Puja Swami

1
Those who knowingly reject this way of faith and strive merely to tread the way of knowledge, are fools who would leave alone the cow of plenty standing at their door and knock about in search of the aka plant (the milk-weed) to five them milk.
2
Listen king of birds; those who abandon the worship of Hari and seek happiness by any other means are like wretched bunglers who seek to swim across the vast ocean without the help of a boat.
3
Garuda, O Bhavani, rejoiced to hear Kakabhushundi’s words and made reply in gentle accents: ‘By your grace my lord, doubt, care, error and delusion have all disappeared from my heart.
4
Through your clemency I have heard the sacred tale of Rama’s perfections and have gained peace. But there is still one question I would put, my lord; in your infinite compassion be pleased to explain this problem to me.
5
The saints and sages, the Vedas and Puranas declare that there is nothing so difficult of attainment as knowledge. That, my lord, is precisely what to sage (Lomasha) was teaching you, but you did not show the same amount of regard for knowledge as for faith.
6
Explain to me, my gracious lord, all the difference between knowledge and faith. The wise crow delighted to hear Garuda’s question and courteously replied.
7
‘There is no real difference between the ways of faith and those of knowledge, for both are equally efficacious in putting an end to the torments of birth and death. Great sages nonetheless point out some difference between the two, my lord: listen carefully, O noblest of birds, while I explain the matter.
8
Wisdom, dispassion, yoga (abstract meditation or union with the Supreme Being) and knowledge of the Self-mark me- are all masculine in conception, O mount of Hari! The might of the masculine is formidable indeed, while the feminine is weak and naturally inferior.
9
Men who are unattached and resolute can forswear women, but not the sensual voluptuaries who have turned their faces against the feet of Raghubira.

10

Such a soul, my lord, has allowed itself to be dominated by illusion and is trapped like a parrot or a monkey; the conscious and the unconscious are bound with a knot which, though unreal, is difficult to untie.

11
Thenceforward the soul becomes worldly and is subject to birth and death; now neither that (good, firm) bond is broken nor is the soul (free and) blissful. The Vedas and Puranas offer many remedies, but there is no loosing the knot; on the contrary, it becomes even more involved.
12
The heart of the creature being utterly clouded over with the darkness of ignorance, the knot cannot even be perceived; how then can it be untied: if God were to bring about such conditions (as are mentioned below), even then the disentanglement of the knot is problematical.
13
If by God’s favour a spirit of genuine piety, like a beauteous cow, comes to abide in one’s heart, if countless prayers, austere penances, steadfast vows, self-restraint, internal purification (whit contentment, mortification, study and worship of God) and observances, which the Vedas declare to be proper righteous conduct.
14
These be the green grass, and if the cow grazes it, she would bear and give milk to the calf of faith. The spirit of resignation (from worldly activity) is the rope with which her hind legs are tied, faith the bowl in which the cow is milked; the spotless mind that is its own slave is the milkman.
15
Having thus drawn off the milk of perfect righteousness, let a man boil it, brother, on the fire of desirelessness. When boiled, let him cool it with the wind of contentment and forbearance and make it into curd with the rennet of fortitude and self-control.
16
In the bowl of cheerfulness let him churn it with the churning-stick of reflection, with continence for base and truthful and agreeable words for cord. By this process of churning let him extract the butter of dispassion, pure and excellent and holy.

17
NAVGRAH MANTRA
Describing the significance of worshipping Navgraha (nine planets), Lord Vishnu told Rudra –’ One who worships the Navgraha with appropriate rituals attains all the four ‘purusharth’(objectives of man’s life)-dharma(religion), artha(money), kaam(sex) and moksha(salvation).’ He then went on to give various mantras related with the Navgrahas, which a devotee should chant while worshipping them –
SURYA(SUN) — OM SURYA MURTAYE NAMAH.
OM HRAM HRIM SAH SURYAY NAMAH.
CHANDRAMA(MOON)– OM SOMAY NAMAH.
BHAUM(MARS)–OM BHAUMAY NAMAH.
BUDDH(MERCURY)–OM BUDDHAY NAMAH.
VRIHASPATI(JUPITER)–OM VRIHASPATAYE NAMAH.
SHUKRA(VENUS)–OM SHUKRAY NAMAH.
SHANI(SATURN)–OM SHANAISHCHARAY NAMAH.
RAHU(DRAGON’S HEAD)–OM RAHAVE NAMAH.
KETU(DRAGON’S TAIL)– OM KETAVE NAMAH.
18
Subsequently, a devotee should worship the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, his weapons as well as his different mounts by incorporating the rituals of ‘Shodashopachar’ and by chanting the following mantras–
OM NARAYANAY NAMAH,
OM TATSAD BRAHMANE NAMAH,
OM HOOM VISHNAVE NAMAH,
OM HRAUM NAMO BHAGAVATE NRISINHAY NAMAH,
OM BHUH OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VARAHAY NAMAH, ETC.

19
LAXMI MANTRA
A devotee desirous of acquiring wealth and prosperity must worship Goddess Laxmi with appropriate rituals. He should begin by making salutations to the goddess by chanting the following mantra –
OM SRIM HRIM MAHALAKSHMYAI NAMAH.
Suta said:
1. Money should be saved for emergency; wife should be protected by spending hoarded wealth and one’s own self should be saved even at the risk of preserved assets and wife.
2. A friend can found out if he is genuine or otherwise in times of danger; the rest of valor is the battlefield; the test of purity of a man is his conduct in isolated places. Loss of wealth puts fidelity of the wife to a test and famine provides an opportunity to test whether a man is fond of entertaining a guest or otherwise.
3. The following are the activities that bring about the destruction of chastity and good conduct in women: Association with base and wicked people, a long separation from the husband, too much of consideration and love shown to them (by the would-be-defiler) and residence in another man’s house.
4. By sending them on errands the ability of servants can be known; sincerity of kinsmen can be known by their behavior during our adversity; the genuine friendship can be understood when some mishap occurs and the fidelity of the wife is known when one’s fortune dwindles.
5. The diet of a woman is twice as much as that of the man; shrewdness four times, energy is six times and amorousness is eight times as much as that of a man.
6. It is impossible to overcome sleep by sleeping it off; to overpower a woman by loving her; to smother a flame by adding fuel and to quench thirst by drinking wine.
7. A delicious fatty meat dies, pleasing dress, glowing wine, fragrant scented pastes, and sweet smelling flowers kindle passion in women.
8. It can be said with certainty that even during the period of celibacy the god of love is busily active. On seeing a man pleasing to her heart the vagina of a woman becomes wet with profuse secretion.
9. O Saunaka, it is true, definitely true that the vaginal passage of a woman begins to secrete profusely on seeing a well dressed man whether a brother or a son.
10. Rivers and women are of similar nature in their love of freedom to choose their own course. The rivers erode the banks and the women undermine their own families.
11. The river undermines the banks and the woman caused the fall of the family. The course of rivers and women is wayward and cannot be necked.
12. A blazing fire cannot be satiated with sufficient supply of fuel; the ocean can never be filled to satiety by rivers flowing into it; the god of death is never satiated by the living beings (whom he smites) and a passionate woman is never satiated with man.
13. If the wife is after your heart, if she is attractive, well bedecked and delightful, if you live in your own house it is heaven indeed which can be obtained only by good deeds performed in previous birth.
14. Women are incorrigible; they can never be brought round by making a gift, or offering respect, or a straight forward dealing, or repeated service. They can neither be threatened with a weapon nor asked to be quiet by citing scriptural codes.
15. Five things should be pursued slowly and cautiously. Learning, riches, ascending the mountain, amorous approach to women, and assimilation of virtuous conduct.