1.  Akhaṇḍadīpapūjanam (अखण्डदीपपूजनम्) -

 

This upacāra (procedure) is for lightening up the lamp(s) till the completion of all activities and beyond. The light signifies removal of all darkness, misery, misfortune and ensuring auspiciousness in all aspects.

 

om̐ suprakāśo mahādīptaḥ sarvastimitāpahaḥ

sa brahmābhyantaraḥ jyotiḥ dīpo'yaṃ pratigṛhyatām 1

ॐ सुप्रकाशो महादीप्तः सर्वस्तिमितापहः ।

स ब्रह्माभ्यन्तरः ज्योतिः दीपोऽयं प्रतिगृह्यताम् ॥ १ ॥

               

                O Divine light, may the illuminance remain ever present and brilliant and may all darkness, evil and ignorance be wiped away by your grace. May you accept our humble offerings and illumine our minds and thoughts and may all the Divine Knowledge flow into us.

 

bho dīpa-rūpastvaṃ karma-sākṣī hya-vighna-kṛt

yāvat-karma-samāptiḥ syāttāva tvaṃ susthiro bhava 2

भो दीपरूपस्त्वं कर्मसाक्षी ह्यविघ्नकृत् ।

यावत्कर्मसमाप्तिः स्यात्ताव त्वं सुस्थिरो भव ॥ २ ॥

 

                O Divine Light, you are the witness and remover of all ignorance and obstacles caused by karma. Please remain still and be with us, until all our karma comes to an end and we attain liberation from the cycle of life and death.

 

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparīta-pratyaṅgirāyai svāhā dīpastha-devatābhyo namaḥ sarvopacārārthe gandhākṣata-puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा दीपस्थदेवताभ्यो नमः सर्वोपचारार्थे गन्धाक्षतपुष्पाणि समर्पयामि ।

 

                We offer flower and rice grains to the Divine light. May the mantra of the Divine Mother Viparīta Pratyaṅgirā be illumined within us and guide us through our life journey.

 

  1. Pustakapūjanam (पुस्तकपूजनम्) -

 

We offer our pūja and reverence to the books and all scriptural knowledge obtained from all sources.

 

jayantī maṅgalā kālī bhadrakālī kapālinī

durgā kṣamā śivā dhātrī svāhā svadhā namo'stu te 1

जयन्ती मङ्गला काली भद्रकाली कपालिनी ।

दुर्गा क्षमा शिवा धात्री स्वाहा स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते ॥ १ ॥

 

                Praise be to the Divine Mother in the forms of the victory granting Jayantī, the auspicious task fulfilling Maṅgalā, the transformative Kālī, the enemy destroying Bhadrakālī, the ego destroying Kapālinī, the misery destroying Durgā, the ever-forgiving Kṣamā, the bliss granting and purifying Śivā, the nursing and ever supporting Dhātrī, the oblation carrying Svāhā and the oblation spreading Svadhā.

 

namo devyai mahādevyai śivāyai satataṃ namaḥ

namaḥ prakṛtyai bhadrāyai niyatāḥ smaritām 2

नमो देव्यै महादेव्यै शिवायै सततं नमः ।

नमः प्रकृत्यै भद्रायै नियताः स्मरिताम् ॥ २ ॥

 

                Salutations to the Divine Mother in the forms of Devi, the consort and power of Śiva. Salutations to Mahādevī as the ultimate Śakti. Salutations at all times to the the bliss granting and purifying Divine Mother Śivā. Salutations to the Divine Mother Prakṛtī, in the form of the manifested Creation. Salutations to the auspicious Bhadrā and to Niyatā, the enforcer of justice and karma.

 

śuklāṃ brahmavicārasāra-paramāmādyāṃ jagadvyāpinīṃ

vīṇā-pustaka-dhāriṇīm-abhayadāṃ jāḍyāndhakārāpahām 3

haste sphaṭikamālikāṃ vidadhatīṃ padmāsane saṃsthitāṃ

vande tāṃ parameśvarīṃ bhagavatīṃ buddhipradāṃ śāradām 4

शुक्लां ब्रह्मविचारसारपरमामाद्यां जगद्व्यापिनीं ।

वीणापुस्तकधारिणीमभयदां जाड्यान्धकारापहाम् ॥ ३ ॥

हस्ते स्फटिकमालिकां विदधतीं पद्मासने संस्थितां ।

वन्दे तां परमेश्वरीं भगवतीं बुद्धिप्रदां शारदाम् ॥ ४ ॥

 

                We pray to the Divine Mother Śāradā devi, who is white complexioned, always in deep contemplation of the Supreme Brahman of which She Herself is the cause. Ominiscient and ever-present. She bears the Divine musical instrument Vīṇā denoting all the vibrations of the manifested Creation, a book signifying all knowledge – known and unknown and the fear allaying Abhaya mudra and is also the remover of all ignorance, even the deepest and most stubborn forms that bind us back to our ego and pride. He also holds a quartz crystal rosary mālā in Her arms and is seated in a cross-legged padmāsana posture on a lotus. May the Divine Mother grant us intelligence, wisdom and all knowledge, as well as the power to discern and ponder on all knowledge and seek the path to attain liberation.

 

yā kundendu tuṣāra-hāra-dhavalā yā śubhra-vastrāvṛtā

yā vīṇā-vara-daṇḍa-maṇḍitakarā yā śveta-padmāsanā 5

yā brahmācyuta-śaṅkara-prabhṛtibhir-devaiḥ sadā vanditā

sā māṃ pātu sarasvatī bhagavatī niśśeṣa-jāḍyāpahā 6

या कुन्देन्दु तुषारहारधवला या शुभ्रवस्त्रावृता ।

या वीणावरदण्डमण्डितकरा या श्वेतपद्मासना ॥ ५ ॥

या ब्रह्माच्युतशङ्करप्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता ।

सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निश्शेषजाड्यापहा ॥ ६ ॥

 

                Salutations to the Divine Mother Sarasvatī, fair complexioned like the moon and adorning a garland of snow white jasmine flowers. She is adorned in white garments and bears the divine musical instrument Vīṇā, the wish granting Vara Daṇḍa staff and is seated cross-legged on a white lotus. She is always adored by the Creator Brahma, Preserver Viṣṇu and the Destroyer Rudra. May the Divine Mother completely rid us of all ignorance and provide all the knowledge for our material and spiritual progress.

 

om̐ vāṅmaya-mūrti-svarūpiṇī sarasvatyai namaḥ sarvopacārārthe gandhākṣatapuṣpāṇi samarpayāmi

ॐ वाङ्मयमूर्तिस्वरूपिणी सरस्वत्यै नमः सर्वोपचारार्थे गन्धाक्षतपुष्पाणि समर्पयामि ।

 

                Salutations to the Divine Mother, who’s the constituent of speech and all the vibrational mātṛkā śaktis. May She be pleased with the flowers and rice grain offerings from us.

 

  1. Tarpaṇam (तर्पणम्) -

 

 

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparītapratyaṅgirāyai svāhā śrīmat viparītapratyaṅgirāṃ tarpayāmi

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा श्रीमत् विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरां तर्पयामि ।

 

                We offer tarpaṇa of water mixed with flowers, camphor, honey and unguents etc. with the above mantra to the Divine Mother Viparīta pratyaṅgirā at least 108 times. It is also customary to ring the bell during the procedure.

 

  1. Karpūranīrājanam (कर्पूरनीराजनम्) -

 

Nīrajanasamarpaṇam (नीरजनसमर्पणम्) -

                This procedure relates to waving of lights, also called Ārati. This is to mark the conclusion of the pūja.

 

om̐ tvaṃ jyotistvaṃ raviścandro vidyudagniśca tārakāḥ

sarveṣāṃ jyotiṣāṃ jyotiḥ dīpamālā namo namaḥ

ॐ त्वं ज्योतिस्त्वं रविश्चन्द्रो विद्युदग्निश्च तारकाः ।

सर्वेषां ज्योतिषां ज्योतिः दीपमाला नमो नमः ॥

 

                Jyoti (light) is prevalent in Ravi (Sun), Candra (Moon), Vidyut (Energy), Agni (Fire) and Tārakā (Stars). An amalgamation of light resembling a mālā pervades these entities and we salute to this Jyoti with full reverence.

 

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparītapratyaṅgirāyai svāhā dīpamālikāyai namaḥ sarvopacārārthe gandhākṣata puṣpāṇi samarpayāmi

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा दीपमालिकायै नमः सर्वोपचारार्थे गन्धाक्षत पुष्पाणि समर्पयामि ।

 

                We offer our full submission and salutations to the mālā of light – dīpamālikā with the Divine Viparīta Pratyaṅgirā mantra.

 

karpūra-gauraṃ karuṇāva-tāraṃ saṃsārasāraṃ bhujagendra-hāram

sadāvasantaṃ hṛdayāravinde bhavaṃ bhavānī sahitaṃ namāmi

कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारं संसारसारं भुजगेन्द्रहारम् ।

सदावसन्तं हृदयारविन्दे भवं भवानी सहितं नमामि ॥

 

                May the white colored camphor signifying the Divine blessings full of compassion and forgiveness and the true purpose of our worldly existence seeking liberation, is signified by the king of serpents coiled around Lord Śiva’s neck. The consciousness is always present and blooming within our hearts (heart cakra). We reverently bow to Lord Śiva and Śakti who represent the Divine Super-consciousness and are the constituents of everything!

 

om̐ karpūravarti-saṃyuktaṃ vahninā yojitaṃ ca yat

ārārtikyamihaṃ divyaṃ gṛhāṇa jagadīśvari 1

ॐ कर्पूरवर्तिसंयुक्तं वह्निना योजितं च यत् ।

आरार्तिक्यमिहं दिव्यं गृहाण जगदीश्वरि ॥ १ ॥

 

                We are lighting a lamp with camphor and wick placed together. O Divine Mother Jagadīśvari, the Governess of the entire Creation, please accept this offering from us and shower your blessings upon us.

 

kadalī-garbha-sambhūtaṃ karpūraṃ tu pradīpitaṃ

ārārtikyamahaṃ kurmaḥ paśya me varado bhava 2

कदलीगर्भसम्भूतं कर्पूरं तु प्रदीपितं ।

आरार्तिक्यमहं कुर्मः पश्य मे वरदो भव ॥ २ ॥

 

                We offer camphor derived from the bark of the Kadalī plant (Cinnamonium Camphora) to bring forth the light and perform the ārati. O Divine Mother, please glance at us with compassion and grant all our wishes without any delay please!

 

candrādityau ca dharaṇī vidyud-agnistathaiva ca

tvameva sarva-jyotīṃṣi ārtikyaṃ pratigṛhyatām 3

चन्द्रादित्यौ च धरणी विद्युदग्निस्तथैव च ।

त्वमेव सर्वज्योतींषि आर्तिक्यं प्रतिगृह्यताम् ॥ ३ ॥

 

                O Divine Mother, you are the source of light for the moon, sun, earth, fire and all other luminous objects and energy generators. Please accept this humble offering of lights that we submit to you and be pleased with the same.

 

cakṣurda sarvalokānāṃ timirasya nivārakam

ārārtikyaṃ kalpitaṃ bhaktyā gṛhāṇa parameśvarī 4

चक्षुर्द सर्वलोकानां तिमिरस्य निवारकम् ।

आरार्तिक्यं कल्पितं भक्त्या गृहाण परमेश्वरी ॥ ४ ॥

 

                O Divine Mother Parameśvarī, you are the source of light for all lokas and enabler of sight through light. The light you provide through the energy sources dispels all darkness. Please accept our sincere and devout offerings and provide your immaculate and complete grace.

 

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparītapratyaṅgirāyai svāhā karpūra-nīrājanaṃ samarpayāmi

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा कर्पूरनीराजनं समर्पयामि ।

 

                The camphor and light waving offerings along with the Viparīta Pratyaṅgirā mantra invocation are offered to please the Divine Mother and obtain Her complete grace.

 

  1. Puṣpāñjalim (पुष्पाञ्जलिम्) -

 

viśāla śaila kandarāntarāla vāsa śālinīṃ

trailoka pālinī kapālinī manoramāmimām 1

umām-upāsitāṃ surair-upāsmahe maheśvarīṃ

parāṃ gaṇeśvaraprasūṃ nāgeśvarasya nandinīm 2

विशाल शैल कन्दरान्तराल वास शालिनीं ।

त्रैलोक पालिनी कपालिनी मनोरमामिमाम् ॥ १ ॥

उमामुपासितां सुरैरुपास्महे महेश्वरीं ।

परां गणेश्वरप्रसूं नागेश्वरस्य नन्दिनीम् ॥ २ ॥

 

                We meditate upon the Divine Mother Maheśvarī, who resides in caves of serene and remote mountains, the ruler and manifestor of all the triads, bearing a skull cup in Her arms, the mesmerizer of the entire Creation, the One we adore and worship, is also worshipped by the celestials, is the Supreme Divine Mother parā, She is the One who’s resolve is like that of the mountains – Maheśvarī, also adored for conceiving Lord Gaṇeśa, the remover of all obstacles and is worshipped by the Serpentine Nāgas and the Divine bull Nandi, the mount of Lord Rudra.

 

devān vihāya sakalanātha karma sarva

labdhvā-janur-nakṛtavāṃ-stava devi pūjām 3

mātar-namāmi satataṃ manasā ca vācā

dehena pādakamalaṃ śaraṇāgato'ham 4

देवान् विहाय सकलनाथ कर्म सर्व ।

लब्ध्वाजनुर्नकृतवांस्तव देवि पूजाम् ॥ ३ ॥

मातर्नमामि सततं मनसा च वाचा ।

देहेन पादकमलं शरणागतोऽहम् ॥ ४ ॥

 

                O Divine Mother, after letting go the desire to worship various other celestials and other demi gods and after sacrificing many of our desires and wants, as well as our avocations and karma, we have come to the realization that our life’s journey and purpose is to worship you through your various stotras (hymns) and perform your worship by all possible means. We salute you, O Divine Mother from the bottom of our heart and in every word we utter, we invoke your presence! We worship all your forms and surrender to your divine feet and seek your protection and grace at all times!

 

pāpo'haṃ pāpakarmo'haṃ pāpātmā papa-sambhavaḥ

trāhi māṃ sarvadā mātaḥ sarva-pāpa-harā bhava 5

पापोऽहं पापकर्मोऽहं पापात्मा पापसम्भवः ।

त्राहि मां सर्वदा मातः सर्वपापहरा भव ॥ ५ ॥

 

                O Divine Mother, due to the false identification of the ego as our self, we have sinned and have accumulated a lot of bad karma and continue to sin because of its effects. We pray to you reverently to come to our rescue at all times and wipe away all our sins and purify us with virtues and help us accumulate good karma and progress spiritually and materially and remain forever in your service.

 

Puṣpāñjalim (पुष्पाञ्जलिम्) -

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparīta-pratyaṅgirāyai svāhā mantra-puṣpāñjaliṃ samarpayāmi

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा मन्त्रपुष्पाञ्जलिं समर्पयामि ।

 

                We offer flowers to the Divine Mother coupled with the mantra of Śrī Viparīta-pratyaṅgirā Devi.

 

  1. Parikramā (परिक्रमा) -

 

yāni kāni ca pāpāni janmānta-rakṛtāni ca

tāni sarvāṇi naśyanti pradakṣiṇāpade pade 1

यानि कानि च पापानि जन्मान्तरकृतानि च ।

तानि सर्वाणि नश्यन्ति प्रदक्षिणापदे पदे ॥ १ ॥

 

                May every step that we take in circumambulating around the deity’s statue or yantra or in circular motion around ourselves, be projected as a step towards removing all the accumulated karmas of several lifetimes including the current one and help in our progress and success in all endeavors.

 

pade pade yā paripūjakebhyaḥ sadyo'śvamedhādi-phalaṃ dadāti

tāṃ sarva-pāpa-kṣaya-hetu-bhūtāṃ pradkṣiṇāṃ te paritaḥ karomi 2

पदे पदे या परिपूजकेभ्यः सद्योऽश्वमेधादिफलं ददाति ।

तां सर्वपापक्षयहेतुभूतां प्रद्क्षिणां ते परितः करोमि ॥ २ ॥

 

                Every step that we take in circumambulating around you, O Divine Mother, is equivalent to performing the sacred horse sacrifice yajña sacrifice ritual and gaining the immense benefit accrued from it. May our reverence to you help sever all karmic attachments and free us from all fear, worries, miseries and misfortunes by your auspicious and most beneficial Divine grace!

 

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparītapratyaṅgirāyai svāhā pradakṣiṇāṃ samarpayāmi

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा प्रदक्षिणां समर्पयामि ।

 

                We dedicate and offer our circumambulations to the Divine Mother by the invocation of the Śrī Viparīta-pratyaṅgirā Devi mantra.

 

  1. Śāntistavam (शान्तिस्तवम्)

 

To bring about peace and prosperity, the Śānti mantras should be recited –

 

nandantu sādhakāḥ sarve vinaśyantu vidūṣakāḥ

avasthā śāmbhavī me astu prasanno astu guruḥ sadā

नन्दन्तु साधकाः सर्वे विनश्यन्तु विदूषकाः ।

अवस्था शाम्भवी मे अस्तु प्रसन्नो अस्तु गुरुः सदा ॥

 

In the North-Eastern īśānye direction, recite the following –

 

nirmālya vāsinyai namaḥ

निर्माल्य वासिन्यै नमः ।

 

pūrvam jāgrat svapna suṣupti avasthāsu manasā vācā pādbhyām udareṇa śiśnā prāṇa deha dharmādhi kāraṇato yuktam yatkṛtam tatsarvam madīyam śrī pratyaṅgirā caraṇe samarpaṇamastu

om̐ tat sat

पूर्वम् जाग्रत् स्वप्न सुषुप्ति अवस्थासु मनसा वाचा पाद्भ्याम् उदरेण शिश्ना प्राण देह धर्माधि कारणतो युक्तम् यत्कृतम् तत्सर्वम् मदीयम् श्री प्रत्यङ्गिरा चरणे समर्पणमस्तु ।

ॐ तत् सत् ।

This article is written by Krishna Vallapareddy and can be contacted at Krishna@manblunder.com

                                                                                                                                            Click here for the final Part 10