31 - Mode of cleansing oneself and others 

Agni said: 

1. I will now describe (the rite) known as the cleansing for the protection of one's self and others, by which a man would become freed of miseries and get happiness. 

2-3. Om, salutations to the greatest object, the soul, the great soul, the formless and many-formed, the all-pervading, supreme soul, blemishless, pure and (person) engaged in meditative contemplation. Having saluted Ishall expound. May my words prove true. 

4. (Salutations) to the Boar, Man-lion and Dwarf (forms of Vishnu), the great sage. Having saluted Ishall expound. May my words prove true. 

5. (Salutations) to Trivikrama (a form of Vishnu, as he measured the three steps and removed the pride of the demon Bali), Rama, Vaikuntha (abode of Vishnu), the (Supreme) man. Having saluted Ishall expound. May my words become true. 

6. O Boar, Lord as Man-lion, Lord as Dwarf, Trivikrama, Hayagriveśa (Lord as Horse-necked), Lord of all beings, Hrushīkeśha (Vishņu) (the Lord of all senses) destroy my impurity. 

7. With these four most excellent weapons, the ever victorious disc and others of unbroken power, you become destroyer of all wicked things. 

8. You remove the calamity of such a person and do (him) all good and also (remove) the fear of distress due to fetters of death which is the fruit of sins. 

9. (You) destroy the magical incantations set up by others with meditation for working evils, causing diseases and decrepitude. 

10. Om, salutations to Vasudeva, Krishņa, bearer of sword. Salutations to lotus-eyed, Keśhava (and) the first holder of the disc. 

11. Salutations to the wearer of clean dress made yellow by the filaments of lotuses (and) the disc (of Vishņu) hurled on theshoulders of the enemies at the great battle, (and) the wielder of the same. 

12. Salutations to the one who lifted the earth on his tusk¹, who has the three forms embodied in him, the great Yajñavaráha,² and the one who reclines on the hood of (the serpent) Sesha. 

1. This refers to the lifting of earth from waters assuming the form of a boar by Vishnu. 

2. The boar-form of Vishnu.

13. Salutations to you, the divine lion having manes of the hue of molten gold, eyes bright like the burning fire, (and) claws (harder) than thunder-bolt to touch. 

14. Salutations again and again to you, Käśhyapa, theshortest statured, adorned with the Rg, Yajur and Sama (veda) (and) the Dwarf form which covered the earth. 

15. O Boar, one with huge tusks, you crush all evils completely, their effects and also the effects of sins. 

16. O Man-lion, having a dreadful face (and) the burning fire in between the teeth, the destroyer of distress, you breakdown all evils by your cry. 

17. May Janardana (Vishņu), the one who assumed the form of a Dwarf, dispel all grief of this person by words embedded with the Rg, Yajur and Sāma (veda). 

18-19. O Govinda! (You) destroy quickly this person's sufferings. Destroy fevers - quotidian occurring on alternate days, tertian, quartan and also the terrible satata, those arising out of derangement (of humours), the sannipäta (caused by the derangement of three humours), as well as accidental. 

20-24. The diseases of the eye, the afflictions of the head, diseases pertaining to the stomach, (difficulty) in breathing in, excessive breathing, burning (sensation) in the body along with trembling, diseases in the anus, nose, feet, leprosy as well as consumption, and diseases like jaundice and very dreadful urinary disease, fistula, all kinds of dysentry, diseases of the mouth, chest (diseases), stone in the bladder, strangury, and other dreadful diseases, diseases caused by wind, biles and phlegm and others like sannipäta, accidentally afflicting diseases, (poison due to) spiders and boils etc. 

25. May all these be destroyed by the recitation of (the name of) Vishnu. Being struck down by the disc of Hari, may all these (ailments) be completely destroyed.

 26. I am uttering verily the truth. Being scared by the recitation of the names Achyuta (undecaying), Ananta (unending), Govinda (cowherd) (all are synonyms of Vishnu), all the diseases are destroyed. 

27-28. On his (name) being recited, may Janardana destroy the poisons of animate and inanimate objects, as well as artificially made, those caused by teeth, by nails and those arising from the sky as well as those caused by (insects like) spider and others which cause grief. 

29-31. May the life of boyhood of Vishņu (Krishņa) destroy the evil forces which afflict mothers and children, such as, planets, evil spirits, female goblins, vampires, ghosts, gandharvas, yakshas, demons, the impeding forces such as Sakuni Pūtana and others, (the female forces such as) Mukhamandi, Revati and the terrible Vruddharevati, and the fierce forces known as Vruddhaka. 

32. May these evil forces which afflict at the old age, and the children and the youth be scorched by the looks of the Man-lion. 

33. May the dreadful face of the Man-lion of enormous strength destroy these evil forces completely for the welfare of the world. 

34. O Man-lion, O Great lion, possessor of garland of flames, Fiery-mouthed, Possessor of fiery eyes, Lord of all, devour the evil forces completely. 

35-37. May the Lord of all (beings), Supreme Lord, Janárdana destroy diseases, great portents, poisons, great evil forces, the fierce beings, the afflictions due to the planets whichever is cruel, the injuries caused by weapons, and jvalägardabhaka¹ etc., assuming any one of the forms of Vasudeva and hurling the Sudarshana disc which is dreadful like a garland of fire. O Achyuta, the foremost among gods (you) destroy the evil forces. 

1. a kind of disease in which pimples appear on the body. See MW. 420a.

38. O Sudarśhana, the huge fire and great sound (you) destroy (all evils). O Vibhishaņa (one who frightens)! may all the evil demons get destroyed. 

39. May the Man-lion (deity), the soul of all beings, possessing terrific roars protect me in the east, west, south and north. 

40. May Lord Janardana of manifold forms protect me in heavens, on the earth, in the sky, behind me, on the sides and in front of me. 

41. As Vishņu (protects) the entire universe (consisting of) the celestials, demons and mortals, may the evils of this person be put down by that truth. 

42. As the sins get destroyed at once by the remembrance of Vishnu, may all evil of this person get destroyed by that truth. 

43. As the Supreme Lord Vishnu has been extolled in the vedānta (the philosophical inquiry is known as it forms the concluding portion of the Vedas) may all the evils of this person get destroyed by that truth. 

44. As Vishņu, the lord of sacrifices is exolled among the celestials, may what all has been uttered by me become so by that truth. 

45-46. May there be peace. May there be good. May the evil of this man get destroyed, being agitated by me with the kusa (grass) originating from the body of Vasudeva. May Govinda, the Nara-Nårāyaṇa¹ cleanse me. May there be remo. 1 of all miseries by the chant (of the names) of Hari in the same manner. 

1. Form of Krona; originally conceived as identical; spoken as representing Krishna and Arjuna in later epics and kavyas. See Apto SD. p. 281.

47. This is the weapon which cleans and which wards off all diseases. I am Hari. The kusa grass is Vishņu. Your diseases have been destroyed by me.