शैली दारुमयी लौही लेप्या लेख्या च सैकती ।
मनोमयी मणिमयी प्रतिमाष्टविधा स्मृता ॥
चलाचलेति द्विविधा प्रतिष्ठा जीवमन्दिरम् ।
उद्वासावाहने न स्त: स्थिरायामुद्धवार्चने ॥
अस्थिरायां विकल्प: स्यात्स्थण्डिले तु भवेद्द्वयम् ।
स्नपनं त्वविलेप्यायामन्यत्र परिमार्जनम् ॥
śailī dārumayī lauhī lepyā lekhyā ca saikatī |
manomayī maṇimayī pratimāṣṭa-vidhā smṛtā ||
calācaleti dvi-vidhā pratiṣṭhā jīva-mandiram |
udvāsāvāhane na staḥ sthirāyām uddhavārcane ||
asthirāyāṁ vikalpaḥ syāt sthaṇḍile tu bhaved dvayam |
snapanaṁ tv avilepyāyām anyatra parimārjanam ||
(Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 11.27.12–14; cited in Hari-bhakti-vilāsa: 5.257–259; Bhakti Sandarbha: 286)
“[Śrī Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava:] An image (pratimā) [i.e., deity] is known to be of eight types: stonen, wooden, metallic, moulded [i.e., made of earthen or wooden paste, etc.], drawn [alt., painted], arenaceous [i.e., made of sand], mental, or jewelled. An establishment [i.e., a deity] (pratiṣṭhā), that is, a dwelling place of Life (Jīva) [i.e., Bhagavān, alt., the dwelling place of jīvas], is of two types: permanent and impermanent. O Uddhava, in worship of a fixed [i.e., permanent] one, there is no calling and sending away [of the deity]. In worship of an unfixed [i.e., impermanent] one, there will be an option [to call and then send away the deity or not]. When [a deity is made] on the ground, however, both [i.e., calling and sending away] should be done. Bathing is only for the non-moulded [deity forms, i.e., those not made of earthen materials, e.g., clay, wood, or paint]. [Instead of bathing,] Thorough cleansing should be done elsewhere [i.e., in the case of deities made of earthen materials which cannot be bathed because they will be disfigured by liquids].”
Commentary
prakarṣeṇa tiṣṭhaty asyām iti pratiṣṭhā pratimaiva jīvasya bhagavato mandiram | yad vā, pratiṣṭhayā kalā-nyāsena bhagavan-mandiraṁ bhavatīti |
(Excerpt from the Bhāvārtha-dīpikā)
“An ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā), meaning, that in which he [i.e., Bhagavān] is fully (prakarṣeṇa) present (tiṣṭhati), that is, an image (pratimā), is a ‘dwelling place‘ (mandiram) of Life‘ (Jīva), that is, Bhagavān. Alternately, [the meaning is that an ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā) refers to that which] becomes a dwelling place of Bhagavān by establishment (pratiṣṭhā), that is, by [the process known as] kalā-nyāsa.”
yadyapi sarvāsām eva manomayītvaṁ ghaṭate, tathāpi manasi śrī-bhagavat-parisphūrti-viśeṣāpekṣayā pṛthag uktā | jīvayati cetayatīti jīvo bhagavān eva tasya mandiram adhiṣṭhānam | pratiṣṭhā prakarṣeṇa tiṣṭhaty asyām iti pratimaiva; yadvā, pratiṣṭhayā kalā-nyāsādinā bhagavan-mandiraṁ bhavati |
(Excerpt from the Dig-darśinī-ṭīkā on Hari-bhakti-vilāsa)
“Although all of them exist mentally, still out of regard for a specific distinct appearance of Śrī Kṛṣṇa in the mind, there is a separate mention [of an image of mental form]. ‘Life’ (Jīva) refers to Bhagavān, he who causes life, meaning, consciousness. [The image is] A dwelling place, that is, a seat (adhiṣṭhāna) of his. An ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā), meaning, that in which he [i.e., Bhagavān] is fully (prakarṣeṇa) present (tiṣṭhati), refers to an image (pratimā). Alternately, [the meaning is that an ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā) refers to that which] becomes a dwelling place of Bhagavān by establishment (pratiṣṭhā), that is, by [the process known as] kalā-nyāsa and so forth.”
pratiṣṭhā pratimā jīva-mandiraṁ yaḥ sarveṣāṁ jīvānām āśrayo’haṁ tad-rūpam eva bhāvayed ity arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Krama-sandarbha-ṭīkā)
“An ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā), that is, an image (pratimā), is a ‘dwelling place of the jīvas’ (jīva-mandiram), meaning [in practice], ‘One should meditate on that form which is I [i.e., Kṛṣṇa] myself, the shelter of all jīvas.’”
atha śrīmat-pratimāyāṁ tu tad-ākāraka-rūpatayaiva cintayanti, ākāraikyāt, ‘śilā-buddhiḥ kṛtā kiṁ vā pratimāyāṁ harer mayā’ iti bhāvanāntare doṣa-śravaṇāc ca | evam eva śrī-bhagavatā ‘calācaleti dvividhā pratiṣṭhā jīva-mandiram’ ity uktam | pratiṣṭhā pratimā jīvasya jīvayituḥ paramātmano mama mandiraṁ mad-aṅga-pratyaṅgair ekākāratāspadam ity arthaḥ | yad vā pratiṣṭhā-lakṣaṇena karmaṇā pūrvoktā pratimā mama tad-āspadaṁ bhavatīty arthaḥ | tathā ca śrī-hayaśīrṣa-pañcarātre śrī-mūrti-pratiṣṭhā-prasaṅge, viṣṇo sannihito bhava iti sānnidhya-karaṇa-mantra-viśeṣānantaraṁ mantrāntaram—‘yac ca te paramaṁ tattvaṁ yac ca jñānamayaṁ vapuḥ | tat sarvam ekato līnam asmin dehe vibudhyatām ||’ iti | athavā jīva-mandiraṁ sarva-jīvānāṁ paramāśrayaḥ sākṣād bhagavān eva pratiṣṭhety arthaḥ | paramopāsakāś ca sākṣāt parameśvaratvenaiva tāṁ paśyanti | bheda-sphūrter bhakti-vicchedakatvāt tathaiva hy ucitam | ittham evoktaṁ bhagavatā—‘vastropavītābharaṇa-patra-srag-gandha-lepanaiḥ | alaṅkurvīta sa-prema mad-bhakto māṁ yathocitam ||’ ity atra mām iti sapremeti ca | ata eva viṣṇudharme tām adhikṛtya ambarīṣaṁ prati śrī-viṣṇu-vākyam—‘tasyāṁ cittaṁ samāveśya tyaja cānyān vyāpāśrayān |pūjitā saiva te bhaktyā dhyātā caivopakāriṇī || gacchaṁs tiṣṭhan svapan bhuñjaṁs tām evāgre ca pṛṣṭhataḥ |upary-adhas tathā pārśve cintayaṁs tām athātmanaḥ ||’ ity-ādi |
(Excerpt from Bhakti Sandarbha: 286)
“Now, in the case of a beautiful image [i.e., an image of Śrī Bhagavān’s personal figure], it [i.e., the image] is conceived of as a form of his appearance [alt., figure] (ākāra) itself [i.e., as a form that is non-different from Śrī Bhagavān’s personal figure] because of a oneness of appearance (ākāra) [i.e., because the image resembles Śrī Bhagavān’s personal figure, unlike Śālagrāma stones and other dwelling places (adhiṣṭhānas) of Bhagavān that do not], and because of hearing [in śāstra] of the fault of thinking otherwise [i.e., of thinking the image is different from Śrī Bhagavān’s personal figure and merely a piece of stone, wood, or otherwise], [as is evidenced in a statement of Andha Muni, who wondered why he was suffering the fate of being deprived of his son after Mahārāja Daśaratha accidentally killed him], ‘Has thought of a stone in regard to an image of Hari ever been fostered by me?’
“This specifically [i.e.,the practice of seeing a deity to be a form of Śrī Bhagavān himself] is stated by Śrī Bhagavān [in SB 11.27.13], ‘An establishment, that is, a dwelling place of Life, is of two types: permanent and impermanent.’ An ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā) means an image (pratimā), ‘of Life’ (Jīva) means of myself [i.e., of Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who is] Paramātmā, he who causes life, and ‘a dwelling place’ (mandiram) means a site of oneness in appearance [alt., figure] (ākāra) with my limbs and sub-limbs. Alternately, the meaning is [as follows:] by means of a rite of establishment, the aforementioned image becomes a site of that [i.e., oneness in form] with me.
“Similarly, furthermore, in the section on establishment of a beautiful deity in Śrī Hayaśīrṣa Pañcarātra, after [the mention of] the specific mantra for invoking the presence [of Śrī Bhagavān], ‘O Viṣṇu, please be present [in this deity],’ there is another mantra [which indicates how there is a non-distinction between the deity and Bhagavān], ‘That which is your ultimate essential nature and which is your figure constituted of consciousness—may all of that, merged in one, awaken in this form [i.e., deity].’
“Alternately, ‘a dwelling place of Life’ (Jīva-mandiram) means the Supreme Shelter of all living beings, meaning, Bhagavān himself is the establishment (pratiṣṭhā) [i.e., the image—deity]. The greatest worshipers, furthermore, see that [i.e., the establishment (pratiṣṭhā), meaning, the image—deity] as verily being the Supreme Īśvara himself. This [manner of vision] alone is proper because of an appearance [i.e., perception] of distinction’s being a severer of bhakti [i.e., because genuine engagement in bhakti to the deity will be cut off if one does not see the deity to be Śrī Bhagavān himself]. Because of this [principle] specifically, ‘me’ (mām) and ‘with prema’ (saprema) are stated by Bhagavān in this regard [in SB 11.27.28], ‘With prema my bhakta should decorate me as appropriate garments, a sacred thread, ornaments, a garland of leaves, fragrances, and unguents’ [i.e., if a bhakta were not meant to see and worship the deity as a personal form of Śrī Bhagavān himself, then Śrī Bhagavān would not refer to worship of a deity as worship of ‘me’ and would not enjoin doing so ‘with prema’]. Therefore, there is a statement of Śrī Viṣṇu to Ambarīṣa referring to that [i.e., to an establishment (pratiṣṭhā), meaning, an image—deity] in Viṣṇu-dharma Purāṇa (2.73–74), ‘Fully absorbing your mind in that [i.e., in the deity], also relinquish other places of refuge [for the mind, alt., expectations]. Worshiped and meditated upon by you with bhakti, that [i.e., the deity] specifically is verily your benefactor [i.e., the provider of your welfare]. [So,] While moving, standing, sleeping, and eating, think that [i.e., the deity] specifically is here in front, behind, above, below, and to the side of yourself.’”
prakarṣeṇa sthīyate’syām iti pratiṣṭhā pratimaiva jīva-mandiraṁ sarva-jīvānām āśrayaḥ sākṣād aham evety arthaḥ |
(Excerpt from the Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā)
“An ‘establishment’ (pratiṣṭhā), meaning, that in which being present fully occurs, that is, an image (pratimā), is a ‘dwelling place of the jīvas’ (jīva-mandiram), that is, ‘I myself directly [as the image] am the shelter of all jīvas.’ This is the meaning.”