Agnipurana 27

English (machine translation) 27

Language: English

27.6 — 3 parts
27.17 — 5 parts
27.27 — 6 parts
27.38 — 4 parts
27.48 — 1 part
27.49 — 3 parts
27.51 — 1 part
27.52 — 1 part
27.55 — 5 parts
27.65 — 4 parts
27.76 — 6 parts

27.1

Nārada said: / I shall explain initiation, which bestows everything. One should worship Hari in the lotus of the maṇḍala. / Having collected all the ritual sacrificial materials on the tenth lunar day,

27.2

depositing [them] and consecrating them a hundred times with the Nārasiṃha mantra, / one should scatter mustard seeds that destroy demons in all directions with the mantra ending in phaṭ.

27.3

There one should deposit the all-pervading energy embodied as the temple. / Having gathered all medicinal herbs, one should consecrate the scattering grains (vikira)

27.4

a hundred times in an auspicious vessel with [the mantra of] Vāsudeva. The practitioner, / having prepared the five products of the cow with the five primary icons,

27.5

and having sprinkled that ground with the tips of kuśa grass [using the mantras] ending with Nārāyaṇa, / should scatter the grains with [the mantra of] Vāsudeva with the palm turned upward.

27.6

Standing facing east, he should meditate three times on Viṣṇu in his heart. / In the pitcher accompanied by the vardhanī vessel, he should worship Viṣṇu together with his limbs.

27.6.p1

[Footnote mark]

27.6.p2

1. The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'sarṣapāṃstadvadastreṇa'.

27.6.p3

2. The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'kuśāgreṇaiva tāṃ bhuvam'. / [Page 71]

27.7

Having consecrated the vardhanī vessel a hundred times with the weapon-mantra (astra), / and sprinkling with an unbroken stream, one should carry it as far as the north-east.

27.8

Bringing the pitcher from behind, one should place it upon the scattered grains; / gathering up the grains with darbha grass, one should worship the Lord of the pitcher and the water-jar (karkarī).

27.9

One should worship Hari clothed in garments and rich in the five gems on an altar; / having worshipped him in the fire as well, and reciting the mantras as before,

27.10

cleansing [the vessel] with a lotus and smearing the interior with fragrant substance, / the practitioner, filling the cooking-pot with clarified butter and cow's milk,

27.11

inspecting [it] with [the mantra of] Vāsudeva and then with Saṅkarṣaṇa, / should throw rice grains mixed with clarified butter into the well-prepared milk.

27.12

Having stirred it with Pradyumna, he should gently blend it with a ladle; / when cooked, the master (deśika) should afterwards take it off [the fire] with Aniruddha.

27.13

Having washed and anointed it, he should make an upright mark (ūrdhvapuṇḍra) with ashes / on its sides with [the mantra of] Nārāyaṇa; [such is] the well-prepared sacred porridge (caru).

27.14

[He should offer] one portion to the deity and a second to the pitcher; / with the third portion, he should make three oblations.

27.15

Together with the disciples, the guru should eat the fourth [portion] for purification. / Having consecrated seven times with Nārāyaṇa a tooth-stick

27.16

produced from a milky tree, chewing it and discarding it, he may discern good or bad fortune: / if it falls facing the east, south-east, north, or north-east, it is excellent;

27.17

knowing it to be auspicious, having offered a hundred oblations to the Lion [Nṛsiṃha], sipping water, and then entering,

27.17.p1

[Footnote mark]

27.17.p2

1. The reading in the manuscript marked kha is 'utthāyājyena'.

27.17.p3

2. The reading in the manuscript marked kha is 'āloḍya vāsudevena'.

27.17.p4

3. The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'vivṛddhaye'.

27.17.p5

4. The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'śubhaṃ siddhamiti jñātvā'. / [Page 72]

27.17_2

the mantra-practitioner should deposit Viṣṇu in the east of the worship-chamber, moving clockwise.

27.18

"For the liberation from bonds of the bound souls (paśu) sunk in the ocean of worldly existence, / you alone are the refuge, O Lord! You are always compassionate to devotees!

27.19

O God of gods, permit [me]: by your grace, I shall release / these bound souls who are bound by material bonds!"

27.20

Having thus petitioned the Lord of gods, he enters, and then, / purifying the bound souls through meditative retentions (dhāraṇā) starting with fire as before,

27.21

consecrating them, joining them with the icon, and blindfolding their eyes, he should present them; / they should cast folded hands full of flowers there, and he should assign their name.

27.22

He should perform the worship there in order without mantras as before; / on whichever icon a flower falls, he should assign its name to him.

27.23

A cord measured from the big toe of the foot to the crest, six-fold, / spun by unmarried maidens, red, and then tripled again—

27.24

in which the universe is dissolved, and from which the universe is brought forth, / in that [cord] one should meditate upon Primordial Nature (prakṛti) abiding through the different cosmic processes.

27.25

Having tied the material bonds with that [cord] according to the number of cosmic principles (tattva), / placing that cord in a shallow dish, and depositing it beside the fire-pit,

27.26

the master should then meditate upon all the cosmic principles and deposit them in the disciple's body, / according to the order of creation, from Primordial Nature down to earth.

27.27

There it may be twofold, fivefold, or even tenfold or twelvefold;

27.27.p1

[Footnote mark]

27.27.p2

1. The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'mūrtyā samprokṣya'.

27.27.p3

2. The reading in the manuscript marked ṅa is 'sūtram'.

27.27.p4

3. The reading in the three manuscripts marked kha, ga, and gha is 'tatra saṅkhyayā'.

27.27.p5

4. The reading in the two manuscripts marked gha and ṅa is 'nidhīyate'.

27.27.p6

5. The reading in the manuscript marked kha is 'tatrārcā pañcadhā yā syādaṅgair dvādaśadhāpi vā'; the reading in the two manuscripts marked gha and ṅa is 'tatrātmā pañcadhā vā syāt daśadvadaśadhāpivā'. / [Page 73]

27.27_2

it should be understood by contemplators of the cosmic principles as tied with all varieties.

27.28

Having dissolved the entire path through the five limbs in the reverse order of cosmic transformation / into the subtle elements within the cord of illusion (māyāsūtra) on the body of the bound soul,

27.29

Prakṛti, the subtle-body power (liṅgaśakti), the agent, the intellect (buddhi), as well as the mind (manas), / the five subtle elements (tanmātra), the organs of knowledge, the organs of action, and the five gross elements—

27.30

one should meditate upon the twelvefold self in the thread and in the body according to one's will. / Then, offering fire oblations according to the rule of drops (saṃpāta), in the order of creation,

27.31

having offered a hundred fire oblations for each one, and then offering the final full oblation (pūrṇāhuti), / sealing [the thread] inside an earthen bowl, he should present it to the Lord of the Pitcher (kumbheśa).

27.32

Having performed the preliminary consecration according to rule, he should initiate the devoted disciple. / The trowel or scissors, the powders, and the chalk—

27.33

and whatever else is useful—placing all that in the sphere of the wind [in the northwest], / touching them with the root mantra, he should perform the preliminary consecration.

27.34

With 'Obeisance to the beings,' a bali offering [is made], and he sleeps upon kuśa grass remembering Hari. / Then, having adorned the pavilion with canopies, pitchers, and sweets,

27.35

he should worship Viṣṇu in the maṇḍala, and then, having satisfied the fire, / he should summon and initiate the disciples who sit bound in the lotus posture.

27.36

Having sprinkled [them] with water for Viṣṇu and touched their heads with his hand in order, / [he contemplates] the creation beginning with prakṛti and ending with its transformations, along with the elements and deities,

27.37

having made it interior (ādhyātmikī), he should dissolve it in order within the heart, / reduced to subtle elements and having attained identity with the individual soul (jīva).

27.38

Then, praying to the Lord of the Pitcher, the preceptor gathers up the thread.

27.38.p1

[Footnote]

27.38.p2

1. 'In the very beautiful māyā-thread' is the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa.

27.38.p3

2. 'The spade and the scissors' is the reading in the two manuscripts marked kha and ga.

27.38.p4

3. 'With canopies, clothes, and fragrances' is the reading in the manuscript marked kha. / 'With canopies, banners, and flags' is the reading in the two manuscripts marked ga and gha. / [p. 74]

27.38_2

Coming near to the fire and seating him at its side,

27.39

the preceptor, [worshipping] the Lord of Creation with the root mantra through a hundred oblations, / then approaching him who is detached, with the final full oblation,

27.40

taking white powder consecrated one hundred times with the root mantra, / striking [the disciple] with [the mantra ending in] hṛdaya, joined with huṃ and phaṭ at the end,

27.41

with seed-syllables joined to words of severance, beginning with the words in order, / having dissociated the cosmic principles beginning with earth, he should then offer fire oblations.

27.42

In the fire, the abode of all cosmic principles, when Hari is uttered, / the wise man should contemplate the entire path being led into it in order.

27.43

Severing thus by striking, taking it, and bringing it to pacification, / drawing it into prakṛti, he should offer it into the fire as prescribed.

27.44

Conception, the birth-rite, experience, and likewise dissolution:

27.45

raising up the purified cosmic principle, the preceptor, by means of the final full oblation, / should lead it into the higher cosmic principle in order, up to the unmanifest.

27.46

Having dissolved that highest principle into the supreme self through the yoga of knowledge, / the wise man should contemplate the soul, freed from bonds, in the supreme imperishable state,

27.47

withdrawn into supreme bliss, pure, and enlightened. / He should then give the final full oblation; thus the initiation is completed.

27.48

I shall state the practical mantras through which initiation and dissolution in the fire [occur]:

27.48.p1

Oṃ yaṃ bhūtāni viśuddhaṃ huṃ phaṭ.

27.48_2

With this he should perform both the striking and the severance here.

27.49

'Oṃ yaṃ bhūtāny āpātaye 'ham'— / having performed the taking with this, hear the union with prakṛti:

27.49.p1

[Footnote]

27.49.p2

1. 'Thus releasing by striking' is the reading in the manuscript marked kha. / [p. 75]

27.49_2

Oṃ yaṃ bhūtāni puṃścāho. / I shall state the mantra of the oblation, and then the mantra of the final full oblation:

27.49.p3

Oṃ bhūtāni saṃhara svāhā. / Oṃ aṃ oṃ namo bhagavate vāsudevāya vauṣaṭ.

27.50

Immediately after the final full oblation, he should bring the disciple into that [higher principle]. / In this way the wise man should purify all cosmic principles in order,

27.51

beginning with striking and so forth, with each one's own seed-syllable ending in namaḥ.

27.51.p1

Oṃ vāṃ karmendriyāṇi; Oṃ deṃ buddhīndriyāṇi.

27.51_2

The application of striking and so forth is similar, with the seed-syllable yaṃ:

27.52

Oṃ suṃ gandhatanmātre viyuṅkṣva huṃ phaṭ. Oṃ saṃ pāhi hā. Oṃ khaṃ khaṃ kṣa prakṛtyā. Oṃ suṃ huṃ gandhatanmātre saṃhara svāhā. / Then the final full oblation is applied in this manner to the subsequent ones:

27.52.p1

Oṃ rāṃ rasatanmātre; Oṃ bheṃ rūpatanmātre; Oṃ raṃ sparśatanmātre; Oṃ eṃ śabdatanmātre; Oṃ bhaṃ namaḥ; Oṃ soṃ ahaṅkāraḥ; Oṃ naṃ buddhe; Oṃ oṃ prakṛte.

27.52_2

This practice of initiation is declared briefly in the case of a single icon;

27.52_3

in this very manner is the practice taught for the ninefold manifestation (navavyūha) and the rest.

27.53

Having burned it, a man should join prakṛti to the supreme in liberating initiation (nirvāṇa); / a man should establish prakṛti in the changeless Lord (īśvara).

27.54

Having purified the gross elements, he should then purify the organs of action, / then the organs of knowledge, the subtle elements, the mind, intellect, ego,

27.55

and having purified the nature of the subtle body, he should at the end purify prakṛti again.

27.55.p1

[Footnote]

27.55.p2

1. 'He should truly lead the disciple into that' is the reading in the three manuscripts marked kha, gha, and ṅa.

27.55.p3

2. 'Oṃ suṃ āyāhi hām' is the reading in the manuscript marked kha; 'Oṃ saṃ pāhi svāhā' is the reading in the two manuscripts marked ga and ṅa.

27.55.p4

3. 'Aṃ duṃ stva prakṛtyā' and 'Oṃ khaṃ khaṃ stva prakṛtyā' is the reading in the manuscript marked kha.

27.55.p5

4. 'And he should purify the organs of action' is the reading in the two manuscripts marked gha and ṅa. / [p. 76]

27.55_2

The spiritual person (puruṣa) freed from nature (prākṛta), purified, established in the abode of the Lord,

27.56

who has made the entire field of experience his own and established himself in liberation— / contemplating him, he should offer the final full oblation. This is the qualifying initiation (adhikāriṇī dīkṣā).

27.57

Having worshipped with the limbs of the mantra, bringing the group of cosmic principles into equilibrium, / purifying them in order thus at the end, endowed with all supernatural attainments (siddhi),

27.58

contemplating, he should offer the final full oblation. This initiation is taught for the practitioner (sādhaka). / If there is lack of wealth or incapacity of oneself,

27.59

having worshipped the deity as before with all the ritual implements, / performing the preliminary consecration immediately, the excellent preceptor should initiate on the twelfth lunar day (dvādaśī).

27.60

A disciple who is devoted, humble, endowed with all physical virtues, / but not very wealthy, he should initiate after worshipping upon a bare sacrificial ground (sthaṇḍila).

27.61

The entire cosmic path—divine, elemental, or made internal— / meditating upon it in the order of creation within the disciple's body, the preceptor,

27.62

having first propitiated with eight oblations each in order, observing the order of creation, / should dismiss Vāsudeva and the others, birth and the other [rites], with their own mantras.

27.63

He should afterwards purify through fire oblations by applying the order of dissolution; / having released the tied threads of origin and the karmas, the preceptor

27.64

Withdrawing the principles from the disciple's body, he should purify them in sequence, / having dissolved them into the fire belonging to Prakṛti, [and] into Viṣṇu, the presiding deity.

27.65

With a full offering, he should effect the pure principle by means of the impure, / and once the disciple has attained the state of Prakṛti, having burnt away the qualities belonging to Prakṛti,

27.65.p1

[Footnote]

27.65.p2

[Footnote 1: The manuscript marked kha reads 'likhitaṃ daivam'.]

27.65.p3

[Footnote 2: The manuscript marked gha reads 'pūjāṃ kṛtvā visarjayet'; the manuscript marked ṅa reads 'vimalādīn visarjayet'.]

27.65.p4

[Footnote 3: The two manuscripts marked kha and gha read 'pūrṇāhutyā tu sannayet'. / p. 77]

27.66

the master should release or assign the youngsters to their qualification; / or, established in devotional contemplation, the guru may perform the initiation of power for others.

27.67

For those who have surrendered out of devotion, for ascetics, and for a poor man, / having worshipped Viṣṇu on an earthen altar, placing the spiritual son beside him,

27.68

the disciple facing the deity, while he himself sits turned sideways, / having meditated upon the entire path divided according to its sections,

27.69

and contemplating through meditative union the deity in the disciple's body, the petition to the presiding deity, / as before, by means of striking and the rest,

27.70

he should purify all the principles in order upon Hari on the earthen altar. / Having detached [a principle] by striking, and having taken it into himself, intent on that,

27.71

uniting it with the deity, purifying it, taking it back naturally, / bringing it in a pure state, and joining it in sequence,

27.72

he should purify [it] completely through meditative union with the gesture of wisdom. / When all principles are purified, and Pradhāna rests in the Lord,

27.73

having burnt [the bonds], he should liberate the disciples and establish [them] in the state of the Lord; / or the excellent master should lead the practitioner onto the path of spiritual attainments.

27.74

Thus established in his qualification, unwearied in rites, a householder / should remain purifying himself until his attachment is destroyed.

27.75

Knowing himself to be free of attachment, with his sins thoroughly purified, / having transferred his authority onto his son or disciple, the self-controlled man,

27.76

having burnt the snare made of Māyā, having renounced, remaining in himself, / awaiting the fall of his body, should abide without outward sectarian marks.