CELEBRATING TAILAABHYANGA.

Procedure to be followed:

1. The traditional copper vessel for water, used for water storage and
bath, shall be first washed and cleaned. Then the same shall be
decorated with flowers and filled upto three quarters with water.

2. As per the custom in each household, water should be drawn from

your backyard well and one ‘kalash’ filled with this water be kept in the
prayer room.

3. Keep ready pooja items like, flowers, fruits, kumkum, turmeric

powder etc.

4. Holding Mantraakshate’ (rice coated with kumkum) and flowers in

your palm, invoke, Lord Trivikrama, The One who caused the birth of
Gangadevi, into the kalash.

मम म म म म
म|

…uttering this mantra, put the flowers and rice in the kalash.

Next, offer the sixteen fold worship to the Lord.

i. Aasan ix. gandha

ii. Arghya x. pushpa
iii. Paadya xi. dhoopa
iv. Aachamana xii. deepa
v. Madhuparka xiii. naivedya
vi. Snaana xiv. taamboola
vii. Vastra xv. mangalaarati
mantrapushpa and
viii. yajnOpavIta xvi. namaskaara

5. Holding Mantraakshate’ (rice coated with kumkum) and flowers in

your palm, invoke Gangadevi, into the kalash.
 च म |
म म ||

Say … म म म and put the rice and

flowers into the kalash

Say म, म, म,
म
and put the rice and flowers into the kalash
Next offer the fabric, gandh, kumkum, turmeric and flowers.

6. Utter the following names and offer akshate’ rice with each name:

i.
म viii. म म

ii. म ix. म

iii. म x. म

iv. म म xi. म

v. म म xii. म

vi. म xiii. म

vii. म

7. Offer the dhoopa aarati saying this “

म |
$ ||
8. म |
म ||
uttering this mantra, offer aarti (containing 3 cotton wicks) and put it out
after offering.

9. Next naivedya.. Naivedya items like Coconut, fruits and other items
as per each person’s convenience, to be offered first to Lord Trivikrama
then to RamaaDevi and MukhyaPrana. A portion of this, in a separate
tray, to be offered to Bhagirathi Devi.

10. Next MahaMangalaarathi (with camphor added).. first to be offered

in this order:
Lord Trivikrama
RamaaDevi
MukhyaPrana (Vaayu)
Bhagirathi Devi

11. Uttering this mantra म , :

च offer mantrapushpaanjali to Lord Trivikrama

12. Invoking Bhaghirathi Devi utter this mantra :

! म
च म च :
म म
च $
म म

Offer akshte’ rice and namaskaar.

13. Asking for forgiveness for any defect in the worship, by saying the
prayer.. म च म ….. say the following:
म म म म म
म म
14. Now carry the Kalash to the bathroom with accompanying ringing
bells, jaagaTe, conch shell etc..pour the water in it, into the bath vessel
which was made ready earlier

15. From this day, after sunset, Kandeel /aakasha deepa has to be lit
up outside house.
Take a thick wooden pole about the height of a man and fix it into the
ground in your front yard. (Don't use bamboo pole)
At the top end of the pole fix a wooden or metal arrangement resembling
eight petaled lotus. Light eight lamps in the petals and a bigger lamp in
the middle. Use only til oil.

16. Similarly, one lamp (deepa) has to be kept outside the house at a
reasonable height and lit for YamaDeva.

The two days after Dhanatriyodashi, (when the water filling ceremony is
performed), viz. chaturdashi and amavasya are also very auspicious.

In fact, all 5 days from triyodashi to dwitiyaa have traditionally been

celebrated with great pomp and gaiety. While the young and old celebrate
these days with gaiety, the said days also have a religious background to
them.

Oil lamps are to be lit outside houses for the whole of the month of
Kartika. It is believed that the vibhoothi-roopa of Sri Krishna resides in
gingelly /sesame oil. Hence it is said that lighting lamps with this oil will
help in dousing our inner and outer tamas.

(Collected from different sources)

✍ Vishnu Venkatdas Shanbhag Kalbagkar, Kumta
Translated by U.V.Kini, Hyderabad.
 NarakaChaturdashi
The demon Narakasura was born to Bhoodevi and the Varaha avatar
form of Lord Vishnu. He had a boon that he could be killed only by the
hands of his mother. Sri Krishna along with Satyabhama, who was an
avatar of Bhoodevi, slayed Narakasura on this day (NarakaChaturdashi)
and freed the 16,100 women who had been abducted and imprisoned by
the demon.

**

The wife normally rises early before the husband and gets busy with
household chores. On Shukla Kartika Ekadashi, which is the end of the
period of Chaturmasa, the Lord, SrimanNarayana wakes up from his
yoganidra. His consort Sri Lakshmi Devi rises before Him. On this
NarakaChaturdashi day, She has to be welcomed in our houses and
offered pooja. aLakshmi has to be swept out of our houses, symbolically
with the broom.

**

Our Puranas mention that during Pitrapaksha, i.e. the Krishnapaksha

period of the month of Bhadrapada, our forefathers visit earth (with
permission from Yama). During this period, Yamalok is said to be empty,
as all souls are on an earth visit. These forefathers, remain till amavasya
of the month of Ashwija. They return satisfied after partaking the pinda,
tarpana offered by us during this period. If they do not receive any from
their descendents on earth during this period, they will return cursing
them all along the way.

To light the way of these returning souls on the days of Chaturdashi and
Amavasya, a lamp called ulka deepa is lit on chaturdashi and amavasya.
A small white cloth is wrapped at the top of a bamboo pole and dipped in
oil. This is lit and placed at a height outside the house.

On this day of NarakaChatrudashi, all persons, including those who have

parents, have to face south and offer yamatarpana from the tips of their
fingers (Deva tarpana) with upavita in normal position.

✍Vishnu Venkatdas Shanbhag Kalbagkar, Kumta

Translated by U.V.Kini Hyderabad.