26 - Daily routine and method of adoration 

Sauti said—The sage Narada then prayed to Shiva to enlighten him on the stotra of lord Hari, his kavacha, his mantra and the best of the method of his adoration, including meditation and the knowledge of tattva.

Mahesvara on his part bestowed on him the knowledge of stotra, kavacha, mantra meditation and method of adoration. Narada the best of the sages felt that all his wishes have been fulfilled. Thereafter he bowing at his feet and his mind filled with devotion, spoke to his Guru, who was always kind to the devotees. 

Narada said—О lord you are best of the gods and Therefore, you kindly enlighten me on the method for the performing of daily routine of a Brahmana and other daily prayers. 

Lord Mahesvara said—One should get up early in the morning (at four o’clock) from the bed and changing his clothes he should meditate with his spiritual, unblemished, spotless mind, seated over the lotus of thousand petals and meditate upon his teacher, he should conceive that his teacher as seated over the thousand petaled lotus in Brahmarandhra. He is wearing a serene smile and is in Vyakhyana-mudra; his hand is raised. He is quite compassionate for his pupil, he had a smiling face, he always remains peaceful and satisfied and happens to be the form of the lord eternal. One should adore the lord in this manner. Thus meditating in the mind, one should adore his teacher. Thereafter he should meditate upon his family-god, always seated, being blissful, spotless clean, adorned with a thousand petals and having a heart like lotus. Which ever of gods has been described in a particular manner, one should adore him smilingly. 

According to the routine, one should first bow before his teacher, offering him his salutation. Then he should be adored in a proper manner. And he should then start adoring the family-god with the permission of the teacher. The teacher only makes the correct form of the god to appear before you. He also reveals the mantras of the family god and also describes the form of adoration besides other details. Guru is well aware of the family god but the family god is not aware of the teacher and as such the teacher happens to be superior than the family god.

That is why it is stated that Brahma is the teacher, Vishnu is the teacher, lord Shiva is the teacher. Teacher has a divine nature beside the sun and the moon. 

Teacher happens to be the wind-god, Varuna, the mother and the father, a friend as well the eternal Brahman. Therefore, no one else is more adorable then the teacher.

The teacher is in a ppsition to save one from the wrath of the enraged gods but when the teacher gets enraged all the gods combined cannot save him. The one who keeps the teacher pleased he meets with the success at every step and the one on whom the teacher get annoyed he has to face total destruction always. A food who adorned other gods in preference to the teachers that sinful person attains the sin of Brahmahatya. There is no doubt about it. 

It has been recorded in the Samaveda by lord Vishnu himself. Similarly, the teacher is more adorable than the gods. 

Thus first adoring the Guru and then the family god, one should leave the place and free himself from the daily routine. 

One should drop refuse or urine away from the abodes of the people, the land near the water or near the temple of the god or the root of a tree or the road, ploughed field, the land over which seeds are sown, the cow shed, the river, inside of a mountain cave, orchards, swamps, the land inside the villages the places surrounding the human habitation or those surrounding pillars or the poles, the bridges, forest of reeds, the cremation ground, the ground near fire, the thick forest, the hunter’s platform shed of a tree, the place under which the humans live or the place over which heaps of leaves are collected, abode of snakes, the ground over which the trees are planted or the place which has made neat and clean for a particular purpose should not be used for dropping the refuse or formation. Leaving all this one should use the place which is free from heat of the sun. A pit should be dug and used for dropping the refuse. 

During the day time, one should free himself from refuse and urination facing north and during the night one should do so facing the west. During the evenings one should do so facing the south. 

One should keep quiet while doing so and should not even breath heavily. First of all the spectrum should be cleaned with the peace of a brick or stone and thereafter it should be washed with water. The water stored in an earthen pitcher is used for washing after dropping the refuse. You listen to it attentively. 

After easing one-self, the organ should be washed four times and the hand should be washed by applying the dust twice. 

Similarly, after co-habitation one should use double the amount of water and four times the dirt for purification. After easing, one should worth the lingas thrice with the left hands. He should then wash the hands. Both the hand should be washed seven times, and the feet should be washed applying the dust half a dozen time for purification. This is the method prescribed for the Brahmanas house-holder for purification, after relieving himself of the refuse. 

The method prescribed for the house-hold Brahmana, should be adopted by the widows and double the standards are provided for purification. 

The Yatis, the Vaishnavas, Brahmarsis and Brahmacharins can be purified by adopting the method four times prescribed for a house holder. Such of the Brahmanas who have not been initiated for the yajnopavita, ceremony, the Sudras and the ladies can be purified with the quantity of water which the particular place should get clean. The self purification of Kshatriyas and Vaisyas can be achieved in the same way as for the house-holder Brahmana. The Vais navas and sages have to purify themselves by applying double the standard prescribed for the Brahmana. 

The one who is purifying himself should strictly follow the standards because by violating the prescribed rites, one attracts the repentance. 

I have described the method of purification after dropping the refuse or urination. You listen to it attentively, because purifying himself with the dust Brahmana is purified and by violating the nonns, he remains impure. 

The earth of the ant-hill, the earth dug by the mice, the earth from the water, the earth which remains after purification and the earth of the wall of the house should not be used Tor purification. Besides the earth which is used for plastering is prohibited from being used for plastering is prohibited from being used for purification. The place were the people live, the place over which leaves of trees have fallen in heaps, the ploughed lands should not be used for a purification, the earth which is removed with the roots of Kusha and Durva grass, the roots of Pipala tree, the earth taken out of the pedestal used for sleeping, is not be used for cleaning after shedding refuse. The earth of crossings, the cowshed, earth of the field and the earth of the orchard is prohibited from use for purification. Whether the Brahmana has taken his bath or not by application of the above norms purification he gets purified. 

The person who does not purify himself, remain impure always Therefore, he remains incapable of performing any religious deeds. The, intelligent Brahmana does purify himself with the washing of his face. He should rinse his mouth sixteen times. Thereafter he should rub his teach sixteen time with the brush of tree branch.

Thereafter he should rinse his mouth sixteen times. О Narada you listen to the method for brushing the mouth which has been prescribed by lord Vishnu in the Samaveda. The branches of apamarga (cicira), myodi, mango, karavira, (kanera), khaira, sirasa, jayaphala, nagakesara, sakhu (teak tree), ashoka tree, arjuna (tenninelia arguna), gulara (ficus glomerata), kadamba (anthocephalus indicuo), jamuna (syoygium cumani), maulasiri (mimusops elengi), tokma (green hair of jau) and palasa (butea frondasa) should not be used to brush the teeth. Similarly, the branches of Ziziphus, Cadrus deodara, Asclepias gigcintea, cotton tree, trees with thorns, creepers, Ficus religiosa, Buchana nialatifolia Tamorind, Borassus flabellifer (fan palin) grapes and coconaut should not be used for brushing the teeth. One who does not brush his teeth, is always considered to be impure. 

A person who is devoid of purity, is incompetent to perform any job being impure. That is why a Brahmana after purifying himself would take his bath and should clad himself in washed clean garments. He should then perform Achamana (sipping of water) and should perform his adoration or sandhya. In this way the spotless Brahmana who performs his adoration thrice a day, he earns the merit of having a bath at all the sacred places. 

Because a person who is deprived of the performing of the sandhya thrice cannot earn the merit of the good deed performed during the day.

A person who does not perform the sandhya, thrice should be segregated from all and be treated like a Sudra. Because by not performing the sandhya during the morning, noon and evening one earns the sin of Brahmahatya and self-killing. Thus a person who does not perform the vow of Ekadasi is treated like the one who cohabited with a sinful Sudras woman and is thrown into the kalasutra hell for a kalpa. Thus performing the sandhya in the morning one should bow in reverence to his teacher and the family god, besides Surya, Brahma, Shiva, Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi and Sarasvati. Thereafter touching his teacher, ghee, the mirror, honey and gold, he should take a bath appropriately. When he takes a bath in a step well or pond, he should take out five handfuls of the earth from the water and throw it away outside the water. One should take a bath in a river, stream, mountain-cave or the sacred place. 

О sage, after bath, one should first take a Samkalpa. Then he should take bath again. The Samkalpa of the Vaishnava ascetics is meant for lord Krishna. 

And the Samkalpa of the house-holder is taken by them with the purpose of the destructions of the sin. The Brahmana after taking the Samkalpa should use the dust as prescribed in the Vedas and rub it over his body saying, О earth, goddess, you are trampled by the horses and the chariots. Lord Vishnu also trampled you with his feet. О dust, whatever sin have been committed by me, you relieve me of them all. Lord Krishna in the form of a boar, having hundreds of ams, rescued you from the deep waters, I apply you over my limbs and you should Therefore, relieve me of all the sings. You grant me all the merit and allow me to take a bath.” 

O sage, thus speaking he should enter the waters as deep as navel and the reciting the mantra he should create a circle four feet in width. He should then invoke the sacred places at that place. “I am now narrating the names of the sacred places. 

All the rivers including Ganga, the Yamuna, Godavari, Sarasvati, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri, should come and reside at this place.” Thereafter he should recite the names of Nalini, Nandini, Sita, Mahanadi, Malini and the Ganga which emerged from the lotus-like feet of Vishnu, Padmavati, Bhogavati, Svamarekha, Kausiki, Daksha, Prthivi, Subhaga, Visvakaya, Shivamruta, Suprasanna, Vidyadhari, Lokaprasadhini, Kshema, Vaisnavi, Santa, Shantida, Gomati, Sati, Savitri, Tulasi, Durga, Mahalaksmi, Sarasvati, Radhika the beloved of Krishna, Lopamudra, Diti, Rati, Ahalya, Aditi, Sanjna, Svaha, Svadha, Arundhati, Shatarupa and Devaduti and all other gods. 

Getting purified, by taking a bath, the intellectual should plaster his arms, the forehead, the neck and the chest with sandal-paste. 

Because without applying the sandal-paste after taking bath the charity perfonned beside the tap as, homa, adoration of gods and the manes becomes in fructuous. 

Applying tilakam over the forehead, Brahmana should perfonn sandhya and tarpana. Therefore, he should adore the gods with utmost devotion with pleasures. 

He should wash his feet pretty well and should clad himself in washed and neat clothes. Thereafter the wise person should visit the temples. This has been ordained by Hari. 

The one who, after taking his bath enters the temple without washing his feet, all his actions in taking bath, tapas, performing of homa become infructuous. 

The one who enters the temple with wet clothes or with the clothed soaked in oil enters the house, the goddess Lakshmi gets annoyed pronouncing a terrific curse on him from his mouth. 

The Brahmana who while washing his feet also washes thighs he become a Chandala. And remains in that position till he sights the Gariga. 

О Brahmana the purified truth seeker should sip Achamana seated over the Asana. Thereafter he should adore his family god according to the Vedic rites with devotion. 

The adoration of Salagrama, the gem, a mantra, the image, water, the earth, the back of the cows, the teacher and the Brahmanas are considered to be quite adorable. 

But, О Narada, the best type of adoration of the lord is to adore him in the form of Salagrama because all the gods stand enSrined in the same. 

Therefore, the one who adores Salagrama with water, he achieves the merit of having a bath in all the sacred places and performing of all the yajna. 

The one who sips the water with which Salagrama is washed, he is liberated from the human bondage and he ultimately reaches the abode of lord Krishna. 

O Narada wherever the stone of Salagrama is kept, the place is occupied by the lord holding a chakra in his hand. 

Therefore, the person who meets the end of his life at that particular place knowingly and unknowingly, he straight away proceeds to the abode of lord Vishnu. 

Which one of the noble ascetics, would prefer to adore any other god discarding Salagrama? Because by adoring the gods one gets full satisfaction. 

I have thus explained the dimensions of the puja of the lord, now you listen from me about the perfonning of other deeds concerning the adoration of the lord. 

Some of the Vaishnava devotees offers sixteen beautiful presents to the lord. 

Similarly, some of the people offer twelve things as presents while others offer only five. But the people should adore the lord according to their competence. The utmost devotion towards the lord is the basis of adoration. 

The sixteen types of presents can be made to the lord which include a seat, the clothes, the padya, arghya sipping of water, flowers, sandalwood paste, burning of lamps, the best of food, fragrance, flower garland, beautiful bed, water and betels. 

Accept the fragrance, the food, the bed and the betel, the rest of the articles are considered as of formal usages. The padhya, arghya, water, food and the flower are the five types of offerings. The best of the truth seeker should offer all these things reciting the mantras. The mantra given by the teacher is considered to be the best of all. After purification one should performed Pranayama first of all. Thereafter, he should perform the rites of touching the limbs and other routines. First of all, one should prepare a triangular mandala, establishing a tortoise in it. 

Thereafter a conch filled with water could be placed there and the water of all sacred places should be invoked. 

He should thereafter wash all the articles of the рujа with the same water. Thereafter, the Sadhaka should be seated in Yogasana holding the flowers. He should then meditate upon lord Krishna according to the guide-lines provided to him by his teacher. Thereafter the Sadhaka, reciting the basic mantra should give his offerings.          Thus according to the tantras and their appendices, one should adore lord Vishnu. The basic mantra should be recited according to the strength of a person offering the mantra to his family god. 

Thereafter he should make several types of offerings reciting the prayers and kavachas. He should then send them off after bowing before them. 

After performing worship of gods, a wise person should perform yajna appropriately. О sage, after the yajna the offering should be made to the Dikpalas. 

Thereafter one should regularly perfonn sraddha and gift away in charity, the riches according to his capacity; after doing all this, one should get himself engaged into his daily business. 

Thus I have spoken to you about the daily routine of the Brahmanas. What more do you want to listen from me.