COMMUNICATION WITH GOD (The Daily Puja Ceremony in the Jagannatha Temple)

The work for the first time presents in a very detailed manner the various rites forming the daily Puja ceremony of one of the most famous and important temples of the Hindus, namely that of Jagannatha at Puri. The study is based on a large number of authentic palm-leaf author in Orissa, substantiated by his personal observation and information acquired from the temple functionaries. It is a well-known fact that the study of Hindu temple rituals has not yet been taken up so extensively and seriously as that of the Vedic rituals. This work seeks to fill up this desirable gap and is a significant contribution to the study of the process of formation of the medieval Hinduism and its gradual development.

The rite of the Hindu Puja is basically a very subtle and sublime spiritual phenomenon in which the worshipper, in the course of meditation, first dissolves his mundane body to create a divine body for himself, identical in nature with that of his Deity. Thereafter, visualizing the tejas of the Deity in his heart through concentrated mediation upon His/Her form, he transfers this divine effulgence into the image for the time being in order to achieve a subject-object relationship with the Deity, who is identical with the self, and starts communication with his God from the same elevated plane.

An analysis of the Puja ritual of a deity not only sheds light on the primeval concept and the character of that deity, but also reflects changes, which he or she has undergone from time to time. The study, consequently, brings to light the various streams of religious practices and philosophical thoughts which have gone into making of the phenomenon which is now, commonly known as the 'cult of Jagannatha' representing the Orissan form of theistic Visnuism.

About the Author:

Prof. Gaya Charan Tripathi, born at Agra in 1939 in a family of traditional Sanskrit scholars; studied at Agra, Moradabad, Pune, Varanasi, Freiburg; M.A. Sanskrit, Agra 1959; Ph.D. on Vedic deities, Agra 1962; German Academic Exchange Service Fellow to the University of Freiburg 1962-66; Dr. Phil. Freiburg, 1966; D. Litt. in Ancient Indian History, Allahabad 1986.

Taught at the Universities of Freilburg (twice), Aligarh, Udaipur; Principal, G.N. Jha Research Institute (Kendriya Sanskrit Vidya-pitha), Allahabad 1977-2001; Visiting Professor to the Universities of Heidelberg, Tubingen (twice), British Columbiaof Vancouver (twice), Berlin, Leipzig. Presently Professor at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts and Head of its Kalakosha Division.

Publications: 20 books and 80 research articles in Hindi, Sanskrit, English and German. Fields of specialization: Vedic studies, Puranic literature, Agama, Sahitya, Manuscriptology.

Preface
Abbreviation

1. The Sthala-mahatmyas
   1.0    Introduction
   1.1    Purusottama-mahatmya of the Skanda-Purana
   1.2    Purusottama-mahatmya of the Brahma-Purana
   1.3    Purusottama-mahatmya of the Narada-Purana
   1.4    The Mahapurusavidya
   1.5    Purusottama-mahatmya of the Padma-Purana
   

2. Manuscripts Bearing on the Puja of Jagannatha
   2.1     Gopalarcana-vidhi (GAV)
   2.2     Niladrinathasya Pujavidhi (NNP)
   2.3     Gopalarcana-paddhati of Vasudeva (GAP)
   2.4     Niladrimahodaya (NM)
   2.5     Vamadeva-samhita (VS)
   2.6     Surisarvasva (SS)
   2.7     Nilacalesarcana-candrika (NAC) of Sadasiva
   2.8     The Astadasaksaramantra-paddhatis (AMP)
   

3. Preparations and Preliminaries
   3.1     The Deities
   3.2     Nature and Frequency of Puja
   3.3     Offerings of Food During the Puja
   3.4     Rites Preceding the Puja
   3.5     The Worshippers
   3.6     Qualifications of a Temple Worshipper
   3.7     Purificatory Rites of a Temple Worshipper
   3.8     Purificatory Rites at the Temple Gate
   3.9     Entrance into the Temple and the Worship of Kalaratri
   3.10    Taking Seat on the 'Jewel-Platform'
   3.11    Removal of Obstacles (Vighnotsarana)
   3.12    Seeking Permission from Bhairava
   3.13    Ringing of Bell and the Beginning of Puja
   3.14    Arrangement of the Articles to be Used in Puja
   

4. Ritual Purification of the Self
   4.1     Samanyarghya-vidhi
   4.2     Asana-suddhi (Purification of the Seat)
   4.3     Bhutasuddhi (Purification of the Elements of the Body)
   4.4     Pranapratistha (Establishment of the Vital Breaths)
   4.5     Karasuddhi
   4.6     Pranayama
   4.7     Matrkanyasa
   

5. Deification of the Self
   5.1     Kesavadinyasa
   5.2     Tattvanyasa
   5.3     Pranayama
   5.4     Bhavanacatustaya
   5.5     Mantranyasa
   5.6     Murtipanjaranyasa
   

6. Internal Worship (Antaryaga) of the Deity
   6.1     Karanyasa/Anganyasa with the Astra-mantra and Digbandhana
   6.2     Meditation Upon the Deity
   6.3     Feeling of Oneness with the Deity
   6.4     Abstract Offerings of Arghya and Upacaras, etc. of the Deity
   6.5     Abstract Fire-sacrifice
   6.6     Concluding Rites of the Internal Worship
   6.7     Arghya-samskara (Visesarghya-vidhi)
   6.8     Upacara-samskara (Sanctification of the Upacaras)
   6.9     Atmapuja (Worship of the Self)
   6.10    Suddhitraya (The Purification of the Worshipper, the Mantra and the Deity)

7. Realisation of the Deity and Her External Worship
   7.1     Seeking Permission from the Deity to Start with Her External Worship
   7.2     Devatapithapuja
   7.3     Invocation of the Deity
   7.4     Rites Following the Invocation : The 'Establishment', etc. of the Deity
   7.5     Pranapratistha : Investing the Deity with Vital Breaths
   7.6     Nyasas on the 'Body' of the Deity
   7.7     Showing of the Sixteen "Nija-mudras" of the Deity
   7.8     Offering of Upacaras
   7.9     Offering of Flowers to the Deity with the Mantra-syllables : The Five Puspanjalis
   7.10    Avaranapuja
   7.11    Continuation of the Offering of Upacaras
   7.12    Candanaivedya (or the Bahyabali)

8. Concluding Rites and Bidding Farewell to the Deity
   8.1     Prasannarca
   8.2     Aratrikam : Main Lustration
   8.3     Vandana (Obeisance) : The Last of the Upacaras
   8.4     Rajopacaras : The Upacaras Symbolising Royal Power
   8.5     Brahmarpana (and Atmasamarpana)
   8.6     Hinapuranaka : Making Good of Shortcomings
   8.7     Udvasana : 'Displacement', i.e. Bidding Farewell to the Deity
   8.8     Nirmalyagrahana and Prasadasevana, etc.
   8.9     Rajasirvada : Benediction to the King
   8.10    Pradaksina and Pranama : Circumambulation and Prostration

1. The Mode of Worship of Balabhadra, Subhadra and other Minor Deities
2. Special Features of the Puja of Jagannatha
3. Philosophical Background of the Puja
4. The Sanskrit Text of the Gapalarcanapaddhati of Vasudeva

Line Drawings of the Mudras Described in the Text
Bibliography
Index

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