Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Madhya 4.62
Careful Details in Bathing the Deity
“After the mahā-snāna was finished, the Deity was again massaged with scented oil and His body made glossy. Then the last bathing ceremony was performed with scented water kept within a conchshell.”
What the purport teaches
- After the mahā-snāna, scented oil again made the Deity’s body glossy. The final bathing used scented water kept in a conchshell.
- The purport describes applying barley, wheat, vermilion and urad dhal powders, along with āvāṭā, using a brush made from cow-tail hair. Āvāṭā is made by mixing banana powder and ground rice.
- The oil used on the Deity’s body should be scented. The mahā-snāna requires at least two and a half mānas, about twenty-four gallons, of water.
Try this today
Note one detail about the scented oil and one about the water used in the ceremony.
Ask yourself
Which detail helps you appreciate the care taken in bathing the Deity?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.