History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.680

v6.c81.680

The foregoing is somewhat of a digression, as the bali is generally to be sacrificed on the 9th and as the rites of even of the 8th have not yet been described On the Mahāṣṭamī conjoined to Pūrvāṣāḍhā-nakṣatra or without it, the devotee after taking a bath and sipping water, should face the east or north, sit on a seat of darbhas, perform purification of himself and the body which is made up of five elements by repeating separately the mystic letters 'yam, ram, lam, vam' in the manner set out on p 673 of Durgārcanapaddhati, then he performs *prāṇāyāma*, and then *nyāsa* on the several parts of the body from the heart and head to the feet He sprinkles over himself and the materials of worship water contained in a vessel of conch-shell and the like and over which he mutters eight times the mantra ‘Hrīm, Om Durgāyai namaḥ’, he contemplates on Durgā as described on p. 163 and note 418 above, places a flower on his head, mentally offers upacāras (to Devī), again contemplates on Devī’s form and then offers the upacāras from āsana (seat) to praṇāma (as indicated in note 420 above) with appropriate brief mantras. Then he offers worship to several goddesses to the right side, front side and left side of Devī with brief mantras and to the Mātṛs⁴³⁵ (64 are enumerated in Durgārcanao. pp. 676-677, or 32, or 16 or 8) according to one’s ability with five upacāras or with sandalwood paste and flowers and to the eight mātṛs Brahmāṇī &c Then there is *aṅgapūjā* (worship of Devī’s limbs) from heart and head to the feet. Then worship is offered to her weapons such as trident, sword, discus, sharp arrow, shield, fully strung bow, the noose, goad, bell; and then her lion-seat is honoured and also armour, whisk, umbrella, flag and flag-staff, drum, conch Separate mantras are recited in connection with the pūjā of each of these, as laid down in Durgārcanapaddhati pp. 678-681, in the Nirṇayasindhu pp. 179-181 (which quotes them from Viṣṇudharmottara) and other works. They are all passed over here for saving space Then he goes near the sheaf of nine plants and worships it with five upacāras or with sandal-wood paste and flowers offered to each separately. Then he makes an offering of *māṣa* pulse and boiled rice.