22 - The consecration of the Tattvas

Shailadi said:

1. Alter performing the rite of ablution and sacrifice and other sacred rites of the Sun, the devotee shall observe the rites of Shivasnana (the ablution pertaining to Shiva), Bhasmasnana (ablution with Bhasman) and the worship of Shiva.

2. Repeating the sixth Bija mantra he shall take some earth and devoutly place it on the ground. Repeating the econd Bija mantra he shall sprinkle it with water and by repeating the third Bija mantra he shall sanctify it.

3-6. Repeating the fourth Bija mantra he shall divide the earth into two parts. With one part he shall dispel dirt. He shall then bathe. Repeating the sixth Bija mantra he shall divide the remaining part of the earth kept in the hand, into three parts; he shall apply the middle one all over the body repeating the fourth Bija mantra. Repeating the sixth Bija mantra he shall smear the earth over the middle part of the body seven times. Repeating the Mula mantra he shall stroke the left side. The ritualistic binding of the quarters (Dishabandha) shall be performed repeating the sixth Bija mantra ten times. The holy water shall be smeared with the left side portion of the mud and the body with the right portion. Repeating all the Bija mantras he shall take bath remembering the Sun. He shall then perform the rite of ablution by means of a horn, leafcups or the petal of the Palasha flower repeating these splendid mantras pertaining to the Sun. They are conducive to the achievement of all Siddhis.

7-12. O sage of good holy rites, I shall mention the mantras pertaining to the Sun. They are Bashkala and others, which constitute the essential parts of all the Vedas. The following mantra of nine syllables is glorified as Bashkala viz: — Om bhuh Om Bhuvah. Om Svah. Om Mahah. Om Janah. Om Tapah. Om Satyam. Om Rutam. Om Brahma. The word Ruta means Akshara i.e. imperishable which means truth. Each syllable is used with pranava in the beginning and namah (obeisance) in the end. The following is the Mula mantra of the Sun the great Atman: Om bhurbhuvah svah tat savitur varenyam bhargo devasya dhimahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayat:

“We meditate upon the excellent refulgence of the lord Sun, the refulgence that urges and guides our intellect. Om obeisance to the Sun; obeisance to the great comet in the firmament

 The devotee shall worship the Sun of bright face by means of the nine-syllabled Mula mantra. I shall mention the ancillary mantras, Om bhuh, obeisance to Brahman’s heart. Om Bhuvah, obeisance to the head of Vishnu. Om svah, obeisance to the tuft of Rudra. Om Bhurbhuvah svah, obeisance to one whose tuft has clusters of fiery lustre. Om Mahah, obeisance to Maheshvara in coat of mail. Om Janahi obeisance to Shiva in the eyes. Om Tapah Phat unto the scorcher, unto Astra the miraculous missile. Thus, the different kinds of mantras pertaining to the Sun have been mentioned to you. The devotee shall pour water over himself by the tip of horn or other vessels repeating these mantras.

13. A brahmin or a kshatriya or a vashya shall pour water with a copper vessel also with flowers and Kusha grass all the while repeating the mantras with great concentration.

14-15. O excellent brahmin, he shall then wear a red cloth and perform the rite of Achamana. During day time he shall repeat the Achamana mantra beginning with ‘‘Suryascha.” During the night he shall repeat the mantra beginning with “Agnishcha”. During the midday he shall repeat the mantra “Apah Punantu”. This is called mantrachamana. After performing the purificatory rite repeating the sixth Bija mantra he shall repeat the first excellent Bija mantra

16. Then he shall repeat the excellent nine-syllabed Mula mantra ending with Vaushat. He shall perform the Nyasa rite on the fingers, viz. — the thumb, middle and ring fingers.

17-21. Then he shall perform Nyasa in the palm, index finger, thumb and the parts of the fist. He shall then make the lord ritualistically fettered by the nine-syllabled as well as Anga mantras. He shall then think thus, I am the Sun”. Holding water in the palm of his left hand shaped like a cup he shall sprinkle it over his body by means of a bundle of kusha grass repeating the mantras in order. ¹⁹² Scents and white mustard shall be mixed in the water. While sprinkling with water, the mantra “apo hi shtha” etc. split into eight sentences shall be repeated. The water that remains shall be smelt through the left nostril. He shall then conceive that Shiva pervades his body. He shall then take up the vessel, keep it over his body and smell through the right nostril. He shall imagine that the lor is outside, seated on the rock and is dark in colour. He shall then perform the rite of Tarpana unto all Devas and sages in particular.

192. etair mantraih — such as, “apo hi shtha mayo-bhuvah” TS. 4.I.5.I.

22. He shall then offer Arghya unto the Bhutas (goblins) and the Pitrus (manes). He shall worship Sandhya (junction) and the full moonlight.

23-28. He shall offer Arghya in the morning, midday and evening with water and red sandal paste taking a handful of it and throwing it up in a circle. O excellent brahmins, he shall draw a perfect circle on the ground and pray facing the east. He shall fill a copper vessel with a Prastha of scented water mixed with red sandal paste, red flowers, gingelly seeds, kusha grass and raw rice grains. It shall be filled with cow’s urine along with Durva grass and Apamarga or with ghee alone. The devotee shall kneel on the ground and bow down to the lord of Devas. Holding the vessel over his head he shall offer the Arghya repeating the Mula mantra. By giving Arghya unto the Sun he will attain that benefit which is reputed to accrue after performing ten thousand horse-sacrifices. After offering the Arghya he shall worship the three-eyed lord of Devas.

29. Or, after worshipping the Sun he shall perform the fiery bath i.e. applying Bhasman over the body. The Shivasnana shall be as before, only the mantra is different.

30. The ablution pertaining to the Sun and Shiva is preceded by the washing of teeth. Then he shall worship Ganesha, Varuna and the preceptor in the holy river.

31-32. He shall sit in the lotus pose (padmasana) inside the holy river and worship the same. He shall take the holy water in a pot and enter the place of worship. He shall walk over the path with sandals in his feet and sanctify the path with the Arghya water. As before, he shall perform the rites of Nyasa on the fingers and the limbs of his body.

33. Thus, the material of Arghya has been succinctly mentioned. Then the yogin shall sit in the lotus pose and practise Pranayama.

34-37. He shall collect lotus and other red flowers and put them to his right. He shall place the water-pot towards his left. Copper vessels are sacred to the Sun and they are conducive to the achievement of all desired objects. The Arghya vessels shall then be taken and washed duly with the water as stated before. The water shall also be collected in the bigger vessel. The Arghya water shall contain all the articles meant for Arghya. It shall be kept there together with the water consecrated with the Astra mantra. It shall be inspired with the Samhita mantras and worshipped by repeating the first Bija mantra. Repeating the fourth Bija mantra he shall cover the mouth of the vessel find place it over its pedestal.

38-39. As before, he shall place the Padya (the water for washing the feet) and Achamaniya (the water for sipping) separately in vessels washed with water. The water shall contain scented flowers. After performing the Nyasa rite with the Samhita mantras and covering it up with Kavacha mantras he shall sprinkle the materials of worship with the Arghya water. He shall perform the japa of the Sun bowed to by all Devas.

40. After bowing down to the lord repeating the mantra “Indeed, Aditya increases him, his energy, his strength and his fame,” he shall offer a seat unto the lord.

41. The seat offered shall be ample, free from dirt, strong, very comfortable and worthy of being commended. In the corners beginning with the south-east the rite of Hrudayanyasa (fixation in the heart) shall be performed ending with the middle finger.

42-43. The parts of the lotus shall also be fixed, viz: — the seed, the sprout, the stalk containing pores, the fibre containing thorns, the petal, the tip of the petal very white in colour or golden or red. It shall have the pericarp and the filaments too. It shall be surrounded by Dipta and other Shaktis.

 44. There are eight Shaktis beginning with Dipta, viz. Dipta, Sukshma, Jaya, Bhadra, Vibhuti, Vimala, Aghora and Vikruta.

45. All of them face the Sun. They are splendid and they keep their palms joined in reverence or they hold lotuses in their hands. All of them are bedecked in all ornaments.

46. He shall instal goddess Sarvatomukhi ¹⁹³ the bestower of boons, in the middle. Then he shall invoke the goddess, the Sun and the lord.

193. sarvatomukhim— gayatrim ST. Of course, Rudra-gayatri is meant.

47. He shall invoke the Sun by repeating the nine-syllabled mantra mentioned as Bashkala. The rites of invocation and presence shall be performed only by this mantra.

48. The Mudra (ritualistic show of hand) of the Sun, the great Atman, is called Padmamudra (the gesture of the lotus). Thereafter, Arghya, Padya and Achamana shall be offered separately repeating the Mula mantra.

49-30. Arghya shall be offered once again in accordance with the injunctions) repeating the Bashkala mantra. Red lotuses, flowers and red sandal shall also be offered. Light shall be shown) incense offered and Naivedya dedicated. Smelling scents etc. to render the mouth fragrant, betel leaves, wicks, lights shall be offered repeating Bashkala mantra.

51. They are offered in six ways (?) in the quarters south-east, north-east, south-west, north-west, east and west.

52. After worshipping duly and performing the Nyasa rite of all limbs up to the eyes in the pericarp, repeating the mantras eginning with Pranava and ending with Namah, the devotee shall perform meditation on the form of the lord.

53. All the Murtis have the lustre of lightning and are calm. But the Ashtamurti is terrible. This form has the terrible face due to the curved fangs.

54-56. The right hand shows the symbol of bestowing boons; the left hand is adorned with lotus. All Murtis are richly bedecked in ornaments; they wear red garlands and clothes and have red unguents smeared over their bodies. Mahadeva is accompanied by his multitude oi attendants. His physical form is pink in colour like saffron. He holds the lotus in his hand. Nectar exudes from his face. The lord has two hands and two eyes. He possesses red ornaments, wears red garlands and smears red unguents.

57-61. The devotee shall meditate on the Sun, the lord of the worlds who has the form thus —

 Outside the lotus all round in the mystic diagram he is accompanied by the splendid Moon, Mars, Mercury Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu. All these have a pair of eyes and hands but Rahu has only the upper part of the body. His face is circular. He has joined his palms together. Saturn has curved fangs in his mouth. His hands show the gestures of granting boons and freedom from fear. For realising virtue, love and wealth they shall be worshipped assiduously by their respective names prefixed with Pranava and suffixed with namah. They shall be worshipped with their respective emotions.

62-63. The devotee shall worship outside the mystic diagram the seven groups of Ganas: sages, Devas, Gandharvas, serpents, Apsarases, Gramanis, Yatudhanas and prominent Yajnas. He shall worship the seven horses of the lord constituted by the seven Vedic metres.

64. The groups of Valakhilyas shall be worshipped then. The remnants of worship of the lord shall then be taken out. He shall worship the pedestal of the Murti and the deity as well.

65. At the time of invocation, at the conclusion of the worship and at the time of the ritualistic dismissal of the deities Arghya shall be severally offered in accordance with the injunctions.

66. Thereafter, he shall repeat the Baskala mantras a thousand times, five hundred times or one hundred and eight times. He shall then do Homa up to a tenth part of the japa number.

67. To the west the sacrificial pit shall be dug in a circle. There shall be a circular guiding ring too. The depth and the width of the pit shall be four Angulas.

68. In the obligatory and optional rites the external diameter of the pit shall be a Hasta (hand) in extent. The navel of the pit shall be of the shape of the leaf of the Ashvattha and extend to ten Angulas.

69. The Gala (throat) shall be one Angula in widthand five Angulas in length. It shall resemble the lip of an elephant. The remaining part shall be two Angulas in width.

70. The Mekhala (outer ring) of the pit shall be made after leaving a margin of the same width (i. e. two angulas). After making all these assiduously, the devotee shall perform the Homa.

71. He shall perform the rite of Ullekhana (scraping) and sprinkle it with water, repeating the sixth Blja mantra. He shall offer seat in the middle repeating the first Blja mantra with great concentration.

72-73. Thereafter, he shall perform the Nyasa rite of the Shakti named Prabhavati, repeating the first Bija mantra. After worshipping by means of scents and fragrant flowers, repeating the Baskala mantra in due order he shall once again perform the rite of Kriyayajna with the Bashkala mantra itself. There-after the rite of Purnahuti shall be performed by the Mula mantra alone.

74-75. After performing thus, in due order, the solar fire shall be produced. He shall then perform the Nyasa rite of the lotus mentioned before in accordance with the injunctions laid down before. After worshipping lord Sun as before over the face ten Ahutis shall be offered by the Baskala mantra.

76-79. In all the Homas beginning with “Java” Homa and ending with “Svishta” Homa, each of the Anga (ancillary) rites shall be separately performed with the Samhita mantras. The offering of Arghya is common to all schools of worshippers in the traditional style. He shall then offer food offering to the Sun, the lord of Devas of unmeasured Atman. After performing these rites, viz: — the Puja, Homa, Arghya, circumambulation, worship of the Angas, the Udvasana (the ritualistic dismissal) and Namaskara (obeisance) the devotee shall perform the worship of Shiva for the realization of virtue, love and wealth.

Thus has been succinctly recounted the worship of the solar deity.

80. He who even for once worships the Sun, the lord of Devas, the preceptor of the universe the great Atman attains the greatest goal.

81. He shall be liberated from all sins. He shall be devoid of all sins. He shall be endowed with all prosperity. He shall be unequalled.

82. Surrounded by his sons, grandsons and great grandsons as well as kinsmen he shall enjoy extensive pleasures here in this world itself. He shall possess in abundance riches and food-grains.

83. He will be richly endowed with vehicles and carriages as well as different kinds of ornaments. Even after passing way he shall rejoice along with the Sun for indefinite period.

84-85. Thereafter, he comes back heie and becomes a righteous king. Or he may be born as a brahmin endowed with the knowledge of the Vedas and the Vedangas.

In view of the impressions of his previous existence he will be righteous and master of the Vedas. By worshipping the Sun he shall attain identity with the Sun-god.