Whenever people bring an idol to the home temple, it is worshiped with full rituals. The process of infusing life into this statue is called Pran Pratistha. This brings the idol to life so that it can grant the person’s request. This tradition of consecration of life is linked to our cultural belief that worship is not done of idols but of divine power and great consciousness. In Sanatan Dharma, from the very beginning, idols of gods have been playing the role of a very important means among the means of attaining God. The devotee experiences ecstasy after seeing the Lord in the beautifully decorated statue of his favorite deity and gradually turns towards God. Before worshiping the idol, consecration of life in it is not just a tradition, but a complete philosophy is embedded in it.
How to consecrate the idol ?
- First of all, bathe the idol with pure water and wipe it with a clean soft cloth.
- Dress the idol in beautiful clothes and place the idol of the Lord in a clean place.
- Decorate the idol with various flowers, apply sandalwood paste etc. and offer perfume.
- Later, light the incense lamp in front of them and after offering praise, aarti and naivedya, chant the Beej Mantra of the god or goddess whose idol is there.
- Please your deity by doing puja in this order every morning and evening.
There are two types of life consecration
The first is movable and the second is immovable. In Achal, invocation and immersion of idols made of clay or sand is done but invocation or immersion of idols made of wood and gems is optional.
All these works are successful only when the idol is consecrated, otherwise all the worship becomes futile. It has been said that the Gods do not accept the food of a person who does not worship a desecrated idol. Therefore, if there is an unreputed idol in the house etc., it should be abandoned.
Some points to remember
In relation to which deity has the best reputation in which constellation, it has been told that Rohini, the three Uttaras, Revati, Dhanishtha, Anuradha, Mrigashira, Hasta, Punarvasu, Ashwini and Pushya are in the constellations of Vishnu, Indra, Brahma in Pushya, Shravan and Abhijit. It is best to worship Kuber and Kartikeya, Surya in Anuradha, Ganesh and Saraswati in Revati and Durga in Hasta and Mool. Months like Chaitra, Phalgun, Jyeshtha, Vaishakh and Magh are suitable for worshiping all the deities. Among the dates, Dwadashi Tithi has been specially set for the worship of Lord Vishnu, Chaturthi Ganesh and Navami Tithi Durga. It has been said for the blows that-
Tejaswini Kshemakridgrihad Vidhayini Syadvnada Dradha Ch.
Anandankrit Kalpvinashini cha Suryadivareshu Bhavetpratistha.
That is, the Pran Pratistha done on Sunday is Tejaswini, on Monday it is Kalyanakarini, on Tuesday it is Agridah Karini, on Wednesday it is wealth giver, on Thursday it is force giver, on Friday it is joy giver and on Saturday it is power destroyer. It is clearly said in religious texts that an idol which is broken should not be worshipped.