Chapter 13 - Importance of Jāgaraṇa in Ekādaśī Vrata

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Śrī Bhagavān said:

1. Listen, O son, I shall describe the nature of Jāgaraṇa (keeping awake). Merely by knowing it, I become easily accessible always in the Kali Age (to a devotee).

2-6. The Jāgaraṇa (to be done) on the Ekādaśī day has twenty-six characteristics^[1] (activities) as follows: There shall be vocal and instrumental music, dance, readings from the Purāṇa, (burning of) incense, lamp, (offering) Naivedya, flower offerings, scents and unguents, dedication of fruits, faith, charitable gifts, control over the sense-organs, truthfulness, absence of sleep, gaiety, my worship, wonderful shows, enthusiasm, avoidance of sinful actions, idleness etc., circumambulation, prostrations (before god), the rite of Nīrājana with an extremely delighted mind and, O highly fortunate one, the devotee should perform Ārārtika^[2] (waving of lights with devotional hymns) after every three hours (at the end of a Yāma).

A man who performs the Jāgaraṇa rite devoutly with all these twenty-six characteristics is not reborn on the earth.

7. He who does like this devoutly without being overstingy about the money spent, he who performs the rite of Jāgaraṇa with great devotion, gets merged into me.

8. Those who sleep during the day pertaining to me (i.e. Ekādaśī) are bitten by the serpent of the Kali Age. They do not observe Jāgaraṇa because they are deluded (and fettered) by the noose of Māyā.

9. Those who observe Ekādaśī Vrata in Kali Age without Jāgaraṇa are ruined. There is no doubt about it, because life is transitory.

10. Those sinners who do not observe my Jāgaraṇa have placed their foot on my chest and taken away both the eyes.

II. If there is no expounder (of the Purāṇas), the devotee should organise music and dance programme. O Lord of Devas, if there is an expounder, he should read the Purāṇa at the outset.

12. O my son, if my Jāgaraṇa is observed, the devotee obtains a crore of times the benefit of a thousand horse-sacrifices and a hundred Vājapeya sacrifices.

13. If my Jāgaraṇa is observed the devotee redeems generations in the families of his father, mother and wife, O bestower of honour.

14. If there happens any obstacle on the fast day when the Jāgaraṇa has started, I will curse that place, leave it and go away.

15. If people perform Jāgaraṇa on the day pertaining to me, the day without the overlapping (of any other Tithi), I joyously dance among them.

16. The devotee stays in my abode as many ten thousand Yūgas as the number of days on which he observes Jāgaraṇa in my presence.

17. Without the observance of Jāgaraṇa on the Ekādaśī day the ancestors do not get salvation by offering rice-balls to them at Gayā or by visiting Tīrthas or performing many sacrifices.

18. While observing Jāgaraṇa, if a man worships me with flowers, he will attain the benefit of a horse-sacrifice for every flower.

19. If a man offers lamp at night during the Jāgaraṇa of mine, O son, he obtains the benefit of (donation of) ten thousand cows for every moment.

20. If during Jāgaraṇa anyone offers as Naivedya food fit for oblation, he obtains the merit arising from (the gift of) a mountain of paddy.

21. If a man offers well-cooked, well-dressed food and different kinds of fruits, O Four-faced One, during the observance of Jāgaraṇa of mine, he obtains the benefit of (giving away) a hundred cows.

22. If my devotee gives betel leaves along with camphor on the day of my Jāgaraṇa, he shall become overlord of the earth consisting of the seven continents.

23. The man who makes a pavilion of flowers, O Lord of Devas, during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, sports about in my world in the aerial chariot Puṣpaka.

24. If a man offers incense along with camphor and aromatic gum-resin during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, he burns the sins arising from a hundred thousand births.

25. He who bathes me with curds, milk, ghee and water during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, will enjoy all pleasures here and in the end attain the greatest goal.

26. He who offers divine garments and different kinds of fruits, stays in heaven for a long time depending on the number of threads (in the garment).

27. He who offers ornaments of gold and precious stones to me, stays in my lap for seven Kalpas. He is a favourite of mine.

28. If, at night, during the observance of Jāgaraṇa, the devotee offers me a lamp with ghee, particularly that extracted from cow’s milk, and lights it, he attains for every moment (lit. eye-wink) the benefit of (giving away) ten thousand cows.

29. If, O Four-faced One, the devotee lights a lamp along with camphor during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa and performs the Nīrājana rite, he obtains the benefit of gifting away a tawny-coloured cow.

30. He who offers lamp, organises song and dance programmes and worships me, attains the benefit on a par with that of a hundred sacrifices along with Vratas and hundreds of charitable gifts.

31. He who composes songs himself and sings and dances too without shyness, shall attain in half a moment the benefit of performing ten million Yajñas.

32. He who forbids songs and dances during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa is cooked (and tortured) in Raurava and other (hells) for sixty thousand Yugas.

33. Those who go near the man who dances (at Jāgaraṇa) are Jet off by Dharmarāja (god of death). They become liberated and attain my region.

34. He who makes fun of the man who dances during the observance of Jāgaraṇa falls into hell and stays there for a period of fourteen Indras.

35. He who devoutly reads the (holy) book (Purāha) during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, shall stay in my presence for as many Yugas as the number of verses (read).

36. The benefit that has been mentioned by learned men, of circumambulations, is not attained even by four crores of sacrifices.

37. O son, he who lights a series of lamps in front of me during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, is endowed with ten million aerial chariots and he stays in heaven till the end of the Kalpa.

38. The man who reads the stories of my boyhood activities (as in the tenth Skandha of Bhāgavata) during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, shall stay in Śveta Dvīpa for thousands and crores of Yugas.

39. Hence Jāgaraṇa should be observed in both bright as well as dark fortnights.

40. He who reads the (Bhagavad) Gītā or the Thousand Names (i.e. Viṣṇu-sahasra-nāma) at night (during the observance of the holy Jāgaraṇa) shall attain the benefit mentioned in Vedas and Purāṇas.

41. He who makes the gift of a cow during the observance of my Jāgaraṇa, O my son, obtains the benefit of (gifting away) the whole of the earth (with seven continents). There is no doubt about it.

42. The greatest meritorious act of all on the earth, O my son, is the Jāgaraṇa on the Dvādaśī day. It is well known in all the three worlds.

43. Those who observe Jāgaraṇa mentally, verbally and physically do not return at all from my world.

44. He who encourages people (to observe) and (himself) observes Jāgaraṇa at night, attains emperorhood. What has been said by me is true, O son.

45. Those who observed Jāgaraṇa at night were honoured by Kakutstha with charitable gifts in accordance with his capacity. Rare kingdom was obtained by him.

46. The Brāhmaṇa singers, those who play on the musical instruments and those who dance, go to my eternal world along with the female dancers.

47. By observing Jāgaraṇa, those who were desirous of benefits among all those who were born of evil and wicked wombs, attained lordship of the earth, O excellent sage.

48. (Even) Cāṇḍālas and others who were free from desires attained salvation through Jāgaraṇa. There is no caste-distinction among those who observe my Jāgaraṇa.

49. In Kali Age meditation is not sanctifying; in Kali Age the water of Gaṅgā (is not sanctifying); in Kali Age excepting my Jāgaraṇa alone, no Jāpya (Mantra for repetition) is sanctifying.

50. When the Dvādaśī day has come, those who observe Jāgaraṇa are the blessed ones undoubtedly in Kali Age. They have accomplished their duties.

51. In this world of men, no man should be averse to the observance of Dvādaśī. (Else) he is sure to make past and future (generations of his family) fall into hell.

52. Of what avail is it if many sons are born? It is better to have one son who is endowed with good qualities and who will redeem all the ancestors through Jāgaraṇa on the Dvādaśī day.

53. If a man reads devoutly the greatness of the rite of Jāgaraṇa described by me, his son born on Dvādaśī day shall redeem a hundred generations of his family.

54. If the Jāgaraṇa rite is observed, O son, the sin of carnally approaching forbidden women and that of eating forbidden food perish.

55-56. If the rite of Jāgaraṇa is performed on Dvādaśī day at night, O Four-faced One, the sin committed unknowingly, the sin committed knowingly, the sin acquired in the previous births, and the sin acquired in this birth—all these perish, all his tasks are realized, everything thought of by him is accomplished.

57. By the Jāgaraṇa alone on the Dvādaśī day, men attain salvation.

58. The benefit that is obtained through Dvādaśī is not attained by people who reside in Kurukṣetra or in Prayāga in Kali Age. The men who stay there do not have this greatness.

59. O son, neither by thousands of horse-sacrifices nor by plunging into a crore of Tīrthas does one get the benefit which one gets when the Jāgaraṇa is performed on Dvādaśī day.

60. He who reads or listens to the greatness of Dvādaśī shall attain the eternal place. He shall be absolved and purified of all sins.

61. All the wicked Planets always become gentle towards him. He will never have separation from his progeny. Dvādaśī is the cause thereof.

62. He who is always interested in my glory, will never have any mishap. In battle and in the royal household, he will be victorious always.

63. His mind will always be inclined towards virtue. His devotion to me will be devoid of impurities. As a result of the devotion to Dvādaśī, no sin will affect that man.

64. He will never become a ghost if Jāgaraṇa is observed by him. One who is without Ekādaśī will never have good status in the next world. Hence with every effort that day has to be observed in Kali Age.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

VV 2-6 enumerate the 26 activities on the Jāgaraṇa night. The details of these activities are discussed in the course of the chapter.

[2]:

Called Āratī in Hindi, Marathi etc. Ārārtika is a hyper-Sanskritization.