Initiation into Vishnu

Verse 1 (garuda.1.9.1)

।।हरिरुवाच । समये (या) दीक्षितः शिष्यो बद्धनेत्रस्तु वाससा । अष्टाहुतिशतं तस्य मूलमन्त्रेण होमयेत्

hariruvāca samaye (yā) dīkṣitaḥ śiṣyo baddhanetrastu vāsasā aṣṭāhutiśataṁ tasya mūlamantreṇa homayet

Hari said: The disciple who is to be initiated at the proper time should have his eyes bound with cloth. Eight hundred oblations should be offered for him with the root mantra.

Verse 2 (garuda.1.9.2)

द्विगुणं पुत्रके होमं त्रिगुणं साधके मतम् । निर्वाणदेशिके रुद्र ! चतुर्गुणमुदाहृतम्

dviguṇaṁ putrake homaṁ triguṇaṁ sādhake matam nirvāṇadeśike rudra ! caturguṇamudāhṛtam

For the grade of "putraka" double the oblations are prescribed, and for the "sadhaka" triple is held proper. O Rudra, for the teacher who confers liberation-initiation, quadruple is declared.

Verse 3 (garuda.1.9.3)

गुरुविष्णुद्विजस्त्रीणां हन्ता बध्यस्त्व(श्च)दीक्षितैः । अथ दीक्षां प्रवक्ष्यामि धर्माधर्मक्षयङ्करीम्

guruviṣṇudvijastrīṇāṁ hantā badhyastva(śca)dīkṣitaiḥ atha dīkṣāṁ pravakṣyāmi dharmādharmakṣayaṅkarīm

Even the slayer of a guru, of a Vaishnava, of a brahmin, or of a woman is freed from that bondage through the initiated. Now I shall declare that initiation which brings about the destruction of both merit and demerit.

Verse 4 (garuda.1.9.4)

उपवेश्य बहिः शिष्यान्धारणं तेषु कारयेत् । वायव्या कलया रुद्र शोष्यमाणान्विचिंतयेत्

upaveśya bahiḥ śiṣyāndhāraṇaṁ teṣu kārayet vāyavyā kalayā rudra śoṣyamāṇānviciṁtayet

Having seated the disciples outside, one should make them practice concentration upon themselves. O Rudra, by the element of air, one should meditate on them as being desiccated.

Verse 5 (garuda.1.9.5)

आग्नेय्या दह्यमानांश्च प्लावितानम्भसा पुनः । तेजस्तेजसि तं जीवमेकीकृत्य समाक्षिपेत्

āgneyyā dahyamānāṁśca plāvitānambhasā punaḥ tejastejasi taṁ jīvamekīkṛtya samākṣipet

Then, by the element of fire, one should meditate on them as being burnt, and again, by the element of water, as being submerged. Merging radiance into radiance, one should unite that individual soul and cast it into the Supreme.

Verse 6 (garuda.1.9.6)

प्रणवं चिन्तयेव्द्योम्नि शरीरेऽन्यत्तु कारणम् । एकैकं यो जयेत्तत्र क्षेत्रज्ञं देहकारणात्

praṇavaṁ cintayevdyomni śarīre'nyattu kāraṇam ekaikaṁ yo jayettatra kṣetrajñaṁ dehakāraṇāt

In the element of ether one should meditate on the syllable Om, and in the body on the other causal principle. Whoever thus conquers each element, one by one, comes through the body's causal ground to know the knower of the field, the soul.

Verse 7 (garuda.1.9.7)

उत्पाद्य योजयेत्पश्चादेकैकं वृषभध्वज । मण्डलादिष्वशक्तस्तु कल्पयित्वाऽर्चयेद्धरिम्

utpādya yojayetpaścādekaikaṁ vṛṣabhadhvaja maṇḍalādiṣvaśaktastu kalpayitvā'rcayeddharim

O bearer of the bull-banner, having thus generated them, one should then unite each element in turn with the next. One unable to construct the mandala and the rest may worship Hari through mental visualization alone.

Verse 8 (garuda.1.9.8)

चतुर्द्वारं भवेत्तच्च ब्रह्मतीर्थादनुक्रमात् । हस्तं पद्मं समाख्यातं पत्राण्यङ्गुलयः स्मृताः

caturdvāraṁ bhavettacca brahmatīrthādanukramāt hastaṁ padmaṁ samākhyātaṁ patrāṇyaṅgulayaḥ smṛtāḥ

That mandala should have four gateways, constructed in due order from the Brahma-tirtha, the base of the thumb. The hand itself is declared to be the lotus, and the fingers are held to be its petals.

Verse 9 (garuda.1.9.9)

कर्णिकातलहस्तन्तु नखान्यस्य तु केशराः । तत्रार्चयेद्धरिं ध्यात्वा सूर्य्येन्द्वग्नयन्तरेव च

karṇikātalahastantu nakhānyasya tu keśarāḥ tatrārcayeddhariṁ dhyātvā sūryyendvagnayantareva ca

The palm of the hand is the pericarp, and its nails are the filaments. Meditating there upon the point between the sun, moon, and fire, one should worship Hari there.

Verse 10 (garuda.1.9.10)

तं हस्तं पातयेन्मूर्ध्नि शिष्यस्य तु समाहितः । हस्ते विष्णुः स्थितो यस्माद्विष्णुहस्तस्ततस्त्वयम् । नश्यन्ति स्पर्शनात्तस्य पातकान्यखिलानि च

taṁ hastaṁ pātayenmūrdhni śiṣyasya tu samāhitaḥ haste viṣṇuḥ sthito yasmādviṣṇuhastastatastvayam naśyanti sparśanāttasya pātakānyakhilāni ca

With focused mind one should then place that hand upon the disciple's head. Since Vishnu resides in that hand, it is therefore called the "hand of Vishnu"; by its very touch all sins are destroyed.

Verse 11 (garuda.1.9.11)

गुरुः शिष्यं समभ्यर्च्य नेत्रे बद्धे तु वाससा । देवस्य प्रमुखं कृत्वा पुष्पमेवार्पयेत्ततः । पुष्पं निपतितं यत्र मूर्ध्नो देवस्य शार्ङ्गिणः

guruḥ śiṣyaṁ samabhyarcya netre baddhe tu vāsasā devasya pramukhaṁ kṛtvā puṣpamevārpayettataḥ puṣpaṁ nipatitaṁ yatra mūrdhno devasya śārṅgiṇaḥ

The teacher, having duly worshipped the disciple, and with his eyes bound with cloth, should set him facing the deity, and then give him a single flower to offer. Upon whichever part of the image of the bow-bearing God that flower falls,

Verse 12 (garuda.1.9.12)

तन्नाम कारयेत्तस्य स्त्रीणां नामांकितं स्वयम् । शूद्राणां दाससंयुक्तं कारयेत्तु विचक्षणः

tannāma kārayettasya strīṇāṁ nāmāṁkitaṁ svayam śūdrāṇāṁ dāsasaṁyuktaṁ kārayettu vicakṣaṇaḥ

by that his new name should be given. For women, the teacher should mark the name accordingly in its own fitting form, and for shudras, the wise teacher should form the name joined with the word "dasa," servant.