Chapter summary
पूजाफलम् Pūjā Phalam
The Fruit of Worship
**The Blessed Lord said:**
A wise and devoted soul who enters My temple for worship shall never again be confined to the prison-house of a mother's womb. Thus, for those who meditate upon the unobstructed path to liberation and are protected by Me, freedom from worldly existence is attained without any struggle (v.1-2).
Even by merely invoking Me with offerings of uncut rice and flowers, saying, "Come, O Narasimha!", My devotee is absolved of all sins. Similarly, one who reverently removes the previous offerings (*nirmālya*) and then bathes Me, their chosen deity, with pure water, is freed from every transgression (v.3-4).
Those who consistently perform the sacred bathing ceremony (*abhishekam*) of a Śālagrāma stone with the five nectars (*pañcāmṛta*) are never bound by the cycle of worldly existence. He who, with a pure and pleasing heart, bathes Me just once with yogurt, attains My divine abode, where he is honored by the foremost of the gods. And the devotee who bathes Me, the God Nārāyaṇa, with cow's milk is purified of all sins and glorified in My world (v.5-7).
When a devotee bathes Me, their cherished deity, with ghee—especially during the *abhishekam* accompanied by the resonant sounds of conch and drums—they shed the armor of sin just as a snake casts off its old skin. Ascending a divine celestial chariot, such a soul is glorified in My realm. The person who performs My worship by bathing Me with honey first rejoices in the world of Agni, and thereafter resides in My own sacred city (v.8-10).
Furthermore, he who cleanses My worship-form by scrubbing it with wheat flour and washing it with warm water attains the world of Varuṇa. And the one who bathes Me, Nārāyaṇa, with water scented with camphor and aloe-wood, delights in the world of Indra before ultimately dwelling in My city (v.11-12).
O Caturmukha [Brahmā], he who devoutly bathes My form with sacred water, after residing in the world of Savitṛ [the Sun god], is glorified in My own abode. The worshipper who, with devotion, clothes My body with two garments, after experiencing joy in the world of Soma [the Moon god], is likewise glorified in My realm (v.13-14).
That wise person who devoutly adorns Me with divine golden ornaments—such as necklaces, armlets, earrings, crowns, and other embellishments—is freed from all sins and, himself adorned with all ornaments, resides in the world of Indra for a period equivalent to the reigns of fourteen Indras. He who joyfully and with devotion anoints My form with sandalwood, aloe-wood, *śrīkhaṇḍa*, and saffron, resides in heaven for a crore of *kalpas* (v.15-17).
The devotee who daily crafts and offers a garland of fragrant flowers, ascending a divine celestial chariot, is glorified in My world. And the person who faithfully offers a cloud of incense for Me to smell, particularly during *Cāturmāsya* [the four-month holy period], shall never become an inhabitant of hell (v.18-19).
The man who lights a lamp for Me with ghee or oil, according to the prescribed rules and with devotion, surely reaches My world. He who, with faith and devotion, offers *pañcāmṛta* as *naivedya* [food offering] in My presence, along with *pāyasa* [sweet rice pudding], *kṛsara* [a dish of rice and sesame], and various other edibles and foods, should then partake of that great *prasādam* [sanctified food] for the removal of all diseases (v.20-22).
By drinking the water from My feet (*pādodaka*), one is freed from rebirth. By holding the Tulasī leaves that have touched My feet, one attains union with Me (*sāyujya*). Having performed the *nīrājana* [waving of lights] for Me, which eradicates all sins, and having beheld My pleased countenance, one obtains all auspiciousness. Whatever sins have been committed in previous births are all destroyed with every step of circumambulation (*pradakṣiṇa*) (v.23-25).
By bowing down to Me just once, one certainly obtains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice. However, while an Aśvamedha may lead to rebirth, bowing to Me grants the supreme state. He who builds a new temple and consecrates Me within it, to him I shall undoubtedly grant the position of a universal emperor (v.26-27).
He who faithfully renovates My dilapidated temple, to him I shall grant the position of Brahmā (*Pārameṣṭhya*), of this there is no doubt. Indeed, the renovation of an old temple is superior to the construction of a new one; by the mere act of restoring an ancient shrine, I lift one up from the cycle of worldly existence (v.28-29).
The man who faithfully donates a field for My daily worship and for festivals will certainly become a king. By offering Me grain, rice, jaggery, ghee, and milk as *naivedya*, one never suffers from poverty. By cultivating a flower garden and preparing flower garlands, one obtains vast fame throughout the three worlds, enduring as long as the moon and sun (v.30-32).
And by donating young, milk-giving cows to My cowshed, devotees ensure that those cows cross the Vaitaraṇī river, situated on the path to the world of Yama. O Caturmukha [Brahmā], those who offer priceless ornaments with sacred *mantras* undoubtedly attain the wealth of Kubera (v.33-34).
By offering fragrant sandalwood, beautiful camphor, and saffron, one swiftly becomes renowned and pre-eminent among one's own kinsmen. O Padmasaṃbhava [Brahmā], he who daily makes Me smell incense with devotion, his sins washed away, goes to the world of the virtuous, without a doubt (v.35-36).
By daily lighting a lamp in My temple with devotion, one obtains all auspiciousness, progeny, and good fortune. By performing a milk-ablution for Me, one is freed from all diseases and certainly gains goodwill among one's kinsmen. By having a honey-ablution performed, one undoubtedly acquires a sweet voice, and the entire world will surely be enchanted by their singing (v.37-39).
By the mere act of hoisting a flag in My temple with faith, one becomes victorious everywhere, having no enemy in the world. Having seen Me mounted on Garuḍa, one is freed from rebirth; having attained supreme devotion to Me, one achieves *sālokya* [residence in My world] (v.40-41).
By faithfully and devoutly performing My wedding festival, a maiden or a young man quickly obtains marriage. By witnessing Me during the chariot festival (*rathotsava*), one is absolved of all sins, and at the end of life, one attains liberation, of this there is no doubt (v.42-43).
The man who devoutly performs My *Brahmotsava* [grand annual festival] indeed becomes Brahmā and rejoices in the state of *Pārameṣṭhya*. O Padmasaṃbhava [Brahmā], this incarnation [arcāvatāra] has been assumed by Me out of sheer compassion, solely to bestow grace upon mankind (v.44-45).
Thus, the tenth chapter, named "The Fruit of Worship," in the Fourth Part of the Divyadeśavaibhavam, composed by Śrī Kṛṣṇapremi Mahāprabhu.
