Chapter 85 - The Śayana Festival of Viṣṇu

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Mahādeva said:

1-11. A devotee of Viṣṇu should devoutly and with joy worship and celebrate the festival of the lord of the world lying in water on the full-moon day of Vaiśākha. Having had songs, (having played upon) musical instruments, having danced and celebrated the auspicious great festival, he should, being delighted, see the best god on the Ekādaśī (day). Devoutly singing a song in praise of Viṣṇu, he should celebrate the auspicious festival. ‘O lord of gods, lie in this water. When, O lord of gods, you are asleep, the world also is asleep.’ On the advent of the rainy season, those men who put Viṣṇu in water, have no torment in hell, O best goddess. The bed called Viṣṇu, should be made in a golden vessel, or a silver vessel, or a copper vessel, O best goddess. Or it should be made in an earthen vessel. Having put there cold water made fragrant, the wise man should install in that water (the image of) Viṣṇu. The image should have the name of Gopāla or of Rāma. Or especially a Śālagrāma stone should be installed. Or an image of that stone (should be put). Its merit is unending. As long as the earth, the people on it, the moon and the sun are there, no one in his family would be a hellish being. Therefore, O great goddess, he should worship Viṣṇu in water. The man, free from torment, would exist till the final deluge. During the time of Jyeṣṭha and Āṣāḍha he should worship Viṣṇu covered with a Tulasī leaf in very cold water.

12-20. Those who worship Viṣṇu remaining in water with various flowers during the time of Jyeṣṭha and Āṣāḍha, are free from Yama’s torment. As water is most dear to Viṣṇu, as he lies in water, as he likes water, so, especially in summer, (a man) should worship Viṣṇu remaining in water. He who, after making the image of Śālagrāma stone of the deity lie in water, has worshipped it, would emancipate his family. He, O beautiful one, who has devoutly worshipped Viṣṇu in water when the Sun is in Cancer (the fourth sign of the Zodiac), or especially when he is in Gemini (the third sign of the Zodiac), and he who has offered worship to the lord remaining and lying in water, has performed crores of hundreds of sacrifices. Those men who in the month called Mādhava (i.e. Vaiśākha) worship (the image of) Viṣṇu after putting it in water are gods on the earth. He who having prepared (the mixture of) sandal and water in a pot, would put (into it the image of) Viṣṇu, and worship it at night on Dvādaśī, would get salvation. These five—one who has no faith, one of a sinful mind, an atheist, one whose doubt has not been removed, and one who acts from a (selfish) motive—do not enjoy the fruit of the worship. In the same way, O great goddess, a man who everyday worships the lord of the world while he is in water, is freed from great sins.

21-30. O chief goddess, the worship to him is said to be offered with (i.e. to the accompaniment of) the hymn, ‘Om, Hrīṃ, Hrīṃ, salutation to Rāma. Om, Klīṃ, salutation to Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, dear to the cowherdesses’. With this hymn, O daughter of the (Himālaya) Mountain, he should consecrate the water. (He should say:) ‘O god of gods, O noble one, O you having the mark of Śrīvatsa, O great god, salutation to you. O cause of the world, salutation to you. O god, accept the respectful offering and always give me salvation’. With flowers of various kinds he should worship Viṣṇu. Free from all troubles he would be absorbed into Viṣṇu. Being very much concentrated he should keep awake on Dvādaśī. He should devoutly worship the immutable and inexhaustible god, Viṣṇu. Those who are intent on devotion and desire devotion should celebrate the festival called Viṣṇu(-festival) in the month of Vaiśākha. He should perform the rites in it as told in the holy texts. When this is done, O great goddess, it is equal to the fruit of a crore of sacrifices. He being free from attachment and hatred and turning away great delusion, goes to the eternal (position) of Viṣṇu after having enjoyed happiness in the world. A brāhmaṇa who on the earth devoutly celebrates (this) festival, gets free from sins, and certainly goes to Vaikuṇṭha. A man deprived of Vedic studies and without the study of holy texts gets Viṣṇu’s position on having devotion for Viṣṇu. He would be delighted in self, would always be free, and would have conquered his self. He goes to Viṣṇu’s position (and remains there) as long as the Moon and the Sun (exist).