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Madhukāṣṭha-pratimāyām arcā-sthāpanavidhiḥ
Ritual-Manual
Prithivi ne Varaha se poocha ki Vishnu kaise alag alag cheezon mein sthapit hote hain. Varaha ne bataya ki madhuka lakdi ka murti banwao aur uski shuddhi karo. Phir usmein Vishnu ki sthapana karo aur mantra padho. Itra aur sugandh darshakar arpit karo aur pranayam karo. Diya jalao aur bhagavaton ka samman karo. Yeh sahi vidhi se karna chahiye. Isse sansar se mukti milti hai. Dharam bhi dharati par bana rehta hai.
Verse 1
अथ मधुकाष्ठप्रतिमायामर्चास्थापनम् ॥ सूत उवाच ॥ एवं श्रुत्वा परं स्थानं सा मही संहितव्रता ॥ सर्वक्षेत्रविभागेषु यश्च वै परमो विधिः ॥
Ab baat karte hain ki madhukaashth ke lakdi ki murti kaise banate hain aur uski puja kaise karte hain. Suta ne kaha. Yeh sab sun ke Mahi ne vrat pakda hua tha. Usne poocha ki sab jagah ka niyam kya hai.
Verse 2
संश्रुत्य विस्मयाविष्टा प्रत्युवाच वसुन्धरा ॥ धरण्युवाच ॥ अहो क्षेत्रप्रभावो वै यस्त्वया समुदाहृतः ॥
Yeh sab sun ke Vasundhara hairani mein pad gayi. Usne jawab diya. Dharni ne kaha, arey kitna bada hai in sab jagah ka asar jo tumne bataya.
Verse 3
यं श्रुत्वा देवतत्त्वेन जातास्मि विगतज्वरा ॥ एकं मे परमं गुह्यं यन्नित्यं हृदि वर्त्तते ॥
Yeh sun ke mujhe bhagwan ki baat samajh mein aa gayi aur mera mann shant ho gaya. Lekin ek baat mere dil mein abhi bhi hai jo main jaanna chahti hoon.
Verse 4
मम प्रीत्यर्थमखिलं तद्विष्णो वक्तुमर्हसि ॥ कथं तिष्ठसि काष्ठेषु शैलमृन्मयजेषु च ॥
Vishnu bhagwan, meri khushi ke liye yeh sab bata do. Tum lakdi ki murti mein kaise rehte ho. Patthar aur mitti ki murti mein bhi kaise ho.
Verse 5
ताम्रे कांस्ये च रौप्ये च तिष्ठसि स्थापितः कथम् ॥ सौवर्णेषु च सर्वेषु तिष्ठसि स्थापितः कथम् ॥
Tum tambe aur kansi ki murti mein kaise aate ho. Chandi ki murti mein bhi kaise ho. Aur sone ki murti mein bhi kaise rehte ho, yeh batao.
Verse 6
ब्रह्मचारी समासाद्य कथं तिष्ठसि माधव ॥ दन्तरत्ने समासाद्य कथं सन्तिष्ठते भवान्
Jab main brahmachari banke tumhare paas aaya, to Madhav, tum kaise ho? Aur jab main tumhare daant ke paas aaya jo heera jaisa hai, tab bhi tum kaise the?
Verse 7
कथं तिष्ठसि वा सव्ये भित्तिसंस्थो जनार्दनः ॥ भूमिसंस्थो महाभाग विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा
Janardan, jab tum deewar par ho to kaise rehte ho? Aur bade bhagwan, jab zameen par ho to kaise rehte ho? Yeh sab sahi niyam ke hisaab se hota hai.
Verse 8
एवं धरावचः श्रुत्वा प्रत्युवाचादिसूकरः ॥ श्रीवराह उवाच ॥ प्रतिमा यस्य कर्तव्या तदानिय वसुन्धरे
Dhara ne yeh baat kahi aur Varaha Bhagwan ne jawab diya. Shri Varaha bole, jiska murti banana hai use saamne lao, Vasundhara.
Verse 9
प्रतिमां कारयेच्चैव लक्षणोक्तां वसुन्धरे ॥ अर्चाशुद्धिं ततः कृत्वा प्रतिष्ठाप्य विधानतः
Vasundhara, murti sahi tarah se banao jaise bataya gaya hai. Phir use saaf karo aur sahi vidhi se sthapit karo.
Verse 10
कृत्वा तत्प्रतिमां चैव प्रतिष्ठाविधिनार्च्चयेत् ॥ तांस्तु दद्यात्तु गन्धान्श्च ये मया समुदाहृताः
Murti bana ke use sahi vidhi se pujo. Aur jo ittr maine bataye hain woh bhi chadhaao.
Verse 11
कर्पूरं कुङ्कुमं चैव त्वचं चागुरुमेव च ॥ रसं च चन्दनं चैव सिल्हकोशीरकं तथा
Puja ke liye kapoor aur kesar chadhaao. Phir chhaal aur agaru bhi rakhna. Itra aur chandan bhi chahiye. Aur silhaka aur usira bhi lao.
Verse 12
एतैर्विलेपनं दद्यादर्चितस्तु विचक्षणः ॥ स्वस्तिकं वर्द्धमानं च श्रीवत्सं कौस्तुभं तथा
In sab cheezon se bhagwan ko tel lagao. Jo bhagwan ko bhagta hai woh samajhdar hona chahiye. Swastik banao, vardhamaan ka sign bhi. Srivatsa aur kaustubh bhi dikhao.
Verse 13
विधानपूर्वकं चैव मङ्गल्यं चैव पायसम् ॥ वर्तिस्तिलफलं चैव कर्मण्यानि न संशयः
Sahi tarike se saari cheezein rakhna. Mangal wali cheezein aur kheer bhi chadhaao. Baati aur til ke laddu bhi. Yeh sab puja ka hissa hai, koi shak nahi.
Verse 14
एवं सर्वं ततो दद्यात्पूजायां विहितं शुभम् ॥ कर्मणा विधिदृष्टेन शुद्धो भागवतः शुचिः
Aise hi puja mein jo bhi accha saman bataya gaya hai woh sab chadhaao. Sahi niyam ke hisaab se karo. Bhagwan ka bhakt saaf ho jaata hai, dil bhi saaf ho jaata hai.
Verse 15
प्राणायामं ततः कृत्वा इमं मन्त्रमुदीरयेत् ॥ योऽसौ भवान्तिष्ठते च सर्वयोगप्रधानतः
Phir saans ka exercise karo. Iske baad yeh mantra bolo. Jo bhagwan yahan baithe hain, woh sabse bade yogi hain.
Verse 16
ससम्भ्रमं लोके सुप्रतीतस्तिष्ठ काष्ठे स त्वं भुवि ॥ एवं संस्थापनं कृत्वा काष्ठस्य प्रतिमासु च
Bhagwan kehte hain, tum duniya mein saaf dikhne lag jao, is lakdi mein rehna. Aisa keh ke woh murti ko lakdi mein baitha dete hain. Phir lakdi ki murtiyon ke saath bhi yahi karte hain.
Verse 17
पुनः प्रदक्षिणीकृत्य शुद्धैर्भागवतैः सह ॥ प्रज्वाल्य दीपं तत्रैव चार्चायाः सम्मुखं स्थितः
Phir mandir ke charo taraf chakkar lagate hain, saaf dil wale bhakton ke saath. Wahi diya jalate hain aur murti ke saamne khade ho jate hain.
Verse 18
नोर्ध्वं न तिर्यगीक्षेत कामक्रोधविवर्जितः ॥ नमो नारायणायेति इमं मन्त्रमुदीरयेत्
Dil mein koi buri ichcha ya gussa nahi hona chahiye. Na upar dekhna hai, na idhar-udhar. Bas yeh bolna hai, Namo Narayanaya.
Verse 19
मन्त्रः— योऽसौ भवान्सर्वजनप्रवीर गतिः प्रभुस्त्वं वससि ह्यमोघ ॥ अनेन मन्त्रेण च लोकनाथ संस्थापितस्तिष्ठ च वासुदेव
Yeh mantra hai, tum sabse bade ho, tum hi aasra ho, tum hi malik ho. Tum yahan rehte ho, tumhari baat kabhi fail nahi hoti. Is mantra se murti ko baitha do, Narayan yahan khade raho.
Verse 20
सर्वामेवं ततः कृत्वा मम संस्थापनक्रियाम् ॥ पूज्या भागवताः सर्वे ये तत्र समुपागताः
Yeh sab karne ke baad, jo bhi bhakt wahan aaye hain, un sabko samman dena hai. Yeh poora kaam mera sthapana ka hai.
Verse 21
गन्धमाल्यैरर्चयित्वा उपलेपैश्च भोजनैः ॥ कुर्यात्संस्करणं तेषां विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा
Pehle phool aur maala se puja karo. Phir tilak aur khana bhi offer karo. Sabse sahi tarika se unka sanskar karo, jaise vidhi mein likha hai.
Verse 22
एतत्कर्मविधानने मधुकाष्ठस्य सुन्दरी ॥ धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय एतत्ते कथितं मया
Hey sundar, maine tumhe madhuka lakdi ka poora tarika bataya hai. Yeh dharam ko mazboot karne ke liye hai. Main ne yeh sab tumhe isliye bataya.
Verse 23
यस्त्वनेन विधानने अर्च्चां काष्ठस्य स्थापयेत् ॥ स न गच्छति संसारं मम लोकं च गच्छति
Jo koi bhi is tarika se lakdi ki murti bana ke sthapit karta hai, woh phir se janam-marne ke chakkar mein nahi padta. Woh seedha mere paas aata hai.
Verse 24
ततः सम्पूजयेद्देवि संसारभवमुक्तये ॥ तत्र काष्ठेषु मधुकमानिय च वसुन्धरे
Devi, iske baad poori tarah se puja karo. Yeh puja tumhe duniya ke bandhan se aazaad kar degi. Vasundhare, madhuka lakdi lao aur uski puja shuru karo.
Verse 25
कुर्यात्संस्करणं तेषां विधिदृष्टेन कर्मणा
Unka sanskar sahi tarika se karo. Jo vidhi ne kaha hai, wahi karo.
Pṛthivī (Vasundharā), having heard of the extraordinary efficacy of kṣetras and their rites, marvels at “kṣetra-śakti” and voices a private doubt: how can Viṣṇu be ritually established and approached when His presence is invoked in many different material supports (wood, stone, clay, metals, jewel-like substances) and even in wall/ground installations, including worship by a brahmacārin?
Varāha answers by laying out a practical, vidhi-oriented protocol for commissioning, purifying, installing (pratiṣṭhā), and consecrating a madhūka-wood icon, integrating prāṇāyāma, mantra-recitation, controlled gaze, emotional restraint, circumambulation, lamp-lighting, and honoring the gathered bhāgavatas.
The doubt about material plurality is resolved through ritual theology: correct lakṣaṇa (proper iconography) plus authorized procedure (mantra + prāṇāyāma + disciplined conduct) mediates Viṣṇu’s presence in the arcā form, making worship efficacious and socially stabilizing (dharma-saṃsthāpana).
The rite is framed as a means to sustain dharma on Earth and as a soteriological instrument—properly performed installation/worship leads toward release from saṃsāra; no separate, formulaic phalaśruti verse is indicated in the provided summary.
No explicit toponyms, river systems, or named ecological regions are stated in this adhyāya; the setting is primarily ritual-instructional and terrestrial (Pṛthivī/Vasundharā) rather than site-specific.
The chapter’s instruction centers on how correct ritual form (vidhi) mediates divine presence across material supports and how disciplined conduct during worship—restraint from kāma and krodha, regulated attention, and communal honoring of bhāgavatas—supports dharma and is presented as a means toward release from saṃsāra.
No tithi, lunar phase, month, seasonal marker, or calendrical timing is specified in the provided verses; the instructions are procedural (vidhi-based) rather than time-bound.
Environmental framing appears through Pṛthivī as the questioning subject and through Varāha’s stated purpose of the rite as dharma-saṃsthāpana (“establishing dharma”), implying that properly regulated human ritual practice is one mechanism by which terrestrial order and stability are maintained.
No royal dynasties, administrative lineages, or named sages are referenced in this adhyāya; the principal figures are Pṛthivī/Vasundharā and Varāha, with mention of brahmacārin and bhāgavatas as social-religious categories rather than specific historical persons.
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