Pūjā, Homa and Consecration

Ārāma Pratishṭhā is the consecration of a public garden and its trees, taught in the Matsya Purāṇa, Chapter 59.

Sūrya Pūjā at Guptakshetra in the Skanda Purāṇa: the Bhaṭṭāditya form, the 108 names of Sūrya, the rites at the Mahīsāgara Saṃgama and their phala.

Bhūta-śuddhi is the purifying of the five elements of the body before pūjā: the body is dried, burned and flooded with amṛta, and the tanmātras are withdrawn.

Dīkshā is initiation into Vaishṇava worship. The Varāha Purāṇa gives rites for each varṇa; the Agni Purāṇa gives the fire rite, mantra-nyāsa and consecration of the ācārya.

The autumn pūjā of Durgā Devī taught in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Prakriti Khaṇḍa, Chapters 63–64, as king Sūratha kept it at Pushkara.

Gaja-Śānti in the Agni Purāṇa: the śānti rite for elephants taught by Śālihotra, kept on pañcamī and at the saṅkrāntis, with the Śrī-gaja ear mantra.

Gaurī Pūjā in the Agni Purāṇa: Bhagavān Śiva's teaching of the Umā-pūjā, with its mantras, nyāsa, mūrti, āvaraṇa śaktis, maṇḍala, homa and phala.

The Graha Yajña Vidhi is the rite of three navagraha homas, Ayuta, Laksha and Koṭi, for peace, health and growth, taught in the Matsya and Agni Purāṇas.

The homa-kuṇḍa is the sacred fire-pit of the homa: its measures, shapes, mekhalās, yoni and nābhi, and Kuṇḍa-Lakshmī, as the Agni Purāṇa teaches.

The Agni Purāṇa's rules for the homa: the kuṇḍa, installing the fire, the daily homa, the oblations, and the laksha-homa and koṭi-homa with their phala.

Jīrṇoddhāra is the rite of renewing a worn mūrti, liṅga or temple; restoring a fallen temple gives twice the fruit of building a new one.

The kalaśa is the consecrated water-pot of pūjā, on which Bhagavān Vishṇu, Bhagavān Śiva and the devatās are invoked, as the Agni Purāṇa teaches.

Kubjikā Pūjā in the Agni Purāṇa: the maṇḍala worship of Kubjikā (Kuṭṭikā), with nyāsa, dhyāna, Nāthas, Siddhas and mantras, for victory and dominion.

Lakshmī Pūjā in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa: her origin, her first worship, Indra's pūjā at the Kshīrasāgara, the upacāra mantras and the mūla mantra.

The Māheśvara Snāna is a bath before sunrise that gives a king victory, which Śukrācārya taught to Bali; with it come baths for every wish.

The Mālinī nyāsa places the letters from na to pha, each with its śakti, on the body; the Agni Purāṇa teaches it with the nyāsa of the Rudras.

The Maṇḍala Vidhi is the Agni Purāṇa's teaching on drawing the maṇḍala, the sacred ground-plan on which Bhagavān Vishṇu, Bhagavān Śiva and Devī are worshipped.

Śrī Kṛshṇa teaches Garuḍa which offerings keep their sāra and for how long, in the Garuḍa Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 14.

The homa for the nine grahas as taught by Pushkara to Paraśurāma in the Agni Purāṇa: images, mantras, samidhas, foods, dakshiṇā and the graha maṇḍala.

Nīrājana is the waving of lights. The Agni Purāṇa gives the king's annual nīrājana, the Indra-dhvaja festival and the mantras for the royal chatra, horse, flag and sword.

Kriyā-Yoga, the Pañcarātra worship of Bhagavān Vāsudeva taught by Nārāyaṇa to Nārada: dīkshā, daily routine, maṇḍala, dhyāna, pūjā and Ashṭāṅga Yoga.

Pārthiva Gaṇeśa Pūjā in the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa: worship of Gaṇeśa made of clay, taught by Himavān to Pārvatī, ending with immersion.

The yearly rite of placing a consecrated sacred thread on the mūrti of Bhagavān Vishṇu, Bhagavān Śiva and other devas, as the Agni Purāṇa teaches it.

Pratishṭhā is the rite that consecrates a mūrti or sacred object, taught in the Agni Purāṇa and the Matsya Purāṇa.

Puraścaraṇa is the course of japa and homa that purifies a mantra and makes it steady for the sādhaka, as the Agni Purāṇa teaches it.

Rādhā Pūjā in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa: the mūla mantra, nyāsa, dhyāna and sixteen offerings, as taught by Sutapa to King Suyajña.

The Agni Purāṇa teaches Śaiva dīkshā in three grades, samaya, saṃskāra and nirvāṇa, and a special fourth, the ekatattvadīkshā, with the abhisheka that follows.

A śānti rite taught by Bhagavān Sūrya to King Kṛtavīrya to protect a child from early death, with five kalaśas, a Sūrya-Rudra homa and a gold Yamadharmarāja mūrti.

Sauradharma is the whole path of Sūrya upāsanā: its meaning, daily pūjā, conduct and phala, as taught in the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva.

The sixteen service-offerings of pūjā, taught by Śiva to Nārada at Kailāsa in the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Brahma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 26.

The daily pūjā of Bhagavān Śiva as Maheśvara taught it to Skanda in the Agni Purāṇa, from the doorway and bhūtaśuddhi to the abhisheka, the japa and the sacred fire.

The ritual bath (snapana) of the mūrti and the pūjā of the Śālagrāma stone of Bhagavān Vishṇu, as taught in the Agni Purāṇa.

The pūjā of Śukra (Venus) at Śukrodaya and of Bṛhaspati (Jupiter) at Saṅkrānti and journeys, taught by Pipalāda to Yudhishṭhira in the Matsya Purāṇa.

The pūjā of Bhagavān Sūrya as the Agni Purāṇa teaches it: the arghya, nyāsa, the pīṭha and its nine śaktis, the aṅgas, the nine grahas and the phala.

Tāṭāka Pratishṭhā is the consecration of a tank, well or lake for public use, taught in the Matsya Purāṇa, Chapter 58.

The Trailokyamohana Mantra is the mantra of Bhagavān Vishṇu as the enchanter of the three worlds, with its puraścaraṇa, daily pūjā and phala, from the Agni Purāṇa.

Utpāta-śānti is the ritual calming of bad omens. Omens are sorted by where they arise, and each kind has its own homa, pūjā or other remedy.

The Agni Purāṇa teaches the utsava: the festival mūrti is taken out on a ratha and carried round the town in pradakshiṇā. It also teaches consecrating sacred trees.

Vāstu Pūjā is the worship of the building site and the vāstu-purusha before any building is raised, taught in the Agni Purāṇa.

Vāstu vidyā is the sacred knowledge of building: the Vāstu-maṇḍala of devatās, testing the ground, the foundation rite, and planning homes, temples and towns.

The Vināyaka Snāna of the Agni Purāṇa: the sacred bath, homa and bali for one afflicted by the Vināyakas, with its signs, mantras and phala.

The Vishṇu Pūjā Vidhi is the method of the daily pūjā of Bhagavān Vishṇu: the cleansing, the sixteen upacāras and their mantras, the flowers and the phala.