Vedic Mantra Prayoga in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

A mantra is a sacred verse or sound, and prayoga means “application” or “use”. Chapters 124 to 129 of the second part (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa teach how mantras from all four Vedas are used for particular ritual and practical purposes. For each Veda, its main sūktas (hymns) and mantras are given one or more prayogas.

The section covers the Ṛgveda (Chapter 124), the Yajurveda (Chapter 125), the Sāmaveda (Chapter 126), and the gaṇa-homas (group fire offerings) of the Atharvaveda with a full list of homa materials (Chapter 127). It ends with the Śrī Sūkta (Chapter 128) and the Purusha-sūkta (Chapter 129), which are found in all four Vedas and are taught as supreme mantras able to accomplish every purpose (sarvakārya).

Uses of Ṛgveda Mantras: Ṛgvidhāna (Chapter 124)

Pushkara teaches the Ṛgvedic system of use. The main principles are:

Gāyatrī japa: 10,000 recitations of the Gāyatrī mantra remove all pāpa (wrongdoing). One lakh (100,000) recitations done properly in upāṃśu (a whisper) bring a vision of the Gāyatrī devī. The Gāyatrī is called the mother of all the Vedas and the supreme purifier.
Praṇava japa: japa of Oṃkāra together with particular ṛks (Ṛgveda verses) increases the śakti (power) of any prayoga
Each ṛk is linked with a deity and a purpose

Selected Ṛgvedic prayogas:

“Tubhyam eva aji”: homa for āyushya (long life)
“Āyātu pitam”: homa for mitra-lābha (gaining friends and allies)
“Āśāsānam”: japa and homa with mixed grains; grants sarvādhipatya (rule over all)
“Agni rīśebhi”: gives go-sampadā (wealth in cattle); needs twelve days of careful homa
“Sātohavi”: cures vāma-roga (diseases of the left side, or cow-pox)
“Vidhāyasva”: these are all Rāshṭra-bhṛt mantras (mantras that uphold the kingdom)
“Dhruvaṃ dhruveṇa”: together with “Acyutāpo”, for sthāna-lābha (gaining a secure position)
“Payo deveshu”: for rāyasposhaṇa (growth of wealth and family)
“Yunakasāra”: for kṛshi-lābha (success in farming)
“Āyaṃ te yoniḥ”: for putra-lābha (gaining children)
“Yad agna”: for bandha-mocana (release from bondage)
“Yōnasva”: śatru-nāśaka (destroys enemies)
“Tvamattvamam”: yaśo-vardhaka (increases fame)
“Yathā vṛshī miti”: saubhāgya-vardhana (increase of good fortune) for women
“Āno agne”: brings bhartṛ-lābha (gaining a husband)
“Yena vai heti mā”: garbha-lābha (conceiving a child)
“Bṛhaspatiḥ paripātu pathi”: for śubha-prayāṇa (an auspicious journey or departure)
“Dūtyā draviṇam”: nirodha (stopping) of a kṛtyā (a destructive spirit)
“Ayaṃ no agni”: Agni-deva-anugraha (receiving the grace of Agni)
“Muñcāmi tvā”: apamṛtyu-nivāraṇa (preventing untimely death)
Complete recitation (pārāyaṇa) of the Atharvaśiras: sarvapāpa-mukti (freedom from all pāpa)

Pushkara notes that each mantra has thousands of uses and that he has given only the most important. Before using a mantra in japa or homa, one must always know its ṛshi (the seer who received it), its devatā (deity) and its chandas (metre). Using a mantra without knowing these is adharma (against dharma).

Uses of the Yajurveda: Tantravidhāna (Chapter 125)

The Yajurvedic section sets out the homa materials (dravyas) and their purposes:

Particular homa-dravyas are assigned to each of the twenty-one Yajurvedic deities
The pattern is: mantra → deity → material → particular fruit
It uses palāśa (flame-of-the-forest), moduga and other particular samidhs (sacred firewood)

The Yajurvedic way of use is closely linked with the yajñas of kings and with the household homas of the gṛhastha (householder). The Tantravidhāna sets out in order which material to use, when, and for what purpose.

Uses of the Sāmaveda: Sāmavidhāna (Chapter 126)

The Sāmavedic section covers the use of sāman melodies (sung Vedic verses) for particular effects:

Particular gānas (sāman songs) are linked with healing, bringing rain and protecting the king
The Sāma tradition holds that the sound of the melody itself carries the śakti, apart from the meaning of the words
Key sāmans are assigned to particular purposes: healing diseases of cattle, bringing rain in a drought, and ending conflict

The Sāmavidhāna in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa draws on the older Sāmavidhāna literature and gives a shorter but orderly version.

Homa of the Atharvaveda: Ātharvavidhi (Chapter 127)

This is the longest section on the use of mantras. Pushkara teaches:

The eighteen lists of śānti: three sets of six kinds of śānti (peace rites) each, covering omens in the divine realm, in the sky and air, and on the earth. Particular homa methods are given for each kind.

General list of homa materials:

For śānti and pushṭi (peace and nourishment): darbha grass, ghee, vrīhi (paddy), śveta-sarshapa (white mustard), akshatālu (unbroken rice), sesame, curd, milk, dūrvā grass, bilva and lotus flowers
For ābhicārika homas (harmful rites): taila (oil) together with particular samidhs of thorny wood, rājakaṇa (guṃṭakalaga), rakta (blood) and visha (poison); these are kept clearly apart from śānti use
One must know the ṛshi, chandas and devatā before using any mantra; otherwise it is adharma
Each śākhā (Vedic school) has its own kriyā-bheda (differences in method); one must follow one’s own sūtra (such as the Āpastamba), and using the method of a different sūtra is a transgression
The prāk-tantra (opening procedure) and the uttara-tantra (closing procedure) must both be done; the main rite takes place between these two

The Glory of the Śrī Sūkta in All Four Vedas (Chapter 128)

Paraśurāma asks for a single mantra that increases Lakshmī (prosperity) across all the Vedas. Pushkara teaches the Śrī Sūkta in its forms from the four Vedas:

Ṛgveda: “Hiraṇyavarṇāṃ hariṇīm”, fifteen ṛks, known as the Śrī Sūkta of the Ṛgveda; grants pushṭi-vardhana (growth in well-being)
Yajurveda: “Rathe aksheshu vāja”, four mantras, the Śrī Sūkta of the Yajurveda; grants pushṭi-vardhana
Sāmaveda: “Śrāyantī yaṃ tathāmānam”, the Sāmavedic Śrī Sūkta
Atharvaveda: “Śriyaṃ dātur mayi dehi”, the Atharvavedic Śrī Sūkta

When it is used in japa and homa:

Poverty (alakshmī) goes away
10,000 offerings of lotuses in ghee: Mahālakshmī stands before the one who offers, holding lotuses in both hands
One lakh offerings of lotuses: Mahālakshmī stays for good in the devotee’s kula (family line), never leaving, just as she never leaves Vishṇu’s chest
1,000 offerings of bilva fruits: the wealth one wishes for comes
One lakh offerings of bilva fruits: the whole family gains prosperity
One koṭi (ten million) offerings of both lotus and bilva: one gains lordship equal to Indra’s (Indrādhipatya)

The deeper point is that Śrī cannot be separated from Vishṇu. To offer pūjā to Śrī through her sūktas is to come near Vishṇu himself.

The Glory of the Purusha-sūkta in All Four Vedas (Chapter 129)

Paraśurāma asks for the mantra that accomplishes every purpose (sarvakārya-karaṇa). Pushkara teaches the Purusha-sūkta:

It is found in all four Vedas. It accomplishes every purpose and is pavitra (purifying), and its presiding deity (adhishṭhāna-devatā) is Madhusūdana (Vishṇu)
Bathing while reciting one ṛk at a time with arghya (water offering) removes all pāpa
Standing in water and chanting it removes all kalmasha (impurity) and brings the destination one desires
Offering one flower for each ṛk destroys all pāpa
Offering one fruit for each ṛk fulfils every wish
Chanting it with prāṇāyāma (breath control) brings great fruit

Even those who have committed the gravest pāpas, such as one who drinks liquor, a brahmaghna (killer of a brāhmaṇa), a thief, or a gurutalpagāmī (one who violates the guru’s bed), are purified by japa of the Purusha-sūkta. First they must undergo the kṛcchra vratas (hard penances) for cleansing. Then they come to the water at midday and do japa without haste, living only on śāka-mūla-phala (greens, roots and fruits). Within one year, the devotee receives direct darśana (sight) of Vāsudeva and gains any boon they wish.

The fruits gained are paramaiśvarya (the highest prosperity), beauty, long life, the eight siddhis (powers) such as aṇimā, mahimā, garimā, prāpti, prākāmya, īśitva and vaśitva, and at last the paramapada (Vaikuṇṭha, the supreme abode) for one who practises without desire for reward (nishkāma).

The Purāṇa declares that the Purusha-sūkta brings auspiciousness, is supremely purifying, takes away all the sorrow of worldly life, gives happiness, lays down dharma, and brings what the heart desires.

Sources

Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapters 124–129
Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Volume 5