In the sixth verse of his Cidvilāsastava (‘Hymn to the Play of Consciousness’), Amṛtānanda contemplates the deeper meaning of the place of ritual worship and what it means to perform pūjā:
चिद्विलासमयभित्तिभावितं ज्ञानदीपविगलत्तमोगुणम् ।
आत्मतत्त्वमिह यागमण्टपं तस्य पूजनविधानमर्चनम् ॥ ६ ॥
cidvilāsamayabhittibhāvitaṃ jñānadīpavigalattamoguṇam |
ātmatattvam iha yāgamaṇṭapaṃ tasya pūjanavidhānam arcanam || 6 ||
“The ritual pavilion is the reality of the Self manifest as a canvas for the play of consciousness in which the quality of darkness melts away in the flame of knowledge. Veneration is the process of worshiping that [Self].” (translation by Ben Williams)
