Page:Durga Puja - With Notes and Illustrations.djvu/56

 rice is made, which is sprinkled on the ghata. Every process above described is performed by the priest with a separate mantra. When the ghata is filled with water the priest invokes all the river gods on the ghata, and then reads a Sukta from the Vedas, which means. Om you are the offspring of Varuna, om you are the dominion of Varuna, om you are the companion of Varuna, om Varuna is your associate, om Varuna do you approach. The clay is placed with the following incantation: Om you are Bhu, om you are Bhumi, om you are Aditi, om you are the supporter of the universe, om you are the material of this world, om you are the earth, om you are home, om do you not destroy this world. Then taking a handful of unhusked rice the priest repeats the following, and scatters the same on the dough: Om you are rice, om you are life, you are the life of the gods, you are our life, you are our internal life, you are long life, you give life, om the Sun with his rays gives you the milk of life and Varuna nourishes you with water. Similarly the other grains are scattered, and the ghata is then placed upon them with the following mantra. Om noble-souled jar, you please the gods, you held in your cavity the sacred nectar, from you oozed out a thousand drops of liquor, which made the gods immortal,