2 Ganesha Green background
Father and son sat together on that throne. Although there were only two of them, they appeared to be many, reflected in every gem. Concerned for his son and his family’s honor, the King spoke first about personal conduct and then of the art of politics”. King Somakanta said, “One should rise before dawn. Sitting in a clean place, one should meditate on his guru. Then one should meditate upon Mother Earth and ask her to patiently accept the touch of one’s feet upon her. Having meditated upon the Supreme, one should first offer prostrations and recite the following prayers. ‘At sunrise I offer my humble prayers to Lord Gananath, who is the cause of this manifestation, who awards boons to the demigods such as Brahma and others, abounds in the Agamas, awards the results of the activities of dharma (religiosity), artha (economic development), and kama (sense gratification), who is the cause of liberation for the human race, is beyond words, is the beginning, and has unlimited incarnations. At sunrise I offer my humble supplication to Lord Shiva, the husband of goddess Parvati, who carries the moon on his head, dresses in a tiger-skin, who is pitiless toward mind-born lust, awards boons to Vishnu and Indra, who is loved by the demigods and perfected beings, carries the damaru drum and trident, wears a garland of snakes and who is Puru’s enemy. At sunrise I offer my humble supplication to Lord Vishnu, the husband of goddess Laksmi, who possesses great strength, manifests unlimited incarnations for the protection of the divine souls, dwells in the ocean of milk, who is the controller of the demigods, who is the Supreme Lord – dispeller of darkness, defeats all of his enemies and who is the cause of their liberation.
At sunrise I offer my humble supplication to Surya, Lord of Light, who removes sins, removes darkness, who is praised by divine beings, who is the three Vedas, expelled the enemies of the demigods, and who is the cause of spiritual knowledge. At sunrise I offer my humble supplication to Goddess Parvati, who is also known as Suresi, daughter of the Himalayas, who creates prosperity, saves those who are drowning in the ocean of material existence, possesses three eyes, who is the cause of the creation of matter, who expelled the enemies of the demigods, who is illusion personified, and who is praised by the great sages and demigods’. After one has meditated on other demigods and sages in the same way and worshipped them in one’s mind, one should pray to them for forbearance. Then taking a water-pot, one should walk in a southwesterly direction from the village.
After one has covered the ground with grass, he should relieve himself while facing the north or south. Having first cleaned oneself with grass or soft wood, one should wash five times with clay and water. Then immediately after, one should wash both hands. After sipping some water and taking a piece of wood from the milk or thorn tree, one should clean his teeth and tongue. Thus praying, ‘O Lord Krishna, please give me strength, power, glory, energy, cows, intelligence, wisdom and knowledge of Brahman’. Then having taken one’s bath in cool water, one should offer prayers and benedictions for his immediate family. One should then make an offering to the ancestors and demigods, and practice the recitation of the Vedas. Finally, one should worship God and then offer food to the demigods, deities and guests under the guidance of the Brahmins. One should also listen to the recitation of the Puranas, give gifts in charity and avoid criticizing others. With loving words, energy, and wealth, one should be very generous to others and never hurt anyone’s feelings or engage in self-praise. One should remain faithful and respectful towards one’s guru, nor be offensive toward the Vedas.
