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Válmiki
Yoga-Vāsistha, Book 5: Upaśama-Khanda (On Quietism). Chapter 32 - The Spiritual and Formal Worship of Visnu
Vasistha continued- After Prahlāda had meditated on Visnu in the aforesaid manner, he made an image of him as Nārāyana himself, and thought upon worshipping that enemy of the Asura race. 1
And that this figure might not be otherwise than the form of Visnu himself, he invoked the Spirit of Visnu to be settled in this his outward figure also. 2
It was seated on the back of the heavenly bird Garuda, arrayed with the quadruple attributes 3, and armed with the fourfold arms holding the conch-shell, discus, club and a lotus. 4
His two eye-balls flashed, like the orbs of the sun and moon in their outstretched sockets; his palms were as red as lotuses, and his bow śāranga and the sword mandaka hang on his two shoulders and sides.
I will worship this image, said he, with all my adherents and dependents, with an abundance of grateful offerings agreeable to my taste. 5. 6
I will worship this great god always, with all kinds of offering of precious gems and jewels, and all sorts of articles for bodily use and enjoyment.
Having thus made up his mind, Prahlāda collected an abundance of various things, and made offerings of them in his mind, in his worship of Mādhava-the lord of Laksmi. 7
He offered rich gems and jewels in plates of many kinds, and presented sandal pastes in several pots; he burnt incense and lighted lamps in rows, and placed many valuable and ornaments in sacred vessels.
He presented wreaths of Mandāra flowers, and chains of lotuses made of gold, together with garlands of leaves and flowers of kalpa plants, and bouquets and nosegays studded with gems and pearls.
He hung hangings of leaves and leaflets of heavenly arbors, and chaplets and trimmings of various kinds of flowers, as vakas and kundas, kinkiratas and white, blue and red lotuses.
There were wreaths of Kahlara, Kunda, Kaśa and Kinśuka flowers; and clusters of Aśoka, Madana, Belā and Kānikāra blossoms likewise.
There were florets of the Kadamba, Vakala, Nimba, Sindhuvāra and Yūthikas also; and likewise heaps of pāribhadra, gugguli an Venduka flowers.
There were strings of priyangu, pātala, pāta and pātala flowers; and also the blossoms of āmra, āmrataka and gavyas; and the bulbs of haritaki and vibhitaki myrabolans.
The flowers of Śāla and tamāla trees, were strung together with their leaves; and the tender buds of Sahakāras, were fastened together with their farinaceous pistils.
There were the ketakas and centipetalous flowers, and the shoots of ela cardamums; together with everything beautiful to sight and the tender of one's soul likewise.
Thus did Prahlāda worship his lord Hari in the inner apartment of his house, with offerings of all the richest things in the world, joined with true faith and earnestness of his mind and spirit. 8
Thus did the monarch of Dānavas, worship his lord Hari externally in his holy temple, furnished with all kind of valuable things on earth. 9
The Dānava sovereign became the more and more gratified in his spirit, in proportion as he adored his god with more and more of his valuable outer offerings.
Henceforward did Prahlāda continue, to worship his lord god day after day, with earnestness of his soul, and the same sort of rich offerings every day.
It came to pass that the Daityas one and all turned Vaisnavas; after the example of their king; and worshipped Hari in their city and temples without intermission.
This intelligence reached to heaven and to the abode of the gods, that the Daityas having renounced their enmity to Visnu, have turned his faithful believers and worships in toto. 10
The Devas were all astonished to learn, that the Daityas had accepted the Vaisnava faith; and even Indra marvelled with the body of Rudras about him, how the Daityas came to be so at once.
The astonished Devas then left their celestial abode, and repaired to the warlike Visnu, reposing on his serpent couch in the milky ocean.
They related to him the whole account of the Daityas, and they asked him as he sat down, the cause of their conversion, wherewith they were so much astonished.
The gods said- How is it Lord! that the demons who had always been averse to you, have now come to embrace your faith, which appears to us as an act of magic or their hypocrisy.
How different is their present transformation to the Vaisnava faith, which is acquired only after many transmigrations of the soul, from their former spirit of insurrection, in which they broke down the rocks and mountains.
The rumour that a clown has become a learned man, is as glad-some as it is doubtful also, as the news of the budding of blossoms out of season.
Nothing is graceful without its proper place, as a rich jewel loses its value, when it is set with worthless pebbles. 11
All animals have their dispositions conforming with their own natures; how then can the pure faith of Visnu, agree with the doggish natures of the Daityas?
It does not grieve us so much to be pierced with thorns and needles in our bodies, as to see things of opposite natures, to be set in conjunction with one another.
Whatever is naturally adapted to its time and place, the same seems to suit it then and there; hence the lotus has its grace in water and not upon the land.
Where are the vile Daityas, prone to their misdeeds at all times; and how far is the Vaisnava faith from them that can never appreciate its merit.
O lord! as we are never glad to learn a lotusbed to be left to parch in the desert soil; so we can never rejoices at the thought, that the race of demons will place their faith in Visnu- the lord of gods.
Footnotes
1. Here Visnu- the chief of Visas and destroyer of Asuras, is represented as the spirit of Nārāyana, and worshipped in that form.
2. This was done by incantation of Pranpratisthā, or the charm of enlivening an idol in thought.
3. of will, intelligence, action and mercy
4. This passage shows the fictitious representation of the person of Visnu, with his fourfold arms of these, the two original anus with the cudgel and discus were in active use, while the two fictitious and immovable ones, with the conch-shell and lotus, were clapped on for mere show.
5. Things delectable to one's taste, are most acceptable to the gods.
6. The former figure of meditation was that of Virāj, the god who with his thousands heads, hands and legs and feet 
shows the Daitya Titan Briareus with his hundred heads and hands; but the figure of worship in this chapter is that of Visnu, with his four arms, one head and two legs only, as a more compendious form for common and practical worship
7. Mā an Rāma are titles of Laksmi.
8. The flowers and offerings mentioned in this place, are all of a white hue, and specially sacred to Visnu, as there are others peculiar to other deities, whose priests and votaries must carefully distinguish from one another. The adoration of Visnu consists, in the offering of the following articles, and observance of the rites as mentioned below; viz. Fumigation of incense and lighting of lamps, presentation of offerings, of food, raiment, and jewels and suited to the adorer's taste and best means, and presents of betel leaves, umbrellas, mirrors and chowri flappers. Lastly, scattering of handfuls of flowers, turning round the idol and making obeisance etc.
9. The external worship followed that of his internal worship in faith and spirit. These two are distinctly called the mānasa and bājhya pūjas and observed one after the other by every orthodox Hindu, except the Brahmos and ascetics who reject the latter formality.
10. Brahmā was the god of Brāhmanas, and Visnu was worshipped by the early Vaisya colonists of India; while Śiva or Mahadeva was the deity of the aboriginal Daityas. These peoples after long contention came to be amalgamated into one great body of the Hindus, by their adoption of the mixed creed of the said triality or trinity, under the designation of the Triune duty. Still there are many people that have never been united under this triad, and maintain their several creeds with tenacity. See Wilson's Hindu Religion.
11. The show of goodness of the vile, is a matter of suspicion.
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