Skandapurana 2.2.30

The sages said:

By what rite did he perform the birth-ablution of the husband of Śrī?

Tell us duly about all the other festivals as well, O sage!

Everything was told to you long ago by Nārada, O best of sages;

for he, the sage born of Brahmā, knows Brahman beyond the darkness.

Tell all that in truth, O sage; great indeed is our curiosity!

Oh, how fortunate is King Indradyumna, O sage,

that at the end of such an undertaking of his, this great marvel occurred!

Never has an image fashioned of wood been heard of or seen,

which, like a living body in person, would grant boons like a human being!

Remembering and remembering the sin-destroying deeds of the Lord,

and the deed of that king, which is difficult to attain for mortals,

there is no satiation for us who listen, O divine, great sage!

Therefore, recount in sequence to us the processions that destroy all sins,

by the sight of which dwelling in Vaikuṇṭha is certain!

Since Madhusūdana in person was the speaker of the māhātmya of the processions,

tell that to us, O fortunate one, out of a desire for the welfare of the worlds!

Jaimini said:

I shall explain the ritual ablution of Jyeṣṭha; listen now, O sages.

On the tenth day of the bright fortnight of Jyeṣṭha, having resolved upon the vow, restraining one's speech,

Rising at dawn, one should perform [the rites] according to the procedure of the five sacred fords.

Having gone to the Mārkaṇḍeya banyan tree, having sipped water, restrained, a man,

Having bowed to Śaṃkara, with folded hands before him, should pray:

“O exceedingly fierce one of immense form, resembling the fire of cosmic dissolution!

Homage to you, O Bhairava! You ought to grant permission.”

Then, having entered the sacred ford, with the five Vedic Vāruṇa [hymns],

Or with the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn repeated thrice, O twice-born ones,

Having bathed properly, he should bathe in the end with this mantra:

“Homage to Śiva, peaceful and the remover of all sins.

I perform the ritual ablution, O Lord of gods; let my sin perish!

Drowned in the ocean of worldly existence, seized by sin, mindless,

Save me, O crusher of Bhaga’s eyes, O enemy of Tripura! Homage be to you.”

Having thus bathed and gone outside, wearing clean garments, adorned with sectarian marks,

And having offered libations to the gods, seers, and ancestors according to the rule,

Entering the abode of Śaṃkara, touching the bull on its testicles

With this mantra, O brahmins, one obtains the fruit of all sacrifices:

“You are four-footed Dharma, you are sacrifice, with golden horns, having the three Vedas as your body.

O lord of cattle, whose form is the mount, I bow to you, who bear the trident-bearer.”

Then he should worship the one whose mount is the bull with the Aghora mantra,

And with the five Brahmā verses he should touch the supreme liṅga.

He should touch the liṅga with his thumb and the Śakti [pedestal] with his fist;

Having worshipped according to the rule and praised the god who is the enemy of the cities,

He attains the unsurpassed fruit of ten horse-sacrifices.

Having bathed at the Mārkaṇḍeya banyan tree and seen the god Śaṃkara,

He obtains the complete fruit of the royal consecration and horse-sacrifices.

In the end, attaining the world of Śiva, and having acquired knowledge, a mortal

Gradually obtains liberation by the grace of Jagannātha.

Then, maintaining silence, he should go to the flawless god Nārāyaṇa,

[And to] the excellent banyan tree situated to his south, having the form of Viṣṇu,

Which destroys the accumulation of sins even upon seeing it.

Having seen it, he should bow from afar, meditating on Puruṣottama;

Then he should perform circumambulation, uttering this mantra:

“You are immortal, lasting for an aeon, the great dwelling of Viṣṇu.

O banyan tree, remove my sin; O you whose form is Viṣṇu, homage be to you!

Homage to the unmanifest form, remaining through the great dissolution;

To the sole refuge of the worlds, to the wish-fulfilling tree, homage to you!”

Praising and reciting [prayers] with devotion to Janārdana at its base,

He is indeed freed from sins born of hundreds of millions of births.

Even by traversing its shadow, a man becomes free from sin.

Then he should bow to Suparṇa, who is the mount, in front of Hari.

Standing before Viṣṇu, bowed in devotion, with folded hands in joy:

“O composed of Vedic metres, O abode of the world, whose form is the mount, whose body is the threefold [Veda],

Whose form is sacrifice, all-pervading one of the universe, homage to you who are pleased!”

Having thus praised Garuḍa, he is freed from sins born of many births.

Restrained in speech, mind, and action, reflecting thus, he should go;

Having entered the temple of the deity and circumambulated it thrice,

He should worship with the king of mantras, or with the Puruṣasūkta,

Or with the twelve-syllable mantra, or wherever his inclination lies.

All brahmins, kṣatriyas, and vaiśyas are qualified to perform worship;

For others, [it is performed] through darśana with devotion and from chanting their names.

He should worship the Supreme Lord by means of the fivefold offerings;

Having folded his hands, he should recite this hymn:

“O God of gods, O Jagannātha, O saviour from the ocean of worldly existence,

Always gracious to devotees, protect me who am bowed at your feet!

Victory, O Kṛṣṇa, O Jagannātha! Victory, O destroyer of all sins!

Victory, O one whose lotus-feet are adored by the entire universe! Homage be to you!

Victory, O Lord of millions of cosmic eggs, whose breath is the wind of the Vedas,

Support of the entire universe, O Supreme Self, homage be to you!”

Victory to you who dispel the distress of the bowing host of gods headed by Brahmā, Indra, and Rudra!

Victory, O abode of the entire universe, O inner controller, obeisance unto you! (39)

Victory, O ocean of unmotivated compassion, affectionate to the destitute,

O sole refuge of the poor and helpless, witness of the universe, obeisance unto you! (40)

In the water of the ocean of worldly existence, in the whirlpool of delusion that is very difficult to cross,

impassable with the host of six waves, fearful with the sea-monsters of evil deeds, (41)

without shelter, without support, unsubstantial, frothy with suffering,

bound by the strands of your māyā, helpless, and fallen therein, (42)

lift me up, O Lord of gods, with looks from the corners of your merciful eyes,

sunk as I am there, O best of gods, revealer of sublime grace! (43)

You alone, O Lord of the world, are the friend of those afraid of worldly existence.

Hunger and thirst belong to vital breath; in traditional teaching, grief and delusion

belong to the mind; old age, death, and birth of a body belong to the body.

In your creation there is no one else who protects the destitute such as this. (45)

You have descended, O Lord, with the intent of bestowing grace upon the worlds;

for you whose desires are fulfilled, O Master, what other reason could there be on earth? (46)

Having attained your lotus feet, there is no anxiety, O Lord of the universe,

since your lotus feet are the sole means for the four ends of life, (47)

granting the fruit of all desires to all people through darśana.

Then one should worship him who has the plough as his emblem with the Śeṣa mantra, (48)

or with the twelve-syllable mantra, or by his name preceded by the syllable Om.

Becoming single-minded, bowing down, one should propitiate him: (49)

"Victory, O Rāma, who always takes delight, whose form is being, consciousness, and bliss!

Obeisance to you whose form is pure, free from the mud of ignorance! (50)

Victory to you who are free from the fatigue of bearing the weight of the entire world!

You ever brandish the plough to tear away the three afflictions. (51)

With open lotus eyes to protect the destitute who take refuge,

you alone, O Lord, are able to wash away the entire mass of highest sins. (52)

O ocean of gracious mercy, friend of the destitute, obeisance unto you!

By whom the earth, together with mobile and immobile beings, is borne upon the tip of his hood; (53)

deliver me from this impassable, boundless ocean of worldly existence!

O Supreme Lord higher than the high and the low, obeisance unto you!" (54)

Having thus praised the king of serpents, Bala, bearer of the pestle,

one should worship the prime cause of the worlds, whose eyes are auspicious. (55)

Having praised that victorious one, O brahmins, one should bow down and propitiate her:

"Victory, O goddess, great goddess! Be gracious, O deliverer from worldly existence! (56)

O firestick that produces happiness for those who take refuge, victory, O bringer of contentment!

The effect among embodied effects, and the cause among causes, (57)

the support among things supported—I bow down to you, the primordial one;

resting on the chest of Viṣṇu, bearing half the body of Śambhu, (58)

seated on the lotus mouth of Brahmā, dear to the world, I bow to you.

For the Supreme Self's acts of creation, maintenance, destruction, and the rest,

you are the one incomparable power; without you, even he is powerless. (59)

You, the mother of all worlds, the māyā of Viṣṇu, practicing austerity,

Subhadrā, whose form is auspicious, who is the root cause—to her I bow." (60)

Then, for bathing in the ocean, one should pray to Puruṣottama: (61)

"Obeisance to you, O Lord Viṣṇu, pervading the moving and unmoving universe!

May my bath in the ocean reach completion without obstacles, O Lord! (62)

Obeisance to you, O Lord of the worlds, holding the conch, discus, and mace!

Give me, O God, permission to resort to your sacred ford." (63)

Then, observing silence, meditating on Viṣṇu, [and on] the lord of rivers,

having asked permission from Ugrasena situated on the path, composed in mind: (64)

"O mighty-armed Ugrasena, powerful one of fierce valor,

having received a boon from the well-pleased [Lord], you stay on the shore of the ocean; (65)

O bestower of the fully complete fruit of the ritual ablution performed in the king of sacred fords,

I shall perform my ocean ritual ablution; please grant me permission." (66)

Then one should proceed further, O best of twice-born, to Svargadvāra,

by which the gods come to this sacred field of Puruṣottama, (67)

this heaven on earth, day after day to have darśana of the Lord of the universe.

"By the path of the descent from heaven, I bow to both of you standing there." (68)

May you two indeed lead me upward, you witnesses of the deeds of the virtuous,

born from the ocean's waters, supreme and endowed with all virtues.

Between the two of you I go to the opened gate of heaven."

Having prayed thus, one should then go into the presence of the king of sacred fords,

seeing whom from afar one is surely released from great sin.

Having washed one's hands and feet, having sipped water, on a pure seat,

seated facing east, one should draw a mandala in front:

four-cornered, with four gates and svastikas at the four corners.

In its center one should draw a very beautiful eight-petaled lotus.

Then one should place the eight-syllable mantra upon the hands and upon the body.

The placement on the six limbs with six syllables has been declared by the wise;

the remaining two should then be placed on the belly and on the back.

On the feet, the shanks, the thighs, the buttocks, and the sides;

on the navel, the back, the pair of arms, the heart, the throat, and the armpits;

on the lips, the ears, the eyes, the cheeks, and the nostrils;

on the eyebrows, the forehead, and the head, [placing] the mantra syllables in proper order,

having placed [them], concentrated in mind, one should perform the pervasive placement with all [the syllables].

One should perform three breath-controls, twenty-five times with the root [mantra].

One should put on the divine armor that dispels all sins:

"May Govinda protect me in the east, and the Lotus-Eyed One in the south;

may Pradyumna protect me in the west, and likewise Hṛṣīkeśa in the north;

Narasiṃha in the southeast, and Madhusūdana in the southwest;

may Śrīdhara protect in the northwest, and the Mace-Bearer in the northeast;

may Trivikrama protect above, and below the Holder of the Boar's Form;

may the god bearing the conch, discus, and mace protect me everywhere.

May Nārāyaṇa protect the mind, and the One whose emblem is Garuḍa protect consciousness;

may Janārdana, whose self is the three qualities, protect my intellect and ego;

may the Destroyer of the Daitya host always protect the senses."

Having put on this armor, a person becomes freed from sin.

With the sixteen services conceived in the mind, a person,

having duly worshipped Puruṣottama according to rule, O brahmins,

having invoked the disease-free God of gods in that mandala,

having worshipped according to the rite with [offerings] augmented according to one's means,

meditating upon oneself [as one with] the king of sacred fords, the God of gods,

having folded one's hands in reverence, one should utter this mantra:

"O Sudarśana, praise be to you, of brilliance equal to ten million suns!

Show the path of Viṣṇu to one blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

Having prayed thus, O brahmins, near the water of the king of sacred fords,

going down on the earth with both knees, filled with devotion, one should bow:

"Praise be to you, king of sacred fords, to Viṣṇu who has the form of water,

the sustenance of living beings, the cause of supreme liberation.

Agni is your womb, and the earth is in your body; you are the seed-placer of Viṣṇu, the navel of nectar.

I approach your form, which has no other cause, full of bliss, having entered into the waters."

Reciting this mantra, O brahmins, one should enter into the midst of the water.

One should invoke the king of sacred fords, meditating on the Lord of the worlds,

the Lord of the waters, abiding therein to grant the fruit of the bath performed.

With the Aghamarṣaṇa hymn, accompanied by the Nārāyaṇa [hymn],

repeated three times, and with the fivefold Vāruṇa hymn,

[one should perform] once the invocation and the other six ancillary rites during the ablution.

The invocation was spoken of before; now the manifestation is described:

the visualization of presence for the attainment of the desired fruit by the bather.

For internal purification, one should sip [water] after drinking that which is consecrated with mantras;

for external bodily purification, one should sprinkle oneself with kuśa grass water.

For inner and outer purity, with water consecrated by mantras,

one should sprinkle three handfuls onto one's head; in the ocean there is no muttering underwater.

Through three immersions, one's sins committed over ten million births

are washed away in that water, while meditating on the destroyer of sins.

Having risen and sipped water according to rule, one should pray, uttering the mantra:

"You are Agni, O Lord of the worlds, the placer of seed, the kindler of desire,

the primary source of all elements, the imperishable master of living beings."

You are indeed the fire-drill of nectar, the source of the gods, O lord of waters!

Take away all my wickedness, O king of sacred fords! Salutation to you!