Vishṇu Pūjā Vidhi in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa
Pūjā is the loving service and offering made to the divine, and a vidhi is a method. Chapters 90 and 91 of the second part (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa give the complete Vishṇu pūjā vidhi: the formal daily method of pūjā to Bhagavān Vishṇu, as taught by Pushkara.
Chapter 90 (Devakarmādhyāya) gives the mantras, one by one, for each of the sixteen upacāras (services). Chapter 91 (Pushpādi-devādeyakathanam) sets out which flowers, fragrances, foods and other materials are fit, and which are unfit, for use in the pūjā of Vishṇu.
The Sixteen Services
The Vishṇu pūjā vidhi follows the classic shoḍaśopacāra (sixteen services). For each service Pushkara names a particular Vedic mantra:
| Service (upacāra) | Mantra used |
|---|---|
| Āvāhana (invitation) | A particular mantra of invitation |
| Āsana (seat) | — |
| Arghya (respectful offering of water) | “Hiraṇyavarṇā” (three mantras) |
| Pādya (water for the feet) | “Śaṃ na āpaḥ” |
| Snāna (bath) | “Idam āpaḥ pravahata” |
| Anulepa (sandal paste) | “Rathe āḍe mucha” and others (a set group) |
| Vastra (clothing) | “Yuvāsuvāsa” |
| Ābharaṇa (ornaments) | The Sāvitrī mantra |
| Pushpa (flowers) | “Pushpavatī” |
| Dhūpa (incense) | “Dhūrasi” |
| Dīpa (lamp) | “Tejoni śukramasi” |
| Naivedya (food offering) | “Hiraṇyagarbha” (eight mantras) |
| Tāmbūla (betel) | The Sāvitrī mantra |
| Pradakshiṇā (walking around the mūrti) | Purusha-sūkta |
| Namaskāra (bowing down) | Purusha-sūkta |
| Homa (fire offering) | Purusha-sūkta |
The Purusha-sūkta is the heart of this pūjā. It is recited during the pradakshiṇā, the bowing and the homa. Reciting it is the high point of the pūjā, because it names Bhagavān Vishṇu, the one being honoured, as the all-pervading Purusha, from whose yajña (sacrifice) all creation came forth.
Pūjā Without a Mūrti
When no consecrated arcā-mūrti (sacred image) is available, Pushkara teaches that Bhagavān Vishṇu may be invited into:
- A sthaṇḍila (platform): a clay altar made to set measurements
- A place of one’s choosing: with full focus, Bhagavān Vishṇu is present wherever sincere bhakti (devotion) calls him
- A pūrṇa-kumbha (full water pot): a pot filled with pure water and decorated with mango leaves, with Bhagavān Vishṇu invited into the water
- A lotus flower: Bhagavān Vishṇu may be invited into a single pure lotus placed on a clean surface
- A river bank: Bhagavān Vishṇu is present in all sacred rivers, and one may offer pūjā at the bank
This teaching matters because it makes Vishṇu pūjā possible for everyone in every situation, not only for those who can reach a temple or have a shrine at home.
Fit and Unfit Materials for Pūjā (Chapter 91)
Fragrances that are fit (for anulepa):
- Candana (sandalwood), the finest fragrance for Vishṇu
- Aguru (agarwood)
- Karpūra (camphor)
- Kastūrī (musk), for special occasions only
- Jātī-phala (nutmeg)
Fragrances that are unfit:
- Padmaka (a particular wood) used as gandha (fragrance): brings poverty
- Raktacandana (red sandalwood): brings disease when used for pūjā
- Vaṭī-vera (a particular root): brings harm
Flowers that are fit:
- White flowers are always fit for Vishṇu
- Lotus and water-lily (blue and white kinds)
- Tulasī (the most sacred of all)
- Pīta (yellow-flowering) plants such as kadamba and certain kinds of jasmine
- Bandhūka (Pentapetes phoenicea, the red kind), named as fit even though it is red
- Any sweet-smelling flower that does not come from a thorny tree
Flowers that are unfit:
- Flowers from trees growing in cremation grounds or near dead bodies
- Flowers that have fallen from the tree by themselves (unless just fallen and picked up at once)
- Any flower with a foul, sharp or pungent smell
- Flowers from trees struck by lightning
- Buds that have not opened (only open flowers are offered)
- Red and black flowers (with the particular exceptions noted above)
Naivedya (food) that is unfit:
- Food touched by hair, insects or nails
- Food prepared by impure hands or in an impure kitchen
- Buffalo milk (only go-kshīra, cow’s milk, is used)
- Pork, fish, and the meat of five-clawed animals (pañca-nakha)
- Stale food of any kind
Cloth that is unfit for Vishṇu:
- Black or dirty cloth
- Red cloth in general (with particular exceptions for certain forms)
- Cloth with frayed edges
The Fruit of Vishṇu Pūjā
Pushkara ends Chapter 91 with this teaching: a devotee who offers pūjā to Vishṇu every day with the proper materials, the correct mantras and sincere bhakti, even if the pūjā is simple, will steadily gather the puṇya (merit) that leads to Vishṇu-loka, the realm of Vishṇu. A pure heart matters more than a rich offering. A single tulasī leaf offered with perfect love is worth more than a mountain of gold offered with a wandering mind or by mere habit.
Sources
- Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapters 90–91