Saṅkṣepa Arcana Paddhati - Concise Worship Procedure

May Śrī Guru and Gaurāṅga be victorious.

A Concise Worship Procedure for Śrī Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas

All perfection comes through congregational chanting of the Name. Even so, certain acts of worship are especially helpful in a life filled with devotion.

In the morning the practitioner should purify himself and sit upon an āsana facing east. Touching the water in the pañca-pātra, he should invoke all sacred rivers with this mantra:

“O Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Godāvarī, Sarasvatī, Narmadā, Sindhu, and Kāverī, please become present in this water.”

He should sprinkle that water upon his head and perform ācamana while saying three times, “Oṁ, Śrī Viṣṇu.” He should then apply twelve marks of tilaka with gopī-candana. The mantra directs him to remember Keśava upon the forehead; Nārāyaṇa upon the abdomen; Mādhava upon the chest; Govinda at the hollow of the throat; Viṣṇu upon the right side; Madhusūdana upon the right arm; Trivikrama upon the right side of the neck; Vāmana upon the left side; Śrīdhara upon the left arm; Hṛṣīkeśa upon the left side of the neck; Padmanābha upon the back; Dāmodara upon the waist; and Vāsudeva upon the head with the water used to wash the hands.

Worship of the guru comes first. At dawn in sacred Navadvīpa, meditate upon the peaceful, two-eyed, two-armed guru, who grants blessings and fearlessness, while remembering his name.

Those with abundant taste for the path of arcana should study Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa and the Arcana-paddhati published by Śrī Caitanya Maṭha.

Within spiritual Navadvīpa, at Śrī Yogapīṭha in Śrī Māyāpura, meditate upon Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu seated upon a jeweled pavilion. Śrī Nityānanda sits on His right and Śrī Gadādhara on His left. Before Him, Śrī Advaita offers praise with folded hands, while Śrīvāsa Paṇḍita stands holding a parasol. Śrī Gurudeva is seated upon a lower altar. After meditating in this way, approach Śrī Gurudeva and worship him with the full sequence of offerings.

With the mantra “Aiṁ, obeisance to Śrī Gurudeva,” offer in order: a seat, water for his feet, arghya, water for sipping, madhuparka, water for sipping again, bathing water, upper garments, ornaments, fragrance, incense, a lamp, a sandal-scented flower, food, drinking water, water for sipping once more, betel, and finally everything.

Then chant the guru-gāyatrī as fully as one is able: “Let us know Śrī Gurudeva; let us meditate upon him whose bliss is Kṛṣṇa. May that guru inspire and guide us.”

Then bow to the guru: “I was blinded by the darkness of ignorance, but he opened my eyes with the salve-tipped wand of knowledge. I offer obeisance to that Śrī Guru.”

Next bow to all Vaiṣṇavas: “Again and again I bow to the Vaiṣṇavas, who are wish-fulfilling trees, oceans of compassion, and purifiers of the fallen.”

Thereafter worship Śrī Gaurāṅga as the embodiment of the Pañca-tattva. Meditate upon Śrī Caitanya, His hair bound with a beautiful pearl ornament, His smiling face like the moon, His charming garments scented with sandalwood and aguru, adorned with garlands and divine ornaments, sweet with the rasa and delight of ecstatic dancing, radiant in a form that enchants Love himself, golden in splendor, and served by His own companions.

With the mantra “Klīṁ, obeisance to Kṛṣṇa Caitanya,” offer Him a seat, water for His feet, arghya, water for sipping, madhuparka, water for sipping again, bathing water, upper garments, ornaments, fragrance, incense, and a lamp. The sequence continues on the following page.

Continue Gaurāṅga's worship with sandal-scented flowers, sandal-scented tulasī leaves, food, drinking water, water for sipping again, betel, a garland, and finally everything, each offered with “Klīṁ, obeisance to Kṛṣṇa Caitanya.”

After completing Gaura-pūjā, chant the Gaura-gāyatrī as fully as one can: “Let us know Kṛṣṇa Caitanya; let us meditate upon Viśvambhara. May that Gaura inspire and guide us.”

Then bow to beautiful Gaura: “Again and again I bow to the moonlike Caitanya, whose form consists of blissful līlā, whose divine golden splendor is beautiful, and who bestows the rasa of supreme prema.”

Next, contemplating the prasāda of Śrī Guru and Śrī Gaurāṅga, worship Śrī Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. First meditate upon Śrī Vṛndāvana, which increases supreme bliss, is served by breezes that accompany the waves of the Yamunā, is adorned with groves of trees bound by many flowering vines, shines like millions of suns, and is free from the six waves of material affliction. In its center stands a great golden throne studded with jewels.

Upon that jeweled golden throne meditate on Śrī Kṛṣṇa, dark like a fresh raincloud, whose body is complete bliss, two-armed Lord of all the gods, embraced by Rādhā.

Then worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa with the complete series of offerings. With the mantra “Śrīṁ klīṁ, obeisance to Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa,” offer Them in order: a seat, water for Their feet, arghya, water for sipping, madhuparka, water for sipping again, bathing water, upper garments, ornaments, fragrance, incense, a lamp, sandal-scented flowers, sandal-scented tulasī leaves, food, drinking water, water for sipping once more, betel, a garland, and finally everything.

At the close of worship, chant the Yugala-gāyatrī as fully as possible: “Let us know Kṛṣṇa; let us meditate upon Dāmodara. May that Kṛṣṇa inspire and guide us.”

The Rādhā-gāyatrī declares: “Let us know Rādhikā; let us meditate upon Her whose form is prema. May that Rādhā inspire and guide us.”

Bow to Śrī Kṛṣṇa: “O Kṛṣṇa, ocean of compassion, friend of the lowly, Lord of the universe, Lord of the cowherds and beloved of the gopīs, beloved of Rādhā, I bow to You.”

Bow to Śrī Rādhā: “O Rādhā, golden-limbed like heated gold, sovereign of Vṛndāvana, divine daughter of Vṛṣabhānu and beloved of Hari, I bow to You.”

Then chant the kāma-bīja, kāma-gāyatrī, and root mantra according to one's ability. Thereafter recite with devotion the five verses of surrender and the five petitions.

Five verses of surrender: “O Nātha, from the ocean of worldly existence, children, friends, home, and spouse, You two alone are my protectors, destroyers of the surrendered soul's fear. Whatever I am and whatever I possess in this world or the next, I offer today entirely at Your feet. I am a dwelling place of offenses, without spiritual practice and without another destination; therefore, O Divine Couple, You are my supreme refuge. O Lord of Rādhikā, I am Yours in deed, mind, and speech. O beloved of Kṛṣṇa, I am Yours alone. You two are my destination. O reservoirs filled with compassion, I have taken shelter of You. Please show grace and grant service to this wicked offender.”

First petition: “There is no sinner equal to me and no offender like me. I am ashamed even to seek release from my faults; what can I say, O Puruṣottama?”

The remaining four petitions declare: “As the minds of young women delight in young men and young men delight in young women, may my mind delight in You. For feet that slip upon the earth, the earth itself is the support; for those who have offended You, You alone are the shelter, O Lord. O Rādhā, beloved of Govinda, I pray to You always: together with You, may Govinda recognize me as Yours. O Rādhā, sovereign of Vṛndāvana and flowing stream of the nectar of compassion, mercifully grant me service to Your lotus feet.”

Then distribute the Lord's remnants: offer mahā-prasāda nirmālya, drinking water, and prasāda betel to Śrī Guru; offer everything to all the sakhīs; and bow to Śrī Paurṇamāsī, all residents of Vraja, and all Vaiṣṇavas.

Before worship, when picking the required tulasī, pray: “O Tulasī, born from nectar and always dear to Keśava, I pick you for Keśava's sake. Beautiful bestower of boons, please be gracious.”

In Tulasī-pūjā, offer water, fragrance, flowers, and the other articles to Śrī Tulasī. Pray: “Long ago the gods brought you forth, and gods and asuras have worshipped you. O Tulasī, remove my ignorance, accept this worship, and receive my obeisance.”

Bow to Tulasī: “Simply seen, she pacifies the multitude of sins; simply touched, she purifies the body. Revered, she drives away disease; sprinkled with water, she frightens death itself. Planted for Bhagavān Kṛṣṇa, she brings one near Him; placed at His feet, she bestows the fruit of pure devotion. I bow to that Tulasī.”

After bowing to Tulasī, chant the Name upon a tulasī mālā, firmly established in knowledge of one's eternal relationship with the Lord. Taking Hari's Name requires no judgment of place, time, purity, or impurity. It is supremely auspicious and eternally true.

Then recite the mantra, drink Śrī Kṛṣṇa's caraṇāmṛta, and place it upon the head: “Having drunk the water from Kṛṣṇa's feet, which completely ends all affliction and grants pure devotion, I hold it upon my head.”

Next take a small amount of mahā-prasāda while reciting: “All sins weep, seekers of liberation sigh, and crying ‘Alas! Alas!’ they flee when one eats the food of Jagannātha.”

Then offer full prostrated obeisance. The eight limbs of praṇāma are the two arms, two feet, two knees, chest, head, sight, mind, and speech.

This completes the morning duties. In the evening, chant the root mantra, kāma-bīja, and kāma-gāyatrī sixteen times. Never eat food or drink that has not been offered to Śrī Bhagavān. Food that is wholesome, pure, and easily obtained is called sāttvika; food especially pleasing to the senses is rājasika; food that causes distress and is impure is tāmasika.

Observe the Ekādaśī and Harivāsara vows and similar practices as fully as possible. Never walk the path of spiritual harm. Abandonment of unholy association is Vaiṣṇava good conduct.

Thus ends the concise worship procedure.