Chapter 119 - The Holy rites to be observed on Daśamī days

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

[Full title: The Holy rites to be observed on Daśamī (i.e. tenth) days (in The Lunar fortnight)]

Sanātana said:

1. Henceforth, I shall recount to you the holy rites to be observed on Daśamī (tenth) days (of lunar fortnights). On observing them devotedly, man becomes a favourite of Dharmarāja.

2. On the tenth day, in the bright half of the month of Caitra, the devotee should worship Dharmaraja^[1] by means of the seasonal flowers and fruits plucked for the nonce, and scents and other things.

3. He should either observe fast or take a single meal per day. After feeding fourteen excellent Brāhmaṇas, he should give them monetary gifts according to his capacity.

4. O Brāhmaṇa, he who thus performs the worship of Dharmarāja, shall at the behest of Dharma, attain similarity with the Devas—a position from which he will not fall.

5. 6. On the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Vaiśākha, a man should worship god Viṣṇu with scents and other articles of worship and formalities) as well as with white fragrant flowers. He should make hundred circumambulations, (round Viṣṇu’s shrine) and assiduously feed Brāhmaṇas. He (thereby) attains to the world of Viṣṇu (Viṣṇuloka). No doubt need be entertained in this respect.

7. It was on the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Jyeṣṭhā that the Jāhnavī (the river Gaṅgā), the most excellent of all the rivers, came to the Earth from the heaven. Hence, the day is remembered as the bestower of merit.

8-9. The month of Jyeṣṭhā,^[2] the bright fortnight, the constellation of Hasta, Wednesday, Daśamī Tithi, the Gara (Karaṇa), Ānanda (Yoga) and Vyatīpāta, the moon in the Zodiac of Virgo and the sun in the Zodiac of Taurus—the combination of all these ten, O Brāhmaṇa, is regarded to be highly meritorious. It removes ten kinds of sins.^[3] Hence it is called Daśahara.

10. On this day if a delighted devotee takes his holy dip in the Jāhnavī in accordance with the injunctions, he goes to Hari’s abode.

11. The tenth day in the bright half of the month of Āṣāḍha is remembered by Manu and others as highly meritorious. Holy dip, Japa, charitable gift, or Homa on that day is the bestower of heavenly goal.

12. The tenth day in the bright half of the month of Śrāvaṇa is the bestower of the fulfilment of all hopes. The worship of Śiva, with scents and other articles of worship on this day, is praiseworthy.

13. Observance of fast, taking of food only at night, feeding of Brāhmaṇas, Japa, the charitable gift of gold, cow, etc. performed on this day—all these are destructive of all sins.

14-19. On the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Bhādrapada, O excellent Brāhmaṇa, the holy rite called Daśāvatāra^[4] (the ten incarnations) is to be observed. After taking his bath in a water-reservoir (i.e. a tank, a river etc.) anḍ performing Sandhyā etc. and the rite of Tarpaṇa to the Devas, sages and Pitṛs, he should, with great concentration, worship ten incarnations (of Viṣṇu) viz. Matsya (the Divine Fish), Kūrma (the Divine Tortoise), Varāha (The boar), Narasiṃha (Man-lion), Trivikrama (the religious student Vāmana), Paraśurāma, Śrī-Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Buddha, and Kalki. O Nārada, he (the observer of the Vrata) should worship ten gold images (of these incarnations) in accordance with injunctions. He should then give them to ten excellent Brāhmaṇas after duly honouring them. After observing fast or taking one meal (on that day), he should feed the Brāhmaṇas. After bidding farewell to them, he should enjoy a meal with his friends and relatives. By performing this Vrata with devotion, he shall enjoy all excellent pleasures here. In the end he will go to the eternal Viṣṇuloka, in aerial chariot.

20-22. The tenth day in the bright half of the month of Āśvina is glorified as Vijayā.^[5] In the morning the devotee places four cow-dung balls in the courtyard of the house in the form of the horizon (i.e. semicircle). In their midst he should worship the four warriors Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata and Śatrughna. Four vessels with lids are taken and smeared with cow-dung. Grains and silver coins are put therein and closed. They are covered with white silken cloth.

23. The devotee then worships them in accordance with the injunctions with scents, fragrant flowers, Naivedyas, etc. accompanied by father, mother, brothers, sons, wife and servants.

24-25a. After paying obeisance he feeds the Brāhmaṇas who are duly honoured. By performing this holy rite, the man remains happy throughout the year. O Brāhmaṇa, he shall decisively become flourishing in wealth and grains.

25b-31a. (Another holy rite) On the previous Navamī day the devotee goes to a Śamī tree and chants Mantras: On the afternoon of the Daśamī day, O Brāhmaṇa, the devotee goes again to the Śamī tree which is on the eastern side (of the village etc) and takes mud from the foot of tree. To the accompaniment of songs and instrumental music, he brings the mud to the house. He worships the clay in accordance with the injunctions and arranges his army. He goes out of the village by means of the eastern gate without any perturbation. He should get the image of the enemy prepared by means of leaves, etc. or mentally fancy the same. He should feel mentally delighted that the deity will hit the enemy with an arrow that has its tail of gold. He should then return home at night. Or after making all these arrangements he should proceed against the enemy to curb him. O Brāhmaṇa, this Daśamī rite, performed always in accordance with the injunctions, shall bestow wealth, victory, sons, cows, elephants, horses, goats and sheep in this world. O Nārada, at death he attains heavenly world.

31b-33. One should perform the holy rite of Sārvabhauma-Vrata^[6] (Vrata for Sovereignty over the world) on the tenth day

34. May God Indra, the king of the Devas, the granter of all desired things, destroy the sin that is to my east as a result of my own sinful actions.

35. May God Vahni (fire) the king of all splendours, the granter of all desired things quell the sin that is to my southeast as a result of my own sinful actions.

36. May Yama, the king of Pretas, ghosts, the bestower of all desired things annihilate the sin that is to my south as a result of my own actions.

37. May Nirṛti, the king of Rākṣasas, the bestower of all desired things, wipe off the sin that is to my southwest as a result of my own actions.

38. May Varuṇa, the Lord of aquatic animals, the bestower of all desired things, destroy the sin that is to my west as a result of my own actions.

39. May Vāyu, the king of Maruts (gusts of wind), the bestower of all desired things eradicate the sin that is to my north-west as a result of my own actions.

40. May Soma (Moon), the Lord of Ṛkṣas (constellations) and Yakṣas, the bestower of all desired things, quell the sin that is to my north as a result of my own actions.

41. May Īśāna, the lord of Bhūtas (goblins), the granter of all desired things, quell the sin that is to my north-east, as a result of my own actions.

42. May Brahmā (the Lord of the Prajāpatis), the granter of all desired things annihilate the sin that is above, as a result of (my own) actions.

43. May Ananta, the king of serpents, the granter of all desired things, quell the sin that is stationed below me as a result of my own actions.

44. After offering oblations in the ten directions thus, with great concentration, he should alertly offer oblations to Kṣetrapāla externally.

45. After having completed the rites thus the intelligent devotee should spend the remaining part of the night in mainly auspicious songs, recitation of hymns, Japas etc.

46. In the morning, he should take bath, worship guardians of the worlds (quarters), and honour and feed twelve Brāhmaṇas. He should give them Dakṣinā according to his ability.

47. O Brāhmaṇa, after performing the holy rite thus, the royal devotee shall enjoy all auspicious worldly pleasures. After enjoying heavenly pleasures thereafter, for the duration of a Yuga, he will become an Emperor.

48. On the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, the devotee should perform the holy rite of Ārogyaka Vrata^[7] (health-giving Vrata). He should worship ten Brāhmaṇas with scents and other things and drink the water with which their feet have been washed.

49-50a. After giving Dakṣiṇā to them, he should bid them farewell. He should take only a single meal. O Brāhmaṇa, after performing this Vrata the devotee attains health in this world. Thanks to the grace of Dharma-Rāja, he rejoices like a Deva in the heaven.

50b-51. On the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Pauṣa, he should worship Viśvedevas.^[8] They are Kratu, Dakṣa, Vasus, Satya, Kāla, Kāma, Muni, Guru, Vipra and Rām. Keśava has identified himself with these in ten different ways.

52-54. He should make effigies of Darbha grass to represent them as seated in their seats or lying down. O Nārada, he should worship them with scents, incense, lights and Naivedyas. After giving them Dakṣiṇā separately, he should ritualistically bid farewell to them. The gifts that had been offered to them should be given to excellent Brāhmaṇas or to the preceptor. O Brahminical sage, the observer of the Vrata who performs the rite thus, taking in only one meal a day, shall be the enjoyer of pleasures of both the worlds.

55-58a. On the tenth day in the bright half of the month of Māgha, the devotee should observe fast and conquer his sense-organs. He should properly and completely worship the ten Devas called Aṅgiras after making their images in gold. He shall worship them with scents and other Upacāras. They are—Ātmā, Āyus, Manas, Dakṣa, Mada, Prāṇa, Barhiṣmān, Gaviṣṭha, Datta and Satya. O Nārada, as their representatives ten Brāhmaṇas are to be fed with sweet cooked rice. For the purpose of acquiring heavenly world, the devotee should give those Brāhmaṇas the golden image.

58b-62. On the tenth day in the bright half of the last month, the devotee should worship the fourteen Yamas. They are: Yama, Dharmarāja, Mṛtyu, Antaka, Vaivasvata, Kāla, Sarvabhūtakṣaya, Audumbara, Dadhna, Nīla, Parameṣṭhin, Vṛkodara, Citra and Citragupta. He should properly and correctly worship them with scents and other Upacāras. He shall perform Tarpaṇa three times for each with handful of water mixed with gingelly seeds. O Nārada, thereafter, with a copper vessel he should give Arghya to the sun with the mixture of red sandal, gingelly seeds, raw rice-grains and barley in the waters with the following mantra.

63. “O sun of thousand rays, come O huge mass of splendour, O Lord of the Universe, accept the Arghya given by me with devotion. Take pity on me.”

64-66. The devotee should offer Arghya by uttering the above Mantra. He should feed the fourteen Brāhmaṇas and give them silver coins as Dakṣiṇā. After bidding farewell to them, he should partake of his own food. O Brāhmaṇa, the devotee who performs the holy rite thus, enjoys all worldly pleasures, inaccessible to the Devas, such as sons and riches. At the death of his body, he occupies excellent aerial chariot and attains to Viṣṇu’s Loka.

Footnotes and references:

[back to top]

[1]:

This and the next Vrata is not recorded in the Vratarāja or History of Dharma Śāstra V. 1.

[2]:

This astronomical combination constituting Daśaharā is repeated in the Skanda Purāṇa as follows:

jyeṣṭhe māsi site pakṣe daśamyāmbudha-hastayorgarānande vyatīpāte kanyā candre vṛṣe raviḥ /
daśayoge naraḥ snātvā sarva-papaiḥ pramucyate //

Kane says that the Varāhapurāṇa accepts Tuesday instead of Wednesday (History of Dharma Śāstra V. I. P. 91) but the actual quotation of Varāhapurāṇa in the Vratarāja p. 165, states that it was on Wednesday on 10th Jyeṣṭhā Śu. that the Gaṅgā descended from heaven. The Nārada-purāṇa. limits the merit of this Vrata to bath in the Gaṅgā but the Nirṇaya Sindhu (P. 98), on the authority of the Skandapurāṇa, extends the merit of Daśaharā to both etc. in all big rivers. A festival of the Gaṅgā is celebrated in towns and villages in big rivers like the Krishnā and the Godāvarī in Maharashtra, though not on that big scale as found at Haradwar, Prayāga or Vārāṇasī.

[3]:

The other derivation of Daśaharā is “that which washes off ten kinds of sins”. The ten kinds of sins are given in Manu XII. 5-7 as- follows:

(1) Mental Sins: Coveting another man’s wealth, wishing evil to befall others, entertaining heretical ideas,
(2) Vocal Sins: harshness of speech, speaking the untruth, back-biting, irrelevent speech.
(3) Bodily Sins: misappropriation of another’s wealth, injury to living beings, illicit intercourse with another’s wife.

This efficacy of Daśaharā is endorsed in other Purāṇas also; vide Br. P. 63. 15, Nirṇayasindhu (p. 98) quotes the Skandapurāṇa and Varāhapurāṇa to the same effect. The Vratarāja. (pp. 166 ff) gives details of this Vrata.

[4]:

 Verses 14-19 describe the Vrata in honour of the currently believed ten incarnations of Viṣṇu. The inclusion of the Buddha and Kalki in the list is comparatively late when people forgot that the Buddha was the propagator of a non-Vedic faith.

Hemādri (Vrata I. 1158-61) instructs to begin this Vrata on 12th Mārgaśīrṣa Śu. Vratarāja (P. 168) on the authority of the Bhaviṣyottara Purāṇa, gives a different procedure though the Vrata commences on Bhādrapada Śu, 10th and the Vrata is to be observed for 10 years.

[5]:

Verses 20-25a describe one variety of Vijayā-daśamī Vrata allied with Rāma but not connected with his victory over Rāvaṇa which forms the basis of the present Rāmalīlā festival. This variety is not recorded by Hemādri (Vrata I. 970-73), Nirṇaya Sindhu (PP. 69-70), Vratarāja. pp. 169-170 or by Kane (History of Dharma Śāstra V. i. pp. 188-194).

The other variety in Verses 25b-31a, which is to be observed by kings or noblemen for securing conquest on the enemies, has been current all over India in slightly different forms. The worship of the Śamī tree, royal procession of elephants, horses etc., waving of lights (Nīrājana) after return from Śamī-Pūjana etc. have been the common features. The Nārada-purāṇa. does not include the worship of the goddess Aparājitā (recorded in Dharma-sindhu, pp. 96 ft) though some features in Hemādri (Vrata I. pp. 970-971) such as despatching an arrow at the effigy of the enemy or imagining him to be facing oneself, are common.

In Maharashtra probably due to scarcity of Śamī trees, they worship the Āptā tree or its branch on the eastern outskirts of the village. Going out of the boundary of the village is the technical Sīmollaṅghana (crossing the boundary for “invading” the enemy). People return home in the evening and lights are waved round the men. (Nīrājana) by women in the house. They distribute the leaves of the Āptā tree as “gold coins”.

[6]:

Verses 31-47 describe the Sārvabhauma Vrata primarily meant for kings. A similar Vrata is given in the Varāhapurāṇa 65.1-6 and Viṣṇudharmapurāṇa III.164.1-7. The guardians of the quarters are at times identified with the protectors of the worlds. Manu V.96 mentions Sūrya (the Sun) as the protector of the South-West instead of Nirṛti in the Nārada-purāṇa.in the bright half of the month of Kārttika. The devotee either observes complete fast or takes only one meal a day. At midnight, outside the house or the city he offers oblations in all the ten directions with Apūpa (baked pie) etc. On a level spot of ground smeared with cowdung, he draws a mystic diagram of a lotus of eight petals. After worshipping Gaṇeśa and other deities he (wipes off sins) by means of these Mantras.

[7]:

This is a special variety of Vrata in the Nārada-purāṇa. Kane records a number of Ārogya Vratas on different Tithis, but none of them prescribes the Tīrtha (water after washing the feet) of Brāhmaṇas. Even the Vrata on the Daśamī day prescribes the worship of goddess Lakṣmī and Hari.

[8]:

These gods are supposed to be the sons of Viśvā. The list of their names differs e.g. Apte’s SK. Dict. p. 523 and MWP. 992 give the following list:

Vasu, Satya, Kratu, Dakṣa, Kāla, Kāma, Dhṛti, Kuru, Pururavas and Mādravas—the last four are not found in the Nārada-purāṇa.—list.