Viśvataścakshuḥ | the kalaśa of the north |
| Somaṃ rājānam | the kalaśa of the east |
| Vishṇor arāṭam asi | the kalaśa of the south |
| Haṃsaḥ śucishat | the kalaśa of the west |
| Mūrdhānaṃ divo | water with āmalaka |
| Mā nas toke | water mixed with jaṭāmāṃsī |
| Gandhadvārām | water mixed with gandha |
| Idam āpaḥ | the kalaśas set in the vāstu-maṇḍapa of eighty-one padas |
The four kalaśas of the directions give the udvartana-snāna, the cleansing bath. After the bath Bhagavān Mahāvishṇu is invoked: “O Bhagavān Mahāvishṇu, who show grace to all the worlds, come, come; accept this share of the yajña; namaskāra to you.” With “Muñcāmi tvā” the kautuka-sūtras on the hand of the mūrti and on the hand of the ācārya are untied.
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 58
The bath of Śrī Mahāvishṇu at saṅkrānti
At saṅkrānti and like times, the snāna and abhisheka of Śrī Mahāvishṇu is arranged with nine kalaśas, eight in the directions and corners of the maṇḍapa and one in the middle. Into them go pādya, arghya, ācamanīya and pañcagavya; those in the corners also hold water mixed with pañcāmṛta. Curd, milk, honey and hot water are the parts of pādya; water with lotuses, śyāmāka millet, dūrvā and the herb vishṇukrāntā is called pādya. Arghya has eight parts: barley, gandha, fruits, akshata, kuśa, mustard, flowers and sesame. Water with jasmine, clove and kaṅkola is given as ācamanīya.
Reciting the mūla-mantra, the worshipper bathes Bhagavān Vishṇu with pañcāmṛta. He takes pure water from the middle kalaśa and sprinkles it on the head of the mūrti, and touches the water from the kalaśa and the tip of the kūrca. With pure water he offers pādya, arghya and ācamanīya. He wipes the mūrti with a cloth, clothes it and takes it to the maṇḍala, worships it well and, after prāṇāyāma, performs homa in the kuṇḍas.
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 34
The special baths
The Agni Purāṇa (Chapters 69 and 72) gives several kinds of snapana for different occasions.
- Daivika-snāna (the divine bath). This is the pañcāmṛta snapana described above. It is the standard bath that purifies the image and renews the full presence of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
- Rājika-snāna (the royal bath). This is a fuller bath with fragrances, flowers and special scented waters. It is done on festival days and auspicious occasions, as befits the royal state of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
- Brahmī-snāna (the Vedic bath). The bath is done with the recitation of Vedic mantras, the Purushasūkta, the Śrīsūkta and other Vedic hymns. The bathing water is filled with the power of sacred Vedic sound.
- Mahābhisheka (the great consecration bath). This is the crowning bath of the great ceremonies. It is done with one hundred and eight kalaśas (pots) of consecrated water. The Purushasūkta is recited verse by verse, one verse for each of the 108 kalaśas poured over the image. The Śrīsūkta goes with the last part. This great bath fully brings the consecrated image to life. It is done at pratishṭhā and on the great yearly occasions.
The snapana-utsava: the bathing festival
In Chapter 69 Agnideva tells Brahmā in full of the snapana-utsava, the bathing festival. In front of the prāsāda (the temple), under the maṇḍapa, kalaśas are set on a maṇḍala. At the start of every act there is the dhyāna of Śrī Hari, pūjā and homa, and a thousand or a hundred and eight oblations are offered with a pūrṇāhuti. The bathing substances are brought; the kumbhas, with a thread round the neck, receive adhivāsana (the preparatory consecration) and are set on the maṇḍala.
A square maṇḍala is drawn and divided by twelve lines, and its squares are filled, from the east, with rice-flour and other powders. With the kumbha-mudrā the kalaśas are placed in groups of nine, the navakas, and with the Puṇḍarīkāksha mantra darbha grass is put into them. The nine navakas are these:
| Navaka | The middle kalaśa | The kalaśas around it |
|---|---|---|
| First (the centre) | water with all gems | barley, rice, sesame, nīvāra, śyāmāka, kulattha, mudga and white mustard |
| East | ghee | the juice of the bark of palāśa, aśvattha, vaṭa, bilva, udumbara, plaksha, jambū, śamī and kapittha |
| South-east | honey | earth from a cow’s horn, a mountain, the Gaṅgā, an elephant stall, a tīrtha, a field and a threshing floor |
| South | oil | the fruits nāraṅga, jambīra, nimba, kharjūra, nārikela, pūga, dāḍima and panasa |
| South-west | milk | kuṅkuma and the flowers nāgapushpa, campaka, mālatī, mallikā, punnāga, karavīra and kamala |
| West | coconut water | the water of a river, the ocean, a lake, a well, rain, snow, a waterfall and the river of the devas |
| North-west | plantain water | the divine herbs sahadevī, kumārī, siṃhī, vyāghrī, amṛtā, vishṇuparṇī, dūrvā and vacā |
| North | curd | patra, elā, tvak, kūṭa, bālaka, the two candanas, kastūrī, kṛshṇāguru and siddha-dravya |
| North-east | śānti-jala, the water of peace | candra, tāra, silver, iron, tin, bronze, lead and gems |
The pratimā is smeared with ghee, rubbed with a cleansing paste and bathed with the mūla-mantra, and worshipped again with gandha and the rest. Homa is offered in the fire with a pūrṇāhuti, bali is given to all beings, and a brāhmaṇa is fed and given dakshiṇā. Devas, munis and many kings gained aiśvarya and more only by the abhisheka of the vigraha of Bhagavān Vishṇu.
So the snapana-utsava is done with one thousand and eight kalaśas. The one who does it obtains all his desires. In the avabhṛtha-snāna, the closing bath of a yajña, too, it gives the fullness of the bath. The snapana-utsava is also done at the weddings of Pārvatī and the others.
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 69
The Śālagrāma: its nature and kinds
The Śālagrāma is a naturally formed stone (an ammonite) found in the river Gaṇḍakī. The Agni Purāṇa teaches that these stones are forms of Bhagavān Vishṇu that have come into being by themselves. They need no pratishṭhā (consecration), no installing of mantras and no rite of bringing to life, because the divine presence is in them from the moment they form in nature.
The cakra-marks (circular marks) on each Śālagrāma show which form of Bhagavān Vishṇu is present in that stone. Different numbers, shapes and colours of cakra-marks belong to different mūrtis of Vishṇu. The full list of the kinds of Śālagrāma is given in Chapters 46–47 of the Agni Purāṇa.
In Chapter 46 Bhagavān Hayagrīva tells Brahmā of the forms of Hari on the Śālagrāmas, a teaching that gives bhoga (enjoyment) and moksha. By their marks and colour they are:
| Form | Colour and marks |
|---|---|
| Vāsudeva | black, with two cakras at the opening |
| Saṅkarshaṇa | red, with two cakras |
| Pradyumna | blue, with a small cakra and many holes |
| Aniruddha | yellow and round, with a lotus mark and three lines |
| Nārāyaṇa | black, raised at the navel, with large holes |
| Parameshṭhī | with lotus and cakra marks, a hole on the back and a bindu |
| Vishṇu | dark, with a large cakra and a line like a gadā in the middle |
| Nṛsiṃha | tawny, with a large cakra and five bindus |
| Varāha | the colour of sapphire, with the mark of the śakti weapon, two uneven cakras and three thick lines |
| Kūrma | dark, with a raised back and a round whorl |
| Hayagrīva | blue, with lines like a goad and bindus |
| Vaikuṇṭha | shining like a gem, with one cakra, one lotus and lines like a tail |
| Matsya | large, white like bell-metal, with three bindus |
| Śrīdhara | round, with a vanamālā (garland) and five lines |
| Vāmana | very small, round and blue, with bindus |
| Trivikrama | dark, with a line on the right side and bindus on the left |
| Ananta (Ādiśesha) | with the mark of a serpent’s body, of many forms, shining in many colours |
| Dāmodara | large, with a cakra in the middle and a subtle bindu below |
By the number of cakras: one cakra is Sudarśana; two, Lakshmī-Nārāyaṇa; three, Acyuta or Trivikrama; four, Janārdana; five, Vāsudeva; six, Pradyumna; seven, Saṅkarshaṇa; eight, Purushottama; nine, the Navavyūha; ten, the Daśāvatāra-mūrti; eleven, Aniruddha; twelve, Dvādaśātmā; and more than twelve, Ananta.
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 46
Three grades of Śālagrāma pūjā
In Chapter 47 of the Agni Purāṇa, Bhagavān Hayagrīva teaches three grades of Śālagrāma pūjā. Each suits a different aim and strength of the worshipper.
He begins: “Now I tell the method of pūjā of the cakra-marked Śālagrāmas; it grants siddhi.” The pūjā of Śrī Hari is of three kinds: kāmya (with desire), akāmya (without desire), and both together. The pūjā of the five forms beginning with Matsya may be kāmya or of both kinds; the pūjā of Varāha, Vāmana and Nṛsiṃha, shining with the cakras told before, is done for mukti. Of the three Śālagrāma pūjās, the nishphala pūjā is the best, the mūrti-pūjā the middle, and the sakala or saphala pūjā the lowest.
Uttama-pūjā (the highest, without desire).
- The worshipper first honours Vishvaksena (the chief commander and doorkeeper of Bhagavān Vishṇu) and Vāyu, before he goes to the main mūrti.
- A full sixteen-petal maṇḍala is drawn.
- On it the śaṅkha, the cakra, the gadā and the khaḍga (sword), and the guru and the others, are worshipped as in the middle grade, and the bow and the arrows in the east and the north.
- The twelve-syllable mantra (dvādaśāksharī) is recited one hundred and eight times:
Oṃ Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
This means “Oṃ, salutation to Bhagavān Vāsudeva.”
- The seat is offered with the praṇava, and the stone is placed with the twelve-syllable mantra.
- Full nyāsa (placing the mantra on the worshipper’s body) is done.
- This grade is called nishphala (without fruit) because it is offered with no wish for any special fruit. It is worship of Bhagavān Vishṇu for His own sake.
Madhyama-pūjā (the middle grade).
- The same first worship of Vishvaksena and Vāyu is done.
- A lotus is drawn on a square maṇḍala.
- The worshipper does praṇava-nyāsa in the heart, then shaḍaṅga-nyāsa (the six-limbed nyāsa), kara-nyāsa and vyāpaka-nyāsa, and shows three mudrās.
- The guru is worshipped in the east, the gaṇa in the west, Dhātā in the north-west, Vidhātā in the south-west, Kartā in the south, Hartā in the north, Vishvaksena in the north-east and Kshetrapāla in the south-east. The four Vedas, beginning with the Ṛgveda, are worshipped in the directions from the east.
- Then the Ādhāra-śakti, Ananta, Pṛthivī, the Yoga-pīṭha, the lotus, the maṇḍalas of the sun and the moon, and the maṇḍala of fire whose nature is Brahman are worshipped.
- With the twelve-syllable mantra the stone is set on the seat and worshipped; then it is worshipped with the mūla-mantra divided and with the whole mantra, and with the praṇava. The three mudrās of Vishvaksena, the cakra and Kshetrapāla are shown.
- The twelve-syllable mantra is recited twenty-eight times.
- This grade suits the worshipper of middle strength, who worships regularly with devotion but not with the full detail.
Kanishṭha-pūjā (with a particular wish).
- The first honouring of Vishvaksena and Vāyu is done.
- A simpler maṇḍala is used.
- The pūjā of the guru and the others is done as before on an eight-petalled lotus. The seat is offered with the eight-syllable mantra (ashṭākshara), and the stone is placed with the same mantra.
- The repetition of the mantra is reduced further.
- This grade is called saphala (with fruit), because it is offered with particular wishes. The Purāṇa teaches that Bhagavān Vishṇu fulfils these wishes in His grace, and that in time the worshipper is led beyond worship for the sake of wishes and up to the uttama grade.
Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 47
Damanaka-āropaṇa: the offering of the spring season
Chapter 80 describes the offering of garlands of damanaka flowers (from the Artemisia plant) to Bhagavān Śiva in the Vasanta (spring) season. Special mantras go with this offering. The Agni Purāṇa gives the phala of this damanaka-āropaṇa: the one who performs it obtains the complete fruit born of the month of Caitra, and at the end goes to svarga.
The opening of the chapter, the gathering and the invitation of the damanaka, is not printed. Placing the damanaka on his head, the worshipper prays the evening before: “Deveśvara, today I invite you; tomorrow morning I must obtain the fruit of tapas. Make the upāsanā I have done fruitful. May all this be complete by your command.” The remaining pavitrakas kept in the vessel are covered with the mūla-mantra.
In the morning, after his bath, he worships Bhagavān Śiva with gandha, flowers and the rest. When the daily and occasional rites are done, he worships the damanaka, takes it in his añjali (cupped hands) and places it on Bhagavān Śiva with these four mantras:
- “oṃ hāṃ ātmatattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā“
- “oṃ hāṃ vidyātattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā“
- “oṃ haṃ śivatattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā“
- “oṃ hāṃ sarvatattvādhipataye śivāya svāhā“
In the fourth añjali he offers the damanaka to Bhagavān Śiva with the mantra “oṃ hūṃ maheśvarāya makhaṃ pūraya pūraya śūlapāṇaye namaḥ“, “Oṃ hūṃ, to Maheśvara: fill, fill the yajña; to the bearer of the śūla, namaḥ.” So Bhagavān Śiva and Agni are worshipped. Special pūjā is done to the guru, with the prayer: “Revered one, in the pūjā I did with the damanaka, if there is any excess or any lack, may it be made right by your grace.”
In Caitra the damanaka is offered elsewhere too: in the Damanaka-tṛtīyā vrata Devī Pārvatī is worshipped with damanaka flowers, and the one who worships Gaṇapati with damanaka flowers on the caturthī of Caitra gains happiness and bhogas (enjoyments).
Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 80, 178–179
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 34, 46–47, 58, 69, 72, 80, 178–179