Waking and preparing for worship

Rise up and fold up your bedding

The Hari-bhakti-vilasa recommends several verses you may chant upon awakening to glorify the Lord and counteract bad dreams. The following verse, spoken by Sukadeva Gosvami, is a favorite of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu’s followers:

jayati jana-nivaso devaki-janma-vado
yadu-vara-parishat svair dorbhir asyann adharmam
sthira-cara-vrijina-ghnah susmita-sri-mukhena
vraja-pura-vanitanam vardhayan kama-devam

Lord Sri Krishna is He who is known as Jana-nivasa, the ultimate resort of all living entities, and who is also known as Devaki-nandana or Yasoda-nandana, the son of Devaki and Yasoda. He is the guide of the Yadu dynasty, and with His mighty arms He kills everything inauspicious, as well as every man who is impious. By His presence He destroys all things inauspicious for all living entities, moving and inert. His blissful smiling face always increases the lusty desires of the gopis of Vrindavana. May He be all glorious and happy!

Bathing and dressing

• If you need to pass urine or stool, do so now with your brahmana thread (upavita) wrapped around your right ear and then clean yourself (sauca).
• Brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, and rinse your mouth. If you plan to shave, do it now, before bathing.
• When starting to bathe, you may recite the following mantra:

(om) apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato ‘pi va
yah smaret pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah sucih

“Whether pure or impure, or having passed through all conditions of material life, one who remembers lotus-eyed Krishna becomes externally and internally clean.

• After drying yourself, rinse the towel or gamcha you used.
• Tie your sikha, put on clean clothes

Applying tilaka

Mix gopi-candana in your left palm with a little water until a smooth paste is formed; then, while applying tilaka and clearing the middle space, chant the name of the appropriate form of the Lord.

Gayatri japa

While sitting or standing on an asana, chant the gayatri mantras.

Waking the deities

Waking the Lord

Offer obeisances to your spiritual master outside the deity room, saying his pranama prayer(s), and pray for his permission to assist him in the worship of the Lord:

nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate [spiritual master’s name] iti namine

I offer my respectful obeisances unto [spiritual master’s name], who is very dear to Lord Krishna, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

• Wash your hands with a few drops of water from the acamana cup.
• While ringing a bell just outside the deity room, chant the following verses, meditating on the Lord awakening and begging Him to bestow His mercy:

The Lord, who is supreme and is the oldest of all, is unlimitedly merciful. I wish that He may smilingly bestow His benediction upon me by opening His lotus eyes. He can uplift the entire cosmic creation and remove our dejection by kindly speaking His directions.

deva prapannarti-hara prasadam kuru kesava
avalokana-danena bhuyo mam parayacyuta

O Kesava, O infallible Lord, O You who remove the distress of the surrendered souls! Please bestow Your mercy upon me by again awarding me Your transcendental glance.

jaya jaya kripamaya jagatera natha
sarva jagatere koro subha-drishti-pata

All glories, all glories to the merciful Lord of the universe! O Lord, please cast Your auspicious glance upon all the worlds.

Entering the deity room

• Before entering the deity room, draw the Lord’s attention by making a sound, either by ringing a bell, knocking on the deity room door, or clapping your hands.
• Open the door and chant the names of the deities in a festive mood.
• Then enter the deity room with your right foot first.
• Turn on the lights. If there are lamps light them now.
• Place your spiritual master’s picture on the altar next to the pictures of the guru parampara, on Srila Prabhupada’s right or on a table in front of the altar.

Waking the spiritual master and the deities

The following mantras are for waking Gaura-Nitai, Jagannatha, Baladeva, Subhadra, and Radha-Krishna.

If there are only large deities, meditate on waking Them and leading Them from Their beds to the altar.

While ringing a small bell with your left hand, approach your spiritual master’s picture, gently touch his lotus feet with the fingertips of your right hand, and request him to rise from bed with the following mantra:

uttishthottishtha sri-guro tyaja nidram kripa-maya

O all-merciful spiritual master, please rise from bed.

Next meditate on moving your spiritual master’s shoes from his bed to the altar (simhasana) while meditating that he is rising from bed to receive your services.

Follow the same procedure for waking the deities:

Approach Lord Nityananda’s bed, gently touch His lotus feet, and request Him to rise:

uttishtha jahnavesvara yoga-nidram tyaja prabho
namno hatte divya-namam su-sraddhartham vitarasi

O Nityananda, Lord of Jahnava, please arise and give up Your divine sleep. At the marketplace of the holy name You distribute the divine name, asking only for one’s faith as payment.

Approach Lord Caitanya’s bed, gently touch His lotus feet, and request Him to rise:

uttishthottishtha gauranga jahi nidram mahaprabho
subha-drishti-pradanena trailokya-mangalam kuru

O Lord Gauranga, please rise from sleep and bless the three worlds with Your auspicious glance.

Next approach the bed of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, and Srimati Subhadra, gently touch Their lotus feet, and request Them to rise:

tyaja nidram jagannatha sri-baladevottishtha ca
jagan-matar ca subhadre uttishthottishtha subha-de

O Lord Jagannatha and Lord Baladeva, please give up your sleep and arise. O Srimati Subhadra, O bestower of good fortune, O mother of the universe, please arise.

Then approach Radha’s and Krishna’s bed, gently touch Their lotus feet, and request Them to rise:

go-gopa-gokulananda yasoda-nanda-vardhana
uttishtha radhaya sardham pratar asij jagatpate

O master of the universes, O bliss of Gokula, the cowherds, and the cows, O You who gladden the hearts of Yasoda and Nanda, please rise from bed with Sri Radhika, for morning has come.

Place any small deities that are in bed back on the altar.

Replace any crowns, turbans, or chadars, or veils that are part of the deities’ nightdress.

After removing any remaining flowers and garlands from the previous day, clean the deity room floor and then wash your hands.

Putting the Lord to rest

The following items are required to put the Lord to rest:

• a small bell on a plate
• a panca-patra
• containing samanya-arghya water
• a padya container with water
• the Deities’ beds
• the Deities’ nightclothes
• cloths for wiping off tilaka decorations
• flower petals
• bowls with condensed milk for each Deity
• cups of water for each Deity
• tambula.

During the afternoon (immediately after the raja-bhoga–arati) and at night (after the sayana-arati), put the Deities to rest. In the afternoon you need not offer the padya, condensed milk, drinking water, tambula, or puspanjali, but you should remove the crowns and garlands (at least from the small Deities, who should be placed into beds). At night, change the Deities’ clothing.

If there are only large Deities, offer Them small beds, escorting Them to the beds by meditation, and offer Them services, just as you would offer to small Deities. Alternatively, if salagrama-sila is present, you may perform sayana-seva for Him on behalf of the large Deities, placing Him in a bed.

Outside the Deity room, perform acamana and offer obeisances to your spiritual master. Then take the items for sayana-seva into the Deity room, such as tambula, flowers, the Deities’ plates with condensed milk, and cups of water for each Deity. The padya–patra and visarjaniya-patra should already be in the Deity room.

Place each Deity’s bed before or beside the altar – either on the floor or on a low table. (If there are mosquitos or flies in the Deity room, put mosquito netting around the beds.) You should fluff out the bedding, and you may place flower petals in the bed, either physically or by meditation.

Sit on an asana and meditate that you are sitting at the feet of the main Deities, ready to offer Them various services. At night remove any garlands, jewelry, and outer clothing (leaving the undergarments on), wipe off tilaka decorations with a slightly damp cloth, and dress Their Lordships in night garments.

Then invite Their Lordships to take rest by chanting the following mantra (for Radha-Krsna) and offering Them your hand:

agaccha sayana-sthanam priyabhih saha kesava
divya-puspatya-sayyayam sukham vihara madhava

Now come, O Kesava, along with Your beloved Srimati Radharani and Her friends, to the bed covered with transcendental, aromatic flowers. Now happily enjoy Your pastimes, O Madhava.

Bring Their Lordships’ shoes from the altar to the bed, thinking that you are escorting the Deities to Their resting place. Place the shoes next to the bed on a small mat or pillow; then bring Their Lordships to Their bed. (It is best to first place the Deities on a low table next to the bed for receiving the following items of worship. If this is not possible, make the necessary adjustments by meditation.)

Sit before Their Lordships and offer the following items while ringing a bell with the left hand and chanting the appropriate mantras:

Chant etat padyam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer padya water to wash Their Lordships’ lotus feet.

Chant idam acamaniyam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer Their Lordships water for sipping.

Chant idam ghana-dugdham and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer Their Lordships sweet condensed milk.

Chant idam paniyam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer water to Their Lordships.

Chant idam hasta-mukha-praksalanam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer water for cleaning Their Lordships’ hands and faces.

Chant esa puspanjalih and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer flowers to Their Lordships’ lotus feet.

Now place Their Lordships into the bed and chant idam tambulam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer tambula to Their Lordships, then massage Their lotus feet.

Then cover Them with bedding appropriate to the room temperature. Place Krsna’s flute under His pillow.

Follow the same procedure when putting Krsna and Balarama, Lord Jagannatha, Lord Caitanya, and Lord Nityananda to rest, substituting the appropriate mula-mantras and sayana-mantras:

For Krsna-Balarama chant the following verse:

sayyam agacchatam krsna yasodananda-vardhana
sayyam agacchatam rama patitam mam dayam kuru

O Krsna, O source of Mother Yasoda’s happiness, now please come to Your bed. O Lord Balarama, please come to Your bed and bestow Your mercy upon me, who am lowly and fallen.

For Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, and Srimati Subhadra chant the following prayer:

agaccha sayana-sthanam agrajena hy adhoksaja
agaccha nija-sayyam ca subhadre me dayam kuru

O Lord Jagannatha, if You please, You and Your elder brother Balarama may now come to Your beds. O Mother Subhadra, please come to your resting place and kindly bestow your mercy upon me.

For Lord Gauranga, chant the following verse:

agaccha visrama-sthanam sva-ganaih saha gauranga
ksanam visramya sukhena lilaya vihara prabho

O Lord Gauranga, please come to Your resting place along with Your associates. O Lord, rest comfortably for a moment, enjoying Your pastimes.

Then chant this prayer to Lord Nityananda:

agaccha sayana-sthanam nityananda jagad-guro
tava rupe maha-visnor anante sayanam kuru

O spiritual master of the universe, Lord Nityananda, please come to Your place of rest. In Your form of Maha-Visnu, please rest upon the thousand-headed serpent known as Sesa.

Then you may chant the following prayers:

sadhu vasadhu va karma yad yad acaritam maya
tat sarvam bhagavan visno grhanaradhanam param
apam samipe sayanasane grhe
diva ca ratrau ca yatha ca gacchata
yad asti kincit sukrtam krtam maya
janardanas tena krtena tusyatu

O Lord, please accept all I have done, whether complete or incomplete, as if it were the best kind of worship. O Lord Janardana, if I have performed any pious deeds, please be satisfied with what I have done during the day or night, while sitting or moving, in the house or outside.

Follow the same procedure for putting your spiritual master to rest, with the guru-mula-mantra, and then chant:

agaccha sayana-sthanam sva-ganaih saha sri-guro

O spiritual master, please come to your resting place, along with all your associates.

For other Deities chant:

agaccha sayana-sthanam sva-ganaih saha and the name of the Deity.

Put out the lamps, quietly leave the room, lock the door, and offer pranamas to your spiritual master and all Their Lordships. At night the pujari or an assistant should carefully put the Deities’ jewelry, decorations, and clothes in their proper storage places, respecting them as the Lord’s