Dūrvāshṭamī
Dūrvāshṭamī · dūrvā-ashṭamī, “the eighth day of the dūrvā grass”
Dūrvāshṭamī is the vrata of the sacred dūrvā grass, kept on the ashṭamī (eighth tithi) of the bright fortnight of Bhādrapada. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa teaches it to Mahārāja Yudhishṭhira in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Chapter 56, and calls it most pure.
When the Kshīrasāgara was churned for amṛta, the hairs of Bhagavān Vishṇu, rubbed off by the turning of Mandara, fell into the ocean and rose again as dūrvā. Drops of amṛta made it free of age and death. The devatās, their wives and the apsarās worshipped it on this day, and on earth Vedavatī, Sītā, Damayantī and other women worshipped it and gained what each desired. The line of one who keeps this vrata with śraddhā does not perish: like the shoots of dūrvā, the kula (family) keeps growing.
The origin of dūrvā
Śrī Kṛshṇa first said that the line of the man who performs this holy vrata with śraddhā does not perish. Yudhishṭhira, calling him Lokanātha, asked: “Whence did this dūrvā arise? How did it become long-lived? Why is it held pure, and how did it come to be honoured and worshipped in the world?”
Śrī Kṛshṇa answered. When the Kshīrasāgara was being churned by the devatās for amṛta, Bhagavān Vishṇu held Mandarācala, gripping it with his hand against his thigh. Through the friction of Mandara‘s swift turning, hairs of Bhagavān Vishṇu were rubbed off and fell into the ocean. Thrown up again by the waves, those same hairs arose as dūrvā, green, beautiful and auspicious.
On that dūrvā the devatās placed the kumbha (vessel) of amṛta that came from the churning. By the touch of the drops of amṛta that fell from it, the dūrvā became ajara and amara, free of age and death. So it became pure and honoured for the devatās.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 56
The pūjā of the devatās
On the śukla ashṭamī of Bhādrapada the devatās worshipped dūrvā with:
- gandha (fragrant paste), flowers, dhūpa (incense), dīpa (lamp) and naivedya (food offering);
- the fruits kharjūra (date), nārikela (coconut), drākshā (grape), kapittha (wood-apple), nāraṅga (orange), āmra (mango), bījapūra and dāḍima (pomegranate);
- curd, akshata (unbroken rice), garlands and the like.
They prayed with these mantras:
त्वं दूर्वेऽमृतजन्मासि वन्दिता च सुरासुरैः।
सौभाग्यं संततिं कृत्वा सर्वकार्यकरी भव ।।
यथा शाखाप्रशाखाभिर्विस्तृतासि महीतले।
तथा ममापि संतानं देहि त्वमजरामरे ।।tvaṃ dūrve’mṛtajanmāsi vanditā ca surāsuraiḥ |
saubhāgyaṃ saṃtatiṃ kṛtvā sarvakāryakarī bhava ||
yathā śākhāpraśākhābhirvistṛtāsi mahītale |
tathā mamāpi saṃtānaṃ dehi tvamajarāmare ||O Dūrvā, you are born of amṛta and honoured by suras and asuras. Giving saubhāgya (good fortune) and offspring, be the accomplisher of all works. As you spread over the earth with branches and sub-branches, so give me too offspring, O ageless and deathless one.
Along with the devatās, their wives and the apsarās also worshipped it. In Martyaloka too this saubhāgya-giving dūrvā was worshipped by Vedavatī, Sītā, Damayantī and other women, and all gained what each desired.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 56
The vidhi
The vrata falls on the ashṭamī of the śukla paksha (bright fortnight) of Bhādrapada.
- The woman bathes and puts on clean cloth.
- She does pūjā of dūrvā.
- She gives tila-pishṭa (sesame paste), wheat, sapta-dhānya (the seven grains) and the like in dāna (gift).
- She feeds a brāhmaṇa.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 56
The phala
The woman who performs this holy, offspring-giving vrata with śraddhā gains sons, saubhāgya, wealth and all things. She enjoys happiness in the world for a long time, and at the end goes to svarga with her husband, dwells there until the pralaya (dissolution), and is gladdened by the devatās.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 56
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 56, 208