The Ritual for Infusing Life (prÄnaprati^thÄ) and

the Goddess PrÄnasakti

By Gudrun BÅhnemann, Kyoto

The ritual for infusing life (prÄnaprati^thÄ) into an idol or yantra' is a

currently performed smÄrta ritual. Without this ritual an idol is consiÇ

dered lifeless and unfit to receive worship. Descriptions of the prÄnapra-

ti^thÄ appear in texts such as KamalÄkara Bhatta's Nirnayasindhu

(1612 A.D.), p. 250, 1-22; Nilakantha's Prati^thÄmayÅk-ha (= part 9 of

the BhagavantabhÄsicara, written between 1610 and 1645 A.D.'), pp.

19,31-20,10; and VisvanÄtha's VratarÄja (1736 A.D.), pp. 39,14-40,6.

During this ritual the performer places his left hand on his heart and

his right hand on the idol or yantra. Uttering the formula for infusing the

life breath (prÄna), the soul Qiva), and the sense organs (indriya) É

which is prefixed with a series of Tantric seed (bija) syllables É he transÇ

mits the life from his heart, the residing place of the deity, into the idol

or yantra. The performer repeats the syllable om fifteen times to comÇ

plete the fifteen purificatory ceremonies (sarnskÄrÄ) of the deity. In

some cases this is followed by the performer's visualization (dhyÄna) of

the personified life breath, the goddess PrÄnasakti. Then the eyes of the

idol are opened by touching them with the aid of a needle or dÅrvÄ grass.
The formula employed for infusing the life breath and the instructions

for visualizing the goddess PrÄnasakti has appeared in early Tantric

texts. One tradition can be traced from the PrapancasÄra and the SÄraÇ
dÄtilaka, which is based on the former, to texts like the Mantramaho-

dadhi, VidyÄrriavatantra, TrcabhÄskara, PrÄnato^ini, and MantramahÄr-

VMva.

1. The Ritual for Infusing Life (prÄnaprati^thÄ) as Described in the

/SÄradÄtilaka

The PrapancasÄra (= PS), an anonymous digest on mantrasÄstra traÇ

ditionally attributed to Samkara, composed before the latter part ofthe

' For a description ofthis ritual, cf BiJhnemann 1988, pp. 191-195.

' For this date, cf Kane, vol. 1, p. 941.
354 Gudrun BÅhnemann

eleventh century A.D.', describes the prÄnaprati^thÄtwice: once in conÇ

nection with establishing the vessel (kumbhasthÄpana) as part of the

initiation (dik^Ä) ritual (PS 6.37-38) and once separately as subject of

the entire chapter 35*.

The subject matter of the PS has been rearranged and presented in

clearer language in the SÄradÄtilaka (= ST) by Laksmanadesika (eleÇ

venth century A.D.). Again, the prÄnapratiÑthÄ is described twice: once

in connection with establishing the vessel (as in the PS) (ST 4.82-84)

and once in verses 71-145 of chapter 23. The descriptions of both the

prÄnamantra recited during the prÄnaprati^thÄ and the goddess PrÄnaÇ

sakti, appearing in verses 71-89 ofthe ÖT, correspond with the followÇ

ing verses in chapter 35 of the PS:

ÖT PS
23.71 35.1

23.72-73a 35.11

23.73b-76 35.2
23.77-81 35.3-4
23.82-83 35.5
23.84-86 35.6-8
23.87-89 35.9-10

The remaining part of the chapter, verses 90-145, describes special

applications of the prÄnamantra in the context of the six "cruel" acts of

black magic (abhicÄra) and special yantras. It corresponds to PS 35.11-

22.

According to ST 23.72-75 and RÄghavabhatta's commentary PadÄrÇ

thÄdarsa (1494 A.D.) the mawZra uttered for infusing the life breath, the

soul, and the sense organs is as follows:

(prÄnamantra:)
Ärn hrirn krorn yarn rant larn vani sarn $arn sarn horfi orn k^arÑ sarfi harÑ sah

hriffi orn harn sah amulya prÄnÄ iha prÄnÄh </>

Ärn. . .sah amulya jiva iha sthitah </>

Ärfi. . .sah amulya sarvendriyÄni

Ärfi. . .sah vÄnmanascakÑuhsrotraghrÄnaprÄnÄ ihÄgatya

sukharn cirarn ti^fhantu svÄhÄ orn k$arri sarÑ har{i sah hrirji otfi <//>

^ V. V. Dviveda has given this date in the introduction to his edition ofthe
NityÄsodasikÄrnava, p. 41, which was discussed by Goudriaan in: GoudÇ
riaan/Gupta 1981, p. 131.
It is chapter 31 in the edition which forms part ofthe Complete Works of Sri
SaipkarÄcÄrya.
 The Ritual for Infusing Life 355

(The mantra of the life breath:)

Ani hrirn krorfi yarn rarn larfi varfi sarfi ^arri sarfi horri oni kÜarfi sarfi harfi sah
hrirfi orn, harfi sah; the life breaths of x are the life breaths

(established) here.
Arfi. . .sah; the soul of x is established here.

árfi. . .sah; all sense organs of x (are established here).

árfi. . .sah; may the faculty of speech, the mind, the faculty

of sight, of hearing, the olfactory sense and the life breath

(of x), having come here, be established happily (and)

long; svÄhÄ orfi k^arfi sarn, hani sah hrirn orfi.

The main formula for infusing life breath (spaced in the text) has been

prefixed here with the principal mantra (mÅlamantra) of the life breath,

Ärfi hrirÑ krorfi. This mantra consists of the seed (bija) syllables

Ärfi É the noose (pÄsa) seed syllable; recited during special

applications of the mantra to bind the victim of the ritual

(PS 35.13a; 6T 23.92c);

hrirfi É the energy (sakti) seed syllable; recited during special appliÇ
cations of the mantra to bring the victim under control
(PS 35.13ab; ÖT 23.92d);

krotfi^ É the goad (ankusa) seed syllable; recited during special appliÇ
cations of the mantra to draw the victim near (PS 35.13b;

ÖT 23.93a).

The utterance of the three seed syllables is followed by that of the

semivowels ya, ra, la, va and the last consonants of the DevanÄgari

alphabet sa, Ña, and sa (symbolizing the elements). These are followed

by a simple nasal (anusvÄra); a contraction of ha and orn,; a seven-sylÇ

labled mantra consisting of the five syllables k^ani sarfi harfi sah hrirfi

which are enclosed at the beginning and end with the syllable orfi; and

the harfisah mantra, the sound of the exhalation (harfi) and inhalation

(sah). The formula ends with the exclamation svÄhÄ, originally used in
Vedic sacrifice to indicate the completion of an offering in the fire. Here

it terminates the mantra and is followed only by the five aforementioned

syllables.

BrahmÄ, ViÜnu, and Siva are the seers (r$i) said to have visualized

the prÄnamantra. The metre (chandas), expressing the inner rhythm of

the mantra, is the totality of the metres of the verses of the figveda,

Yajurveda, and SÄmaveda, and the deity expressed by the mantra is the

personified life breath, the goddess PrÄijaÄakti.

' As a variant, the syllable kraurn appears in MMD 1.46.

356 Gudrun BÅhnemann

2. The Iconography of the Goddess Pranasakti

The goddess PrÄnasakti is said to reside in the heart of all beings.*

The worshipper visualizes her in his own heart when performing the

prÄnaprati$thÄ. A description of the visual form of the goddess appears

in PS 35.7:

raktÄmbhodhisthapotollasadamimsarqjÄdhirÅdliÄ karÄbjaifi'

pÄsaip. kodarujkim ik^Ådbhavam aligunam' apy ankusani panca hÄnÄn /

bihhrÄnÄsTkkapÄlarri trinayanalasitÄ pinavak^oruhÄqlhyÄ

devi bÄlÄrkavarnÄ hhavatu sukhakari prÄnasaktih parÄ' vah' //

"May the goddess who has mounted a red lotus which shines like a red
boat on the ocean'", who holds with her lotus-like hands the noose, the

bow made of sugarcane, and the bowstring and goad, live arrows (and)

a skull (vessel filled) with blood, who is beautified with three eyes, is

enriched with full breasts, who is the colour ofthe rising sun, (may she)

the highest PrÄnasakti, confer happiness on you."

St 23.85 rephrases this description as follows:

raktÄbdhipotÄruvMpadrnasarfisthÄrifl} '
pÄsÄnkusÄv ik^usarÄsabÄnÄn /

sÅlarfi kapÄlarfi dadhatirp karÄbjai'^

raktÄrn trinetrÄrfi pranamÄmi devim//

"I bow to the goddess who stays on a red lotus which is like a red boat"
on the ocean, who holds with her lotus-like hands the noose and goad,

sugarcane bow, arrows, spear/trident, (and) skull (vessel), who is red

(and) has three eyes."

A similar description with a different wording appears in Mahidhara's

Mantramahodadhi (= MMD) (composed 1588-89 A.D.) 1.61:

pÄsarp, cÄpÄsfkkapÄle spÑ^n

chÄlarÑ hastair bibhratirp. raktavarnÄm /

' Cf VT 1, p. 525,26: prÄnasaktir devatÄ syÄt sarvaprÄnihrdi sthitÄ.

' karÄgraili SR.

' Emended with PSSS, SR; atha gunam PS; anigunam STN, TrbhÄ.
* svarÅpÄ PS^; parÄ nah PSSS, STN, TrbhÄ.
'" Or: the goddess . . . shining like a boat on the red ocean/ocean of blood.
" With PrT, VT; "namadhyasaw" ST.
'^ karÄgrai VT.

" RÄghavabhatta's commentary, p. 838,24, states that the adjective red quaÇ
lifies the noun boat. For a different interpretation, cf Mahidhara's commentary
on MMD 1.61 quoted in note 14.
 The Ritual for Infusing Life 357

raktodanvatpotaraktÄmbujastharii

devirn dhyÄyet prÄruisaktirfi trinetram //

"One should meditate on the goddess Pranasakti, who holds with her

hands the noose, bow and skull (vessel filled) with blood, goad and

arrows, (and) spear/trident, who is red, who stays on a red lotus (which
is) on a boat on the ocean of blood'*."

Although these descriptions are quite similar, there are small differÇ

ences, especially with regard to the attributes held by the goddess. In

the PS she holds the noose, sugarcane bow, bowstring, goad, five
arrows, and skull vessel filled with blood in her six hands. The bowÇ

string is made of a flight of black bees, a common characteristic of a

sugarcane bow. The ST and MMD name the same attributes as the PS

with the exception ofa spear/trident (mla, possibly for trisÅla) which

is in place ofthe bowstring (guna). The distribution of these attributes

differs according to the traditions of both texts. In his commentary on

the St, p. 838,24-25, RÄghavabhatta has the following order:

UP R L

t goad noose
arrows bow

spear/trident skull vessel

Mahidhara's auto-commentary on the MMD, p. 4,12-13 states that the

skull vessel, goad and arrows are held in the right hand and noose, bow
and trident in the left hand.'à This distribution of attributes can be seen

in one of two visual representations of PrÄnasakti which I have come

across. It appears in an edition of the MantraratnÄkara, p. 14, to illus-

'* The translation follows the explanation given in Mahidhara's auto-comÇ

mentary Nauka, p. 4,13, on the MMD: raktamayo ya udanvÄn samudras tatrapoto
naus tatra raktapadmarti tatra sthitam. For a different interpretation, cf. RÄghaÇ
vabhatta's commentary on ST 23.85 referred to in note 13.
" Cf. also the description of PrÄnasakti in ParamÄruindatantra 6.55-56:
japÄkusumasacdiÄyÄrfi raktasragvastrabfiÅ^ariÄm /
smiyi pÄsarji tathÄ cÄparp, paurjbdrarfi tadvat trisÅlakam // 55
asrkpÅrnakarotarfi ca panca bÄnÄrns ca bibhratim /
smaret trinetrÄrfi svasamasaklya^takasusevitÄm // 56
According to MaheSvarÄnandanÄtha's commentary p. 55,15 the attributes are
distributed as follows:
R L

goad noose
arrows bow
skull trident
358 Gudrun BÅhnemann

trÄte the description of PrÄnaSakti found in the MMD.'* The goddess

holds the attributes in the following order (cf illustr. 1)

UP R L

t goad trident
skull noose

arrows sugarcane bow

"' 1 wish to thank Dr. F. L'Hernault and the Ñcole francaise d'extreme
orient, Pondicherry, for providing me with a copy of this illustration.
 The Ritual for Infusing Life 359

The second illustration'', based on the Devi-BhÄgavata}' , shows the

attributes described in the MMD. Here the attributes seen in the right
hand in illustration 1 are shown in the left hand and vice versa, and their
order in both hands differs somewhat.

" The reproduction appears in: Swami Satyasangananda Saraswati:

Tattwa Shuddki. The Tantric Practice of Inner Purification. Munger 1984, p. 29.
'* Cf ibid., pp. 98, 100. Although the passage in the Dbh is unidentified, it is
probably identical to Dbh 11.8.19. In the edition ofthe VerikateÄvar Press, BomÇ
bay, this verse is almost identical to PS 35.7 except for the reading iÅ/a??â in päcte
c in the place ofpasarji. Since the noose is depicted in illustration 2 and referred
to in Satyasangananda Saraswati, p. 30, it has to be assumed that a differÇ
ent edition of the Dbh was used by Saraswati. According to the Dbh, Prana-
iakti is visualized at the end ofthe rite ofthe purification ofthe bodily elements
(bhÅtasuddhi) as part ofthe ÄtmaprÄnapratisthÄ. Saraswati, pp. 98-100, has
described the current practice of the bhÅtasuddhi (including the visualization of
PrÄnasakti) based on the Dbh.
360 Gudrun BÅhnemann

UP R L

t noose goad

sugarcane bow arrows

trident skull

The goddess is shown seated in the lotus posture on a lotus in the ocean.

This agrees with the description found in the PS and ÖT where this red
lotus is compared to a red boat on the ocean. Contrary to this, the MMD
and illustr. 1 based on it show the lotus inside a boat on the ocean (of

blood). This interpretation of the dhyÄna verse is suggested by MahiÇ

dhara in his auto-commentary on the MMD. Illustr. 1 also depicts the

goddess in the "shooting pose" (Älidha/vaisÄJcha) with one leg advanced

with a bent knee and the other leg stretched diagonally behind.

Outside the context of the prÄnaprati^fhÄ ritual the description of the

six-armed PrÄnasakti appears in SrikumÄra's ÖR (sixteenth cent. A.D.)

2.24.54 and in Sritattvanidhi (= STN) 1.84, a text compiled by Kfgnara-

jÄ Wodeyar IV, King of Mysore towards the end ofthe nineteenth cent.
In both sources it appears in the sections describing the different forms

of the goddess.
A different tradition is represented by TantrarÄjatantra (= TR) 13.70-

72. This text describes a two-armed Pranasakti holding the prasÅna-

pinda - the "life" (in the right hand'*) and the noose (in the left hand).
The description is as follows:

dhyÄyed devirp. prÄnasaktim arunÄm arunÄmbarÄm /

arunÄkalpamukutÄm arunÄdharapallavÄm // 70

arunÄyatanetrÄbjayugmacÄrusmitÄnanÄm/

prasÅnapin4ani pÄsarp ca dadhÄnÄrn pÄriiyugniaiaJ), // 71

svasamÄnÄbhir abhito vestitÄrp dasasaktibhijh /

anantasaktiyuktÄbhih pÅjayet padmamadhyatah // 72

"One should meditate on the goddess PrÄijaSakti, who is red, wears a

red garment, a diadem looking (red) like the amnÄ plant (and) has red

lips which are (tender) like foliage, whose pair of lotus eyes is red and

large, whose mouth is sweet-smiling, (and) who holds with the pair of
her hands the "life" (prasÅnapindaf and the noose. (70-71) One should

worship her in the pericarp of a lotus surrounded from all sides by ten
'energies' who are equal to her (and) endowed with infinite power. (72)"

" This representation follows the instructions in the commentary ManoramÄ

(1603-1604 A.D.), p. 229,24, on the TR.
^" The commentary ManoramÄ, p. 220,24, explains prasÅnapirf4a as prÄvana
- life.
 The Ritual for Infusing Life 361

I am not aware of any other text that has used this description ofthe
PrÄnasakti.

According to the Tantric tradition of the PS, ÖT, MMD, and the

Vidyarnavatantra (= VT), which describes the prÄnapratisfhÄ in vol. 1,

pp. 525,12ff., the goddess is worshipped in the centre of a hexagon

(^afkona) inside a lotus. The deities of the first enclosure (Ävarapa),

stationed in the comers ofthe hexagon, are:

deity direction

1 BrahmÄ E

2 Visnu SW

3 Tsvara NW

4 VÄni (= Sarasvati) SE

5 Lakgmi W
6 UmÄ NE

The deities of the second enclosure are stationed in the points of interÇ

section of the sides of both triangles^' forming the hexagon. They are

the saktis ofthe limbs ofthe goddess (angadevatÄj, customarily assigned

in a Tantric pÅjÄ to the intermediate directions, the centre, and the carÇ
dinal directions:

7 sakti of the heart (hrdayasakti) SE

8 sakti of the head (sirahsakti) NE

9 sakti of the tuft of the hair (sikhÄsakti) SW

10 sakti oi ihe armour (kavacasakti) NW

11 sakti of the three eyes (netratrayasakti) centre

12 sakti of the weapon (astrasakti) cardinal directions

The Mother Goddesses are positioned in the eight lotus petals:

13 BrÄhmi E

14 MÄhesvari SE

15 KaumÄri S

16 VaiÜnavi SW

17 VÄrÄhi W

18 IndrÄpi NW

19 CÄmundÄ N

20 MahÄlaksmi NE

" This follows the instruetions in VT 1, p. 527,3-4. MMD 1.63 states that
these deities are assigned to the filaments of the lotus.
362 Gudrun BÅhnemann

The eight directional guardians flokapÄla) are stationed outside of the

lotus in a square whose four sides are interrupted by T-shaped

entrances (bhÅpura):

21 Indra E

22 Agni SE

23 Yama S

24 Nirrti SW

25 Varupa W

26 Vayu NW

27 Soma N

28 TSÄna NE

The eastem direction rests "in between the worshipper and the object of

worship^^" during the pÅjÄ, i.e. the worshipper sits "in the east" with

the face tumed towards the west and the goddess sits "in the west" with

her face tumed towards the worshipper and the east. Accordingly the

deities are assigned to the yantra in the following way:

This is stated in MMD 1.65d: devatÄpÅjane prÄci madhye pÅjaJcapÅjyayoh.

Cf. also the instructions in VT 1, p. 527,2-4:
$a{koriei/u devyagre deviprsthadalc^inavÄmakonesu É orp. brahmane namah / orfi vi^-
nmie namah / orji rudrÄya namah / dak^inÄgradeviprsthavÄmabhÄge^ É sarasva-
tyai namah / lak^myai namah / gauryai namah / Ñatkonasarfidhi$u pragvad arigÄni
sarfipÅjyÄÑtasu patre^u devyagrÄdiprÄdak^inena prÄguktabrÄhmyÄdyÄh sarÑpÅjya

The direction "in front ofthe goddess" (residing in the centre ofthe yantra) is
the E, the direction "to the right side behind the goddess" the SW, and the direcÇ
tion "to the left side behind the goddess" the NW. The direction "to the right side
in front (of the goddess)" is the SE, the one "behind the goddess" the W and the
one "to the left side (in front ofthe goddess)" the NE.
 The Ritual for Infusing Life 363

The ritual for infusing life into an idol, yantra, one's own newly creatÇ

ed body (as part of the Tantric pÅjÄ) or into mantras is a ritual of great

significance whose practice in India continues today. The description of

the Tantric ritual can be traced from the PS and the ST to the MMD,

VT, the PrapancasÄrasÄrasarfigraha {= PSSS) by GirvÄnendra SarasÇ

vati, part 2, pp. 85 1 ff. , the TrcabhÄskara (= TrbhÄ) (1708 A.D. ) by BhÄsÇ

kararÄya Makhindra, pp. 84,18-85,25, the PrÄnato$ini ( PrT) (1820

A.D.) by RÄmatoÜana VidyÄlaipkÄra, pp. 391,13-394,24, the Mantra-

mahÄrnava (= MM) by MÄdhavarÄya Vaidya (end of the nineteenth

cent.), pp. 34,10-31, and other texts. It includes the extraction (udd-

hÄra) of the prÄnamantra and in most cases instructions for visualizing

the personified life breath as PrÄnasakti. Aside from one tradition (cf

the TR, quoted on p. 360) describing her as having two arms, she is

visualized as a six-armed goddess (cf the PS, ST, etc.). Outside ofthe

ritual context, the description of six-armed PrÄnasakti appears indeÇ

pendently in sections of texts dealing with different forms of the godÇ

dess (e. g. the Sr and STN). Representations of PrÄnasakti in sculpture

are not known.

The goddess PrÄnasakti illustrates the deification of an abstract prinÇ

ciple, i.e. the life breath (prÄna).

The principal mantra (mÅlamantra) of PrÄnasakti is Ärfi hrirfi krorÑ.

It consists of the seed syllable (bija) of the noose (= Ärfi), the energy

(= hrirn), and the goad (krorn). These syllables are employed during speÇ

cial applications respectively for binding the victim ofthe ritual, bringÇ
ing him/her under control, and for drawing him/her near. CorrespondÇ

ing to this, the noose and goad appear iconographically as two ofthe

attributes held in her six hands. She also holds a sugarcane bow with a

bowstring consisting of black bees and five arrows. The black bees formÇ

ing the string of her bow also appear in a special ritual application ofthe
prÄnamantra (cf PS 35.15-16, ST 23.96-102). Here the syllables yarfi
rarfi larn, varfi sarn, $arfi sarfi horn, hani sah^^ are visualized as black bees

assigned to the petals of the worshipper's heart lotus. They leave the

performer's body through his nostrils with an exhalation and enter the

victim's body. Having seized the black bees in the victim's heart lotus,

they retum to the heart lotus of the performer ofthe rite. The skull filled

with blood held by the goddess shows her terrifying aspect, also indicatÇ

ed by the ocean of blood which supports her (according to the descrip-

These are the semivowels and the last consonants of the alphabet followed
by the nasal; a contraction ofthe syUables Aaand orn; and the harfisa mantra.
364 Gudrun BÅhnemann

tion in the MMD). In the special applications (cf. PS 35.10d; ST

23.89d), the prÄnamantra, the goddess' mantra, is closely connected

with the six "cruel" rites of black magic (abhicÄra). The three seers who
have visualized the prÄnamantra are the deities BrahmÄ, Vi^nu, and

Siva who appear along with their consorts as deities surrounding PrÄnaÇ

sakti in the first enclosure (Ävarana).

(I would like to thank the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science,

Tokyo for its support and assistance enabling me to research this

paper.)

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 The Ritual for Infusing Life 365

Si*. É jÜrUak^avadesikendraviracita)fi sÄradÄtilakam. Srimadräjghavabhatta-

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 The nature of aspiration in Swahili*

By P. J. L. Frankl, London

in consultation with Yahya Ali Omar

The main purpose ofthis article is to survey the phenomenon of aspirÇ

ation in Swahili.

Introduction

Aspiration (which has been described as a brief pufT of air after the

pronunciation of the consonant but before the onset of the vowel) is

present in all the dialects of Swahili-land except that of Zanzibar town;'

it may be present in the following five phonemes only: [ch'], [k'], [p'],

alveolar [f] and dental [f] É all five being unvoiced stops. Taylor

writes that "these five consonants differ from the smooth or non-exploÇ
sive type of the same letters in the increased force of the breath, which

is supplied from out of the mouth cavity, not from the chest; they

always represent a suppressed "n" before the letter aspirated."^

Aspiration and prenasalized stops

It should be noted at the outset that these five unvoiced stops cannot

nonnally be preceded by "n" ; their voiced counterparts can be and are É

for example: njugu "groundnuts"; ngoma, "a drum" or "a dance"; nbazi

(represented orthographically as mbazi) "pigeon peas" É of the shrub

mbazi; ndizi "bananas"; ndaa "hunger".

The earliest reference

The first printed reference to aspiration in Swahili seems to have been

made by Edward Steere in 1870. He wrote, "P, T, K, and possibly

some other letters have occasionally an explosive or aspirated sound,

such as an Irishman will often give them. This explosive sound makes

no change in the letter, but is in addition to it, probably always marking

a suppressed 'n'. Thus upepo is 'a wind', with both 'p's smooth as in

* Dedicated to the memory ofthe Reverend W. E. Taylor (1856-1927).

' All examples are in kiMvifei, the Swahili of Mombasa, unless otherwise
stated.

^ W. E. Taylor : Mombasa Recension of the Inkishafi. In:C.H.STiGAND: DiaÇ

lect in Swahili. Cambridge 1915, p. 83.