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THE RITUAL OF RAMESVARAM.
DECEMBER, 1883.]
sugar, and another brings a single dipa and dhupa, and the bhattar waves the dhupa, saying, -sarva-tirthêbhyah maha-purushébhyaḥ dhupam ághrápayámi; then the dipa, saying:-sarva-tirthebhyah maha-purushébhyah dipai darsayámi." Then he sprinkles a few drops of water over the betel-leaf, sugar and fruit, and offers them in succession as naivedya saying:-sarva, &c., kadali-phalam naivedyami; gulam naivedyami; and púgi-phala-samayuktam nagavallidaļair-yutam kalpura-churna-samyuktam tambúlam pratigrihyatam sarva-tirthébhyaḥ mahd-purushêbhyaḥ támbulan naivédyámi. And then taking akshatáḥ in his hands he places it over the gha tam, saying: Sarvôpachárán samarpayami: "I perform all the obeisances."
A sthânikâr next brings, in separate dishes, honey, plantains, curds, milk, ghi and sugar thus enumerated :
Panchamrita-vidhiḥ || Dadhi-madhu-paya-sarpi-sarkara madhyamádi sara-padasivakóshté vinyasêd brahma-mantraiḥ || guduva-yugala-yuymam prasthapadam tu panchamrita-maya siva-yogyam sthápitam trini kalê |
"Of the curds, honey, milk, ghi, and sugar, begin from the middle and place them all in the five sacred spots, pronouncing the Brahmamantra. Twice two, and a quarter times of sugar must be in the mixture. This kind of mixture, which is called Panchamṛita must be offered three times to the god."
The bhattar goes into the shrine and removes the garland, flowers and bilva leaves, and hands them to a second sthânik âr, who takes them to the chapel of Chandikêsvara. Then the bhattar stands before the figure of Ganapati or Vighnêsvara, in the Ardhamandapa with joined hands, and says:
Skandagraja ganadhisa dévy vallabhayá saha Sivapják prevrittani nirvignate prasida mé ||
"Thon elder brother of Skanda, the lord of all the ganas! I have begun the worship of Śiva with his beloved wife; be pleased to favour me with freedom from all obstacles."
Then he goes to the Nandi and removes the garland of the previous evening, and those on all the other images in the temple, and takes
3" To the great persons-all the great rivers I present incense. 35 I present light. 39 At the Ardra feast (Tam. Tiruvadirai) on the Ardrånakshatra in Margairaha, jackfruit, mangoes, pome
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those of the gods to Chandikêśvara-those of the Ammans to Chandikêśvarî. This takes half an hour to do.
Returning to the garbhagriha, he sprinkles water on the linga (prôkshana), and now begins the abhisheka. The curtain is drawn and a sthânikâr has already filled a large vessel in the shrine with water from the Kôți-tîrtha, and now brings the sandalwood paste or ointment already described and the bhattar, rubs it over the linga, and pours water on it. The sthânikâr next brings powder of yakkay (mimosa abstergens) and the bhattar mixes it in a brass cup with water, forming a very thin paste, and pours it on the linga, and again water. The same follows with powdered cinnamon, and turmeric; then the sthânikâr opens the tender cocoanut and the bhattar pours the water of it into a bowl and thence over the linga, followed by water; then the curds, the ghi, the milk, the sugar mixed with water and the honey are successively poured on, and each followed by an ablution of water. Next the panchagavya already described is brought and poured on, and again water, and lastly thin sandalwood ointment. Then he ties a cloth to the middle of the linge, and offers naivedya of mudgánnam (Tam. pongal) made of boiled rice, green dhâl, ghi, pepper and cumin, first sprinkling it with water and then moving his hand five times towards the linga, saying:-Mudgánnas naivedyé. Next he waves a dhupa with 4 or 5 lights on it whilst the sthânikâr rings the bell; then dipa; then camphor, and the curtain is withdrawn and again drawn. The bhattar now takes the cloth off the linga and pours water over it, and a.sthânikâr brings over the ten kalasas of water in the order in which they have been already numbered, and gives them to the bhattar who pours them over the linga and gives the empty vessel to another sthanikår. The ghatam (or large vessel) is next brought, and the sthânikâr holding it, the bhattar takes a mango leaf and dips the top of it into the water thrice dropping it each time on the linga. Then throwing the leaf into the Ardhamandapa, he takes the sankh and the sthânikâr pours water into it which the bhattar poars
granates, tender cocoanuts, grapes, sugarcane and butter are added.
• सद्योजात and the five Mantras beginning with it are called Brahmamantras,
