Agni Purāṇa
22 - Procedure for bathing prior to a religious rite
Nārada said:
1. I will (now) describe the (mode of) bathing preceding (any religious) act. Having taken a clod of earth accompanied by (meditation on) the man-lion form (of Vishnu), and making it into two parts, (one has to do) mental bathing with one part of it.
2. Having immersed (one's body in waters) and having partaken (three drops of) water and assigning (on the body) with the lion (man-lion) one has to get himself protected. Then one has to do bathing as laid down, being preceded by the control of the breath.
3. Meditating on Lord Hari in one's heart with the eight-syllabled mantra (Om namo Vasudevāya, Om namo Nárayaņāya or Om namo Narasimhảya), the clod of earth (is made) into three parts on the palm and protection in (all) the quarters (is achieved) with the recitation of (the mantra) for the lion (man-lion).
4-7. With the recitation (of the mantra) of Vasudeva, having mentally resolved the sacred water and having rubbed the body with vedic mantras and having adored the image of deity and having remembered the aghamarsana (sukta) which destroys sins) and putting on a cloth, perform the (following) rite. Putting water on the palm, accompanied by mantras and wiping off waters on the palm, controlling with the Narayana (mantra), the air is inhaled and water is let off. Then contemplating on Hari, offering waters (of oblation) and reciting the twelve-syllabled (mantra), appeasing all others with devotion commencing in order with the seat of meditation, the mantras upto all the guardian deities of the quarters, the sages, clans of manes, men, all beings and ending with the mobile (beings) are placed.
8. Then having assigned limbs (for the different deities), withdrawing the mantras one has to go to the house for performing rites. In this way, one has to bathe with the mülamantra1.
1. mülamantra is the basic subtle mystic syllable.
Summary of chapter 22 of the Agni Purāṇa is as follows:
This chapter presents the complete pūjā procedure for Bhagavān Vāsudeva. The worshipper first purifies himself through ācamana, prāṇāyāma, and saṃkalpa. The installation of the deity's presence through āvāhana, the offering of the sixteen upacāra-s — pādya, arghya, ācamanīya, snāna, vastra, ābharaṇa, gandha, puṣpa, dhūpa, dīpa, naivedya, tāmbūla, pradakṣiṇā, and others — are described in detail. The dhyāna-śloka for Vāsudeva's four-armed form, adorned with Śrīvatsa, holding śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, and padma, is given. The proper mantra sequences, including the ṣoḍaśopacāra mantras and the puruṣa-sūkta, are specified. The chapter concludes with an affirmation of the inexhaustible merit of daily Vāsudeva pūjā.
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