HOW TO PEFORM NITYA SEVA OF THAKORJI

HOW TO PEFORM NITYA  SEVA OF THAKORJI  - 

( BY DR.PRAVIN BHATIA - PURECHA) www.bhatiacommunity.org

Before waking up Shri Thakorji, clean the temple ( Nija Mandira , Tibari ) properly. Clean the Sinhasana and Gadiji and apply nice perfume (Attar). Prepare the tray of Mangala Bhoga. 

Mangala Bhoga

From left to right – Milk, Malai (cream), Makhana (butter), Mishri (crushed sugar powder), Curd , and Mathari’s with pickle.All these samagris should be put in bowls and served in a tray with the bowls in front of Shri Thakorji . Mathari is served on the far side of the tray. Choose any one Mathari break it into four equal pieces and serve it in the centre of the tray. Keep the Mangala Bhog ready before waking up Shri Thakorji. 

After entering the and to wake up Shri Thakorji, do Ghanta Nada (i.e. to ring the bells thrice) or else, clap your hands thrice. Wait for a while, then open the doors or curtains of Shayya Mandir. Apply attar (very little ) on your palm. Slowly lift the bed cover, gently caress Him with soft hands and then wake Him up. Hold Shri Thakorji in your palms and place Him on the gadiji, which is on the sinhasan and offer vastra according to the season. Do Sashtanga Dandavat (i.e. prostrate obiesance). 

In case, if any vaishnava has a svarupa of Shri Mahaprabhuji or Shri Gusainji in seva or Hastakshara ( hand writings) of acharya Balak in seva, then first wake them up and then wake up Shri Thakorji, after seeking their permission. 

Offer Mangala Bhog. Put curtains. Fill Jhariji and place it on the left side of Shri Thakorji on the sinhasan. Uncover the nozzle. Put curtains.

While Shri Thakorji is having Mangala Bhog, redo the shayyaji (bed). Clean it and put on the bed covers (chadar).

  After sufficient time i.e minimum ten minutes, open the curtains. Seek permission before entering by saying loudly, aauun Ji ” !! meaning, ‘ May I come in ? ‘.

 Do achaman/Mukh vastra . Offer Biris.

How to do achaman / Mukh vastra ? 

 Achaman – Hold a loti of water in your right hand and a bowl in your left hand.Pour the water from the loti into the bowl in front of Shri Thakorji . Make sure that the water is not splashed on Shri Thakorji or on the gadiji.

Mukha vastra – It is a square soft cotton cloth with stitched borders used to wipe Shri Thakorji’s mouth.It is folded and kept on the right side of Shri Thakorji on the pillow. Unfold the mukha vastra. Hold the ends in your hands in front of Shri Thakorji’s mukharavinda (face) for a couple of seconds.Change the side. Repeat thrice. Fold and keep it in its place.

After doing this open the darshan. Meanwhile, make the necessary arrangements for snan and shrungar.

How to do Snan ?

1. Place a large tray with an octagonal platform (chauki) in the centre with a chakala (a double layered , round shaped white cloth of cambric or popelyne with stitched borders).

2. Carefully place Shri Thakorji on the chakala.

3. Bathe with four lotis of lukewarm water.

4. A little residue of the fourth loti is circumbulated thrice over the idol in clockwise direction and the water is thrown outside the tray.

After snan -

Angavastram

A soft cotton cloth is spread on the gadiji (seat) and carefully place Shri Thakorji on the gadiji. Wrap the cloth all over the idol and pat dry. Remove the cloth.

Snana is not performed daily on the shyama svarupa. Such idols are cleaned with a soft cotton cloth soaked in lukewarm water and phulela is applied as and when necessary.

For shrungara, place Shri Thakorji on a shrungara chauki. First make Him wear Tilaka, Kanthabharana.Then jodi (first charanaravinda , katipecha and paunchi ) . Then do the shrungara on the mastaka, then Shri anga and then on the gadiji .

While doing the shrungar, do not forget to keep jhariji, biri and some samagri of dudha ghara next to the shrungara chauki.

After doing the shrungara, place Shri Thakorji on the sinhasan.Offer malaji (flower garlands – preferably two, otherwise one ) .Take away shrungara chauki, jhariji, biri and the samagri . If the idol is standing, then place the venuji in between two hands (Shri hasta) with the solitary hole near the lips. For Lalana, venuji is placed on the gadiji, on the right side of Shri Thakorji with the solitary hole in the front.Show arasi (mirror).First from close, then take a bit far then again from close. After showing the mirror put the mirror on your heart.

After showing the arasi, do charana sparsha. For charana sparsha, whole heartedly join both hands. Then do charana sparsha. First, delicately touch the left charanaravinda (lotus feet), then right and again left.Touch your eyes, head and heart with the same fingers that touched the lotus feet of Shri Thakorji . Pay prostrate obeisance to Shri Thakorji and take Charanamruta ( it is the residue water of the snan).

Wash your hands and remove the venuji. Place it on the right side of Shri Thakorji on the gadiji. For Lalana, it is the same. Fill new Jhariji.

Since, Gopi Vallabha Bhog is not offerred by the vaishnavas, the jhariji what you fill after shrungara is meant for Raja Bhoga.

In between shrungara and Raja Bhoga offer milk to Shri Thakorji. Meanwhile prepare the thala for Raja Bhoga. Once this is done , remove the milk. Do achamana / Mukha vastra. Wash your hands. Offer Raj Bhoga .

Dudha ghara on the right side of Shri Thakorji. ana sakhadi on the left side and sakhadi in the centre. These differrent forms of samagris are not mixed with each other. For instance, any samagri of dudha ghara, like barafi, cannot be kept with bundi or mohana thal, as they are ana sakhadi.

Offer Shri Thakorji the bhog usually for longer time atleast for 30 minutes. As per the time, open the doors/curtains, seek permission to enter. Do achamana / Mukha vastra , offer biri and remove the bhog. Wash your hands. Fill new jhariji (right side of sinhasan), banta with biri (left sideof sinhasana). Offer malaji.Place Khanda – Pata – Chauki in front of the sinhasana.Put toys on the steps of the khanda, chaupada on the pata and a trashti (tray)under the chauki. Keep toys on a stand on either side of the sinhasana. Open Raj Bhoga darshan.

Offer venuji and vetra. Show arasi as done in shrungara. Do arati (optional). Pay prostrate obiesance. Wash your hands.

Again show arasi and remove venuji and vetra and keep it in its place. Remove the malaji ( it is kept in a tray next to the shayyaji during anosara).

For anosara, keep banta (dudha ghara and ana sakhadi), jhariji, biri next to the shayyaji on a padagha (stand).

It is advisable to have two pairs of jhariji so that one can be used for anosara while the other remains on the sinhasana .

Apply nice perfume on the shayyaji. Pull the curtains / doors.

The duration of anosara should atleast be for a minimum of two and a half hours.

In the evening, prepare the tray for Utthapana bhog. Shri Thakorji is offerrred all differrent kinds of seasonal fruits and khova. Wash the fruits properly, peel off the skin and cut them into small pieces. Do not forget to keep salt and black pepper along with the fruits.

Once you have prepared this, do Ghanta Nad to wake Him. Wait for a while before entering. Remove the jhariji from the sinhasan and from the shayya mandir. Open darshan. Fill the jhariji and place it on the sinhasan. Close the darshan. Offer Utthapan bhoga.

After ten minutes, remove the bhoga. Do achamana / Mukha vastra. Remove the banta with the biri and also Khanda / Pata /CHauki. Place Shri Thakorji on the shrungara chauki with jhariji and banta.

Start removing the shrungar. First remove the gunja mala and then all the other hara/ malas from the gadiji. Then remove the shrungara from the mastaka and then from the Shri anga.

If the idol is a Lalana, then make Him wear kada, karnaphula, naka vesara and on mastaka it is according to shrungara in the morning. Like if it is pagha then offer the same after removing shrungara. If it is topi, then offer the same in the evening . If there is kulhe in the morning, then offer pagha in the evening.

Only on certain days, when the same shrungar is repeated on the following day (vadata shrungara ), then make Him wear the same kulhe in the evening.This is applied to both forms of idol, i.e., Lalana and standing idol.

If the idol is standing or a shyama svarupa then make Him wear pagha with one lara, alkavali, kada, nupura, chibuka and karnaphula .

After removing the shrungar, offer milk. Close the door /curtain.

Prepare the thala for Shayan Bhog. Fill jhariji for Shayan Bhog.

Open the door, do achamana / Mukha vastra. Wash your hands. Offer Shayan Bhog in the same manner as Raj Bhoga.

After twenty minutes, seek permission to come in (as mentioned earlier ). Offer milk in one bowl and in another bowl, mix rice with milk and put the bowl in the thala in front of Shri Thakorji. Remove the jhariji. Close the door.

Fill jhariji and keep it in the shayy mandir.

After five minutes, open the door. Do achamana / Mukha vastra. Remove all the bhog. Wash your hands. Offer biri and malaji and then open Shayana darshana (there is no jhariji in this darshan).

Prepare the shayyaji for anosara. Apply nice perfume on the shayyaji, pillow and bed -cover. Keep banta (dudha ghara and ana sakhadi ) and bidas and a bowl of milk.

After this, place Shri Thakorji on the shrungara chauki. Seek permission and remove the malaji. Remove kada, naka vesara and karnaphula (in the case of a Lalana ). For a standing idol, remove chibuka and naka vesara .

 Lalana does not wear any vastra while sleeping while a standing idol wears only a taniya.

 Hold Shri Thakorji on your palms delicately and place Him on the shayyaji, which is in south – north direction ( i.e. Shri mastaka in the south and charanaravinda in the north ). Make Him sleep facing west with the right hand (Shri hasta ) holding the butter ball upwards. Gently caress Him and fully cover the shayya. Fan Him for a while.

In case, if any vaishnava has a svarupa of Shri Mahaprabhuji or Shri Gusainji in seva or Hastakshara ( hand writings) of acharya Balaka in seva, then he should make them sleep only after he puts Shri Thakorji to bed.

Pay obiesance. Walk backwards out of the shayya mandira. Close the doors/curtains.

This is a normal routine daily performance of seva which should be practised by all vaishnavas who either have a svarupa (idol) or a chitraji for seva. This kind of a seva is for full day i.e. from mangala to shayana with anosara in between. If any vaishnana cannot perform a full day seva due to his/her circumstances, then there is an option for him /her to perform the seva in continuation (chalu seva ) i.e. from mangala to shayana with no anosara in between.

As it is stated in “Navaratna Stotram “, ” Seva krutir guror agaya “ , seva should be performed as per the instructions of your Guru..