Gauḍiya Vaiṣṇava Bhūta Śuddhi

(To be performed before all japa, pūja and homa)

1. Show kara-kacchapikā/turtle mudrā in front of one's heart.

2. Chanting (mentally) so'ham "I am like unto Him" one should meditate on one's individual ātman and the
paramātman situated together within the lotus of one's heart. Or one may also meditate on one's ātman and
the paramātman travelling from one's heart to the thousand petalled lotus in the top of one's head. One should
meditate on keeping the ātman here safely under the shelter of the paramātman during the processes of
destroying. purifying and reconstituting the elements of one's body.

3. One should meditate on the Pāpapuruṣa or sin personified as inhabiting one's body as follows:

mūlājñānaṃ tataḥ pāpaṃ janmādi duḥkhadañ ca yat ।

prāṇāpānau nirudhyātha tasya rūpaṃ vicintayet ॥

mahā pātaka pañcāṅgaṃ pātakopāṅga saṃśrayam ।

upapātaka romāṇaṃ kṛṣṇaṃ krurāti bhīṣaṇam ॥

“Restraining one’s breathing, one should visualize the personified form of the root of ignorance and sin, who
is the cause of the pain of birth and so on. He is dark and very frightful, and has the five great sins as his
limbs, sins as his minor limbs and minor sins as his bodily hair.”

brahmahatyā śiraskañ ca svarṇasteya bhuja dvayam ।

surapāna ḥrdā yuktaṃ guru talpa kaṭi dvayam ॥

tat saṃyogi pada dvandvam aṅga pratyaṅga pātakam ।

upapātaka romāṇaṃ rakta śmaśru vilocanam ॥

khaḍga carma dharaṃ pāpam aṅguṣṭha parimāṇakam ।

adho mukhaṃ kṛṣṇa varṇaṃ dakṣa kukṣau vicintayet ॥

“One should in the right side of the belly visualize sin as a dark person the size of one’s thumb, facing
downward, having red eyes and a red beard, wearing a skin and carrying a scimitar, and having the killing
of a Brahmin as his head, stealing of gold as his arms, drinking wine as his heart, violating the preceptor’s
bed as his two buttocks, association with persons committing these sins as his feet and minor sins as his
bodily hairs.”

4. Performing prāṇāyāma by holding one's right nostril closed with the thumb of the right hand one should
inhale through the left nostril while chanting (mentally) the vāyu/wind bīja mantra yaṃ sixteen times
counting on the segments of one's left hand. Meditate on this smoke colored drying seed mantra as traveling
to one's navel region.

5. Close the left nostril with ring and little fingers of the right hand. Chant (mentally) the vāyu/wind bīja
mantra yaṃ sixty four times counting on the segments of one's left hand. Meditate on drying up the
Pāpapuruṣa and one's whole body by the potency of the vāyu/wind bīja.

6. Opening the right nostril one should exhale the air used in the drying process while chanting (mentally) the
vāyu/wind bīja mantra yaṃ thirty two times counting on the segments of one's left hand.

7. Holding one's left nostril closed ring and little fingers of the right hand one should inhale through the right
nostril while chanting (mentally) the vahni/fire bīja mantra raṃ sixteen times counting on the segments of
one's left hand. Meditate on this fire colored burning seed mantra as traveling to the base of one's spine/
mūlādhara.

8. Close the right nostril with thumb of the right hand. Chant (mentally) the vahni/fire bīja mantra raṃ sixty
four times counting on the segments of one's left hand. Meditate on burning up the Pāpapuruṣa and one's
whole body by the potency of the vahni/fire bīja.

9. Opening the left nostril one should exhale the air used in the burning process along with the ashes of the
Pāpapuruṣa and one's body while chanting (mentally) the vahni/fire bīja mantra raṃ thirty two times counting
on the segments of one's left hand.

10. Performing prāṇāyāma by holding one's right nostril closed with the thumb of the right hand one should
inhale through the left nostril while chanting (mentally) the candra/moon bīja mantra ṭhaṃ sixteen times
counting on the segments of one's left hand. Meditate on this white colored nectarizing seed mantra as
traveling to one's brahmarandhra/crown.

11. Meditating on the varuṇa/water bīja mantra vaṃ as manifesting from the middle of the moon, close the
left nostril with ring and little fingers of the right hand. Chant (mentally) the varuṇa/water bīja mantra vaṃ
sixty four times counting on the segments of one's left hand. Meditate on it washing one's whole body by the
nectar from the moon.

12. Meditating on the pṛthvī/earth bīja mantra laṃ as strengthening the nectarized elements of one's body one
should open the right nostril and exhale the air used in the nectarizing and strengthening process while
chanting (mentally) the pṛthvī/earth bīja mantra laṃ thirty two times counting on the segments of one's left
hand.

13. One should then meditate on the elements of one's body thus having been purified by wind and fire and
having been nectarized and stengthened being reconstituted step by step in the order of creation. Then
perform Prāṇāpratiṣṭha re-establishing the life airs within the body as follows:

14. Chanting prāṇa pratiṣṭha mantrasya brahma viṣṇu rudrā ṛṣayaḥ touch the top of the head with the five
fingers of the right hand.
15. Chanting ṛg yajuḥ sāmāni chandāguṃsi chandaḥ touch the tip of the nose with the five fingers of the right
hand.

16. Chanting kriyā-maya-vapuḥ prāṇākhyā devatā touch the heart with the five fingers of the right hand.

17. Chanting prāṇāpratiṣṭhārthe viniyogaḥ rotate the two face-up palms inward toward the chest.

18. Chanting oṃ kaṃ khaṃ gaṃ ghaṃ aṃ pṛthivy-āp-tejo-vāyv-ākāśātmane āṃ hṛdayāya namaḥ touch the
heart with the five fingers of the right hand. (oṃ kaṃ khaṃ gaṃ ghaṃ aṃ, earth, water, fire, air, space, āṃ
unto the heart.)

19. Chanting oṃ caṃ chaṃ jaṃ jhaṃ ñaṃ iṃ śabda-sparśa-rūpa-rasa-gandhātmane īṃ śirase svāhā touch the
top of the head with the five fingers of the right hand. (oṃ caṃ chaṃ jaṃ jhaṃ ñaṃ iṃ sound, touch, form,
taste and smell, īṃ unto the head.)

20. Chanting oṃ ṭaṃ ṭhaṃ ḍaṃ ḍhaṃ ṇaṃ uṃ śrotra-tvak-cakṣu-jihvā-ghrāṇātmane ūṃ śikhāyai vaṣaṭ touch
the śikhā/tuft with the five fingers of the right hand. (oṃ ṭaṃ ṭhaṃ ḍaṃ ḍhaṃ ṇaṃ uṃ, ears, skin, eyes,
tongue, nose, ūṃ unto the śikhā/tuft.)

21. Chanting oṃ taṃ thaṃ daṃ dhaṃ naṃ eṃ vāk-pāṇi-pāda-pāyūpasthātmane aiṃ kavacāya huṃ cross the
hands in front of the chest touching the opposite shoulders with the five fingers of each hand. (oṃ taṃ thaṃ
daṃ dhaṃ naṃ eṃ, speaking, touching, walking, excreting and reproducing, aiṃ unto the kavaca/armor.)

22. Chanting oṃ paṃ phaṃ baṃ bhaṃ maṃ oṃ vacanādāna-gamana-visargānandātmane auṃ netratrayāya
vauṣaṭ touch the three eyes with the three middle fingers of the right hand. (The two eyelids and the third eye
in the center of the forehead. oṃ paṃ phaṃ baṃ bhaṃ maṃ oṃ, talking, taking, walking, excreting and
reproducing, auṃ unto the three eyes.)

23. Chanting oṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ ḷaṃ kṣaṃ aṃ mano-buddhy-ahaṃkāra-cittamātmane
aḥ astrāya phaṭ slap the left palm with the index and middle fingers of the right hand three times and snap the
fingers of the right hand repeatedly while encircling the head clockwise. (oṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ śaṃ ṣaṃ
saṃ haṃ laṃ kṣaṃ aṃ, mind, intellect, ego and consciousness, aḥ as a weapon.)

24. Now recite the following mantras bringing the five fingers of your right hand together near the parts of
the body as mentioned. (One may use the left hand for actions on the right side of the body.)

oṃ āṃ navel to feet

oṃ hrīṃ heart to navel

oṃ hraiṃ head to heart

oṃ yaṃ tvag ātmane namaḥ heart (oṃ yaṃ to the skin)

oṃ raṃ asṛg ātmane namaḥ right side (oṃ raṃ to the blood)

oṃ laṃ māṃsātmane namaḥ head (oṃ laṃ to the flesh)

oṃ vaṃ medātmane namaḥ left side (oṃ vaṃ to the fat)

oṃ śaṃ asthyastmane namaḥ heart to right hand (oṃ śaṃ to the bone)

oṃ ṣaṃ majjātmane namaḥ heart to left hand (oṃ ṣaṃ to the marrow)
oṃ saṃ śukrātmane namaḥ heart to right foot (oṃ saṃ to the semen)

oṃ haṃ prāṇātmane namaḥ heart to left foot (oṃ haṃ to the life airs)

oṃ laṃ jīvātmane namaḥ heart to navel (oṃ laṃ to the individual self)

oṃ kṣaṃ paramātmane namaḥ heart to head (oṃ kṣaṃ to the Higher self)

25. Chanting the following one should meditate on it's meaning:

raktāmbhodhistha-potollasad-aruṇa-sarojādhirūḍhā karāgraiḥ
pāśaṃ koḍaṇḍam ikṣūdbhavam atha guṇam apy aṅkuśaṃ puṣpabāṇān ।

vibhrāṇāsṛkkapālaṇ trinayanalalitā pīnavakṣoruhāḍyā

devī bālārkavarṇā bhavatu śubhakarī prāṇaśaktiḥ parā naḥ ॥

“Who is seated on a shining, red lotus that is like a boat on the ocean of blood,
Who in her hands carries a noose, a bow of sugarcane, a rope,
A hook, flower arrows, and bloody skulls,
Who has three playful eyes and beautiful, full breasts –
May this Devi, the highest Life power, coloured like the orient sun, of show us her mercy.”

26. Chant oṃ āṃ hrīṃ kroṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ laṃ kṣaṃ hoṃ haṃ saḥ mama prāṇāḥ iha
prāṇāḥ (my life breaths)

Chant oṃ āṃ hrīṃ kroṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ laṃ kṣaṃ hoṃ haṃ saḥ mama jīva iha sthitaḥ
(my life is situated here)

Chant oṃ āṃ hrīṃ kroṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ laṃ kṣaṃ hoṃ haṃ saḥ mama sarvendriyāni
(all of my senses)

Chant oṃ āṃ hrīṃ kroṃ yaṃ raṃ laṃ vaṃ śaṃ ṣaṃ saṃ haṃ laṃ kṣaṃ hoṃ haṃ saḥ mama vāṅ-manas-
tvak-cakṣu-śrotra-ghrāṇa-prāṇā ihāyāntu svastaye ciraṃ sukhena tiṣṭhantu svāhā (may speech, mind, touch,
sight, hearing, smelling and the life airs come here for my prosperity and happily remain here a long time)

27. Then, to complete the sixteen saṃskāras – birth, etc. – one should recite oṃ sixteen times and then
meditate on the highest Śakti.

28. Having established the ātman and paramātman again within the purified lotus of the heart he should
proceed with the worship.