Waking the Deities

The following procedure assumes the deities are in beds. If they are not sleeping in beds then skip
the part of the procedure that asks you to take the Lord out of bed and while touching the deitys
lotus feet chant the prayers for waking. You may chant the prayers in English, or your own
language, if you do not want to chant the Sanskrit prayers.

If you are worshiping Gaura-Nitai deities then first wake your spiritual master then GauraNitai.

If you are worshiping Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra as well as Gaura-Nitai then first
wake your spiritual master, then Gaura-Nitai then Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra.

If you are worshiping Radha-Krsna and Gaura-Nitai, first wake your spiritual master, then
Gaura-Nitai then Radha-Krsna.

If you are worshiping all three sets of deities, first wake your spiritual master, then GauraNitai, then Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra, and then Radha-Krsna.

You will need , a small bell on a plate, an acamana cup containing fresh water and a spoon & a mat
(asana) for you to sit on
Before beginning perform simple acamana, then offer obeisances to your spiritual master, reciting
his pranama prayer(s), and pray for his blessings to assist him in the worship of the Lord:
nama om visnu-padaya krsna-presthaya bhu-talesrimate [spiritual master's name] iti namine
I offer my respectful obeisances unto [spiritual masters name], who is very dear to Lord Krsna,
having taken shelter at His lotus feet.
Before entering the room (or the altar area), make a sound, either ringing a bell, clapping your
hands, or knocking on the door. Open the door (or enter the area), turn on the lights, and, chant
the names of the deities in a festive mood: jaya sri sri guru-gauranga, jagannatha-baladevasubhadra, radha-krsna-ki jaya! (If you are worshiping other deities, then chant Their names instead
of these names. If you are worshiping additional deities, chant Their names also.) If there are ghee
or oil lamps on or near the altar you may light them now. Wash your hands with a few drops of
water from the acamana cup.
Waking the Spiritual Master and the Deities
While ringing a small bell with the left hand, approach your spiritual masters picture, gently touch
his feet with the fingertips of your right hand, and request him to rise from bed by chanting:
uttisthottistha sri-guro tyaja nidram krpa-maya
O all-merciful spiritual master, please rise from bed.
Meditate that he is rising from bed.
Next approach the bed of Lord Nityananda touch His lotus feet, and request Him to rise:
uttistha jahnavesvara yoga-nidram tyaja prabhonamno hatte divya-namam su-sraddhartham
vitarasi
O Nityananda, Lord of Jahnava, please arise and give up Your divine sleep. At the marketplace of
the holy name You distribute the divine name, asking only for ones faith as payment.
Then approach the bed of Lord Caitanya touch His lotus feet, and request Him to rise:
uttisthottistha gauranga jahi nidram mahaprabhosubha-drsti-pradanena trailokya-mangalam kuru
O Lord Gauranga, please rise from sleep and bless the three worlds with Your auspicious glance.
Next approach the bed of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, and Srimati Subhadra, touch Their lotus
feet, first Jagannatha, then Balarama and then Srimati Subhadra, and chant:
tyaja nidram jagan-natha sri-baladevottistha cajagan-matar ca subhadre uttisthottistha subha-de
O Lord Jagannatha and Lord Baladeva, please give up your sleep and arise. O Srimati Subhadra,
dear mother of the universe, please arise and bestow good fortune upon us.

Then approach Radhas and Krsnas bed, touch Their lotus feet, first Krsna, and then Radharani,
and chant:
go-gopa-gokulananda yasoda-nanda-vardhanauttistha radhaya sardham pratar asij jagat-pate
O master of the universes, O bliss of Gokula, the cowherds, and the cows, O You who gladden the
hearts of Yasoda and Nanda, please rise from bed with Sri Radhika, for morning has come.
Place any small deities that are in bed back on the altar. If there are only large deities, meditate
on waking Them and leading Them from Their beds to the altar. At this time replace any crowns,
turbans, or chadars, or veils that are part of the deities night dress. After removing any remaining
flowers and garlands from the previous day, clean the deity room floor and then wash your hands.
(Garlands offered the previous evening and Tulasi leaves offered the previous day may remain on
the deities through Mangala Arati the following morning.) Now that the deities have been
awakened, offer obeisances to Them outside the altar area.

Putting the Lord to Rest (sayana-seva)

Required Paraphernalia

The following items are required to put the Lord to rest:

a small bell on a plate

a panca-patra containing samanya-arghya water

a padya container with water

the Deities beds

the Deities nightclothes

cloths for wiping off tilaka decorations

flower petals

bowls with condensed milk for each Deity

cups of water for each Deity

tambula.

During the afternoon (immediately after the raja-bhoga-arati) and at night (after the
sayana-arati), put the Deities to rest. In the afternoon you need not offer the padya,
condensed milk, drinking water, tambula, or puspanjali, but you should remove the
crowns and garlands (at least from the small Deities, who should be placed into beds).
At night, change the Deities clothing. If there are only large Deities, offer Them small
beds, escorting Them to the beds by meditation, and offer Them services, just as you
would offer to small Deities. Alternatively, if salagrama-sila is present, you may perform
sayana-seva for Him on behalf of the large Deities, placing Him in a bed

Outside the Deity room, perform acamana and offer obeisances to your spiritual master.
Then take the items for sayana-seva into the Deity room, such as tambula, flowers, the
Deities plates with condensed milk, and cups of water for each Deity. The padya-patra
and visarjaniya-patra should already be in the Deity room.
Place each Deitys bed before or beside the altar either on the floor or on a low table.
(If there are mosquitos or flies in the Deity room, put mosquito netting around the
beds.) You should fluff out the bedding, and you may place flower petals in the bed,
either physically or by meditation.
Sit on an asana and meditate that you are sitting at the feet of the main Deities, ready
to offer Them various services. At night remove any garlands, jewelry, and outer clothing
(leaving the undergarments on), wipe off tilaka decorations with a slightly damp cloth,
and dress Their Lordships in night garments.
Then invite Their Lordships to take rest by chanting the following mantra (for RadhaKrsna) and offering Them your hand:
agaccha sayana-sthanam priyabhih saha kesava divya-puspatya-sayyayam sukham
vihara madhava
Now come, O Kesava, along with Your beloved Srimati Radharani and Her
friends, to the bed covered with transcendental, aromatic flowers. Now happily
enjoy Your pastimes, O Madhava.
Bring Their Lordships shoes from the altar to the bed, thinking that you are escorting
the Deities to Their resting place. Place the shoes next to the bed on a small mat or
pillow; then bring Their Lordships to Their bed. (It is best to first place the Deities on a
low table next to the bed for receiving the following items of worship. If this is not
possible, make the necessary adjustments by meditation.)
Sit before Their Lordships and offer the following items while ringing a bell with the left
hand and chanting the appropriate mantras:
Chant etat padyam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer padya water to wash
Their Lordships lotus feet.

Chant idam acamaniyam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer Their Lordships
water for sipping.
Chant idam ghana-dugdham and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer Their
Lordships sweet condensed milk.
Chant idam paniyam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer water to Their
Lordships.
Chant idam hasta-mukha-praksalanam and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer
water for cleaning Their Lordships hands and faces.
Chant esa puspanjalih and the radha-krsna-mula-mantra, and offer flowers to Their
Lordships lotus feet.
Now place Their Lordships into the bed and chant idam tambulam and the radha-krsnamula-mantra, and offer tambula to Their Lordships, then massage Their lotus feet.
Then cover Them with bedding appropriate to the room temperature. Place Krsnas flute
under His pillow. Follow the same procedure when putting Krsna and Balarama, Lord
Jagannatha, Lord Caitanya, and Lord Nityananda to rest, substituting the appropriate
mula-mantras and sayana-mantras:
For Krsna-Balarama chant the following verse:
sayyam agacchatam krsna yasodananda-vardhana sayyam agacchatam rama patitam
mam dayam kuru
O Krsna, O source of Mother Yasodas happiness, now please come to Your bed.
O Lord Balarama, please come to Your bed and bestow Your mercy upon me,
who am lowly and fallen.
For Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balarama, and Srimati Subhadra chant the following prayer:
agaccha sayana-sthanam agrajena hy adhoksaja agaccha nija-sayyam ca subhadre me
dayam kuru

O Lord Jagannatha, if You please, You and Your elder brother Balarama may
now come to Your beds. O Mother Subhadra, please come to your resting place
and kindly bestow your mercy upon me.
For Lord Gauranga, chant the following verse:
agaccha visrama-sthanam sva-ganaih saha gauranga ksanam visramya sukhena lilaya
vihara prabho
O Lord Gauranga, please come to Your resting place along with Your associates.
O Lord, rest comfortably for a moment, enjoying Your pastimes.
Then chant this prayer to Lord Nityananda:
agaccha sayana-sthanam nityananda jagad-guro tava rupe maha-visnor anante
sayanam kuru
O spiritual master of the universe, Lord Nityananda, please come to Your place
of rest. In Your form of Maha-Visnu, please rest upon the thousand-headed
serpent known as Sesa.
Then you may chant the following prayers:
sadhu vasadhu va karma yad yad acaritam maya tat sarvam bhagavan visno
grhanaradhanam param apam samipe sayanasane grhe diva ca ratrau ca yatha ca
gacchata yad asti kincit sukrtam krtam maya janardanas tena krtena tusyatu
O Lord, please accept all I have done, whether complete or incomplete, as if it
were the best kind of worship. O Lord Janardana, if I have performed any pious
deeds, please be satisfied with what I have done during the day or night, while
sitting or moving, in the house or outside.
Follow the same procedure for putting your spiritual master to rest, with the guru-mulamantra, and then chant:
agaccha sayana-sthanam sva-ganaih saha sri-guro

O spiritual master, please come to your resting place, along with all your
associates.
For other Deities chant: agaccha sayana-sthanam sva-ganaih saha and the name of the
Deity.
Put out the lamps, quietly leave the room, lock the door, and offer pranamas to your
spiritual master and all Their Lordships. At night the pujari or an assistant should
carefully put the Deities jewelry, decorations, and clothes in their proper storage places,
respecting them as the Lords paraphernalia.