The Way to Bow Down--Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa
Sri Hari-bhakti-vilasa
First Vilasa
The Way to Bow Down
In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.27.45), the Supreme Personality of Godhead again explains:
"Placing his head at the feet of the Deity, he should then stand with folded hands before the Lord and pray, `O my
Lord, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You. I am most fearful of this ocean of material existence, standing as I
am in the mouth of death.' "***
Text 360
kià cägame
dorbhyäà padbhyäà ca jänubhyäà
urasä çirasä dåçä
manasä vacasä ceti
praëämo 'ñöäìga éritaù
kià ca-furthermore; agame-in the Aagama-sastra; dorbhyäm-with both arms; padbhyäm-with both feet; ca-and;
jänubhyäm-with both knees; urasä-with the chest; çirasä-with the head; dåçä-with the eyes; manasä-with the heart;
vacasä-with the words; ca-and; iti-thus; praëämaù-bowing down; añöa-eight; aìga-parts of the body; éritaù-said.
In the Agama-çästra it is said:
"One should bow down with both arms, both feet, both knees, the chest, head, eyes, heart, and words. This is called
bowing down with eight parts of the body.
Text 361
jänubhyäà caiva bähubhyäà
çirasä vacasä dhiyä
païcäìgakaù praëämaù syät
püjäsu pravaräv imau. iti.
jänubhyäm-with both knees; ca-and; eva-indeed; bähubhyäm-with both arms; çirasä-with the head; vacasä-with
words; dhiyä-intell;igence; païcäìgakaù-with five parts of the body; praëämaù-bowing down; syät-is; püjäsu-in worship;
pravaräv-excellent; imau.-these two; iti-thus.
"One should bow down with both arms, both knees, the head, words, and intelligence. This is called bowing down
with five parts of the body. These two kinds of bowing down are excellent when one worships the Lord."
Text 362
garuòaà dakñiëe kåtvä
kuryät tat-påñöhato budhaù
avaçyaà ca praëämäàs trén
çaktaç ced adhikädhikän
garuòam-garuòa; dakñiëe-on the right; kåtvä-doing; kuryät-should do; tat-påñöhataù-on the back; budhaù-wise;
avaçyam-necessarily; ca-and; praëäman-bwoing down; trén-three; çaktaù-able; cet-if; adhika-better; adhikän-better.
A wise devotee should bow down, keeping Garuòa on one's right. One should bow down three times. If one is able, he
should bow down many times.
Commentary by Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé
Garuòa stands facing the Lord, so if Garuòa is at one's right, then the Lord is at one's left. One should not bow down
keeping the Lord at one's right. One also should not bow down directly facing the Lord. As one is forbidden to
circumambulate only once, so also one is forbidden to bow down only once. One should bow down three times. If one is
able, he should bow down many times: six times, eight times, or 108 times. The more times the better.
Text 363
tathä ca närada-païcarätre
sandhià vékñya harià cädyaà
gurün sva-gurum eva ca
dvi-catur-viàçad athavä
catur-viàçät tad-ardhakam
namet tad-ardham athavä
tad-ardhaà sarvathä namet
tathä-so; ca-and; närada-païcarätre-in the Närada-païcarätra; sandhim-an opportunity; vékñya-seeing; harim-to Lord
Hari; ca-and; ädyam-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; gurün-to the gurus; sva-gurum-to one's own guru; eva-indeed;
ca-and; dvi-twice; catur-viàçat-24; athavä-or; catur-viàçät-24; tad-ardhakam-half of that; namet-should bow down; tadardham-
half of that; athavä-or; tad-ardham-half of that; sarvathä-in all respects; namet-one should bow down.
In the Närada-païcarätra it is said:
"At an appropriate time one should bow down before the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the many spiritual
masters, and one's own spiritual master. One should bow down 48 times, or 36 times, or 18 times, or 9 times."
Commentary by Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé
The original Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord Kåñëa. The many spiritual masters are described in the Kürma
Puräëa:
yo bhävayati yä süte
yena vidyopadiçyate
jyeñöo bhrätä ca bhartä ca
païcaite guravaù småtäù
"The five spiritual masters are a person's father, mother, teacher, elder brother, and husband."
Text 364
viñëu-dharmottare
devärcä-darçanäd eva
praëamen madhusüdanam
snänäpekñä na kartavyä
dåñövärcäà dvija-sattamäù
devärcä-dåñöa-pütaà hi
çuci-sarvaà prakértitam
viñëu-dharmottare-in the Viñëu-dharma Puräëa, Uttara-khaëòa; devärcädarçanät-by seeing the worship of the Lord;
eva-indeed; praëamen-may bow down; madhusüdanam-to Lord Kåñëa; snäna-bathing in holy places; apekñäin relation to;
na-not; kartavyä-needing to be done; dåñövä-seeing; arcäm-the worship; dvija-sattamäù-O best of brähmaëas; devärcä-the
worship of the Lord; dåñöa-by seeing; pütam-purified; hi-indeed; çuci-sarvam-completely purified; prakértitam-said.
In the Viñëu-dharma Puräëa, Uttara-khaëòa, it is said:
"A person who sees the worship ceremony of the Lord and then bows down before Lord Kåñëa does not need to bathe
in sacred rivers. O best of brähmaëas, simply by seeing the worship of the Lord he has become completely purified."
First Vilasa
The Way to Bow Down
In Çrémad-Bhägavatam (11.27.45), the Supreme Personality of Godhead again explains:
"Placing his head at the feet of the Deity, he should then stand with folded hands before the Lord and pray, `O my
Lord, please protect me, who am surrendered unto You. I am most fearful of this ocean of material existence, standing as I
am in the mouth of death.' "***
Text 360
kià cägame
dorbhyäà padbhyäà ca jänubhyäà
urasä çirasä dåçä
manasä vacasä ceti
praëämo 'ñöäìga éritaù
kià ca-furthermore; agame-in the Aagama-sastra; dorbhyäm-with both arms; padbhyäm-with both feet; ca-and;
jänubhyäm-with both knees; urasä-with the chest; çirasä-with the head; dåçä-with the eyes; manasä-with the heart;
vacasä-with the words; ca-and; iti-thus; praëämaù-bowing down; añöa-eight; aìga-parts of the body; éritaù-said.
In the Agama-çästra it is said:
"One should bow down with both arms, both feet, both knees, the chest, head, eyes, heart, and words. This is called
bowing down with eight parts of the body.
Text 361
jänubhyäà caiva bähubhyäà
çirasä vacasä dhiyä
païcäìgakaù praëämaù syät
püjäsu pravaräv imau. iti.
jänubhyäm-with both knees; ca-and; eva-indeed; bähubhyäm-with both arms; çirasä-with the head; vacasä-with
words; dhiyä-intell;igence; païcäìgakaù-with five parts of the body; praëämaù-bowing down; syät-is; püjäsu-in worship;
pravaräv-excellent; imau.-these two; iti-thus.
"One should bow down with both arms, both knees, the head, words, and intelligence. This is called bowing down
with five parts of the body. These two kinds of bowing down are excellent when one worships the Lord."
Text 362
garuòaà dakñiëe kåtvä
kuryät tat-påñöhato budhaù
avaçyaà ca praëämäàs trén
çaktaç ced adhikädhikän
garuòam-garuòa; dakñiëe-on the right; kåtvä-doing; kuryät-should do; tat-påñöhataù-on the back; budhaù-wise;
avaçyam-necessarily; ca-and; praëäman-bwoing down; trén-three; çaktaù-able; cet-if; adhika-better; adhikän-better.
A wise devotee should bow down, keeping Garuòa on one's right. One should bow down three times. If one is able, he
should bow down many times.
Commentary by Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé
Garuòa stands facing the Lord, so if Garuòa is at one's right, then the Lord is at one's left. One should not bow down
keeping the Lord at one's right. One also should not bow down directly facing the Lord. As one is forbidden to
circumambulate only once, so also one is forbidden to bow down only once. One should bow down three times. If one is
able, he should bow down many times: six times, eight times, or 108 times. The more times the better.
Text 363
tathä ca närada-païcarätre
sandhià vékñya harià cädyaà
gurün sva-gurum eva ca
dvi-catur-viàçad athavä
catur-viàçät tad-ardhakam
namet tad-ardham athavä
tad-ardhaà sarvathä namet
tathä-so; ca-and; närada-païcarätre-in the Närada-païcarätra; sandhim-an opportunity; vékñya-seeing; harim-to Lord
Hari; ca-and; ädyam-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; gurün-to the gurus; sva-gurum-to one's own guru; eva-indeed;
ca-and; dvi-twice; catur-viàçat-24; athavä-or; catur-viàçät-24; tad-ardhakam-half of that; namet-should bow down; tadardham-
half of that; athavä-or; tad-ardham-half of that; sarvathä-in all respects; namet-one should bow down.
In the Närada-païcarätra it is said:
"At an appropriate time one should bow down before the original Supreme Personality of Godhead, the many spiritual
masters, and one's own spiritual master. One should bow down 48 times, or 36 times, or 18 times, or 9 times."
Commentary by Çréla Sanätana Gosvämé
The original Supreme Personality of Godhead is Lord Kåñëa. The many spiritual masters are described in the Kürma
Puräëa:
yo bhävayati yä süte
yena vidyopadiçyate
jyeñöo bhrätä ca bhartä ca
païcaite guravaù småtäù
"The five spiritual masters are a person's father, mother, teacher, elder brother, and husband."
Text 364
viñëu-dharmottare
devärcä-darçanäd eva
praëamen madhusüdanam
snänäpekñä na kartavyä
dåñövärcäà dvija-sattamäù
devärcä-dåñöa-pütaà hi
çuci-sarvaà prakértitam
viñëu-dharmottare-in the Viñëu-dharma Puräëa, Uttara-khaëòa; devärcädarçanät-by seeing the worship of the Lord;
eva-indeed; praëamen-may bow down; madhusüdanam-to Lord Kåñëa; snäna-bathing in holy places; apekñäin relation to;
na-not; kartavyä-needing to be done; dåñövä-seeing; arcäm-the worship; dvija-sattamäù-O best of brähmaëas; devärcä-the
worship of the Lord; dåñöa-by seeing; pütam-purified; hi-indeed; çuci-sarvam-completely purified; prakértitam-said.
In the Viñëu-dharma Puräëa, Uttara-khaëòa, it is said:
"A person who sees the worship ceremony of the Lord and then bows down before Lord Kåñëa does not need to bathe
in sacred rivers. O best of brähmaëas, simply by seeing the worship of the Lord he has become completely purified."
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