Sat Kriyä Sära Dépikä

By

Çréla Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé

Printed By

The Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur

International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Founder Äcärya:

His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupäda

Limited Edition - 200 copies

Copyright © 1995 Bhaktivedanta Academy, Mayapur

All rights reserved.

Quote from books and letters of Çréla Prabhupäda reprinted with kind permission of

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank H.H. Bhänu Svämé for translating from the original Sanskrit the main body of the Sat Kriyä Sära Dépikä and adding explanatory notes on the yajïa contained in the appendix Yajïa Vidhi. Kåñëa Svarüpa Däsa for translating Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé’s introduction to the work. Suciù Däsa for the cover design. We would also like to thank the members of the Çré Rüpänuga Päramärthika Vidyäpéöha: Gopavåndapäla Däsa for the coordination and research work, Änanda Tértha Däsa for the editing, Rüpa Ragunätha Däsa for typing the manuscript, and Préti Vardhana Däsa for the layout.

Contents

Preface

Foreword

Preface by Çréla Bhaktisiddhänta Sarasvaté Öhakura......

Introduction by Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé

Maëgaläcarana

Adhiväsa

Sättvika våddhi çraddha

Väsudevärcana....................................................................

Viväha (marriage)

Garbhädhäna (impregnation)

Puàsavana (making a male child)

Sémantonnayanam (parting the hair)

Çoñyanté homa (safe delivery)

Jäta karma (birth)

Niñkrämaëam (first outing)

Näma karaëa (giving a name)

Pauñöika karma (nourishment)

Anna präçana (feeding grains)

Cüòä karaëam (hair cutting)

Upanayanam (sacred thread)

Samävartana (graduation).........................................................

Appendix

Glossary

Preface by H.H. Bhaktividyä Pürëa Svämé

In his “Sat Kriyä Sära Dépikä” the Gauòiya Vaiñëava Småtäcärya, Çréla Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé gives detailed descriptions of the rituals for the performance of fire sacrifices and saàskäras according to the Vaiñëava småti.The principles of Yajïa Vidhi as presented in this book are standard for Deity installations, festivals and Saàskäras. Further explanations of some of the rituals given by Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé are contained in Appendix I.

Çrémad Bhägavatam 8.23.16 explains the importance of understanding the rituals of Deity worship as always being subservient to the chanting of the holy name of the Lord -

mantratas tantrataç chidraà

deça-kälärha-vastutaù

sarvaà karoti niçchidram

anusaìkértanaà tava

(The following translation and purport are from Çréla Prabhupäda's Çrémad Bhägavatam):

“There may be discrepancies in pronouncing the mantras and observing the regulative principles, and, moreover, there may be discrepancies in regard to time, place, person and paraphernalia. But when Your Lordship’s holy name is chanted, everything becomes faultless.

PURPORT: ... In Kali Yuga the Vedic ritualistic ceremonies cannot be performed as perfectly as before. Therefore Çréla Jéva Gosvämé has recommended that although one should take care to follow all the principles in every kind of spiritual activity, especially in worship of the Deity, there is still a chance of discrepancies, and one should compensate for this by chanting the holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. In our Kåñëa consciousness movement we therefore give special stress to the chanting of the Hare Kåñëa mantra in all activities.”

We hope that the Vaiñëava community will be pleased with our humble attempt at presenting Çréla Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämé’s work Sat Kriyä Sära Dépikä, which includes the Gosvämé’s introduction and description of the preliminary rituals of fire sacrifice, as well as the purificatory rituals for those in the householder äçrama. Gopäla Bhaööa Gosvämépäda, following the Vedic tradition, does not include the rituals that deal with death (funerals and çräddha rites) within his saàskära paddhati. Therefore we have compiled a seperate book entitled “Vaiñëava Funeral and Çräddha Rites” that explains these procedures.