॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Thursday, 16 February 2023 - Srimad Bhagavatam VIII.16- Bhagavan's Leela continues. Aditi laments her sons' i.e. the Devas' loss of status and home. Her husband Sage Kashyapa instructs her to do an intense and severe form of worship of Bhagavan called Payo-vrata to fulfil her desires.
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Aditi, the mother of Devas, is now dashed into despondency. Her motherly attachment suffers severe affliction to see her sons banished from their status and home by King Bali. Interestingly, all Devas and Asuras are descendants of Sage Kashyapa!
When Kashyapa takes a break from his intense and perennial Tapas and visits Aditi's hermitage, he finds her languishing and the Ashrama derelict in its beauty. He doubts if even the routine functionality is continued by Aditi these days in terms of Yajna and Dana and Atithi Satkara (a householder's cardinal duty of receiving and propitiating guests.) Aditi unburdens herself to her husband, after assuring him she has not been deficient in her duties.
तस्मादीश भजन्त्या मे श्रेयश्चिन्तय सुव्रत । हृतश्रियो हृतस्थानान् सपत्नैः पाहि नः प्रभो ॥
परैर्विवासिता साहं मग्ना व्यसनसागरे । ऐश्वर्यं श्रीर्यशः स्थानं हृतानि प्रबलैर्मम ॥
यथा तानि पुनः साधो प्रपद्येरन् ममात्मजाः । तथा विधेहि कल्याणं धिया कल्याणकृत्तम ॥
T: "Coming to the point, my Lord Sage Kashyapa! All the Devas, Asuras and others are only your descendants, you being the glorious son of Sage Marichi. But you know how we Devas have now been deprived of our status and home by our rivals, Asuras. We need your protection! Look at how the formidable Asuras
have taken away our opulence, our beauty, our fame and even our residence. Indeed, we have now been exiled, and we are drowning in an ocean of trouble. Oh best of sages, best of all those who grant auspicious benedictions, please consider our situation and bestow upon my sons the benedictions by which they can regain what they have lost."
Sage Kashyapa gives a wry smile. This is nothing but Bhagavan's Leela! How he wishes Aditi takes the ups and downs of life in the current of Time equanimously! He tells her:
उपतिष्ठस्व पुरुषं भगवन्तं जनार्दनम् । सर्वभूतगुहावासं वासुदेवं जगद्गुरुम् ॥
T: My dear Aditi, the only one who can fulfil your desires and give you satisfaction is Bhagavan Janardana! You have to worship Him and beg for His grace. He dwells in all entities, He is Paramatma Vasudeva, He is the Jagadguru!"
Kashyapa then goes on to describe to Aditi the severeVrata she should undertake over a period of twelve days. This Payo-vrata has been vouchsafed to Kashyapa by Lord Brahma himself as the secret of propitiating Vasudeva.
फाल्गुनस्यामले पक्षे द्वादशाहं पयोव्रतः । अर्चयेदरविन्दाक्षं भक्त्या परमयान्वितः ॥
T: "In the bright fortnight of the month of Phalguna [February and March - this happens to be the exact period just now!], for twelve days ending with Dvadashi, one should observe the vow of subsisting only on milk and should worship the lotus-eyed Bhagavan with all devotion."
The austerities include the ritual of enacting how mother Earth was rescued by Varaha by smearing slush on oneself and then bathing oneself clean in flowing waters. Worshipping the Sun, the Guru and the Elements, one should pray as follows:
नमस्तुभ्यं भगवते पुरुषाय महीयसे । सर्वभूतनिवासाय वासुदेवाय साक्षिणे ॥
नमः शिवाय रुद्राय नमः शक्तिधराय च । सर्वविद्याधिपतये भूतानां पतये नमः ॥
नमो हिरण्यगर्भाय प्राणाय जगदात्मने । योगैश्वर्यशरीराय नमस्ते योगहेतवे ॥
T: "Bhagavan, who lives in everyone’s heart and in whom everyone lives, Oh witness of everything, Oh Vasudeva, Parama Purusha! I offer my respectful obeisances unto You. You're subtle, yet pervade the twenty-four elements of creation. The four Vedas, the seven metres including Gayatri, and even the three spiritual disciplines of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti, are all parts of Your being!
I offer my respectful obeisances unto You as Lord Shiva, or Rudra, who is the reservoir of all potencies, the reservoir of all knowledge, and the master of everyone. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You, who are situated as Hiranyagarbha or Brahma, the source of life, the Paramatma of every living entity. Your body is the source of the opulence of all mystic power. I offer my respectful obeisances unto You."
Kashyapa teaches Aditi many more prayers and many more disciplines to be followed during the twelve-day worship.
The details are very interesting. They are precisely the way formal worship is conducted in a temple today to the deity installed with Prana Pratishtha, including Abhisheka, Sugandha and Pushpa and Phala nivedana, Archana, Stotra, Naivedya and so on. Pradakshina and Pranama are also prescribed. The Payasam is offered and then a portion thereof is given in tribute to a worthy Brahmin or exalted soul. Then one partakes of the Prasada. Of course, one is instructed to chant the Dwadasha Akshara Mantra ॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥ 108 times.
Austerity, celibacy, and worship are to be followed as prescribed strictly until the thirteenth day.
The finale is grand with great worship and feeding of all. Panchamrutha Abhisheka is prescribed.
Kashyapa says:
भुक्तवत्सु च सर्वेषु दीनान्धकृपणेषु च । विष्णोस्तत्प्रीणनं विद्वान् भुञ्जीत सह बन्धुभिः ॥
T: "One should distribute Vishnu Prasada to everyone, including the poor man, the blind man, the non-devotee and the non-Brahmin. Knowing that Lord Vishnu is very pleased when everyone is sumptuously fed with Prasada, the performer of this Yajna should then take the Prasada with his friends and relatives."
Sage Kashyapa concludes.
"This most powerful worship called Payo-vrata has been taught to me by Lord Brahma. Therefore, my dear gentle lady, follow this ritualistic vow, strictly observing the regulative principles. By this process, Bhagavan will very soon be pleased with you and will satisfy all your desires."
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
