2 Alaṁkārasanam

01 THE IMAGE IS CLOTHED WITH A GARMENT

Prescribed by all including V. The formula used is tejovat savas (VMP syāvas)* savituḥ prasave ‘śvinor bāhubhyām pūṣṇo hastābhyām paridadhami* (VMP 8,32) “Instigation combined with energy; at the instigation of God Savitar, by the arms of the Aśvins, by the hands of Pūṣan I put around.” This is a Vaikhānasa variant of *devasya tvā savituḥ prasave *etc., well known in various variations in the Veda (see the *Vedic Concordance *s.v.).

तेजो॒ वत्स्या॑व स्सवि॒तु: प्र॑स॒वे᳚ऽश्विनो᳚र् ब॒हुभ्यां᳚ पू॒ष्णो हस्ता᳚भ्यां ॥

70.1 V: God is adorned with a garment and ornaments while the mantra* viṣṇor nu kam*¹* *is being recited.

ॐ विष्णो॒र्नुकं॑ वी॒र्या॑णि॒ प्रवो॑चं॒ यः पार्थि॑वानि विम॒मे रजाग्ꣳ॑सि॒

यो अस्क॑भाय॒ दुत्त॑रग्ꣳ स॒धस्थं॑ विचक्रमा॒ण स्त्रे॒धोरु॑गा॒य ॥

02 THE IMAGE OBTAINS AN UPPER GARMENT

The formula is somasya tanūr asi tanuvam me pāhi | sā ma tanūr āviśa śivā me tanūr āviśa “you are Soma’s body, protect my body; that body – enter me; an auspicious body – enter me.”²

सोम॑स्य त॒नूर॑सि त॒नुवं॑ मे पाहि॒ । स्वा मा॑ त॒नूरावि॑शा शिवो मा तनूर् आविशा ॥

03 THE IMAGE OBTAINS ORNAMENTS

The formula is* bhūto bhūteṣu carati pravispas sa bhūtānām adhipatir babhūva tasya mṛtyau carati rājasūyam sa rājā rājyam anumanyatam idam *“the Being goes around, having entered into living beings; for Him, death (mṛtyuḥ, reading of AV 4,8,1) performs the *rājasūya *ceremony; that King should give His consent to this kingdom.”³ Viṣṇu is indeed to be honoured as the universal King.

भू॒तो भू॒तेषु॑ चरति॒ प्रवि॑ष्ट॒: । स भू॒ताना॒ मधि॑पतिर्बभूव ॥

तस्य॑ मृ॒त्यौ च॑रति राज॒सूय॒ग्ꣳ । स राजा॑ रा॒ज्यमनु॑मन्यता मि॒दम् ॥

04 THE IMAGE OBTAINS THE SACRED THREAD

with the formula agnim dūtam vṛṇīmahe hotāram viśvavedasam / asya yajñasya sukratum “we choose Agni as our messenger, the all-knowing Invoker; the intellectual Promoter of this sacrifice.”⁴

अ॒ग्निं दू॒तं वृ॑णीमहे॒ होता॑रं वि॒श्ववे॑दसं । अ॒स्य य॒ज्ञस्य॑ सु॒क्रतुं॑ ॥

agním dūtám vṛṇīmahe hótāram viśvávedasam ǀ asyá yajñásya sukrátum ǁ

73.1 It is to be noted that this ceremony of clothing and adorning is akin to the acts which are to be performed by the Veda student who returns home after finishing his studies; cf. Vaikhānasa Gṛhyasūtra 2,13, end, and also 2,14, where also the formulas of 68, 70 and 71 occur.

73.2 M, BY: if no ornaments are available, God may be adorned with flowers only. One should then meditate on the respective ornaments as being applied to the image.

05 WATER FOR THE FEET IS OFFERED (2)

Prescribed by all including V. For the formula used, see 60.

आ मा॒ वाज॑स्य प्रस॒वो जगम्या॒दा द्यावा॑पृथि॒वी वि॒श्वश॑म्भू ।

आ मा॑ गन्तां पि॒तरा॑ मा॒तरा॒चाऽऽमा॒ सोमो॑ अमृत॒त्वाय॑ गम्यात् ॥

1 त्रिर्दे॒व: पृ॑थि॒वी मे॒षए॒ताम् विच॑क्रमे श॒तर्च॑सं महि॒त्वा

2 प्रविष्णु॑रस्तु त॒वस॒स्तवी॑यान् त्वे॒षगꣳ ह्य॑स्य॒ स्थवि॑रस्य॒ नाम॑ ७

06 WATER FOR RINSING THE MOUTH IS OFFERED (3)

Prescribed by all including V. See 61.

शं नो॑ दे॒वीर॒भिष्ट॑य॒ आपो॑ भवंतु पी॒तये॑ । शं योर॒भि स्र॑वंतु नः ॥

śám no devī́rabhíṣṭaya ā́po bhavantu pītáye ǀ śám yórabhí sravantu naḥ ǁ

07 FLOWERS ARE OFFERED (2) Prescribed by all except V See 62

तद्विष्णोः᳚ पर॒मं प॒दग्ꣳ सदा॑ पश्यंति सू॒रयः॑ । दि॒वी॑व॒ चक्षु॒ रात॑त॒ग॒ꣳ ॥

इ॒मास्॒ सुमन॑स श्रे॒ष्ठा दि॒व्यपु॑ष्पाधि॒वासि॑त: । पू॒ता ब्र॑ह्मप॒वित्रे॑ण पू॒तास् सूर्य॑स्य र॒श्मिभि॑: ॥

08 PERFUMES OFFERED (2) Not found in V See 63

तद्विप्रा᳚सो विप॒न्यवो᳚जा गृ॒वां सस्समिं᳚धते । विष्णो॒र्य त्प॑र॒मं प॒दग्ꣳ ॥

tadviprāso vipanyavo jā gṛvāṃ sassamindhate | viṣṇoryat paramaṃ padagṃ ||

इ॒मे ग॒न्धास् सु॒र॒भिनो॑ दि॒व्य ग॑न्धाधि॒वासि॑त: ।

पू॒ता ब्र॑ह्मप॒वित्रे॑ण पू॒तास् सुर्य॑स्य र॒श्मिभि॑: ॥

09 INCENSE OFFERED (2) Not in V See 64

प॒रोमात्र॑या त॒नुवा॑ वृधान॒ नते॑महि॒त्व मन्व॑श्नुवन्ति ।
उ॒भे ते॑ विद्म॒ रज॑सीपृथि॒व्या विष्णो॑ देव॒ त्वं प॑र॒मस्य॑ विथ्से ॥५॥

बृह॒स्पति॒ स्सोम॑न्दधातु॒ बृह॒स्पति॑र्य॒ज्ञं द॑धातु । बृह॒स्पति॑वीतये॒ स्वाहा᳚ ॥

bṛhaspatiḥ somam dadhātu bṛhaspatiḥ yajñaṃ dadhātu | bṛhaspati vītaye svāhā ||

10 A LAMP PUT BESIDE THE IMAGE Not in V See 65

शु॒भ्रा ज्योति॑श्च च दे॒वानां॑᳚ ते॒जश्च॑ सतत-प्र॒भ: ।

प्र॒भा॒ऽस्करो महा ते॒जा॒ दी॒पो यं॑ प्रति॒गृह्य॑ताम् ॥

śubhrā jyotiś ca devānāṃ tejaś ca satata-prabhaḥ
prabhās-karo mahā-tejā ‘yaṃ pratigṛhyātām

79.1 M, BK, BY prescribe now, for the fourth time, a gift of water for rinsing the mouth.

79.2 Now follow a number of attendances called by BK *rājavigrahāḥ *“royal honours”. During these, Viṣṇu’s glorification as heavenly King is executed in detail. The elements are found in only one handbook, BK, and further in BP and KA. Also AN mentions them, but this text only elucidates some aspects (mainly the material) of the ritual. VMP gives a few mantras which also presuppose some of these acts. The information found in all these sources is however rather different. Only a cursory view is taken below.

79.3 Guests’ gifts are offered to Vişņu and the Manifestations (KA, VMP). See 66.

79.4 A sunshade is held above the image (BK, BP, KA) with the formula* somam rājānam* (KA). For the formula, see 14.

सोम॒ꣳ॒ राजा॑नं॒ वरु॑णम॒ग्निम॒न्वार॑भामहे ।

आ॒दि॒त्यान् वि॑ष्णु॒ꣳ॒ सूर्यं॑ ब्र॒ह्माणं॑ च॒ बृह॒स्पति᳚म् ॥

ā॒di॒tyān viṣṇu॒ꣳ॒ sūryaṃ॑ brahmāṇaṃ॑ ca॒ bṛhaspati᳚m ॥

79.5 A fan is used for fanning the image (BK, BP, KA). This is done with the formula* marutaḥ paramātmā* (KA). This mantra is found in VMP not at this place but in 6,20: marutaḥ paramātmā paramā gatiḥ param brahma param yogam paramātmānam manye ajaram yo ‘gnir aham annam “I am sure that fire is the Highest Self of the Marut (Wind), its highest Resort, the highest Brahman, the highest Yoga; the highest Self, eternally young and vigorous; I am food.” If this translation is correct, fire, and in second instance wind, are seen as active operators in the process of existence, resorting in Brahman; the worshipper sees him- self as passive in the eternal process of production and consumption. One might compare the famous annasūkta. ⁵

म॒रुत॑: पर॑मा॒त्मा पर॑मा ग॒ति: परं॒ ब्रह्म॒ परं योगं᳚

प॒रमा॒त्मानं॑ मन्ये अ॒जरं॒ यो॑᳚ऽग्निर॒हमन्नं॑ वा॒यवे॒ स्वाहा॑᳚ ॥

79.6 A mirror is held before the image (BK, BP, KA). Formula:* devasya tvā *(KA). Cf. 70.

दे॒वस्य॑ त्वा सवि॒तुः प्र॑स॒वे । अ॒श्विनो॑र्बा॒हुभ्या॑म् । पू॒ष्णो हस्ता॑भ्या॒ प्रति॑गृह्णामि ।

79.7 A whisk (vyajana-) is moved in front of the image (BK, BP).

79.8 Next comes a preliminary gift of grains (mātrādānam, BP). It is described differently and not very clearly in BP and KA. The gift consists of rice-grains in the quantity of a *droṇa *(“bucket”) or half or a quarter of that, mixed up with sesamum and fruits. The *mātrā *gift is shown before- hand to God while the formula somam rājānam is said (BK, BP, AN; also VMP gives this formula here). According to KA, the image’s right hand should be made to touch it. Then it should be given to the *ācārya *or arcaka, who should be considered as being Hari (AN). This last remark shows that the *mātrādāna *is essentially thought to be a gift by the *yajamāna *(organizer or sponsor of the sacrifice or temple worship). BP goes somewhat deeper into this matter: the *yajamāna *should hand this gift over to the worshipping priest, who is a Vaikhānasa. If he takes it for his own family, he is a robber of Hari’s share. It is called by the Śāstras a fault to enjoy the products destined for God. But this fault is not reckoned as such to the Vaikhānasa, thanks to God’s grace. The mātrā gift is made while reciting the formula ghṛtāt pari, given by VMP here by means of the first words only. The mantra is very obscure (see *Vaikhānasa Gṛhyasūtra, *trans. Caland, p. 16, n. 8). The *arcaka *accepts the gift, saying devasya tvā. - It is interesting that BP once calls the *mātrā *gift by the word dakṣiṇā.⁶

79.9 A bow is made to the image while the priest says the first mantras from the four Vedas (BP, VMP).

79.10 KA prescribes a gift of all kinds of fruits and desserts accompanied by the formula* a vata vāhi bheṣajam.*⁷

79.11 Mouth-perfume (mukhavāsa) with the formula vicakrame⁸* *(KA).

79.12 Flowers are offered (BP, KA).

79.13 Recitation of sacred texts from the Veda (BK). This text inserts a verse between brackets which ordains recitation also from the Purāṇas and hymns in regional languages (bhāṣābhedaiḥ). KA: recitation with parts from the Vedas, Purāṇas, Mīmāṃsā and stotras (post-Vedic hymns of praise); to this list KAV adds the *Paramātmikopaniṣad *(VMP 7).

79.14 Song, dance and music are performed for God’s entertainment (KA, BP).

79.15 The ceremony called nīrājana (see also 40.2) is prescribed by BP. A lamp is put down in front of the image; Varāha, Narasiṃha, Vāmana and Trivikrama are invoked on its sides; Lakṣmī in the lamp itself, Śrī in the wick, Bhava (Rudra) in the smoke. The lamp is sprinkled and worshipped with perfumes, flowers etc. Then it is taken with the formula śubhrā jyotiḥ (see 65), and led thrice clockwise around Hari. A pupil or dancing-girl puts it, with the accompaniment of music, in front of the temple on the way of approach “behind Yūthādhipa” (see 47.17). Beholding this lamp grants success, a long life and lustre (śrī) to the public and children to women.