(A)   Required Paraphernalia

• Make sure the following items are present:

1)  a small bell on a plate;

2)  a païca-pätra containing samänya-arghya water;

3) a païca–pätra containing äcamanéyaà  (Clove  water) ;

4)  a visarjanéya-pätra (throw-out pot);

5)  a twig for each Deity to clean His teeth;

6)  clean towels for wiping the hands, mouth, and feet of each Deity;

7)  flower petals and tulasé leaves;

8)  an äsana for you to sit on.

 (1)      Purification before Entering the Deity Room

• Outside the Deity room, sit on an äsana and perform äcamana.
• Offer obeisance’s to your spiritual master, saying his praëäma prayers and requesting his blessings to perform the day’s activities:

nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale           çrémate [spiritual master’s name] iti nämine

I  offer my respectful obeisances unto [spiritual master’s name], who is very dear to Lord Kåñëa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

nama oà viñëu-pädäya kåñëa-preñöhäya bhü-tale         çrémate bhakitvedanta svamin iti nämine

I offer my respectful obeisance’s unto His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivendanta Swami Prabhupada who is very dear to Lord Kåñëa, having taken shelter at His lotus feet.

(B) Entering the Deity Room (altar) and Greeting the Deities:

• While ringing a bell just outside the Deity room, you may chant the following verses, meditating on the Lord awakening and begging Him to bestow His mercy:

so ‘säv adabhra-karuëo bhagavän vivåddha-  

prema-smitena nayanämburuhaà vijåmbhan                         utthäya viçva-vijayäya ca no viñädaà                        mädhvyä giräpanayatät puruñaù puräëaù

The Lord, who is supreme and is the oldest of all, is unlimitedly merciful. I wish that He may smilingly bestow His benediction upon me by opening His lotus eyes. He can uplift the entire cosmic creation and remove our dejection by kindly speaking His directions. [Çrémad-Bhägavatam 3.9.25]

deva prapannärti-hara prasädaà kuru keçava                                               avalokana-dänena bhüyo mäà parayäcyuta

O Keçava, O infallible Lord, O You who remove the distress of the surrendered souls! Please bestow Your mercy upon me by again awarding me Your transcendental glance.

                                   jaya jaya kåpamaya jagatera nätha             sarva jagatere koro çubha-dåñöé-päta

All glories, all glories to the merciful Lord of the universe! O Lord, please cast Your auspicious glance upon all the worlds.

Before entering the Deity room, draw the Lord’s attention by making a sound, either by clapping your hands, ringing a bell, or knocking on the Deity room door. 

Open the door, turn on the lights, and chant the names of the Deities in a festive mood:

                       Jaya Sré-Sré-Guru-Gauräìga,                 Rädhä-Vrindavancandra , 

                                            Sri Sri Subhadrä,  Balaräma , Jagannätha , 

Gaur – Nitai  ké-jaya

• Then step into the Deity room with your right foot first.

   Take waking up paraphernalia inside.

(C)  Waking the Spiritual Master and the Deities     

While ringing a small bell with your left hand, approach your spiritual master’s bed, touch his lotus feet with your right hand and chant:

                uttisthottistha sri-guro tyaja nidram krpamaya

 ‘O all-merciful spiritual master, please rise from sleep.’

Next meditate that the spiritual master is rising from bed to receive your services.

Next while ringing a bell with your left hand, approach Srila Prabhupada’s bed, touch his lotus feet with your right hand and chant:

uttisthottistha sri param-guro tyaja nidram krpa-maya

4) Next meditate that Srila Prabhupada is rising from bed to receive your services.

Remove shawl from spiritual master’s bed, remove shawls from all photographs and keep them at their respective places. Set up the photographs at their respective places.

(Follow a similar procedure for waking up the Deities.)

After chanting mantras, remove shawl from each bed, fold it and keep it on the top.

5)      Approach Lord Nétyänanda’s bed, touch His lotus feet, and chant.

uttistha jahnavesvara yoga-nidram tyaja prabho namno hatte divya-ndmam su-sraddhartham vitarasi

‘O Nétyänanda Prabhu, Lord of Jahnava, please arise and give up Your divine sleep. At the marketplace of the holy name You distribute the divine name, asking only for one’s faith in payment.’

6) Approach Lord Caitanya’s bed, touch His lotus feet, and chant:

uttisthottistha gauranga jahi nidram mahaprabho

subha-drsti-pradanena trailokya-mahgalam kuru

‘O Lord Gauranga, please rise from sleep and bless the three worlds with Your auspicious glance.’

• Next approach the bed of Lord Jagannätha, Lord Balaräma, and Çrématé Subhadrä, touch Their lotus feet, and chant:

tyaja nidräà jagan-nätha çré-baladevottiñöha ca

jagan-mätar ca subhadre uttiñöhottiñöha çubha-de

O Lord Jagannätha and Lord Baladeva, please give up your sleep and arise. O Çrématé Subhadrä, dear mother of the universe, please arise and bestow good fortune upon us.

Then wake up first Çrématé Subhadrä then Lord Balaräma and then Lord Jagannätha

Then approach Rädhä‘s and Kåñëa’s bed, touch Their lotus feet, and chant:

éçvara çré-hare kåñëa devaké-nandana prabho                                     nidräà muïca jagan-nätha prabhäta-samayo bhavet

O supreme controller, O Lord Hari, O Kåñëa, O son of Devaké, O master, O Lord of the universe, please give up Your sleep, for daybreak has come.

go-gopa-gokulänanda yaçodä-nanda-vardhana               uttiñöha rädhayä särdhaà prätar äséj jagat-pate

O master of the universes, O bliss of Gokula, the cowherds, and the cows, O You who gladden the hearts of Yaçodä and Nanda, please rise from bed with Çré Rädhikä, for morning has come.

At this time place back small Radha VrindavanCandra  on the altar.

If there are large Deities, meditate on waking Them and leading Them from Their beds to Their respective place.

Remove flowers from bedding and the bedding from the altar etc.

Place shoes back to their respective places.

Clean the Deity room altar platform and then wash hands.

Then replace any crowns, turban pieces, fresh garland in Srimati Radharani’s  lotus hand, chädars that belong to Their Lordship’s night dress, (except flute of small Krsna. Replace them after offering.)           

(D) Offering Early-Morning Paraphernalia

While chanting the following mantras, offer the appropriate items if available; • Chant idam äcamanéyam and guru-müla-mantra, and offer water for sipping; discard it in the visarjanéya-pätra.

• Chant idam aìga-vastram and guru-müla-mantra, and dry your spiritual master’s hands and face with a towel.

Now offer the same items to Srila Prabhupada,  Nityänanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahäprabhu,  , Çrématé Subhadrä, Lord Balaräma ,Lord Jagannätha ,Çrématé,  Rädhäräëé and Lord Kåñëa, one after another (in that order), with the appropriate müla-mantras.

• Finally, you may offer tulasé leaves to the feet of Lord Kåñëa and Lord Caitanya (and other viñëu-tattva Deities) while chanting:

etat tulasé-patram (or, for several leaves, etäni tulasé-paträëi) and the müla-mantra. Now that the Deities have been awakened, you may offer obeisance’s to Them outside the Deity room.

(E)  Afternoon waking up:

Follow the same order as during the morning waking up but chant only uttiñöhottiñöha and appropriate mula matras .

No need to chant complete mantra.

Remove flowers from beddings .Then the deity’s beddings are taken out of the altar. Replaces shoes, clean altar , wash hands .

Offer crowns , and flute and hand rest of Sri Vrindavancandra.

Remove water glasses ( Kalasa , bell on plate and äcaman patra from arati table . Give it for cleaning, replace it before ärati  starts.

(F)  Offering afternoon Paraphernalia.

 Chant idam äcamanéyam and guru-müla-mantra, and offer water for sipping; discard it in the visarjanéya-pätra.

Chant idam aìga-vastram and guru-müla-mantra, and dry your spiritual master’s hands and face with a towel.

Now offer the same items to Srila Prabhupada,  Nityänanda Prabhu, Caitanya Mahäprabhu, Çrématé Subhadrä, Lord Balaräma ,Lord Jagannätha  ,Çrématé,  Rädhäräëé and Lord Kåñëa, one after another (in that order), with the appropriate müla-mantras.

• Finally, you may offer tulasé leaves to the feet of Lord Kåñëa and Lord Caitanya (and other viñëu-tattva Deities) while chanting:

etat tulasé-patram (or, for several leaves, etäni tulasé-paträëi) and the müla-mantra. Now that the Deities have been awakened, you may offer obeisance’s to Them outside the Deity room.