{"collection":"Hinduism","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/hin/db/bk11ch23.htm","path":"hin/db/bk11ch23.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/hin/db/bk11ch23.htm","text":"THE ELEVENTH BOOK\nChapter XXIII\nOn the Tapta Krichchhra vrata and others\n1-20. N\u00e2r\u00e2yana said :-- The best S\u00e2dhaka, then uttering after his meals, the mantra \u201cAmrit\u00e2pidh\u00e2namasi.\u201d (O Water-nectar! Let Thou be the covering to the food that I have taken), should make \u00c2chaman (sip one Gandusa water) and distribute the remnant food (the leavings) to those who take the leavings. \u201cLet the servants and maid-servants of our family that expect the leavings of food be satisfied with what leavings I give to them.\u201d \u201cLet those inhabitants of the Raurava hell or other unholy places who have remained there for a Padma or Arbuda years and want to drink water, be satisfied with this water that I offer to them and let this water bring unending happiness to them.\u201d Repeating the above two mantras let the house-holder distribute the leavings of food to the servants and the water to those who want water respectively. Then opening the knot of the Pavitra (a ring of Kus\u2019a grass worn on the fourth finger on certain religious occasions), let him throw this on the square mandalam or the ground. The Br\u00e2hmana that throws this Kus\u2019a grass on the vessel (P\u00e2tra) is said to defile the vow of Br\u00e2hmanas, taking their food. The Br\u00e2hmana that has not yet washed his face after taking the food, or touching another such Br\u00e2hmana or a dog, or a S\u2019\u00fbdra, should fast one day and then drink Pa\u00f1chagabya and thus purify himself. And in case the Uchchista Br\u00e2hmin (who has not washed his mouth and hands after meals) be touched by another Br\u00e2hmin, who is not Uchchista, then simply bathing will purify him. By offering this Ek\u00e2huti (oblation once) according to rules mentioned above, one obtains the fruit of performing ten million sacrifices; and by offering this oblation five times one gets the\nendless fruit, of performing fifty million sacrifices, and if one feeds such a man who knows well how to do this Pr\u00e2n\u00e2gnihoma, then he as well as he whom he feeds both derive full benefits and they ultimately go to heaven. The Br\u00e2hmana acquires while taking each of his mouthful of food the fruit of eating Pa\u00f1chagavya, who takes his food duly with the holy Pavitra Kus\u2019a grass tied on his finger. During the three times of worship, the devotee is to do his daily Japam, Tarpanam and Homa and he should feed the Br\u00e2hmins. Thus the five limbed Puras\u2019charana is completely done. The religious man should sleep on a low bedding (lie on the ground); he is to control his senses and anger; he is to eat moderately, the things that are light, sweet and good; he is to be humble, peaceful and calm. He is to bathe thrice daily and not to hold any unholy conversation with any woman, a S\u2019\u00fbdra, one who is fallen, without any initiation, and who is an atheist; as well he should not speak in a language spoken by the ch\u00e2nd\u00e2las. One is to bow down before him who is in the act of performing the Japam, Homa and worship, etc; one is not to talk with him. Never by deed, mind or word, on all occasions never speak about sexual intercourses; nor hold any contact with such people. For the relinquishment of this subject is called Brahmacharyam (continence) of the kings as well as of the house-holders. But one should go to one\u2019s legal wife during the night time after her menstruation duly according to the rules of the S\u2019\u00e2stras; the Brahmacharyam is not thereby destroyed. Man cannot repay the three-fold debts and he cannot aspire for moksa without procreating sons or without doing the duties of the house-holders, as prescribed by the S\u2019\u00e2stras. An attempt to do so becomes entirely fruitless like the breast on the neck of a goat. Rather it drags one downward. So the S\u2019rutis say. So let yourself be free first from the debts due to the Devas, the debts due to the Risis and the debts due to the Pitris. Make sacrifices first and then be free from the Devas\u2019 debt. Hold Brahmacharyam and be free from the Risis\u2019 debt. Offer til and water; that is, do S\u2019r\u00e2ddhas and tarpanams and be free from the debt due to the Pitris. Then do readily practise your own Varnas\u2019rama Dharma.\n21-33. One is to practise Krichchra ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2 yana Vrata and to take for his food, milk, fruits, roots and vegetables, Habisyannam and food obtained by begging so that one may become sinless. One is to make japam for Puras\u2019charanam. One is to avoid salt, salty or alkaline substances, acid, garlic, turnips, eating in K\u00e2msa vessels, chewing betels, eating twice, putting on impure clothings, the intoxicating things and the uns\u00e2stric nocturnal japam; also one is not to waste one\u2019s time over blaming and\ntrying to find faults with the relatives, playing at dice, or talking at random with one\u2019s wife (so that evil effects may arise). One is to spend one\u2019s time in worshipping the Devas, reciting the hymns of praise, and studying the S\u2019\u00e2stras. One is to sleep on the ground, practise Brahmacharyam, and the vow of silence, bathe thrice, not practise anything which befits the S\u2019\u00fbdras only. One is to worship everyday, make charities duly and be always happy, recite stotras daily, do occasional Deva worships, have faith in one\u2019s Guru and Deva. These twelve rules are to ensure success to the devotee who does Puras\u2019charanam. One is to daily praise the Sun, with one\u2019s face turned towards Him, do japam before Him; or one is to worship one\u2019s own Deity in front of fire or the image of any god, and do japam simultaneously. The devotee who practises Puras\u2019charanam is to bathe, worship, do japam, meditate, practise Homa, Tarpanam, is to have no desires and to surrender all fruits to one\u2019s own desired Deity, etc. These are necessarily to be observed by him. Therefore while doing japam, Homa, etc., the devotee\u2019s mind is to remain always pleasant and satisfied. One should be ready to practise tapasy\u00e2, to see the S\u2019\u00e2stras and be merciful to all the beings. As asceticism leads one to to heaven and to the attainment of one\u2019s desires, therefore know this that all the powers come to an ascetic. An ascetic can cause another\u2019s death (m\u00e2ran); he can injure others, cure diseases and kill all. Whatever the several Risis wanted from the Dev\u00ee G\u00e2yatr\u00ee and to that end made Puras\u2019charanam and worshipped Her, they obtained from Her all those things. O N\u00e2rada! I will speak of S\u2019\u00e2nti Karmas etc., in a future chapter. Here I will speak of those rules, etc., that are to be observed in Puras\u2019charanam in as much as they play the principal part to success.\nFirst of all shave yourself and have your hairs and nails, etc., cut off and bathe and be pure. Then perform the Pr\u00e2j\u00e2patya pr\u00e2yas\u2019chitta for one\u2019s peace and purification and next do the puras\u2019charanam of the G\u00e2yatr\u00ee. Do not speak the whole day and night. Keep your thoughts pure. If words are to be spoken, speak only what you take as true. First recite Mah\u00e2vy\u00e2rhiti and then the S\u00e2vitr\u00ee mantra with Pranava prefixed. Then recite the sin-destroying mantra \u201c\u00c2pohisth\u00e2, etc.,\u201d and Svasti mat\u00ee S\u00fbkta and \u201cP\u00e2vam\u00e2n\u00ee S\u00fbkta.\u201d In every action, in its beginning and at its end one is to understand the necessity of doing the Japam, why and what for one is doing that.\nOne is to repeat the Pranava, the three Vy\u00e2rhitis and S\u00e2vitr\u00ee ayuta times or one thousand times or one hundred times or ten times. Then offer with water, the peace offerings (tarpanam) to the \u00c2ch\u00e2rya, Risi, Chhandas, and the Devas. Being engaged in action, do not speak any impure language\nof the Mlechchhas or talk with any S\u2019\u00fbdra or any bad person. Do not talk with wife in the period of menstruation, with one who has fallen, with the low-class person, with any hater of the Devas and the Br\u00e2hmanas, \u00c2ch\u00e2ryas and Gurus, with those who blame the fathers and mothers; nor show any disrespect to anybody. Thus I have spoken in due order about all the rules of Krichchhra vrata. Now I will speak of the rules of the Pr\u00e2j\u00e2patya Krichchhra, S\u2019\u00e2ntapana, Par\u00e2ka Krichchhra and Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yana.\n34-54. One becomes freed of all the sins, if one performs the above five Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yanas. By the performance of the Tapta Krichchhra, all sins are burnt off in an instant. By the performance of the three Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yanas the people get purified and go to the Brahma Loka. By doing eight Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yanas, one sees face to face one\u2019s Devat\u00e2, ready to grant boons. With ten Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yanas, one gets the knowledge of the Vedas and one acquires all what one wants.\nIn the observance of the Krichchhra Pr\u00e2j\u00e2patya Vrata, one has to take food once in midday for three days, once in the evening for three days, and for the next three days whatever one gets without asking anything from anybody. For the next three days one is not to take any thing at all and go on with one\u2019s work. These twelve days\u2019 work constitutes the Pr\u00e2j\u00e2patya Vrata.\nNow about the rules of the S\u2019\u00e2ntapana Vrata. On the preceding day one has got to eat food consisting of the mixture of cow urine, cow-dung milk, curd, ghee and the water of the Kus\u2019a grass; the day following he is to fast. These two days\u2019 work constitutes the S\u2019\u00e2ntapana Vrata.\nNow about the Ati Krichchhra vrata. For the first three days, one is to eat one mouthful of food a day and for the next three days one is to fast. This is the Ati Krichchhra vrata. This vrata repeated three times is called Mah\u00e2 S\u2019\u00e2ntapana vrata. Note :-- According to the opinion of Yama, the fifteen days\u2019 work constitutes Mah\u00e2 S\u2019\u00e2ntapana. For the three days one has to eat cow-urine; for the next three days, cow-dung, for the next three days, curd; for the next three days milk; and for the next three days one has to take ghee. Then one becomes pure. This is called the all sin-destroying Mah\u00e2 S\u2019\u00e2ntapan Vrata. Now I am speaking of the nature of the Tapta Krichchhra Vrata.\nThe Tapta Krichchhra vrata is carried out for the twelve days. For the first three days, one has to drink hot water; for the next three days, hot milk; for the next three days, the hot ghee and for the next three days, air only. Everyday one has to bathe once only under the above rules,\nand remain self-controlled. If one drinks water simply everyday under the above conditions, that is called the Pr\u00e2j\u00e2patya vrata.\nTo remain without any food for twelve days according to rules is called the Par\u00e2ka Krichchhra vrata. By this vrata, all sins are destroyed.\nNow about the rules of taking food in the Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yana vrata. In the dark fortnight one will have to decrease one mouthful of food every day and in the bright fortnight one will have to increase one mouthful every day and one has to fast completely on the Am\u00e2vasy\u00e2 (new moon) day. One has to bathe thrice daily during every Sandhy\u00e2 time. This is known as the Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yana Vrata.\nIn the S\u2019is\u2019u Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yana Vrata one will have to take four mouthfuls of food in the midday and four mouthfuls in the evening. In the Yati Ch\u00e2ndr\u00e2yana one has to take eight mouthfuls in the midday and to control his passions.\n55. These abovementioned vratas are observed by the Rudras, \u00c2dityas, V\u00e2sus, and Maruts; and they are enjoying thereby their full safety.\nEach of the above vratas purifies the seven Dh\u00e2tus of the body in seven nights simply! First skin, then blood, then flesh, bones, sinews, marrows and semen are purified. There is no doubt in this. Thus purifying the \u00c2tman by the above vratas, one is to do religious actions. The work done by such a purified man is sure to be met with success. First control the senses, be pure and do good actions. Then all your desires will be undoubtedly fructified. Fast for three nights, without doing any actions and see the result. (You will not do anything and you want self control! Is this a child\u2019s play?) Perform for three days the nocturnal vratas. Then proceed with your desired duties. If one works according to these methods, one gets the fruits of Puras\u2019charanam. O N\u00e2rada! By the Puras\u2019charanam of S\u2019r\u00ee G\u00e2yatr\u00ee Dev\u00ee all desires are fulfilled and all sins are destroyed. Before doing Puras\u2019charanam purify your body by performing the above vratas. Then you will get all your desires completely fulfilled. O N\u00e2rada! Thus I have spoken to you of the secret rules of Puras\u2019charanam. Never disclose this to any other body. For it is recognised equivalent to the Vedas.\nHere ends the Twenty-third Chapter of the Eleventh Book on the Tapta Krichchhra vrata and others in the Mah\u00e2 Pur\u00e2nam S\u2019r\u00ee Mad Dev\u00ee Bh\u00e2gavatam of 18,000 verses by Maharsi Veda Vy\u00e2sa.","title":"The Devi Bhagavatam: The Eleventh Book: Chapter 23","type":"page"}