Worship of the Bhagavan Nityananda Murti (Six Inches High)
The miniature murti of Bhagavan Nityananda is a statue for worship.
You may wish to perform a regular or daily worship of the murti.
Here is one possible worship sequence:
- Open with Sadgurunath Maharaj ki Jay.
- Offer a fresh flower to the murti.
- Wave an incense stick before the murti three times in a clockwise direction; as you do so, you can mentally repeat the mantra Om Namah Shivaya or Guru Om.
- Wave a light (either a candle or a wick soaked in ghee) before the murti three times in a clockwise direction; as you do so, you can mentally repeat the mantra Om Namah Shivaya or Guru Om.
- Offer a plate of fruit or sweets and, again, a fresh flower. Leave this plate at the altar. After worship, eat the food as Bade Baba’s prasad.
- Chant verse 32 from Shri Guru Gita:
gurur brahmā gurur viṣṇur gurur devo maheśvaraḥ
gurur eva parabrahma tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ
The Guru is Brahma.
The Guru is Vishnu.
The Guru is Lord Shiva.
The Guru is, indeed, Parabrahman.
Salutations to Shri Guru.
- Take a few moments after the worship for silent prayer or meditation.
Ritual Bath
A ritual bath is a form of worship inspired by traditional Brahmin rituals [1] of India in which the murti is lovingly bathed.
You can offer a ritual bath on a celebration day, such as Gurupurnima or Bhagavan Nityananda’s Punyatithi.
Perform the ritual bath by pouring warm water over the murti. If you wish, you may add a few drops of sandalwood oil or some other fragrant and edible oil to the water.
As you pour the water, repeat the mantra Om Namah Shivaya or Guru Om.
At the end of the bath, if oils were added to the water, the murti must be cleaned in a soapy solution, rinsed, re-waxed, and polished to maintain its original pristine surface. If only water was used, dry the murti with a clean cloth.
[1] The traditional ritual bath of a murti, performed by Brahmin priests according to scriptural protocols and accompanied by the appropriate Vedic mantras, is called abhishek in the Hindi language.