Hayagrīva Pūjāvidhi: Root Mantra, Nyāsa, Maṇḍala-Devatā Worship, and Stotra
सोममीशानमेवं वै ब्रह्माणं परिपूजयेत् / पूर्वादिकोर्ध्वपर्यन्तं पूजयेद्वृषभध्वज
somamīśānamevaṃ vai brahmāṇaṃ paripūjayet / pūrvādikordhvaparyantaṃ pūjayedvṛṣabhadhvaja
Así, debe adorarse debidamente a Soma y a Īśāna, y del mismo modo a Brahmā. Comenzando por el oriente y siguiendo por todas las direcciones hasta lo que está arriba, oh Señor del estandarte del toro, debe ofrecerse culto.
Lord Vishnu (in instruction to Garuda)
Concept: Systematic worship of deities (Soma, Īśāna, Brahmā) across directions culminating in the upward realm.
Vedantic Theme: Many deities approached as functional manifestations within one sacred order; ascent from horizontal directions to vertical transcendence.
Application: In daily worship, maintain a consistent directional sequence to cultivate steadiness, completeness, and attentional discipline.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Type: ritual space mapped to directions
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.34.44 (lokapālas); Garuda Purana 1.34.46-48 (āyudha-pūjā; Viṣvaksena; Ananta; mūla-mantra)
This verse frames worship as all-encompassing—starting from the East and extending through all directions up to the zenith—signifying completeness and ritual wholeness in upāsanā.
It shows the text also preserves practical ritual instruction—invoking specific deities and performing structured worship—alongside its better-known teachings on death rites and the soul’s journey.
When performing pūjā, cultivate ‘totality’—offer reverence with awareness of all directions (space as sacred), and honor the tradition’s orderliness rather than treating worship as casual or fragmented.