Chapter 39 - Festivals to be Celebrated during Cāturmāsya

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Note: This chapter deals with the following festivals: (i) Pārśva-paryāyaṇa (Turning over the side) on the 11th day of the bright half of Bhādrapada. (ii) Utthāpana (Waking up) on the 11th day of the bright half of Kārttika.

The sages requested:

1-2. O sage, the greatness of the Lord of the universe has been heard from you; that of Nirmālya etc. also was heard in the proper order. We wish to hear, O Brāhmaṇa, the benefits of other Yātrās (festivals) too. To us who (wish to) listen to it, relate it accurately as you had originally intended.

Jaimini replied:

3. Puruṣottama exists for the welfare of all the worlds in every respect, and (for the purpose) produces different Guṇas and activities in various forms.

4-7. For the sport in various graceful forms, the Lord who is identical with the universe, becomes diverse souls.

Without Ahaṃkāra (Ego), there is no (experience of) the fruits of Karmas, O excellent Brāhmaṇas.

It is through the Ego that the people are bound in the prison called the worldly existence. Man does everything after being equipped with Buddhi (Intellect) and Ahaṃkāra (Ego). In accordance with the Guṇa (quality) of the Intellect, he obtains the benefit, auspicious or otherwise. Intellect is of three kinds according to the Guṇas.

Those who are Sāttvikas are good men shunning the fruits (of the Karmas). They perform holy rites for propitiating the Lord. They are desirous of liberation.

8. People of the Rājasa type perform various rites with a feeling of rivalry with others, or for the sake of reputation, or for fruits. They spend much wealth over it and strain themselves much.

9. People of the Tāmasa type are blind followers of others. They are devoted solely to perceptible results. They want benefits following from their acts. Thus they perform various rites.

10. When meditated, seen or remembered, the Lord of the universe is always a bestower of salvation on Sāttvika people. He is the sanctifier of everyone. There is no doubt about this.

11. The Rājasas and the Tāmasas are foolish souls desirous of results. They think that performance of rites etc. gives benefits.

12. Many of them, O Brāhmaṇas, join together and perform a small ceremony. To them that action or rite which involves great strain, pain and misery is the bestower of benefits.

13. In order to uplift them, for the purpose of convincing the vicious ones, O Brāhmaṇas, one should celebrate different kinds of Yātrās (festivals, processions etc.) every year.

14. The holy ablution on the birthday and the festival of the Great Altar have been recounted. These two great Yātrās are destructive of the sins by (their) glorification.

15. The sight of the Lord facing the South and the festival of retiring to bed are destructive of all sins. They are the festivals to be celebrated during the period of the Southern Transit.

16. Henceforth, I shall describe the festival of the turning on the other side of the Lord of the universe, who is lying down, the Lord who turns even the Yugas.

17-19. On the eleventh day in the bright half of the month of Bhādrapada (August-September), the devotee slowly goes towards the door of the bedchamber of Viṣṇu. He enters and bows down to the Lord of the universe, who is happily asleep on the couch. He should go to him slowly and cover him up (with a sheet) and worship with various offerings. Bowing down to his feet with devotion, he should eulogize with secret (mystical) Upaniṣad passages. He should repeat the following Mantra and make the Lord sleep facing the North:

20-24. “O Lord of Devas, O Lord of the universe, O Lord who turns the Kalpas! This universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings is turned by you, by your will and activities such as keeping awake, dreaming and sleeping. It is for the welfare of the universe that you are asleep. Turn over on the other side.

This is the time for the change, for the protection of the universe. At your bidding this Śakra is eagerly standing by your flagstaff to see your lotus-like feet. He is showering water through the clouds. He floods the surface of the earth as a means for the protection of the subjects.”

The devotee should pray to the Lord of Devas repeatedly twice like this and propitiate him. He should fan the Lord with fans and chowries and serve him.

25-27. He should smear all the limbs of the Lord with sweet-smelling sandal paste. He should offer as Naivedya the following things: Tasty sugarcane juice and its products, milk products, palatable barley preparations, different kinds of fruits, tasty pickles, other side-dishes, sweet pies prepared in ghee, milk puddings of various types, ripe arecanuts and well-dressed betel leaves. These should be offered at the door of the bedchamber of the Lord. The devotee should offer these slowly and with great devotion.

28-30. On that day, if the devotee meditates on the form of Hari, it will yield great merit. Whatever is done for the sake of the Lord, such as holy bath, charitable gift, Japa, Homa, penance, keeping awake, fasting and other observances, shall have everlasting benefit. At the conclusion of the Vrata, Brāhmaṇas should be propitiated. By performing this Vrata with all its ancillaries, one shall attain the world of Viṣṇu. Whatever he desires in the mind, he shall certainly obtain.

31. This festival recounted to you is Pārśva Paryāyaṇa (Turning on the other side). It bestows everlasting happiness on all the worlds without any difficulty.

32-36. Henceforth listen to the great festival of Utthāpana (waking up).

At the outset, the Lord of the universe is worshipped in the great festival named Kaumudī (Moonlight) by means of games of dice etc., flowers, garments, wreaths and unguents.

Then on a full-moon day during the night the devotee should worship Hari with great festivities by means of ground-flour cakes, coconuts and other articles of worship.

Then in the morning the devotee should declare his intention to perform the holy rite during the month of Kārttika. Till the eleventh day in the bright half of Kārttika, he should continue the Vrata. On that day he should awaken the Lord of the universe who is sound asleep. As before, he should perform the worship of the Sire of the universe at midnight. He should repeat the following Mantra joyfully and awaken the Lord gently:

37-42. “O Lord of the chiefs of Devas, O mass of refulgence, O Lord of the universe, look, all are sleeping due to your Māyā. Look at them with your eyes that take away the splendour of full-blown lotuses. This universe seen by you will attain the greatest sanctity. Then all the holy rites laid down in the Śrutis and Smṛtis can certainly be performed.”

After awakening the Lord thus, the devotee should take him to the Dance-pavilion to the accompaniment of playing of flutes and lutes and other musical instruments, the eulogies of the heralds, bards and panegyrists, auspicious sounds, the sounds of conchshells, Kāhāla trumpets and Muraja drums, dances, songs and shouts of “Be victorious”.

After anointing him with scented oil, he should bathe Puruṣottama with Pañcāmṛta, coconut juice and the juices of fruits. Thereafter, he should smear the Lord with perfumed embylic myrobalan and paste of barley.

43-48. He should rub the body (of the Lord) with powdered Tulasī and smear it with fragrant sandal-paste. Then the Lord should be bathed with waters rendered fragrant by means of flowers as well as by camphor. Waters should be sprinkled by means of Kuśa blades. The Lord should be then bathed with waters rendered fragrant by means of perfumes from bejewelled vessels.

Those who joyously see the Lord being bathed thus, wash off their dirt (sins) firmly fixed and acquired in the course of many births.

Thereafter, O Brāhmaṇas, the devotee should apply perfume on the chest of the Lord of the universe.

Then the entire body from head to foot should be smeared with saffron, agallochum, musk and camphor mixed with sandal-paste. These should be ground into a paste with waters mixed with tumpet [trumpet?] flowers and the liquid extract of black aloe-wood. A garland of jasmine flowers should be put on the Lord and dusted with powdered camphor. After worshipping Viṣṇu with great offerings and services, the rite of Nīrājana should be performed. With palms joined in reverence the devotee should pray with greatest joy:

49-54. “This entire universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings has you alone for its refuge, O Lord. Sanctify it by means of your benign nectarine glances, O Sire of the universe.”

He should spend the remaining part of the night by having shows, dances and songs. He who sees Lord Gadādhara who has got up from the bed, shall destroy the slumber of delusion and attain the peaceful enlightenment. Whatever other desires he may have in his heart of hearts, he shall attain all those desires.

He shall attain the merit of a thousand horse-sacrifices and even something more. He shall attain the merit of gifting away a crore of tawny-coloured cows, well adorned. He shall attain the greatest merit of taking the holy bath in all the Tīrthas. The Pāraṇā (concluding rites) of the vow of the four months should be performed on the Kārttikī day. (The devotee should give away) the idol of Dāmodara made of gold (a gold coin called) Niṣka or one made in accordance with one’s capacity or one made of Śālagrāma stone.

55-58. Then the devotee with restrained self should worship the Discus, (another) form of the Lord. A separate excellent pavilion should be made and decorated or a part of the house may be decorated well with garlands, chowries and canopies. The floor and the walls should be well plastered and the pillars adorned with silk cloths of various colours.

He should fumigate with the incense of black aloe-wood the entire portion of the splendid house (or pavilion). In its middle he should draw the mystic diagram of Svastika-design with splendid colours. He should place an ivory cot within it. A silk mattress should be spread over it. The devotee should place Puruṣottama upon it.

59-62. The Lord should be in the form of Dāmodara with four arms and having the conch-shell and the lotus in his hand. He is to be depicted as embracing Lakṣmī with his left hand, Lakṣmī seated on a lotus and stationed on his chest. With his right hand he makes the gesture of granting boons to devotees.

His nose, forehead, eyes, pair of ears etc. are excellent. The Lord has a broad chest. He is endowed with every graceful and handsome features. He is charming with all kinds of ornaments. He has divine yellow garments.

Lakṣmī is depicted as having a lotus in her hand and offering betel leaves (to the Lord). After bathing the Lord with Pañcāmṛta the devotee should cover him up with two cloths.

63. He should worship him with offerings and services as elaborate as his affluence can allow. He should light copper lamps or earthen lamps with cow’s ghee.

64. He should have a hundred light trees where the wicks burn with

oil. He should worship there Brahmā and the celestial sages headed by Nārada.

65. He should worship Brāhmaṇas too, (the visible) forms of Dāmodara, and honour them with pairs of cloths, wreaths and scents, foodstuffs of various kinds and fruits as well.

66. The worship of Dāmodara here should be done in the manner in which worship involving ablution in the Tīrtharāja (the sea) is done.

67-73. He should worship Brahmā and others with the Mantra “Tad viṣṇoḥ” (“that of viṣṇu”) (RV 1.22.20) etc. He should celebrate a great festival to the accompaniment of songs and instrumental music on flutes, lutes etc. There should be reading of the Purāṇas and keeping awake for the whole of the night. After the day has clearly dawned, he should perform the rites in the sacred fire. For the sake of general welfare he should perform Homas with Samits (sacred twigs), ghee and Carus while reciting the eight-syllabled Mantra (viz. oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya). To propitiate Śrī he should perform the Homas with fried grains mixed with honey and sacrificial twigs while reciting Śrī Sūkta.

In propitiating Brahmā and others, he should perform Homas one hundred and eight times. Eight of the oblations should be offered one by one with gingelly seeds. Thereafter he should offer Homas for Brahmā, Nārada, Dakṣa, Vasiṣṭha, Gautama, Sanatkumāra, Atri, Bharadvāja, Kaśyapa, Durvāsas, Agastya and Mahādeva. All these are well-known Vaiṣṇavas. They are the forms of Viṣṇu. There is no doubt about it.

By performing the worship of these Brāhmaṇas Viṣṇu can be pleased instantaneously. At the conclusion of Homa he should break his fast and make monetary gift to the preceptor.

74-79. He should give a cow also adorned with gold. With great devotion clothes and food-grains also are to be given for the satisfaction of Vāsudeva. He should then feed Brāhmaṇas. Along with all offerings and services, a replica of Dāmodara should be given to the preceptor with the recitation of the following Mantra:

“Oṃ, Dāmodara, O Lord of the universe, the whole universe is identical with you. All these have you as their support. You are Dharma, the sanctifier of all. It is by your grace that the vow has been completed. Let it be perfect. Dāmodara is the giver. The Bull-emblemed Lord is the receiver. The Lord of the universe is being given. Let the preceptor of the universe be pleased with me.”

Repeating this Mantra, he should give the excellent god to the preceptor. After concluding everything he should worship, eulogize and propitiate him with devotion.

If the preceptor is pleased, Mādhava becomes pleased. Thereafter, he should gift away the different articles to Brāhmaṇas.

80-81. Thereafter he should take his food along with the near and dear and kinsmen of good culture. After completing this holy rite in accordance with the injunctions, he should be richly endowed with the benefits as mentioned. He shall attain the world of Viṣṇu. There is no greater Vrata than this in the Śrutis, Smṛtis and Purāṇas.

82-85. Merely by performing this the man will feel that he has done his duty. Other Vratas are not as pleasing to Viṣṇu as this, O Brāhmaṇas. By performing this excellent holy rite one obtains that merit which one gets by giving thousands of vessels full of gingelly seeds, thousands of thousands of cows, a hundred deerskins, and ten thousand virgins, O Brāhmaṇas. He obtains the merit of taking holy baths in three and a half crores of Tīrthas. The man gets whatever he desires.