Śrī Viparīta Pratyaṅgirā Yantra Āvaraṇa Pūja Homam

Prologue :-

All tantra sādhanas involve the worship of the deity, through the form of a yantra (maṇḍala). The yantras are sacred geometric diagrams, that are deemed to represent the japa sādhana deity, at the very centre, covered by other deities. The deities of the coverings (āvaraṇa-s), are usually at the corners or centres, of intersecting geometric figures. Worshipping the āvaraṇa deities helps unlock the power of the mantra as well as that of the main deity. It is therefore considered as an essential part of mantra sādhana and is recommended to be worshipped on a daily basis, if time permits. An alternate to āvaraṇa pūja, is the Khaḍgamālā stotram.

The pīṭha (pedestal) and āvaraṇa pūja-s are performed during the mantra japa, after the dhyāna (meditation) verse. The pūjas are for worshipping the yantra of Śrī Pratyaṅgirā Devi, to bestow Her grace on the mantra japa and sādhana. Pīṭha represents the table or stool, upon which the yantra is placed. Usually, the yantra is placed on a red or yellow cloth.

It is very important to note, that the directions mentioned on yantras related to tantra sādhana, are not necessarily the same as their geographical equivalents. In tantra, the directions for deities, can be different from the geographical notation and it also varies by the gender of the deity. In general, For male deities, the East direction is the geophraphical South; and for female deities, it’s the geographical North. For śrī vidyā related deities, the East is usually on the geographical north. One may choose to sit facing the geographical East direction, so that the East end of the yantra is facing away from the devotee. This puja has been documented with this assumption.

Please follow the enumerated corners in the yantra, for each of the āvaraṇa deities. The pīṭha devatās are not represented on the yantra, since the yantra itself is placed on the pīṭha. We need to establish the proper vessels called kalaśa-s, invoke Lord Varuṇa and establish the Viśeṣa arghya vessel, prior to the start of the āvaraṇa pūja. Following which, the pīṭha devatās are worshipped and established on the pedestal first. One must imagine the pīṭha to be divided into various segments to accommodate the enlisted deities. Following the worship of the pīṭha devatās, one must worship the three maṇḍala-s of Agni/Fire, Sūrya/Sun and Candra/Moon. These maṇḍala-s should be imagined to be at the top of the pīṭha and through their worship, the place where the yantra will be placed, is further sanctified and energized. Following the maṇḍala-s, the pīṭha śakti-s are invoked to grant various types of victories to the devotee, worshipping the yantra. Finally, the yantra is placed on the pedestal (pīṭha) and the life-infusing prāṇapratiṣṭhā mantras are invoked to energize the yantra. After which, the dhyāna shloka is recited and the āvaraṇa pūja begins. It is to be noted that the pedestal worship and the life-infusing ritual are a one-time activity and need not be performed on a regular basis.

Before starting the pūja, ensure that you have a brass plate, some water in a jug or a container, as well as a disposable container for the water. Vessels for Kāraṇa kalaśa, sāmānya arghya and viśeṣa arghya. For viśeṣa kalaśa, a uttaraṇi (this is like a small spoon, but with more depth to hold water and is always placed inside pañcapātra, which is like a round mug). For sāmānya arghya, a conch with a base (ideally in the form of a tortoise) is required. For viśeṣa arghya another pañcapātra, preferably in silver or copper is required. A tweezer is also required and this tweezer should be either made of silver or copper. This is meant to perform tarpaṇa. Instead of a tweezer, a thin silver rod is used with spikes on one side and a very small uttaraṇi like structure which can hold one or two drops of viśeṣa arghya can also be used. Keep some flower petals, kuṅkum (red powder), clarified butter or ghee, a clean cloth and some unbroken rice (akṣata-s) ready as well. A spoon (uddharaṇi), should be handy for the tarpaṇa. This should be done in the similar manner as the śrī cakra āvaraṇa pūja. The flower petals can be placed from the left hand and the tarpaṇa from the right hand. A cut piece of ginger is required for the tarpaṇa process. Some fragrance, oil, incense, lamps should also be kept available. Food offerrings such as meat, wine, fish etc. (pañcamakara) or their substitutes should be kept ready as well. Internal worship can also be done by those, who’re unable to perform in a ritualistic manner. Atleast one lamp can be lit and incense shown to the deity as part of the puja ritual.

Śrī Pratyaṅgirā Devi Homam is a fire ritual that is often employed when facing insurmountable challenges, black magic and severe enmity from opponents. This ritual employs using red chillies to help get rid of enemies and all negativities.

Both homam and āvaraṇa pūja can be done separately. Mantra japa combined with āvaraṇa pūja fetches quick results. Homam combined with āvaraṇa pūja is also the best way of performing the ritual to get maximum benefits. One must consider it, if initiated into Her mantras.

For the homam, the following mūla mantra has been given as an example. One should use the mantra they are initiated into, for both the āvaraṇa pūja and homam.

om̐ hūm̐ hrīm̐ klīm̐ aim̐ viparītapratyaṅgirāyai svāhā ।

ॐ हूँ ह्रीँ क्लीँ ऐँ विपरीतप्रत्यङ्गिरायै स्वाहा ।

OR

om̐ aim̐ hrīm̐ śrīm̐ pratyaṅgire mama rakṣa rakṣa mama śatrūn bhañjaya bhañjaya phrem̐ hum̐ phaṭ svāhā ।

ॐ ऐँ ह्रीँ श्रीँ प्रत्यङ्गिरे मम रक्ष रक्ष मम शत्रून् भञ्जय भञ्जय फ्रेँ हुँ फट् स्वाहा ।

OR

om̐ hrīm̐ kṣam̐ bhakṣa jvālā jihve karāla-daṃṣtre pratyaṅgire kṣam̐ hrīm̐ hum̐ phaṭ ।

ॐ ह्रीँ क्षँ भक्ष ज्वाला जिह्वे करालदंष्त्रे प्रत्यङ्गिरे क्षँ ह्रीँ हुं फट् ।

We start with the āvaraṇa pūja and then proceed to homam. Some common bIja mantras used in the document are described here –

At the very beginning, worshipping of Lord Gaṇeśa is mandated, to help us gain success in all our undertakings, that includes this ritual as well.

1. Gaṇapati stuti (गणपति स्तुति)

śuklāṃbaradaraṃ viṣṇuṃ śaśi-varṇaṃ catur-bhujaṃ ।

prasanna-vadanaṃ dhyāyet sarva-vighnopa śāntaye ॥

शुक्लांबरदरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजं ।

प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोप शान्तये ॥

Let us meditate on Lord Viṣṇu clad in white with four arms, dispelling all obstacles with a smiling demeanor. He is Lord Gaṇapati, the remover of all obstacles.

2.Śrī Pratyaṅgirā Mātṛkā Nyāsaḥ (श्री प्रत्यङ्गिरा मातृका न्यासः) -

A.Viniyogaḥ (विनियोगः)-

om̐ asya śrī antar mātṛkā nyāsasya

brahmā ṛṣiḥ ।

gāyatrī chandaḥ ।

śrī mātṛkā sarasvatī devatā ।

hlo bījāni ।

svarāḥ śaktayḥ ।

avyaktam kīlakam ।

mama śrī pratyaṅgirātvena nyāse viniyogaḥ ॥

ॐ अस्य श्री अन्तर् मातृका न्यासस्य

ब्रह्मा ऋषिः ।

गायत्री छन्दः ।

श्री मातृका सरस्वती देवता ।

ह्लो बीजानि ।

स्वराः शक्तय्ः ।

अव्यक्तम् कीलकम् ।

मम श्री प्रत्यङ्गिरात्वेन न्यासे विनियोगः ॥

B.Ṛṣyādi nyāsa ( ऋष्यादि न्यास ) :-

C.Kara nyāsaḥ ( कर न्यासः ) :-

D.Hṛdaya nyāsaḥ ( हृदय न्यासः ) :-

bhūr-bhuva-ssuvarom-iti digbandhaḥ ॥

भूर्भुवस्सुवरोमिति दिग्बन्धः॥

                                                                                                                                      Click here for Part 2

This article is written by Krishna Vallapareddy and can be contacted at Krishna@manblunder.com