Nitya Pūjā of Vishṇu in the Padma Purāṇa

Nitya pūjā means daily pūjā: the loving service offered to the divine every day. A chapter of the Uttara Khaṇḍa of the Padma Purāṇa (Chapter 253), told by Śiva to Pārvatī, sets out in detail how Vishṇu is to be honoured each day.

It covers the two kinds of mūrti (sacred image) of Vishṇu, installed and self-revealed; the full daily routine of a Vaishṇava devotee from before dawn until night; pūjā according to varṇa (social group); the nine kinds of devotion; changes in the pūjā from month to month; and a warning against offering pūjā to yakshas, spirits or any deity other than Vishṇu.

Two Kinds of Mūrti of Vishṇu

Vishṇu may be honoured in two kinds of sacred form:

Sthāpana (installed mūrti): a mūrti of stone, clay, wood or iron, ritually installed with Vedic and Smārta rites and consecrated with the principal mantra to call Vishṇu’s presence into it
Svayaṃvyakta (self-revealed): a form in which Vishṇu has placed himself of his own accord for the good of his devotees, with no need for human installation

Famous self-revealed forms of Vishṇu are found at: Indradyumna lake, Kaurmya, the Siṃha mountain, Karavīra, Kāśī, Prayāga, the Śālagrāma mountain, Dvāravatī, Naimisha, Badarikāśrama, Mathurā, Veṅkaṭagiri (Tirupati), Śvetādri, the Garuḍa mountain, Kāñcī, Anantaśayana, Śrīraṅga, the Vāsava mountain, the Nārāyaṇa mountain, Vārāha and Vāmanāśrama.

The Daily Routine of a Vaishṇava Devotee

The daily routine is as follows:

Before dawn: Rise, greet the elders, remember Vishṇu in the heart, and silently repeat his thousand names
Morning cleansing: Relieve oneself, rinse the mouth, clean the teeth and bathe, all outside the village boundary
Purifying bath: Take earth from the root of the tulasī plant, bless it with the principal mantra and the Gāyatrī, and apply it to the body. Then bathe while calling on the Gaṅgā that flows from Vishṇu’s feet, and repeat the principal mantra 28 or 108 times while standing in the water.
After the bath: Wring out the garment, sip water, and offer tarpaṇa (water offerings) to the devas, the ṛshis and the ancestors
Put on the ūrdhvapuṇḍra: Take sacred clay, bless it with the mantra, and apply the proper number of upright tilaka marks on the forehead and other parts of the body
Sandhyā: Recite the Sāvitrī (Gāyatrī) mantra, the prayer at the junction of the day
Enter the pūjā room: Place Lakshmī-Nārāyaṇa on a bright seat decorated with flowers, and offer pūjā with sandal paste, flowers and rice
Complete pūjā: Invite Vishṇu with the two principal hymns, the Purusha-sūkta and the Śrī-sūkta. Offer āvāhana (invitation), a seat, water, a bath, sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamps, food and tāmbūla (betel). Wave the lamps, walk around him in reverence, praise him with stotras, and perform homa (fire offering) with the Purusha-sūkta.
Inner meditation: Meditate in the lotus of the heart on Vishṇu seated with Lakshmī: four-armed, in yellow garments, bearing the Śrīvatsa mark and the Kaustubha jewel, and adorned with a tulasī garland. Offer pūjā to him in the mind a thousand or a hundred times.
Honour devotees: Welcome and feed any devotees of Vishṇu who arrive, and walk respectfully after them when they leave
Meals: The husband and wife should eat only after all this

Pūjā According to Varṇa

The ways of pūjā differ by varṇa:

Brāhmaṇas: every act should be for Vishṇu; the five purifications (the heated marks, the ūrdhvapuṇḍra, the principal mantra, pūjā, and honouring devotees)
Kshatriyas: pūjā through carrying out their own duties
Vaiśyas: six kinds: bearing Vishṇu’s marks, service, honouring his devotees, repeating the mantra, reciting his names, and bowing to him
Śūdras: five kinds: repeating his names, service, pūjā, bowing to him, and honouring his devotees
All varṇas: pūjā in the mind is shared by all

Pūjā Through the Months

Particular flowers and foods are set for pūjā in different months:

Kārtika: jasmine flowers and a lamp kept burning without break; leads to being absorbed into Vishṇu
Dhanu (Mārgaśīrsha): white and black karavīra flowers and milk-rice; the merit of a thousand aśvamedhas (horse sacrifices)
Māgha: bathing in a river at dawn, lotuses, and offerings of milk and ghee; the fruit of a month of unbroken pūjā
Caitra: campaka and bakula flowers and food made with jaggery; the merit of a thousand years of pūjā
Vaiśākha: great hundred-petalled lotuses, and water with molasses, curd and fruits; Vishṇu is pleased together with Lakshmī
Jyeshṭha: white lotuses and trumpet flowers, and mango as food; the merit of giving a crore (ten million) cows
Āshāḍha: clove flowers and milk-rice; the merit of 60,000 years of pūjā
Śrāvaṇa: puṇṇāga flowers, ketakī petals, and cakes with sugar and ghee; freedom from rebirth
Āśvina: blue lotuses and milk with cakes; one reaches Vishṇu’s world for countless kalpas (ages of the universe)

A Warning Against Other Pūjā

The chapter gives a strong warning against offering pūjā to yakshas, rākshasas, spirits, goblins or any deity other than Vishṇu. Offering pūjā to such beings destroys all the merit one has gathered and leads to fearful narakas. The food of those who are not devotees of Vishṇu, food offered to yakshas, and food not first offered to Vishṇu are all said to be equal to dog’s flesh. Only Vishṇu’s prasāda (food first offered to him) truly purifies.

The Nine Kinds of Devotion

This chapter lists the nine kinds of devotion (navadhā bhakti) as: the auspicious marks of the Sudarśana disc, the ūrdhvapuṇḍra mark, repeating the mantra given by the guru, offering proper pūjā to Vishṇu, remembering him, praising him, service to the supreme Self, bowing before him, and honouring his devotees.

Sources

Padma Purāṇa, Uttara Khaṇḍa, Chapter 253