Chopda Pujan

Bathe, wear clean clothes, face east or north, and sit on a pure asan. On a red cloth on a low table install images of Bhagawan Mahavir, Gautam Swami, Dada Gurudev, Sarasvati and Lakshmi.

Place the new bahi-khata, the pens and the inkpot on the bajoth.

A kalash of pure water with mauli tied round it; an arti thali with a coconut wrapped in mauli, seven whole supari, akshat, naivedya, camphor, and silver coins washed in panchamrit.

A ghee lamp on the right, dhup or agarbatti on the left.

Tilak and akshat on everyone’s forehead.

Count three Navkar and tie mauli on the right wrist; counting one Navkar each, tie mauli on the pen and the inkpot.

Write the first page.

Place an unbroken nagarvel pan leaf on the swastika with supari, elaichi, laung and the silver coin.

Open all the ledgers and bill-books on the shop gadi and place a pan leaf with supari, elaichi and laung on each.

Pour a continuous stream of water around the ledgers; take vasakshep, akshat and flowers as kusumanjali and recite the mangala verse.

The invitation mantra, then the Pancha-Parameshthi Stuti in five verses.

Ashta-dravya puja — eight substances offered in turn, each with the same mantra: ॐ ह्रीं श्री भगवत्यै केवलज्ञान स्वरूपायै, लोकालोक प्रकाशिकायै, सरस्वत्यै, लक्ष्मीदेव्यै [जलं / चंदनं / पुष्पं / धूपं / दीपं / अक्षतं / नैवेद्यं / फलं] समर्पयामि स्वाहा ॥ Note who is being addressed: she whose nature is omniscience, illuminator of the universe and beyond. This is Jinavani.

Standing recitation of the Sarasvat Stotra and the Lakshmi Stotra; then arti with lamp and camphor.

Shri Gautamashtak, the eight-verse hymn that opens: अंगुष्ठे अमृत बसे, लब्धि तणा भण्डार । श्री गुरु गौतम समरिये, वांछित फल दातार ॥१॥ — nectar dwells in his thumb, he is a treasury of labdhi; remember Guru Gautam, giver of the fruit one desires.

A Sarasvati mala — ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं क्लीं ब्लूं ह्रीं ऐं नमः ॥ — one or three malas facing east or north.

Kshamayachana for defects in the puja, in three verses; then dana to the needy and sadharmik bhakti.

Through the night, in Variant A only: malas of णमोत्थुणं समणस्स भगवओ महावीरस्स, then ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं महावीर स्वामी सर्वज्ञाय नमः — twenty malas at midnight; ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं महावीर स्वामी पारंगताय नमः — twenty by four in the morning; ॐ ह्रीं श्रीं गौतम स्वामी केवलज्ञानाय नमः — twenty by sunrise. Then temple darshan, the ladu offering, guru-vandan, and hearing the Gautam Ras.

In the morning, at the temple: bathe, go with the family, do vandana; light sixteen lamps of four wicks each on the mulnayak’s vedi; Mahavir Swami pujan; recite the Nirvan Kand; recite the moksha-kalyanak argha and offer the Nirvan Ladu with argha.

At home, at godhuli bela, roughly four to seven in the evening, in the ishan kon — the north-east. Sixteen lamps of four wicks each, sixty-four flames: the sixteen lamps are the shodasha-karana bhavanas by which Mahavira bound tirthankara-prakriti, and the sixty-four flames are the chausath riddhis. Pure ghee is preferred.

Then Dipavali pujan, Sarasvati pujan, the Chausath Riddhi Argha, and washed ashta-dravya. Tilak and mauli first, with the mangala verse.

Purification sprinkle: ॐ ह्रीं अमृते अमृतोद्भवे…; lamp-lighting: ॐ ह्रीं अज्ञानतिमिरहरं दीपकं प्रज्ज्वलामि स्वाहा ।

Shop pujan: the same, or in short form five lamps for the Pancha Parameshthi.

Arghas in sequence: Dev-Shastra-Guru; the twenty vidyaman Tirthankaras; the Chaubisi; Mahavir Swami; Sarasvati; and Gautam Swami with the eleven ganadharas.

Bahi pujan on the shop gaddi: a swastika of haldi or roli on the recto of the new ledger, the śrī meru, and the inscription of Variant C.

Shanti Path and visarjan; then a night vigil with Namokar japa or the Bhaktamar. If not that, at least keep the main lamp burning all night, covered with a mesh.

Tie a vandanvar of twenty-four mango or ashopalav leaves over the door, for the twenty-four Tirthankaras. Pujan-nirmalya goes to the birds or to the temple gardener.

And an explicit instruction in the vidhi itself: दीपावली के दिन पटाखे, अनार बिलकुल न छुड़ावें — no firecrackers at all on Diwali. They kill beings in lakhs, they pollute, and they bind heavy pap.