Purification Prayer
May my speech be purified.
May my sense of smell be purified.
May my sight be purified.
May my hearing be purified.
May what I consume be purified.
May my heart be purified.
May my thoughts be purified.
May my actions be purified.
Whether pure or impure
In whatever state one may be
If one remembers the Lord
One becomes pure both inside and out.
As with eyes wide open, one sees the sky
So the seers see always the Supreme Truth,
God, the all pervading existence.
May we know that Truth.
May that glorious Truth manifest in the hearts of people
everywhere. May mutual love, harmony
and peace pervade the entire world.
May this worship bestow health,
happiness and fulfillment.
to one and all.
1. Puja Instructions
Sit facing east or north, and do japa 108 times. If you do pūjā immediately after your morning meditation, the japa can be skipped. Ācamana: pour a drop of water on the palm of your right hand and sip it gently, chanting Oṁ viṣṇu. Do this three times. Wash your hands, and chant with folded hands: Oṁ tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padaṁ sadā paśyanti sūrayaḥ, divīva cakṣur-ātatam. Whenever I remember God with faith and devotion, I at once become pure internally and externally.
Prārthanā: With folded hands, chant: “May all beings be happy. May all be healthy. May all experience what is good. May there be no pain and suffering in the world. May everyone benefit from this worship.” Pray for your family and friends, especially for those who are passing through a difficult period.
Prayer for Calmness: “God, you are Purity; fill me with purity. You are Energy; fill me with energy. You are Strength; fill me with strength. You are Spiritual Power; fill me with spiritual power.” Wash the cup, uttering phaṭ, and fill it with water. Touching the cup, chant: May the holy waters of the Gaṅgā and other rivers fill this cup with power and sanctity.
2. Protection and Purification
Guarding of the Door: Sprinkle water toward the door, saying Oṁ dvāra-devatābhyo namaḥ. Pour a spoonful of water in the pūjā plate, saying Oṁ brahmaṇe namaḥ. Another spoonful with: Oṁ vāstu-puruṣaya namaḥ.
Purification of the Ground: Take a little water in the right palm and empty it on the ground in front of you, chanting: Oṁ rakṣa rakṣa hūṁ phaṭ svāhā.
Purification of the Seat: Draw a triangle with the right ring finger dipped in water near your seat and then say with folded hands: O Mother Earth, you support all life and, in turn, are supported by the Supreme Being. Please purify this seat and support me always.
Salutation to the Spiritual Lineage: Mentally prostrate before your guru. With folded palms near the left ear, say: Aiṁ gurubhyo namaḥ. Raising the palm to a higher level, Aiṁ parama-gurubhyo namaḥ. Still higher, Aiṁ parātpara-gurubhyo namaḥ. Still higher, Aiṁ parameṣṭhi-gurubhyo namaḥ. With folded palms near your right ear, Oṁ gaṇeśāya namaḥ. With folded palms, near the heart: Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ.
Purification of the Flowers: Sprinkle water on the flowers, saying: Oṁ śatābhiṣeka hūṁ phaṭ svāhā. Touching the flowers with your right hand, say Oṁ. May these flowers be purified for worship. Hūṁ phaṭ svāhā.
Removal of Obstacles:
Look above, uttering the pūjā mantra: Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ. With the index finger and middle finger of the right hand joined together, clap on the left palm three times at different levels, one higher than the other, uttering phaṭ. Snap the tip of the right index finger against the thumb eight times overhead, along the eight directions, starting from the east. End with doing the same in the downward and upward directions as well. With each snapping, say phaṭ.
Uttering phaṭ strike the ground three times gently with the left heel.
Take a small quantity of water in the right hand, throw it upward, saying: astrāya phaṭ.
Purification of the Pūjā Articles: Sprinkle water three times on all the pūjā articles, sayingOṁ aiṁ phaṭ.
Purification of the Mantra: Repeat, aṁ aiṁ aṁ, kaṁ aiṁ kaṁ, caṁ aiṁ caṁ, ṭaṁ aiṁ ṭaṁ, taṁ aiṁ taṁ, paṁ aiṁ paṁ, yaṁ aiṁ yaṁ, śaṁ aiṁ śaṁ.
Raising a Wall of Light: Uttering raṁ springle water around you in a circle, and visualize yourself as surrounded by a wall of Light, protecting you from all obstacles.
Protecting the Body: Chanting Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ, pass both of your hands over your body, from head to foot. Then, placing the right palm over the heart, say: Oṁ durge durge rakṣiṇi svāhā. Oṁ āṁ hūm phaṭ svāhā.
Praṇāyāma: Do a brief practice (4-16-8), once (or thrice) through each nostril. Repeat Oṁ to keep count.
3. Divinization
Purification of the Elements: Close your eyes and repeat, as you visualize: Through the path of the suṣumnā, I join my Self with the Supreme Self in the crown of my head. Oṁ yaṁ,may my subtle body be freed from worldly tendencies. Oṁ raṁ, may my subtle body be burnt of all impurities. With the pure elements bathed in the light of consciousness, may a new subtle body be created for me. Oṁ. So’haṁ haṁsaḥ svāhā.
Total Consecration: Gently pass both hands over the body, from head to foot, and back again from foot to head, uttering āṁ hūṁ phaṭ svāhā, visualizing that through this your body, speech and mind are being purified.
Consecration of the Self: In order to install the Deity in your newly created divine body, touch the heart and say: May I be filled with the prāṇa of Sri Ramakrishna. May I be filled with the life of Sri Ramakrishna. May I be filled with the senses of Sri Ramakrishna. May the entire being of Sri Ramakrishna fill my own being. Visualize yourself as being filled with the presence of Sri Ramakrishna.
4. Preliminary Worship
Offering a flower (dipped in sandal paste, if possible), or water, in the pūjā plate in front of you, worship:
Guru: Oṁ aiṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to my Guru
Ganeśa: Oṁ gaṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to Ganeśa
Śiva: Oṁ namaḥ Ṡivāya, I offer this flower (or water) to Śiva
Sūrya: Oṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to Sūrya
Nārāyaṇa: Oṁ namo Nārāyaṇāya, I offer this flower (or water) to Nārāyaṇa
Durgā: Oṁ hrīm, I offer this flower (or water) to the divine mother Durgā
Oṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to all other forms of the divine
Oṁ, I offer this flower (or water) to all the prophets and incarnations
5. Main Worship
Meditation: Holding a flower between the palms of your hands, meditate on Sri Ramakrishna:
Nirañjanaṁ nityaṁ anantarūpaṁ, bhaktānukampā dhṛta-vigrahaṁ vai;
Īśāvatāraṁ parameśamīḍyam, taṁ rāmakṛṣṇam śirasā namāmi.
“I bow down at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna who is pure and eternal, who has infinite aspects, who has taken a form out of compassion for devotees, who is supremely divine, and who is God Incarnate.”
Transfer the divine presence of Sri Ramakrishna from your heart into the flower and place the flower in the pūjā plate in front of you.
Mental Worship: Worship Sri Ramakrishna mentally. Chant: “You are my own Self. My mind is the Divine Mother. My prāṇa are your companions and my body is your temple. My enjoyments I regard as offerings to you. My sleep is a form of absorption in you. My walking is like walking around you. My words are prayers offered to you. Whatever I think, say, or do, may be a form of worship to you.”
Offerings:
Sandal paste: I offer this sandal paste to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ.
Flower: I offer this flower to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Incense: I offer this incense to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Light: I offer this light to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Food: I offer this naivedya to Sri Ramakrishna. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Worship of Holy Mother: I offer this flower to Sri Sarada Devi. Oṁ aiṁ hrīm, sarva-deva-devī-svarūpiṇyai śrī sāradā-devyai namaḥ
Worship of Swami Vivekananda: I offer this flower to Swami Vivekananda. Oṁ aiṁ, svāmi vivekānandāya namaḥ
6. Conclusion
Flower Offering: Offer a few flowers in the pūjā plate, saying I offer these flowers at the feet of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother, and his disciples. Oṁ aiṁ sarva-deva-devī-svarūpāya śrī rāmakṛṣṇāya namaḥ
Visualize that the divine presence of Sri Ramakrishna is now withdrawn back into your heart, and remember that it will remain with you throughout the day. With that awareness, prostrate before the altar and chant: “Under the influence of my impulses of vital energy, the mind and the body, whatever I have done in the states of waking, dream and deep sleep, in thought, word and deed, may all these be offered to Brahman. Oṁ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ. Śrī rāmakṛṣṇārpaṇam astu.”
If possible, read a few lines from a sacred text before cleaning your worship space and beginning your chores for the day.
