How to Do Prana Pratishtha of a Japa Mala — Materials, Panchagavya Snan, Viniyoga, and Bead-by-Bead Abhimantran

The speaker opens by saying that today's subject is how to give prana pratishtha to any mala and how to then put it to use. A mala that has not been given Prana Pratishtha, he says, is not able to give its effect in full — so to use its divinity fully, the mala must certainly be given prana pratishtha. This holds whether the mala is going to be used for wearing or for japa. Even if it is meant to be worn, he says, once it has been given prana pratishtha and mantra japa has been done in it, wearing it around the neck will make it fully imbued with divinity and able to show its complete effect.

The speaker lays out the items needed and names each one: the mala that is to be given prana pratishtha; a dhoop; a lota of water; GangajalWater from the Ganges, used to purify and re-consecrate ritual items exposed to impurity.; two kinds of chandan; AshtagandhaA fragrant paste made of eight substances, applied as a tilak before vermilion (sindoor) in remedy and worship rites.; roli; haldi; a deepak; and nine peepal leaves. Along with these, he says, PanchagavyaA purifying mixture of five cow-derived products, used with Panchamrita and Tulsi leaves to purify a home, especially its threshold. is needed — that is, cow's milk, curd, ghee, gobar (cow dung) and gomutra (cow urine). This has a specific proportion, he notes, but ordinarily these can simply be mixed together and used.

After gathering all the materials, the speaker says to check a shubh muhurat. If a shubh muhurat is not to be had, he says, at least look at the Choghadiya — check which chowghadiya on that day, morning or evening, is auspicious for the prana pratishtha. If the prana pratishtha is done in the morning, he says, that is very good — so a morning shubh chowghadiya should be checked. Along with this, two laung and one elaichi are needed; these will be used after the prana pratishtha is done, so they too should be kept at hand.

The very first step, the speaker says, is to take nine peepal leaves and arrange them on the plate into the shape of an ashtadal kamal (eight-petalled lotus). While this arranging is being done, he says, the name of Bhagwan Narayan should certainly be taken, along with one's Ishta Devata and one's Kuldevi-devta — so that the work becomes fully fruitful. Good, unblemished peepal leaves should be used for this (he notes that in the video he is using leaves only to demonstrate the method). Once the peepal leaves are arranged, a little haldi and kumkum should certainly be put on them — this makes them attain still greater divinity, because, he says, it is held that Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh eternally dwell in a peepal leaf. This is why peepal leaves are always used for prana pratishtha.

First of all, the speaker says, place the mala in a bowl in this way and give it a snan with pure water — the mala is first prakshalit (ritually washed) with pure water. If, while doing this prakshalan, one is able to recite the vowels and consonants, that is very good indeed, he says. This recitation of swar-vyanjan means reciting them always with the Pranav and the anusvara mark added — starting from Om, then Om am, aam, im, eem, um, oom, and so on, going through the complete set of vowels and then the complete set of consonants in this manner.

After the plain-water prakshalan, the speaker says, the mala is next bathed with PanchagavyaA purifying mixture of five cow-derived products, used with Panchamrita and Tulsi leaves to purify a home, especially its threshold.. While giving this panchagavya snan, a mantra should be used. The mantra recited while bathing the mala in panchagavya is: Om vamadevaya namo jyeshthaya namo shreshthaya namo rudraya namo kalaya namo kalavikaranaya namo balavikaranaya namo balaya namo balapramathanaya namo sarvabhutadamanaya namo manonmanaya namah. He says he will give this mantra in the video description.

After that, the speaker says, a mixture of chandan and water is prepared, and the mala is prakshalit with it. The mantra recited is: Om gandhadwaram durdharsham nityapushtam karishinim ishwarim sarvabhutanam tamihopahvaye shriyam. To give the mala full divinity, he explains, it is first bathed in the fully fragrant sandalwood water, washed well, and then rinsed clean with pure water. Once this snan is complete, the mala is laid on the PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. leaf in the same shape in which it is worn.

Now, the speaker says, the actual vidhi of prana pratishtha of the mala has to be done, and this prana pratishtha has to be done along with its Viniyoga. He notes that the prana pratishtha mantra itself, and the exact way to use it, are given in the video's description (and he attempts to also upload a PDF with the full vidhi for viewers to download). Before reciting the prana pratishtha mantra, the viniyoga is read: Om asya shri prana pratishtha mantrasya Brahma Vishnu Rudra rishayah, rig-yajuh-samani chhandamsi, prana-shakti-devata, aam bijam, hreem shaktih, kraum keelakam, asmin male prana-pratishthapane viniyogah.

After reciting the viniyoga mantra, the speaker says, the mala is taken fully into the hand. It is held in the left hand and covered over with the right hand. Once it is covered in this way, the prana pratishtha mantra (given in the description) is recited. When that mantra is complete, the mala is taken again and, having now received its prana pratishtha, is placed back on the peepal leaf. A flower is then offered first, saying: Om sarvashakti swarupinye shri malayai namah pushpam samarpayami.

After offering the flower, the speaker says, bhog is offered next — the bhog of laung and elaichi. After the flower and this bhog, a light offering of chandan is made, saying: Om sarvashakti swarupinye shri malayai namah chandanam samarpayami. Kumkum is then offered on the sumeru bead, saying: Om sarvashakti swarupinye shri malayai namah kumkumam samarpayami. After that the deepak is shown, saying: Om sarvashakti swarupinye shri malayai namah deepam darshayami — the deepak itself is kept resting in the agni-kund while this is done. Finally DhoopIncense offered during worship; its smoke is treated as an offering in its own right within the sequence of upacharas. is shown in the same way, saying: Om sarvashakti swarupinye shri malayai namah dhoopam darshayami — while reciting which the dhoop and deep are shown and offered. With this, the speaker says, this stage of the vidhi is complete.

The speaker now turns to what comes next: how each individual bead of the mala is given prana pratishtha. Ordinarily, he says, each single bead is held and an anunasik — that is, nasal — recitation of the vowels and consonants is done over it: a bead is held and, enclosed within Om, the sound is carried from "a" through the full set of vowels up to "am", and then from "ka" through the full set of consonants up to "ksha", giving it Abhimantran (ritual empowerment) in this way. But, he says, this can ordinarily also be done with just these two mantras that follow.

The first mantra, the speaker says, is the Ishana mantra. To do Abhimantran with the Ishana mantra, chandan is used — a little water is mixed into the chandan, and it is applied to every single bead while the Ishana mantra is recited: Om ishanah sarvavidyanam ishwarah sarvabhutanam brahmadhipatir brahmanodhipatir brahma shivo me astu sadashivam. He says he will give this mantra in the description. Each bead is consecrated in turn in this way, moving from one bead to the next, always with the Ishana mantra — because, he explains, Ishana is the form of Bhagwan Shiva who is the ruler (raja) of all vidyas and all mantras, which is why every bead is given abhimantran with the Ishana mantra. Once all 108 beads have received this abhimantran, the sumeru (meru) bead is then consecrated with the Aghora mantra: Om aghorebhyo atha ghorebhyo ghora ghoratarebhyah sarvebhyah sarva sarvebhyo namah shivebhyah. This, he says, completes one full round of the vidhi.

Once this first round is complete, the speaker says, kumkum is used next while reciting the Tatpurusha mantra, and every bead is again consecrated with it. The Tatpurusha mantra — Bhagwan Shiva's Tatpurusha mantra — is: Om tatpurushaya vidmahe mahadevaya dhimahi tanno rudra prachodayat. In the same way, each bead is held in turn and this Tatpurusha mantra is recited over it, moving bead by bead; and once this round reaches the sumeru again, the sumeru is once more consecrated with the same Aghora mantra. In this way, he says, the full Abhimantran of the mala is complete.

Once the abhimantran is complete, the speaker says, the mala is taken in hand, and after that, whichever mantra one actually intends to do japa of on this mala — he gives the example that if he intends to do japa of a mantra of Bhagavati Durga or of Mahalakshmi — is then recited. This is done closed within one's hand, at least 11 times, or else bead by bead for one complete round: for example, if it is the Shreem mantra, then Om shreem namah is recited on each bead in turn, going all the way around once in full.

After this japa, the speaker says, the mala is again placed on the PeepalA sacred fig tree dedicated to Lord Dattatreya — Pitru Tarpan performed beneath it calms agitated ancestral spirits causing domestic unrest. leaf in the same way, and one may, if one wishes, show it a kapoor AartiA ritual of waving a lit lamp or flame before a deity's image, performed here at the close of Deepdan once the lamps begin to burn down. once. This, he says, completes the full Prana Pratishtha of a mala. He closes by telling viewers to adopt this vidhi to give their mala its prana pratishtha, and then to use it either for their japa or for wearing.