Kriyā Yoga in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa

Kriyā Yoga is “the yoga of sacred action,” the path of pūjā (worship). Chapter 27 of the eleventh Skandha (book) of the Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa holds the most detailed and trusted account of Vaiṣṇava pūjā in the Bhāgavata tradition. It is taught by Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa to his friend and devotee Uddhava.

The teaching describes three ways of offering pūjā (Vaidika, Tāntrika and mixed), the eight kinds of sacred image in which Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa may be honoured, the full order of pūjā from the worshipper’s own preparation to the final bow, the homa (fire offering), and the great merit of building temples and giving for their upkeep. Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa declares Kriyā Yoga to be the highest means of liberation for people of every varṇa and āśrama, including women and śūdras, because it purifies the devotee and draws the mind strongly toward Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa.

The Three Ways of Pūjā

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa taught that his yajña, the worship offered to him, takes three forms:

  1. Vaidika: pūjā using Vedic mantras and the methods laid down in the Śruti and Smṛti
  2. Tāntrika: pūjā using the methods of the Āgama and Tantra traditions
  3. Miśra: a mixture of both, which is the most common in practice

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa declared that whichever of the three a devotee feels drawn to, it should be practised with complete sincerity and śraddhā (faith). The sincerity of the devotee’s heart matters more than which tradition the method comes from.

The Eight Kinds of Sacred Image

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa named eight forms in which he may be honoured:

  1. Śilā: stone
  2. Dārumaya: wood
  3. Dhātumaya: metal
  4. Maṇimaya: gem or crystal
  5. Lekhya: painted (on canvas, cloth or a wall)
  6. Vālukāmaya: sand (made on the ground, for a short time)
  7. Manomaya: an image held only in the mind, in meditation
  8. Vijñānamaya: the ātman (the true self) itself, recognised as Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa; the highest and most inward form

A movable (cala) image of stone or metal allows āvāhana and visarjana (inviting Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa into the image and later bidding him farewell). A fixed (acala) image in a temple does not need āvāhana or visarjana, because Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa is understood to be always present in it.

A sand image needs both āvāhana and visarjana. Painted images and mental images do not need a ritual bath; sprinkling them with water is enough to purify them.

Preparing the Worshipper

Before starting pūjā, the worshipper:

  • Cleans the teeth and bathes fully (snāna) with suitable mantras, both Vedic ones (such as Āpo hi ṣṭhā) and Purāṇic ones (such as Gaṅge ca Yamune)
  • Does ācamana (sipping water for purification)
  • Does prāṇāyāma (breath control) to steady the breath
  • Sits on a seat of kuśa grass, facing east or north
  • Carefully removes the nirmālya (the previous day’s offerings) from the image
  • Purifies the place of pūjā and all the items with prokṣaṇī water (water for sprinkling)
  • Fills three vessels, for pādya (water to wash the feet), arghya (water to wash the hands) and ācamanīya (water for sipping), offering each to a particular form of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa

The Main Order of Pūjā

The basic order of worship is:

  1. Nyāsa: placing divine power in certain points of one’s own body through mantra and touch (aṅga-nyāsa, kara-nyāsa)
  2. Dhyāna: meditating on Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s shining form in the heart: four-armed, wearing the Kaustubha jewel and the Vanamālā garland, and holding the conch (śaṅkha), discus (cakra), mace (gadā) and lotus (padma)
  3. Āvāhana: inviting Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s presence into the image
  4. Pādya, arghya, ācamanīya: water for washing the feet and hands, and for sipping
  5. Snāna: bathing the image with pure water while reciting sacred mantras, such as the Puruṣa Sūkta, the Suvarṇa Gharma, the Jitante mahāmantra and others
  6. Vastra: offering clothes
  7. Yajñopavīta: offering the sacred thread
  8. Ābharaṇa: offering ornaments
  9. Gandha: offering sandalwood paste
  10. Puṣpa: offering fresh flowers and garlands
  11. Dhūpa: offering incense
  12. Dīpa: offering a lamp
  13. Naivedya: offering food (rice, sweets, dishes made with ghee, fruits and curd)
  14. Tāmbūla: offering betel with fragrant spices
  15. Pradakṣiṇa-namaskāra: walking around the image and bowing down fully
  16. Stuti: singing praises and Purāṇic stotras (hymns)
  17. Prārthanā: personal prayer

After the pūjā, the remaining offerings (nivedita-śeṣa) are first given to Viṣvaksena, the commander of Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s divine attendants, and then shared among the devotees as prasāda (blessed food).

The Fire Offering (Homa)

The homa comes after the pūjā:

  • A fire pit (agni-kuṇḍa) is made, with a mekhalā (raised border), the kuṇḍa (pit) and a vedi (platform)
  • The fire is lit and the flames are raised
  • First, samidhs (sticks of fuel soaked in ghee) are offered
  • The āghāra and ājyabhāga rites (the first ghee offerings to Agni and Soma) are done
  • The root mantra (Oṃ Namo Nārāyaṇāya) is used for each offering of havis (offering material) soaked in ghee
  • The sixteen verses of the Puruṣa Sūkta are chanted as sixteen separate offerings
  • The sviṣṭakṛt offering (the final offering to Agni) ends the fire rite

When pūjā is offered in water, it is done through tarpaṇa (offerings of water to the devas, ṛṣis and pitṛs, the ancestors). For the sun, the main forms are arghya (offering water) and upasthāna (standing in praise).

The Merit of Temple Service and Dāna

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa described the merit of different acts of service to his temples:

  • Building a temple: one gains rule over the whole earth
  • Building the garbhagṛha (the inner shrine): one gains rule over the three worlds
  • Offering daily pūjā and holding utsavas (festivals): one gains a place in Brahmaloka
  • Doing all three (building, installing the image, and keeping up the pūjā): one gains a state equal to Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s own aiśvarya (divine glory)
  • Giving land, villages or market income for the temple’s upkeep: one reaches Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s own abode

The devotee who offers pūjā without wanting any of these results, purely out of love for Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, gains bhakti-yoga through the pūjā itself, and through bhakti-yoga gains Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa himself.

On the other hand, one who takes for himself property given for Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa’s service, whether it was his own earlier gift or someone else’s, is born as a worm in filth for ten crore years.

Pūjā in Every Proper Form

Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa concluded: “In whatever image, in whatever medium (stone, metal, sand, water, fire, the sun, the heart), I am present. The devotee who worships me sincerely in any of these forms will receive from me the fruit that fits their devotion. For I am the ātman of all beings. I am present in the one who worships and in the one who is worshipped. The act of worship is the recognition of this oneness.”

Sources

  • Śrīmad Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 11, Chapter 27