गान्धर्व तन्त्र (शैव-शाक्त आगम - मन्त्र-रहस्य, यन्त्र एवं देवतोपासना सटीक)

After these preliminary rites, comes the offering of
three handfuls of flowers and three libations of the con-
secrated liquid with the mantras (1) ऐं क्लीं सौः महात्रिपुरसुन्दरी-
श्रीपादुकां पूजयामि (2) ऐं क्लीं सौ महात्रिपुरसुन्दरीश्रीपादुकां तर्पयामि.
Exhibition of the nine Mudrās Sankshobani to Yoni
follows the offering of the following prayer to the goddess -
“O Goddess, May you be kind to me, may you
accept my worship as I though poor physically as well as
in material resources offer it in a devotional sipirit ”
After the exhibition of the Mudrās, the practitioner
is to present the seven items of offering using नमः स्वधा and
वौषट् wherever necessary
Tarpana is to be done with the Tatva Mudrā in
which the thumb and the Index finger are to be joined
of the left hand At the end, come Japa and offer of the
sacrifice, ointment, collyrium, mirror and umbrella
25TH CHAPTER
The 15th chapter describes the things to be offered in
worship These are Āsana, Pādya, Arghya, Āchamana, Madhu-
parka, Snāna Vastra, Bhushana Gandha Anjana, Pushpa,
Dhupa, Dipa, and Naivedya
Āsana or the seat It is to be either of gold or
silver or cloth or jewels or flowers or wood Among the
cloths red blanket is preferable

Pādya or water for footwash Cold water mixed with
sandal wood paste and Agaru is to be offered either in a
pot of gold or silver or in a conch
Arghya for the head This is to consist of white
mustard beans, sesamum, milk, red sandal and red flowers
mixed in water. This is to be offered in a conch like
other articles with a particular mantra given in the text
Āchamana or water for sipping This is to be pure
and scented with camphor and Agaru and offered in the
same pot as is prescribed for Pādya
Madhuparka This consists of curd, ghee, water
honey, sugar, and sugar cane-juice or of cocoanut-juice, sugar,
curd and ghee in equal proportions and honey in a larger
quantity and is offered in a bronze or silver pot
Snāna Water, mixed with camphor, Agaru, musk,
Gorochana, soffron, cocoanut-juice, honey, sugar-cane-juice,
sugar, five products of cow, particular herbs called Sarv-
aushadhi, is to be offered in a jug or conch for bath
Vastra A pair of cloths figured and silken is to be
presented for dress.
Bhushana. Sixteen kinds of ornaments detailed in the
text all made of gold and set with jewels are to serve
as Bhushana.
Gandha Five kinds of perfumery obtainable from
certain fragrant substances by powdering, friction, burning,
pressing, and from muskdeer are also to be offered

Anjana. This is collyrium for application to the eyes
It is to be made of lampblack collected in a golden pot
from a burning lamp having ghee or oil and scented with
camphor.
Pushpa Flowers to be offered are to be fresh Cer-
tain species such as Bakula, Kesara etc, etc, are declared
dear to Tripurā. Garlands also made of these flowers
please her very much.
Dhupa or the incense. It is to be offered in a
pot and consists of sixteen substances, Patra to Agaru given
in the text.
Dīpa Lamps preferably of ghee with a wick of cotton
are offered for illumination. These should be of gold or
silver or earth or iron and placed on stands of similar
material with the shape of a tree.
Naivedya or food. It comes last and is to be
presented and placed either on the right or on the left
or in front, lamps coming always either on the right or
in front, incense on the left or in front, scents, flowers
and ornaments always in front.
• 16TH CHAPTER •
16th Patala is devoted to the description of the offering
such as drink and food and of the way and varieties of salutation.
Among the first comes wine. This is to be distilled in
the following manner:-

Well filtered sugar-cane-juice should be allowed to
grow stale for some time Mango juice and honey should be
mixed with it as also juices of jujuba, rose-apple fruit,
dates, cocoanut, wine and intoxicative powders such as of
Mohinī, Jāti Datura, Jātīphala, mace, cardamom, black and
long pepper, dry ginger and Triphalā The same should
be scented with camphor and kept in a gold or silver or
glass vessel and mixed with sugar and allowed to remain corked
being covered over with red cloth for seven nights When
at the end it becomes thus prepared and ready for use,
it should be scented again with sandal paste, Agaru and
camphor This kind of wine is reserved for the more or
less abstemious people and for those otherwise-minded a
common species of the same is prescribed Its use is
admissible only in a strictly ceremonious way
The four kinds of food detailed as chewable, suckable,
lickable and drinkable come after drink Every variety of
solid food is to be offered when properly cooked and spiced
Every sweet fruit also is to be offered in cups of gold or
silver and food in dishes of gold, silver, copper and stone or
even in lotus leaves The mantra to be muttered in
this offering is महात्रिपुरसुन्दरि नैवेद्यं गृहाण After offering
the perfumed water, for sipping come the offerings to five
life-breaths Prāna etc, with the five fingers Offering of
dessert comes last except Namaskāra The latter is said
to be of three varieties as physical, lingual and mental The
physical again is of three kinds as that in which a devotee
touches the earth with knees and head, as that in which
hands are folded and placed on the head and as that in

which the head only touches the earth The Lingual also
is of three kinds The first is that in which self-composed
prayers are offered, the second in which prayers from the
Purānas, Vedas or the Tantras are offered and the third in
which prayers composed by others are offered The mental
also has three kinds according as the mind thinks well,
ill or indifferent
Pradakshina or circumambulation is included in the
bowing The former is of six varieties as triangular, hexa-
gonal, semi-circular, circular, staff-like with eight limbs
and the terrific. Moving from the south to the north-west,
thence to the north-east and again thence to the south
-goes by the name of Trikona That from the middle of
the south to the north-west, thence to the north-east and
thence to the middle of the south and again from the
south-east to the south-west, thence to the middle of the north,
and thence to the south east, goes by the name of Shatkona
Moving from the middle of the south to the north-
west and thence turning round and going to the middle of
the south, goes by the name of Ardhachandra. Moving,
with the right hand extended and the head bent from the
middle point in front of the deity, around from the right
is called Pradakshina
Rising from one's own seat, going back several
steps and then prostrating on the earth is called Danda
Bowing in which the earth is touched with chin,

mouth, nose, jaw, eye, ears, and cavity in the head goes
by the name of Ashtānga, Touching the earth with the
skull goes by the name of Ugra
17TH CHAPTER
In the 17th Patala worship, in the nine component
parts of Srīchakra, of the attendant deities classified under
nine categories technically called Prakatayoginīs etc is given
along with the description of the Mudrās and their use
In the first part called Trailokyamohana represented by the
three rectangles the worship is to be conducted from the
right unlike other parts in which the left side is to be
adhered to. In the external rectangle Buddha as the great
Lord of Yoginīs is to be worshipped with the mantra
बुं बुद्धाय नमः along with the ten psychic powers Animā
etc The first four powers occupy the quarters beginning
with the west, the second four the sub quarters beginning
with the northwest and the last two come below
and above The mantra to be used in the worship of a
psychic power is ह्रीं श्रीं and the name of the psychic power
and श्रीपादुकां पूजयामि In the inner rectangle the eight
mothers Brahmānī etc and the eight Bhairavas, Asitānga
etc. are to be adored In the innermost rectangle the
Mudrā-devīs Sarvasankshobhinī etc. receive their worship
For the description of Sarvasankshobinı-Mudrā see the
text. The Bīja of the Mudrā is द्रां
In the second part i e sixteen-petalled lotus bearing
the name of Sarvāśāpūraka sixteen datal eternities, and
Brahmā receive their worship. The mantra of Brahmā and
the Bīja of Drāvinī-Mudrā to be shown here are respectively
ॐ ब्रह्मणे नमः and द्रीं

In the third part i e. eight-petalled lotus called
Sarvasankshobhana, Śiva and Umā, the eight Guptatara
Yoginīs Anangakusumā etc are adored, Mantras of Śiva
and Umā, eight Guptatara Yoginīs and the Bīja of
the Mudrā are क्लीं शिवाय नमः, ह्रीं उमायै नमः, Gutturals,
Palatals, linguals, dentals, labials, Semivowels, aspirates,
ळ, क्ष and क्लीं
In the fourth i e. fourteen-sided figure called Sarva-
saubhāgyadāyaka the sun-god, the Sampradāya-yoginīs
Sarvasankshobhinī etc and the Mudrā called Sarvavaśakarī
come in The Bīja of the Mudrā is ब्लूं
In the fifth i e external decagon called Sarvārtha-
sādhaka Vishnu (as Hrīshīkeśa), Kulakaulayoginīs and Sarvon-
mādakarī-Mudrā find their worship The mantra of Vishnu
and the Bīja of the Mudrā are क्लीं हृशीकेशाय नम and सः
In the sixth part i e inner decagon called Sarva-
rakshākara, Vishnu (Trailokyamohana) Nigarbhayoginīs Sarvajñā
etc. and the Mahānkuśa-Mudrā receive their worship The
Bījas of Vishnu and the Mudrā are क्लीं and क्रों.
In the 7th part i e octagon called Sarvarogaharā,
Rahasya-yoginīs Vaśinī etc receive their worship The Mudrā
to be exhibited is khecharī of which the Bīja is हसख्फ्रें
In the eighth part i e the traingle called Sarva-
siddhiprada Kāmeśvarī, Vajreśvarī and Bhagamālinī, the
three shaktis respectively of Rudra, Vishnu and Brahma
are to be worshipped in the apex, left and right sides
of the traingle These Shaktis are called Atirahasya yoginīs.
Mudrā to be exhibited there is Bīja-Mudrā of which the Bīja
is ह्सौः.

In the 9th part i e centre of the traingle called
Sarvānandamaya Parāpara-rahasya-yoginī i e. Tripurā bhairavī
is to be worshipped along with Mokshasiddhi and the lion
the vehicle of the goddess. The Mudrā to be shown is
Yoni-Mudrā of which the Bīja is ऐं.
The deity-in-chief is to be worshipped in all the
eight previous parts under eight different names—Tripura,
Tripureśvarī, Tripurasundarī, Tripuravāsinī, Tripurāśrī, Tripura-
mālinī, Tripurasiddhā and Tripurambhā.
For the description of the Mudrās see the text.
18TH CHAPTER.
The 18th chapter gives a detailed description of Japa It
is said to consist in the repeated muttering of certain syllables.
Meditation on and muttering of the mantra are prescribed
to be successive, both being necessary for acquiring psychic
powers The rosary meant for Japa is to be considered as
consisting of the letters of the alphabet in both the orders
successive and reverse as also of their eight groups It
therefore contains 108 beads In absence of the rosary a
devotee is to keep an account of his mutterings by using
finger-joints The mid joint of the ring-finger is to serve as
the starting point. Top and mid-joints of the index finger are to
be avoided. The rosary made of crystal etc before being
used for Japa is to be placed either in front or on the
left hand and then to be sanctified with proper worship
after being besprinkled with water The mantra of Mālā is

ऐं मां माले महामाले सर्वशक्तिस्वरूपिणि। चतुर्वर्गस्त्वयि न्यस्तस्तस्मात् मे
सिद्धिदा भव After being so purified in the said manner,
it is to be held in the right hand with the mantra
ग्लौ अविघ्न कुरु माले त्वम् Care is to be taken in
rotating it in a cautious manner, so that it may not
slip down from the hand. The rosary along with
Yantra, mantra and mudrā is strictly prohibited from
being shown to any body The Index finger is not
to be at all used in its rotation The five fingers thumb
to the little finger are to be used in the Japa respectively
meant for emancipation, destruction of the enemies, earning
of wealth, pacification and attraction Vīrāsana is helpful to
Japa Japa is of three kinds loud, low and mental, the loud
being inferior to the low, and the latter to the mental
It is to be done neither too quick nor too slow with the
mind entirely withdrawn from the sense-objects Unlike a
hymn, Japa is always to be mental in the case of Shrī-
vidyā The minimum number of times that Japa is to be
done comes to 108, the middle to a thousand and the
maximum to ten thousand Rules to be observed in Japa
are that the practitioner is lightly-dressed, must not have
his hands wrapped up with cloth and must have his head
naked and free from cares, be neither, angry nor hasty,
neither diseased, nor hungry. He must above all have his
mind concentrated

Japa at the end is dedicated to Śrīvidyā. Praṇava
(Oṁkāra) as forming the essence of the Vedas is to
precede and follow Japa is always to be accompanied
with Homa (Sacrifice) Offerings in the Homa should be
equal to the 10th part of the mutterings of Japa. In case
a practitioner be not in a position to do Homa he is advised
to mutter the Mulamantra twice the number of the offerings
of Homa Worship offered to the deity with the various
prescribed articles helps the practitioner to get desirable
objects determined in each case by the former. The latter
are described at length in the text The nine Mudrās are
to be exhibited at the beginning and end of the worship.
The following things lead to success in worship -
Solitude, Spiritual purity, abundant purity of the
worshipping material, presence of sweet-smelling substances,
mental fortitude, affableness of manners, nobility of disposition,
beautiful dress, devotional tone etc.
19th CHAPTER.
In the 19th chapter worship and offering to Vaṭuka,
Yoginīs, Kshetrapāla and Gaṇeśa are described The latter
are to be located in the four diagrams drawn in, north-
east, south-east, south-west and north-west of the seat of
Shrīchakra. Offering is to consist of various edible (kind of
meat) fish, sugar, curd, milk and flour
Vaṭuka is to be meditated upon as dwarfish, lotus-
eyed, gold-yellow and four-armed bearing in the hands mace,

conch, lotus and disc The mantras of worship and offering
to Vatuka with the left hand thumb and ring-finger are
ब्लों बटुकाय नम एह्येहि देवीपुत्र बटुकनाथ कपिलजटाभारभास्वर त्रिनेत्र ज्वा-
लामुख सर्वविघ्नान् नाशय नाशय सर्वोपचारसहितं बलिं गृह्ण गृह्ण स्वाहा,
Yoginīs These are of optional bodily form, gold-
yellow wearing the garland of skeletons, dressed in red
and bearing in arms liṅga, noose, skull and goad Mantra
of the offering with the left hand thumb, mid finger and
ring finger is या योगिनीभ्य सर्ववर्णयोगिनीभ्यो हुं फट् स्वाहा,
Kshetrapāla He is described as collyrium-black and
bearing sword, skull, trident and small hand-drum Mantra of
the offering with the left hand fisted and having the index finger
stretched is क्षांक्षींक्षूंक्षैंक्षौंक्षः क्षेत्रपाल धूपदीपादिसहितं बलिं गृह २ स्वाहा,
Gaṇeśa He is described as elephant-headed, four-
armed, naked, big-bellied, holding noose, goad, and skull-bowl
filled with wine, with shakti in the lap Mantra of the
offering with the left hand fisted having the mid finger raised
up is गांगींगूं गणपतये वरवरद सर्वजन मे वशमानय बलिं गृह २ स्वाहा
After making offerings to various kinds of beings the
practitioner is to offer himself with the Mantra इतःपूर्व etc
and the prayers imploring the goddess to accept the offerings
overlooking the errors of commission and omission Towards
the end of the chapter it is described how the Sādhaka has
first to immerge the attendant deities in the goddess and
then the goddess herself with the help of Prāṇāyāma withdrawn

from the outside world in the lotus of his own heart
Soshikā the goddess that is entitled to the Nirmālya receives
the practitioner's attention at the end.
20th CHAPTER
In this Soshikā is described at length. Her
Mantra is given in two forms as follows.- (a) उच्छिष्ट
etc (b) ऐं ह्रीं etc. She is described as seated on a
corpse, dressed in red, bearing in two arms skull-bowl
and scissors The practitioner of her Mantra is to make
offerings to her and soon after taking food and without washing
his body mutter her mantra. Her Homa and Tarpana are
to be performed in a rectangle drawn on the ground with
curd, white mustard and rice. By offering various kinds of
meat in the fire in her name the practitioner acquires
certain desired objects These are detailed in the text
21st CHAPTER.
In the above the last rites of worship are
described The practitioner is first of all advised to offer
Nirmālya to Ucchishtamātangī or Śoshikā taking care that
no drop falls down on the earth The water in the conch
is to be held in the left hand and after sanctifying the
same with mutterings of the mantra the body is to be
besprinkled with the same water through the right hand
Washings of the feet of the goddess are to be drunk and

the remainder is to be used in rubbing the head and
the remaining parts Arghya is offered to the Sun-god with
his mantra for completing the ceremony. In this the knees
of the worshipper are to touch the ground and the mind
to be concentrated Salutation to and seeing of the sun are
to begin and end the ceremony The place where the
vessels have been arranged should be duly washed with
the water and the washing should be thrown into the
water or near the root of a tree After offering the food
to the preceptor and his wife or in their absence to the
girls, the remaining part of the same should be eaten by
the devotee Such a food is considered as Amrita. Sipping
water before and after is necessary as also reciting the
following prayer - शिवो दाता शिवो भोक्ता etc
Ladies and Brahmins are to be fed each time the
worship is performed Offering of food to the peceptor,
girls, Brahmins and cows helps to remove the sin of errors
committed in worshipping In doing Japa the concentration
of the mind is to be aimed at by believing in and feeling
identity with Śrīvidyā either as transcendent or as immanent
22nd CHAPTER
This chapter describes the duties of a Sādhaka.
These are - (1) Realisation of the Supreme Reality as
identical with the individual soul. Anything offered with this
conviction receives sacredness (2) The worship of Tripurā

It is to be done either as Nitya or as Naimittika or as
Kāmya By the first is meant that which is done every-
day and omission of which is sinful By the second is
meant that which is done occasionally with a definite end
in view and failure in the performance of which is attended
with the evil consequences The last denotes that kind of
worship which is done avowedly to gain some object. In
rendering all these kinds of worships it is to be kept in
view that nothing is done contrary to the popular usage
Worship in all its forms if done without any desire to gain
this or that object is viewed as Sāttvika (3) Performance
of the acts that are prescribed for him by the Shruti and
Smriti such as service to the parents and entertainment of frien-
ds and relations, maintenance and protection of the dependents,
preservation of peace and order with a view to honouring
the righteous and punishing the wicked (4) Meditation
upon Tripura Sundari and Tripura Bhairva four times a
day in the morning, mid-day, evening and mid night
23rd CHAPTER
This describes the importance of worshipping
the girls, their prescribed ages and the way in
which they are to be worshipped Maidens also are mentioned
in this chapter to receive the worship of the practitioner
as representing the eight mothers Brāhmi etc.

24th CHAPTER
It describes the importance and fruit of
offering worship to the girls and the Prāyaścitta or
penance that is to be done by the devotee when he misses
performance of the daily worship. It lays stress on the daily
worship as compared with the occasional or purposeful and
instructs that, on the 14th, 8th or 15th days of the bright
half of the month as also on the 14th day of the dark half
falling on Tuesday Yajna or sacrifice should be offered to
Tripurā. Yajna is considered as a body in which meditation,
worship, muttering of the mantra and Homa constitute the
four hands, devotion head, faith heart, skill in action eyes,
knowledge of the Ātman the soul and Nyāsas the remaining
parts of the body. Such a 14th day of the dark-half of the month
on which Tuesday and the constellation Tishya fall simultan-
eously is the most sacred day for the devotee of Tripurā.
25th CHAPTER
This chapter is devoted to the description of the
sacred spots in India and the merits that a devotee gains
by offering worship in these places. The sacred places are river
banks, caves, mountain tops, sources of water, confluences of
rivers, forests, gardens, mountain feet, Tulasī-groves, cow-
sheds, root of the Aśvattha or Āmalakī, temple of Shiva,

shore of ocean, solitary places and those where the preceptor
lives or which help in the concentration of the mind, the
cities of Benares and Dwārikā, the Vindhya mountain, Āryāvarta,
Brahmāvarta, Prayāga, Pushkara, the river Karatoyā, Nandi
kunda etc It also tells that the devotee is not held
back from worship by the consideration of impurity arising
from death or birth and that he should offer worship mentally
in times of such a calamity
26th CHAPTER
It deals with Dīkshā or initiation. It is necessary for
the practitioner of mantras because it imparts right knowledge
and removes sins Before having been done by man to man
initiation was started by the holy line of nine divine teachers, viz
Prakāśa, Vimarśa, Ānanda, Jñāna, Satya, Purna, Svabhāva,
Pratibha, Subhaga, the first three living eternally in heaven,
the middle three partly in heaven and partly on earth and
the last three only on earth These receive their worship
between Vimalā and Jayani in Shrīchakra Qualifications are
laid down of both the initiator and the initiate The former
among other things must have all good qualities = be free
from vanity, greedless, healthy, pure, speaking truth and
knowing sacred laws of the Tantras The latter must be orthodox,
merciful, attached to the teacher, considerate and greedless.
He should aviod all acts of indecency especially when in

presence of the teacher and should have as much faith in
him as in his own God or Mantra and be respectful towards
him The months which are described for initiation are
given in the following order of importance:-
Assoon, Katak, Baisakh, Phagan, Maghar, Chet, Har,
and Magh Days of the lunar reckoning and the week days
prescribed for the said purpose are 15th, 5th, 2nd, 7th,
and 13th and 10th and Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Monday
and Wednesday.
The initiation is said to be of three kinds that of
mantras, that of Shakti and that of Shiva. The first involves
the use of mantras, worship, postures, meditation and con-
centration etc The second has a reference to that in which
the initiator infuses his own spiritual power in the initiate.
The third is that in which a spiritualist par excellence sanctifies
the person with no regard to qualifications merely by his
glance to the extent that the Reality becomes visible to him.
The end of the chapter explains the details of
initiation such as selection and preparation of a place for
initiation, making offerings to Vāstupāla together with
the Vedic recitation and blessings of the learned Brahmins,
sowing of seeds, and rendering worship to the Dikpālas with
a view to invoking their help in performing initiation, puri-
fication of the place, Shrichakra and the disciple with

Panchagavya, performing Homa and disclosing the mantra
called Svapnamānava, i e , हिलि हिलि शूलपाणये स्वाहा to the disciple
and putting him to sleep afterwards The disciple
is instructed to carefully remember the dreams good or
bad he has seen in sleep The good dreams are those in
which the objects seen are a girl, an umbrella, a chariot,
a lamp, a palace, a river, saffron etc Bad dreams on the
other hand involve reference to an ass a crow, ditch etc
The preceptor has to make a hundred offerings with the
Astra matia in case the initiate sees bad dreams
27th CHAPTER
This also is devoted to the description of initiation
The seeker after initiation is to approach the initiator with
the request for initiation after having duly done worship
to gods and the manes Initiator is to enter the pavilion
raised for the purpose and instal a water-pot of gold or
silver or copper on the Shrichakra drawn on the earth The
water-pot is to be filled with fragrant substances and certain
herbs and varieties of earth, and wrapped with a couple
of cloths The same is to be placed on a stand. The stand,
the water-pot and the water respectively representing the
Fire, the Sun and the Moon are to receive worship through
their Kalās. The candidate for initiation is asked after this

to fill his hands with flowers and throw them so as to see
whether their throw is in the auspicious direction or other-
wise In the latter case the initiator is to ward off the evil
by performing a Homa After performing worship to the
attendant deities of Tripurasundarī sacrificial food is to be
prepared of which a part is to be offered to her and the
rest to the fire, care being taken that the fire is ablaze
The candidate is to have his face covered with a cloth
and then be besprinkled with the water from Viśeshārghya
and the initiator is to request the goddess to be kind to
the candidate and inspire him with her devotion After this
he has to receive instructions from the initiator as to the
line of action he should follow in future The initiator should
imagine that the fetters of sins binding the body of the
candidate have been burnt down with the fire of kuṇḍalinī
rising from the Mulādhāra to the Brahmarandra and also
enter his body through the Yogic power and unite his soul
with his own After having him seated on a diagram of the
alphabet, the initiator should bathe him with the water of
the water-pot, muttering the three Bījas of the Mūlamantra
and then dress him and oint him with sandal-wood and other
pastes He should also instruct the candidate to perform the
Mātrikā-nyāsa and the Mantra-nyāsa at the end of which
his face is to be unveiled and he sees things required for
the worship and takes food, while muttering the mantras of

the Tattvas, with the Mudrā of morsels. Then the initiator
acquaints him with the mantras of the Guru and Bālā and the
mantra of the candidate's choice or all mantras atonce In
doing the latter the initiator keeps his foot on the head of
the candidate He also gives him a new name of initiation
consisting of two or three syllables with the word आनन्दनाथ
coming at the end Having thus brought him up to the
same footing with himself in the spritual sphere, the initiator
should embrace him and smell him on the head In order to
keep his own spritual power intact the teacher should also
perform the Japá of the Mulamantra one thousand and eight
times The candidate should offer due and costly presents so
that his teacher may be satisfied

28th CHAPTER

In this are given the instructions regarding Purash
charana which is necessary for obtaining success in the
mantra Purashcharna means performance of the Japa of
a mantra either one thousand and eight times or fiftythou-
sand times This is necessary to remove the obstacles due
to lack of faith, scepticism and the demerits of the previous
lives This may be done either by the disciple or by the
teacher or by some worthy Brahmin in some sacred place
either on the 14th or the 8th or the 15th day of the dark
half of the month The practitioner is to keep a fast for