Let us enter the sacred world of installation and worship as revealed in the Agni Purāṇa, where the seeker, guided by tradition, awakens the divine presence within and without. First, the devotee aspires for the supreme reality—the form composed of pure knowledge, which lies merged within the body—to be fully awakened. With reverence, the Self is invoked, accompanied by the retinue of deities beginning with Brahmā. Each attendant power is established in its proper place, called by its own name, and adorned with its unique weapons and seals. As the auspicious journey unfolds, the devotee recognizes the presence of Hari—Viṣṇu—by observing the proper omens. Bowing low, offering hymns of praise, and reciting the sacred eight-syllabled mantra and others, the worshipper honors the Lord. The teacher then proceeds to the threshold, where Caṇḍa and Pracaṇḍa stand as guardians. These fierce protectors are worshipped before the teacher moves to the fire altar, where Garuḍa is installed and venerated. Next, the guardians of the directions and the deities who preside over them are established and worshipped with due rituals. Viśvaksena, the commander of Viṣṇu’s hosts, is invoked and honored with offerings such as the conch and discus. Oblations are made for all the divine attendants and spirits. The teacher is presented with gifts—garments, gold, and other valuables from the village—as tokens of gratitude. All the substances used in the sacrifice are offered to the teacher, and half of the teacher’s fee is distributed as honorarium to the officiating priests. Other assistants receive their due, and then the Brāhmaṇas are fed. Finally, the fruits of the ritual—unrestricted and auspicious—are bestowed upon the sacrificer, all in accordance with the Vaiṣṇava tradition. When installing Viṣṇu, the installer leads the Lord along with his entire divine family. This procedure is common to all the gods: while their root mantras differ, the rest of the ritual remains the same. The Blessed Lord then reveals the complete method for installing the gods and other divine beings, beginning with Lakṣmī and the assembly of goddesses. Everything is performed as before: the pavilion is prepared, ritual bathing is arranged, and Śrī—Lakṣmī—is placed upon an auspicious seat. Eight sacred pots are established around her. Lakṣmī is anointed with ghee and her root mantra, then bathed with the five sacred products of the cow. Her golden, doe-like eyes are ritually opened. Invoking her presence with the words, “Come here, O you,” the worshipper offers three sweet substances, and anoints her with the pot using the ‘Aśvapūrva’ mantra. Anointings continue in each direction with appropriate mantras: ‘Kāmosmi’ from the south, ‘Candraṃ prabhāsām’ and ‘Tyavarṇa’ from the north, ‘Upaitu me’ from the southeast, ‘Kṣutpipāse’ from the southwest, and ‘Gandhadvāre’ from the northwest, all while shaping the form of Lakṣmī according to the mind’s desire. Her head is bathed with golden clay from the Īśāna pot, and the earth is sprinkled with water from eighty-one pots, each created with mantra. Moist lotuses and fragrant flowers are offered, accompanied by the ‘Tanmayāvaha’ mantra, the ‘Ya ānanda’ hymn, and others. On her couch, the Śāyantīya hymn is sung, and the Śrīsūkta is recited to invoke her presence. The consciousness-power is placed within her through the Lakṣmī seed-mantra, followed by renewed worship. With the Śrī Sūkta, the pavilion is adorned and lotuses are offered into the fire-pits; a thousand or at least a hundred oleander flowers may also be offered. Household utensils and other items are presented with the Śrī Sūkta, and all other consecration rites for the temple are performed as before. The pedestal is fashioned with mantra, and Śrī’s presence is established upon it, each verse of the Śrī Sūkta recited as prescribed. The consciousness-power is awakened; the invocation is performed from the root. Gold, cloth, cows, and the like are given to the teacher or priest. In this way, all the goddesses are established and invoked, and contemplated as abiding in heaven and beyond. Now, the Blessed Lord explains the worship of Gaṇeśa, the remover of obstacles and bestower of all aims. The ritual begins with salutation: “Obeisance to Gaṇa!”—offered to the heart; “to the One-Tusked”—to the head; “to the Elephant-Eared”—to the topknot; “to the Elephant-Faced”—to the group; “to the Great-Bellied, to the One with the Broken Tusk and Hand”—and thus to his weapons. The Gaṇa is revered as teacher, as sandals, as the two powers, and as Dharma itself. The main circle of bones below and the upper covering above are honored. The seed-letters of the lotus-navel and the flaming one with Nandā are worshipped, as are Sūryeśā, Kāmarūpā, Udayā, and Kāmavartinī. Satyā, Vighnanāśā, the offering, the fragrant earth, and the sacred syllables are all invoked: yaṃ, śoṣa, raṃ, the burning, plava, laṃ, vaṃ, and amṛta. The devotee contemplates: “We meditate on the Large-Bellied; may the Tusked One inspire us.” Gaṇapati is invoked in all his forms: Lord of Gaṇas, Crooked-Tusked, One-Tusked, Great-Bellied, Elephant-Faced, Terrible, Remover of Obstacles. Even those of smoky color, the great Indra, and others are said to be worthy of worship for Gaṇapati. The Blessed Lord then describes the installation of Tākṣya’s discus, of Brahmā, and of Nṛhari, each performed like that of Viṣṇu, but with their own mantras. The Sudarśana discus is worshipped with the mantra: “O Sudarśana, great discus, peaceful, destroyer of the wicked and the fearful—cut, cut! Split, split! Tear, tear!” This worship ensures that enemies are torn apart in battle. For Narasiṃha, the fierce form of Viṣṇu, the mantra is recited: “Om kṣoṃ! O Narasiṃha, fierce in form—blaze, blaze! Shine forth, shine forth! Salutation to the Blessed Narasiṃha, whose brilliance equals thousands of blazing suns, whose weapons are diamond-like claws and fangs, whose mane is wild, whose roar agitates the great ocean and resounds like a drum, who overcomes all spells—come, O Blessed Narasiṃha, supreme person, by the truth of Brahman—manifest! Expand! Advance! Roar! Release lion’s roars! Tear! Drive away! Enter all forms of mantras and mantra lineages! Strike! Cut! Compress! Flow! Split! Burst forth! Scatter the mass of blazing flames everywhere with the wheel of endless fiery thunderbolts—destroy all netherworlds! Surround them with the cage of endless fiery thunderbolts! Draw forth the hearts of all netherworld-dwelling demons—burn! Cook! Churn! Dry up! Sever! Until they are brought under my control—from the netherworlds, phaṭ! From the demons, phaṭ! From the mantras, phaṭ! O Blessed Narasiṃha, O Viṣṇu in this form, protect me from all dangers, from all mantras—protect! Hrūṃ, phaṭ! Salutations to you!” With mantras that enchant the three worlds, the Three-World-Enchanter is established. The mace-bearer is placed on the right, the peacemaker—whether two-armed or four-armed—is honored. The discus is set above on the left, and the conch Pāñcajanya below, united with Śrī and Puṣṭi, as well as Bala and Bhadrā. Viṣṇu is established in the temple, the home, or even a pavilion. His forms as Vāmana, Vaikuṇṭha, Hayagrīva, and Aniruddha are included. He is depicted reclining on water, and his incarnations beginning with Matsya are honored. Saṅkarṣaṇa, the Universal Form, and the liṅga as Rudra’s form are installed. Similarly, Ardhanārīśvara, Hari, Śaṅkara, the Mothers, Bhairava, Sūrya, the planets, and Vināyaka are all depicted. The Lord explains the method for painting Gaurī, Indra, and others—the various goddesses, Balā and Balā, and the proper installation of sacred books. After worshipping on a svastika or maṇḍala, and seating oneself on a bed of darbha grass, the written book, the teacher, knowledge, and Hari are worshipped. The sacrificer, facing east, meditates on the lotus, writes five verses, and worships the teacher, knowledge, Hari, and the person who wrote the text. Thus, the installation and worship of the divine are completed in reverence, precision, and joy, as revealed by the ancient tradition.