by Shrila Gopala Bhatta Gosvami
Mangalacarana
At the beginning of the vivaha (wedding) ceremony (or any other samskara) one should perform mangalacarana. First one should make a platform (vedi) which should be four hands long (6ft)on both sides and four fists high (1ft) with a canopy over it. As stated in Kapila Pancaratra:
“One should build an auspicious platform on the best purified ground. It should be four hands square and four fists high, and should be made with pure mud and smeared with cow-dung mixed with pure water without any husk, bones, hairs, coal, or burned clay in it etc. The mandapa should be covered with a torana (canopy) or a rope that is decorated with many kinds of leaves like mango, bakula, jambu, etc. Then eight auspicious pots should be installed in the eight directions and many kinds of flags should be placed on top of them starting from the East. The pots should be decorated with five colors. Then the platform should be decorated with a candratapa (sign of a half moon) and garlands. Ladies should decorate the platform and doors with five kinds of colors. The auspicious mangalacarana should be recited in that place accompanied by the beating of drums, blowing of conchshells, ringing of bells etc. and mukhya vadya (uluing) of the women.”
Then one should recite the following mangalacarana prayers to remove all obstacles and invoke auspiciousness:
yam brahma vedanta-vido vadanti
pare pradhanam purusham tathanye
vishvad gateh karanam-ishvaram va
tasmai namo vighna-vinashanaya
“Obeisances unto Him who is the destroyer of all obstacles, who the knowers of Vedanta describe as the Supreme Brahman, and who others describe as the pradhana, or totality of mundane elements. Some describe Him as the Supreme Male Person, or Purusha, while others describe Him as the Supreme Lord and the cause of the creation of the universe.” (Brihad Vishnu Purana)
om tad vishnoh paramam padam
sada pashyanti surayah
diviva cakshur atatam
“Just as those with ordinary vision see the sun’s rays in the sky, so the wise and learned devotees always see the supreme abode of Lord Vishnu. Because those highly praiseworthy and spiritually awake brahmanas can see that abode, they can also reveal it to others.” (Sama Veda)
om krishno vai sac-cid-ananda-ghanah
krishna adi purushah
krishnah purushottamah
krishno ha u karmadi mulam
krishnah saha sarvai-karyah
krishna kasham krid-adisha mukha-prabhu-pujyah
krishno nadis-tasmin-ajandantar bahye
yam-mangalam tal-labhate kriti
“Lord Krishna is the color of a new rain-cloud, therefore He is compared to a transcendental cloud full of eternity, bliss and cognizance. He is the original and Supreme Person. He is the origin of all activities and the one and only Lord of all. He is the worshipful Lord of the best of demigods, the controller of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Krishna is without any beginning. Whatever auspiciousness is found within or beyond this universe the devotee obtains in Krishna alone.”(Krishnopanishad)
@Purusha Sukta (put new version)
om sahasra shirsha purushah sahasrakshah sahasrapat
sa bhumim vishvato vritva atyatishthad dasangulam //1//
om purusha evedagm sarvam yad bhutam yac-ca bhavyam
utamrita tva syeshanah yad annena tirohati //2//
om etavan-asya mahima ato jyayagmsh-ca purushah
pado ‘sya vishva bhutani tripad-asyamritam divi //3//
om tripad urdhva udait purushah pado ‘syeha ‘bhavat-punah
tato vishvan vyakramat sashana nashane abhi //4//
om tasmad-virad-ajayata virajo adhi purushah
sa jato ‘tyaricyata pashcad-bhumim-atho purah //5//
om yat purushena havisha deva yajnam-atanvata
vasanto asyasid ajyam grishma idhma-sharad-dhavih //6//
om saptasyasan-paridhayah trih sapta samidhah kritah
deva yad-yajnam tanvanah abadhnan-purusham pashum //7//
om tam yajnam barhishi praukshan purusham jatam-agratah
tena deva ayajanta sadhya rishayash-ca ye //8//
om tasmad-yajnat-sarva-hutah sambhritam prishad-ajyam
pashugms-tagmsh-cakre vayavyan aranyan-gramyash-ca ye //9//
om tasmad-yajnat-sarva-hutah ricah samani jajnire
chandagmsi jajnire tasmat yajus-tasmad-ajayata //10//
om tasmad-ashva ajayanta ye ke cobhaya-datah
gavo ha jajnire tasmat tasmaj-jata aja-vayah //11//
om yat purusham vyadadhuh katidha vyakalpayan
mukham kimasya kau bahu kavuru pada vucyete //12//
om brahmano ‘sya mukham-asit bahu rajanyah kritah
uru tadasya yad-vaisyah padbhyagm shudro ajayata //13//
om candrama manaso jatah cakshoh suryo ajayata
mukhad-indrash-cagnish-ca pranad-vayur-ajayata //14//
om nabhya asid-antariksham shirshno dhyauh samavartata
padbhyagm bhumir-dishah shrotrat tatha lokagm akalpayan //15//
om vedaham-etam purusham mahantam aditya-varnam
tamasastu-pare sarvani rupani vicitya dhirah namani kritva ‘bhivadan yadaste //16//
om dhata purastad-yamudajahara shakrah pravidvan-pradishash-catasrah
tamevam vidvan-amrita iha bhavati nanyah pantha ayanaya vidyate //17//
om yajnena yajnam-ayajanta devah tani dharmani
prathamany-asan te ha nakam mahimanah sacante yatra purve sadhyah santi devah //18//
1) “The Supreme Lord in the form of the universe, has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes and a thousand feet, for He contains all the living entities. Having pervaded the universe completely to give it existence, being independent, He extended Himself beyond it by ten fingers.
2) The universes, past, present and future, are but manifestations of the Supreme Lord who expands Himself as the Purusha. He is the Lord of immortality but has manifest Himself as the Purusha in the universe so that the jivas may enjoy material fruits.
3) The past, present and future universes are manifestations of the Lord’s powers, but the Lord Himself is much greater. The material creation is but one quarter portion, and the eternal nature in the spiritual sky exists in three quarters portion.
4) The three quarters portion of the Lord transcended the material portion. The Lord in the one quarter portion manifested the universe again, as He had done repeatedly before. The Lord of the one quarter portion began the work of creation, by going all around, taking the form of all animate and inanimate objects.
5) From that Lord, the virat or universe was born, and in that the Virat Purusha, Paramatma of the universe, was born. Having appeared, the Virat Purusha grew, and produced the earth and the bodies of the jivas.
6) The devas, being the first beings manifested, performed a mental sacrifice to complete the creation, using the Virat Purusha (the totality of ingredients of the material world), as the offering. Spring was the ghee, summer was the fuel wood and autumn was the offering.
7) In this sacrifice, the kusha grass blades strewn around the fire (for protection from rakshasas), were seven (the seven vedic poetic metres), and the fuel sticks were twenty one (12 months, 6 seasons and the 3 worlds). The devas who were performing the mental sacrifice tied the Virat Purusha to offer Him into the fire, just as one would tie the sacrificial animal.
8) The devas, sadhyas and rishis, placed the Virat Purusha, the first being of the universe, on kusha and sprinkled Him with water for purification. In this way they conducted the mental sacrifice using the Virat Purusha.
9) From that sacrifice where everything in the universe was sacrificed, yogurt and ghee (all nourishing foods), were produced. It created the animals of the air, forest, and village.
10) From that ultimate sacrifice or “sarva hut”, the Rik (hymns), Sama (musical) and Yajus (prose) portions of the Vedas, and the seven Vedic metres, were born.
11) From the sacrifice horses were born, and animals with two sets of teeth such as donkeys and mules. From the sacrifice, cows were born, and likewise goats and sheep.
12) In the mental sacrifice, when they divided up the Virat Purusha, how many parts did they divide? What is stated about His face, His arms, His thighs and feet?
13) From the face came the brahmanas. From the two arms the kshatriyas came into being. From the thighs of the Virat Purusha came the vaishyas and from His feet the shudras were born.
14) The moon was born from His mind, the sun was born from His two eyes. From His mouth were born Indra and Agni, and from His breath Vayu was born.
15) From His navel came the antariksha (space between earth and heaven). From His head the heavens arose. From His feet the earth arose and from His ears arose the directions. In this way the worlds were created.
16) I know that great Virat Purusha, effulgent as the sun, who stands beyond the darkness of the material creation. Having given all the living entities their forms and names, He directs their affairs.
17) Brahma explained his realization to Indra. Indra, who knows all the living entities in all four directions, explained it to all others. One who knows the nature of the Virat Purusha becomes immortal even in his life on earth. There is no other path to reach the goal of immortality.
18) In this way the devas conducted the mental sacrifice using the Virat Purusha to manifest variety in the world. By that sacrifice, both the physical laws of nature and the first spiritual codes of conduct arose. The great souls by similar mental worship attain the place of immortality where the sadhyas and devas, the first worshippers, now dwell”.
