Agnipurana 72

English (machine translation) 72

Language: English

72.5 — 3 parts
72.16 — 3 parts
72.27 — 4 parts
72.38 — 3 parts
72.50 — 6 parts

72.1

The Lord said: / I shall declare, O Skanda, the daily and other baths and the worship by consecration. / Having dug with a blade and extracted clay eight fingers deep from there,

72.2

having taken it up completely, one should fill it back with the same [earth]. / Placing it on the bank of the water by the head [mantra], one should purify it with the weapon [mantra].

Having removed blades of grass with the tuft [mantra], one should divide [the clay] into three parts with the armor [mantra]. / Having washed from the navel to the feet with one part, again with another,

72.4

obtained with the weapon [mantra], radiant, having smeared the entire body, / having closed the eyes with the hands and restrained the vital breaths in the water,

72.5

one should remain submerged, meditating in the heart on the weapon [mantra] resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution.

72.5.p1

[...]

72.5.p2

1 'vighnarājaka' is the reading in the manuscript marked ṅa.

72.5.p3

2 'nijāstreṇa viśodhayed' is the reading in the two manuscripts marked kha and ga.

72.5_2

In this manner one should purify the cleansing bath. Having arisen from the water,

72.6

and having performed the twilight worship with the weapon [mantra], one should perform the prescribed ritual bath. / From sacred fords like the Sārasvata, drawing forth one with the hook gesture

72.7

into the heart and having bathed, again with the dissolution gesture, / taking the remaining portion of clay and entering into navel-deep water,

72.8

facing north, one should make three portions on the palm of the left hand. / The right first part [one should recite over] seven times with the weapon [mantra] and the limbs;

72.9

the northern [part] ten times with the Śiva [mantra]; one should recite over the three parts in sequence. / One should cast the first in all directions with [the mantra] ending in hūṃ phaṭ having the nature of an arrow.

72.10

One should create the sacred ford of Śiva with the Śiva [mantra] on the northern side along the order of the arms. / Having smeared the whole body from the head down to the feet

72.11

with the right [hand], reciting the four limbs with that which was consecrated by the limbs, / and having closed all the apertures with the ritual orientation gesture,

72.12

one should plunge, remembering Śiva, or remembering Hari, or 'Gaṅgā'. / With the six limbs ending in vauṣaṭ, one should perform consecration by aspersion upon the water.

72.13

For protection, one should throw water toward the east and other directions with a mere water-pot. / Having bathed with dust rites, fragrant myrobalan, and the like,

72.14

Having bathed and emerged from the water, he should withdraw that sacred ford using the Saṃhāriṇī [mudrā].
Next, with ashes purified by rule and consecrated with the Saṃhitā mantras,

72.15

purified by [the mantras of] Nivṛtti and the rest, he should take an ash-bath,
from head to foot, using the arrow [mantra] ending in hrūṃ phaṭ.

72.16

Having performed the cleansing bath with that, he should perform the ritual bath.

72.16.p1

[...]

72.16.p2

[Footnote: The reading in the two manuscripts marked kha and ṅa is krūṃ phaḍantaśarātmanā.]

72.16.p3

With [mantras] moving through the Īśa, Tatpuruṣa, Aghora, Guhyaka (Vāmadeva), and Sadyojāta faces,

72.16_2

With the movements of [the mantras of] Īśāna, Tatpuruṣa, Aghora, Guhyaka (Vāmadeva), and Sadyojāta,

72.17

he should progressively dust [the ash] upon the head, face, heart, genitals, and the whole body.
At the three junctures of the day, at midnight, at the beginning and end of rain,

72.18

after sleeping, eating, drinking milk, performing necessary evacuations and the like,
[or having touched] a woman, a man, a eunuch, a śūdra, a cat, a hare, or a mouse,

72.19

having touched [these, he should take] a bath of fire, or dusting [with ash] for purification.
Facing east with arms raised, through contact with the sun's rays and rain,

72.20

the bath of Mahendra is to be performed in the north-east up to seven steps.
Standing in the midst of a herd of cows, he should perform [a bath] with dust kicked up by their hooves.

72.21

The purifying bath [is performed] with the nine-syllable mantra, or else with the armour [mantra],
[and] aspersion with water accompanied by the mantras beginning with Sadyojāta.

72.22

Such is the mantra-bath, as also for the baths of Varuṇa and Agni.
Mental [bath is performed] with the root mantra preceded by breath-control.

72.23

One should perform the mental bath, which is prescribed everywhere.
In the Vaiṣṇava and other traditions, one should likewise perform bathing and the rest with their respective mantras.

72.24

I shall explain the rule of the twilight worship along with the distinct mantras, O Guha.
Having looked carefully, he should sip water three times through the Brahmā-tīrtha with the Śaṅkara [mantras].

72.25

Then, with [the formulas of] Ātmatattva and the others ending in svadhā, he should touch the sense apertures with the heart [mantra].
Having performed the breaking into parts, established in breath-control,

72.26

the mantra-practitioner should mentally repeat the Śivasaṃhitā three times.
Having sipped water and deposited the twilight goddess, a man should contemplate Brāhmī in the morning:

72.27

seated on a swan and lotus, red, four-faced, four-armed,

72.27.p1

[...]

72.27.p2

[Footnote: The reading in the manuscript marked kha is guhyakājātasaṃravaiḥ.]

72.27.p3

[Footnote: The reading in the manuscript marked kha is tatkharotkhātareṇubhiḥ.]

72.27.p4

holding a rosary of lotus seeds in the right [hand], and a staff and water-pot in the left.

72.27_2

holding a sacrificial ladle and rosary on the right, and a staff and water-pot on the left.

72.28

At midday he should meditate on Vaiṣṇavī: white, seated on Garuḍa and a lotus,
holding a conch and discus on the left, and a mace with the gesture of fearlessness on the right.

72.29

He should meditate on Raudrī [at dusk]: seated on a bull and lotus, three-eyed, adorned with the moon,
holding a trident and rosary on the right, and a spear with the gesture of fearlessness on the left.

72.30

He should contemplate the twilight goddess as the witness of rituals, and himself as following her radiance.
The fourth twilight of the sage is meditated upon at midnight and similar times:

72.31

formless, abiding in the supreme within the heart, the drop, and the aperture of Brahmā.
That [state] which is devoted to the consciousness of Śiva is called the supreme twilight.

72.32

The tīrtha of the ancestors is at the root of the forefinger, and that of Prajāpati at the little finger;
the tīrtha of Brahmā is at the root of the thumb, and that of the gods at the tips of the fingers.

72.33

The tīrtha of Agni is on the right palm, and that of Soma on the left;
and that of the sages is across all the finger joints.

72.34

Then, having consecrated the sacred ford in the form of Śiva with mantras identified with Śiva,
he should perform sprinkling with that water using the Saṃhitā mantras.

72.35

The sprinkling is declared to be performed on the head successively with mantras,
applying with the right hand the water that falls into the left hand.

72.36

Having brought near the tip of the nose that white water embodying consciousness,
situated in the hollow of the right hand, he should draw it in through the left [nostril] and retain it.

72.37

Expelling that sin resembling collyrium through the Piṅgalā [nāḍī], he should strike it
upon the thunderbolt stone with his fist; that shall be the eradication of sin.

72.38

With the Śiva mantra ending in svāhā, offering a handful of water offering
with kuśa grass, flowers, and unbroken grains to Śiva, he should recite the Gāyatrī according to his ability.

72.38.p1

[...]

72.38.p2

[Footnote: The reading in the manuscript marked kha is dākṣiṇyaḥ karmaṇāṃ sandhyā.]

72.38.p3

I shall describe the water libation from the sacred ford of the gods according to the mantra:
One should offer water libation with 'Hauṃ to Śiva, Svāhā', and to others accompanied by Svāhā:

72.39

I shall explain the water libation from the mantra-vessel through the tīrtha of the gods.
He should offer libation with 'hauṃ to Śiva, svāhā', and to the others with [their names] joined with svāhā:

72.40

'hrāṃ to the heart, hrīṃ to the head, hrūṃ to the crest-tuft, hraiṃ to the armour,
to the weapon', to the eight classes of deities, to the heart, and to the Ādityas;

72.41

'hāṃ to the Vasus', then to the Rudras, to the Viśvedevas, and to the Maruts,
'hāṃ to the Bhṛgus', to the Aṅgirases. Then, wearing the sacred thread around the neck, to the sages:

72.42

'to Atri', then 'to Vasiṣṭha, homage', and then 'to Pulastya, homage',
'to Kratu, to Bharadvāja, indeed homage to Viśvāmitra',

72.43

'to Pracetas', and to the mortals; and 'to Sanaka, vaṣaṭ',
'hāṃ to Sananda, vaṣaṭ', indeed 'to Sanātana, vaṣaṭ',

72.44

'to Sanatkumāra, vaṣaṭ', likewise 'to Kapila, vaṣaṭ',
'to Pañcaśikha', to Dyubhava. From the root of the joined hands,

72.45

'to all spirits, vauṣaṭ'. Then to the spirits, the gods, and the ancestors,
wearing the sacred thread over the right shoulder, with sesame seeds from the root and tip of the kuśa grass:

72.46

to Kavyavāha, to Agni, then to Soma, and to Yama,
to Aryaman, to Agni-Soma, and to the Barhiṣads, joined with svadhā;

72.47

and to the Ājyapas and to Soma, to the ancestors like distinctive gods.
With 'oṃ hāṃ svadhā to Father Īśāna', he should make offerings to the grandfather,

72.48

to the peaceful great-grandfather, and likewise to the departed ancestors;
'svadhā to the fathers, to the grandfathers', and then to the great-grandfather,

72.49

'to the great-great-grandfathers', and likewise 'svadhā to the mothers';
'hāṃ svadhā to the maternal grandfathers, hāṃ to the maternal great-grandfathers',