The ways of worship at Panchatirtha

According to Brahma Purana the Panchatirthas [five pilgrim sites] are Markandeyeswar [Lord Shiva], Vata Brikshya, Krishna, Balaram and Subhadra. Lord Brahma, in Brahma Purana, briefs on the importance of Panchatirtha [the five holy spots] and the punya [merits] one earns by doing snana [holy bath], dana [donation] and deva darshana [visiting idols of gods] in these five holy spots. Lord Brahma formulates the rules regarding the worship in these places.
Lord Brahma says that a devotee must first visit the Markandeya pond. He should have three holy dips in the navel-high water facing north and reciting the mantra below.

Samsara sagare magnam papagrastamachetanam |
Trahi mam Bhaganetraghna tripurare namostute ||
Namah Shivaya shantaya sarvapapa haraya cha |

Snanam karomi debesha mama nashyatu patakam ||
The mantra means ‘O Lord Shiva, the One who plucked the eyes of Bhaga and was the destroyer of Tripura; I am a sinner lost in the pleasure and pain of the world. Save me. I am taking bath in this pond. Let all my sins be removed.’

After taking bath he should perform Tarpana [offering of water for the deceased] for the dead sages. Then he should also do the same to please the ancestors by offering water and tila [sesamum]. Then he must visit the Lord Markandeyeswar in the temple on the pond. Entering the temple he should go round the idol three times. He should recite the mantra ‘Markandeyeswaraaya Namah’ which means ‘I salute the Lord Markandeyeswar’ [he can also recite the Aghora Mantra] and bow to the god. Then he should recite the following mantra to please him

Trilochana namastestu namaste shashibhusana |
Trahi mam twam birupakshya Mahadeva namostute ||

This mantra means ‘O Lord Shankara, the One with three eyes, I bow to Thee. O Lord who carries the moon on His head as an ornament, I bow to Thee. O fierce eyed, save me. I bow to Thee.’

Taking a bath in the pond and having a darshan of Lord Shiva in the temple in the above prescribed manner qualify a man to go to Shiva Loka after his death. [According to the Hindu mythology, the entire universe has been divided into several ‘Loka’s or regions categorized by their characteristics. They serve as abodes for the living as well as the non-living. The three basic ‘Loka’s are The Heaven [Swarga Loka], The Earth [Martya Loka] and the Nether World [Patala Loka]. There are several other ‘Loka’s too. Shiva Loka, Vishnu Loka and Brahma Loka are the ones where the souls of the noble mortal beings go to on basis of their deeds on the earth.]

The next holy place to visit is the Vata Brikshya [the holy Banyan tree]. One should go round the tree three times and worship it reciting the following mantra.

Om namo abyaktarupaya mahapralayakarine |
Mahadrasopabishtaya Nyagrodhaya namostute ||
Amarastwam sada kalpe Hareschayatanam Vata |
Nyagrodha hara me papam Kalpabrukshya namostute ||

It means ‘O inexpressible form, the creator of the great flood for dissolution, full of sap of great quality, I bow to Thee. You are immortal in all the ‘Kalpa’s. You are the abode of Lord Shri Hari. O Nyagrodha [Banyan tree]! Take away all my sins. O Kalpa Brikshya (Wish fulfilling tree)! I bow to Thee.’

Chanting the above mantra, a devotee should go around the tree three times and then bow to the tree. The person who does this gets freed from all kinds of sins. Just by coming under the shade of this tree, a person can get freed from the sin committed by killing a Brahmin. Just by bowing to the tree, a person gets better result than one gets by performing Ashwamedha and Rajasuya Yagna. His deceased ancestors, too, get freed in this way from their suffering in the next world and the person himself goes to Vishnu Loka.

Moving on to the next holy spot, one who bows to the Statue of Garuda that is in front of Lord Vishnu’s gets freed from all his sins and goes to Baikuntha Dham.

The next spot to visit is the place where one sees the statues of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra. One, who sees these idols, attains the ultimate goal of life. Therefore a devotee must enter the temple of Lord Jagannath and worship them and pray to them chanting the following mantra.

Namaste Haladhrugrama namaste musalaayudha |
Namaste Revatikanta namaste bhaktavatsala ||
Namaste Valinam shreshtha namaste dharanidhara |
Pralamvare namastestu trahi mam Krushnapurvaja ||

The mantra means ‘O carrier of Hala [plough]! I bow to Thee. I salute You O Lord who carries the plough as a weapon. O spouse of Revati! I bow to Thee. O the best of the strongest men, I salute You. O Sheshanaga, who carries the world on the head, I salute Thee. O the enemy of the demon Pralamba, I salute Thee. O elder brother of Lord Krishna, save me.’

Chanting this mantra a devotee should try to please Lord Haladhara [another name for Lord Balabhadra] dressed in blue clothes, whose hooded head looks fierce and one of the ears is decorated with an ear ring making him look extremely attractive.

After worshipping Lord Balaram, one should start worshipping Lord Shri Krishna [Jagannath] chanting the twelve lettered [in Sanskrit] mantra – ‘Om Na-Mo Bha-Ga-Va-Te Va-Su-De-Va-Ya’. Devotees who worship Lord Purusottama chanting the twelve lettered mantra achieve the ultimate freedom [Liberation]. Therefore the devotees must worship Him with the things like sandal wood paste and flowers; then bow to Him and sing His glory.

Thereafter one must worship Goddess Subhadra chanting Naama mantra and bow to Her. Then with folded hands one should pray to Her with the following Mantra.
Namaste sarvage devi Namaste shubhasoukhyade |
Trahi mam padmapatrakshi Katyayani namostute ||

It means ‘O Goddess! You are omniscient! You are the bestower of wellbeing and happiness. I salute you again and again. O Katyayani, the one whose eyes are like the leaves of a lotus flower, save me. I bow to Thee.’
By worshiping and pleasing the Goddess in this manner a devotee goes to Baikuntha Dham.
Mantras, rituals and methods of worshiping Panchatirthas at Purusottama Kshetra may vary from scripture to scripture but the secret of obtaining best results from the holy activities performed at Panchatirtha lies basically in one’s faith in and devotion to the Lord.