Śrī Pañcamī Vrata
Śrī Pañcamī Vrata · śrī pañcamī vrata, “the vrata of Śrī on the fifth tithi”
The Śrī Pañcamī Vrata is a vrata of Devī Lakshmī, kept on the śukla pañcamī (the fifth day of the bright fortnight) of Mārgaśīrsha and then each month for twelve months. It gives steady Lakshmī. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa teaches it to Yudhishṭhira in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Chapter 37.
Its account tells how Lakshmī, born of Bhṛgu Muni and Khyāti and given in marriage to Bhagavān Vishṇu, left the devas when they lost their purity, left the daityas when they grew proud, and entered the Kshīrasāgara, so that the three lokas became śrī-less. Indra asked his guru Bṛhaspati for a vrata, and Bṛhaspati taught him the most secret Śrī Pañcamī. Indra kept it, and all beings with Bhagavān Vishṇu at their head kept it too. Strengthened by it, the devas and asuras churned the ocean, and Devī Lakshmī appeared and took her place on Bhagavān Vishṇu’s chest. The keeper of this vrata dwells in Lakshmīloka with twenty-one kulas (generations of the family).
The question
Yudhishṭhira says to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa that Lakshmī is hard to gain in all three lokas. By what act, whether vrata, homa, tapas, japa or namaskāra, is steady Lakshmī gained? “You know everything; please describe it.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The account of the Śrī Pañcamī
Śrī Kṛshṇa tells that in ancient times Lakshmī appeared from Bhṛgu Muni by his wife Khyāti. Bhṛgu gave Lakshmī in marriage to Bhagavān Vishṇu. Having gained as her husband the Pati of the world, she counted herself fulfilled, and with her gracious sidelong glance she brought joy to the whole world.
From her came well-being and plenty among the people. All troubles were quieted. Brāhmaṇas performed homa, the devas received their share of the offerings, and kings gladly protected the four varṇas.
Seeing the devas sunk in such great joy, the daityas led by Virocana performed tapas and yajña to gain Lakshmī. They too became righteous and of good conduct, and by the valour of the daityas the whole world was overrun.
After some time the devas were seized by the intoxication of Lakshmī. Their cleanliness, purity, truthfulness and all good conduct began to perish. Seeing the devas without truth and purity, Lakshmī went to the daityas, and the devas became śrī-less.
As soon as the daityas gained Lakshmī they too became very proud. They said to one another: “I alone am the deva, I alone am the yajña, I alone am the brāhmaṇa, the whole world is my own form; Brahmā, Vishṇu, Indra, Candra and the rest are all I.” So, full of extreme ahaṅkāra (the pride of “I”), they did many kinds of wrong.
Seeing this state of the daityas too, Bhagavatī Lakshmī, daughter of Bhṛgu, entered the Kshīrasāgara. When she entered it the three lokas became śrī-less and almost without tejas (radiance).
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
Bṛhaspati teaches the vrata
Devarāja Indra asked his guru Bṛhaspati: “Mahārāja, tell me a vrata by whose observance steady Lakshmī may be gained again.”
Devaguru Bṛhaspati said: “Devendra, I shall tell you the rule of the most secret Śrī Pañcamī Vrata. By it your wish will be fulfilled.” He told Indra the rule of the vrata with all its parts, and Indra kept it according to rule.
Seeing Indra keep the vrata, all these began to keep it too: all the devas with Bhagavān Vishṇu at their head, the daityas, dānavas, gandharvas, yakshas, rākshasas, siddhas, vidyādharas, nāgas, brāhmaṇas, the ṛshis and the kings.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The churning of the ocean
After some time they completed the vrata and gained excellent strength and tejas. All resolved that the ocean should be churned to take Lakshmī and amṛta.
So the devas and asuras churned the ocean, with Mandara Parvata as the churning rod and the nāga Vāsuki as the rope. First appeared Candramā, of cool rays and very bright, and then Devī Lakshmī appeared. Receiving Lakshmī’s gracious glance, all the devas and daityas were filled with supreme joy.
Bhagavatī Lakshmī took refuge on the chest of Bhagavān Vishṇu: he had kept this vrata, and as its fruit Lakshmī chose him. Indra had kept the vrata in rājasa bhāva, so he gained the rule of the three worlds. The daityas had kept it in tāmasa bhāva, so even after gaining aiśvarya (lordly wealth) they became without aiśvarya.
“Thus, Mahārāja,” says Śrī Kṛshṇa, “by the power of this vrata the whole world, which had lost śrī, again became full of śrī.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The vidhi
Yudhishṭhira asks: “Yadūttama, by what rule is this Śrī Pañcamī Vrata kept, when does it begin, and what is the fruit of its pāraṇā?” Śrī Kṛshṇa gives the rule.
When: the śukla pañcamī of Mārgaśīrsha.
- Rise at dawn, finish cleansing, tooth-cleaning and so on, and take up the niyama (the discipline) of the vrata.
- Bathe in a river, or at home. Put on two cloths. Perform pūjā and tarpaṇa to the devas and pitṛs (ancestors). Come home and perform the pūjā of Lakshmī.
- Make the pratimā (the sacred image) of gold, silver, copper, ārakūṭa or wood, or on painted cloth. The form of Bhagavatī Lakshmī: seated on a lotus, holding a lotus flower in her hand, adorned with all ornaments, with eyes like lotuses, being bathed by four white elephants with water from golden kalaśas.
- Do the aṅgapūjā (worship limb by limb) with flowers of the season, by the name-mantras below, from foot to head.
- After honouring each limb with bhakti, offer the Devī as naivedya sprouted grains of many kinds and many kinds of fruit.
- With flowers and kuṅkuma perform the pūjā of suvāsinī women (wives whose husbands live), feed them a sweet meal, bow and send them off.
- Give a brāhmaṇa one prastha of rice and a vessel filled with ghee, and pray with the words śrīḥ samprīyatām, “may Śrī be pleased”.
- After this pūjā eat in silence.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The aṅgapūjā
- Oṃ capalāyai namaḥ, pādau pūjayāmi: Capalā, the feet.
- Oṃ cañcalāyai namaḥ, jānunī pūjayāmi: Cañcalā, the knees.
- Oṃ kamalavāsinyai namaḥ, kaṭiṃ pūjayāmi: Kamalavāsinī, she who dwells in the lotus, the waist.
- Khyātyai namaḥ, nābhi pūjayāmi: Khyāti, the navel.
- Manmathavāsinyai stanau pūjayāmi: Manmathavāsinī, the breasts.
- Oṃ lalitāyai namaḥ, bhujadvayaṃ pūjayāmi: Lalitā, the two arms.
- Oṃ utkaṇṭhitāya namaḥ, kaṇṭhaṃ pūjayāmi: Utkaṇṭhitā, the throat.
- Oṃ mādhavyai namaḥ, mukhamaṇḍalaṃ pūjayāmi: Mādhavī, the face.
- Oṃ śriyai namaḥ, śiraḥ pūjayāmi: Śrī, the head.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The twelve months
The vrata is kept every month. In the twelve months in order Bhagavatī Lakshmī is honoured under twelve names, and at the end of the pūjā one says prīyatām, “may she be pleased”. Among these names are Kamalā, Sampat, Ramā, Nārāyaṇī, Padmā, Dhṛti, Sthiti, Pushṭi, Ṛddhi and Siddhi.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The rite of the twelfth month
- On the pañcamī of the twelfth month make a fine maṇḍapa of cloth and adorn it with gandha, flowers and so on.
- In its midst, on a bed, install the mūrti of Bhagavatī Lakshmī with her implements.
- Set there eight pearls, a netrapaṭṭa (a cloth for the eyes), saptadhānya (the seven grains), wooden sandals and shoes, an umbrella, vessels of many kinds and a seat.
- Perform the pūjā of Lakshmī and give all these articles, together with a cow and her calf, to a brāhmaṇa who knows the Vedas and keeps good conduct.
- Feed brāhmaṇas according to one’s capacity and give them dakshiṇā.
- At the end pray to Bhagavatī Lakshmī with the wish for ṛddhi (increase):
क्षीराब्धिमथनोद्भूते विष्णोर्वक्षःस्थलालये।
सर्वकामप्रदे देवि ऋद्धि यच्छ नमोऽस्तु ते॥
kshīrābdhimathanodbhūte vishṇorvakshaḥsthalālaye
sarvakāmaprade devi ṛddhi yaccha namo’stu te
O Devī, you arose from the churning of the Kshīrasāgara, the chest of Bhagavān Vishṇu is your seat, you grant all desires: grant me too ṛddhi. Namaskāra to you.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 37
The phala
Whoever keeps the Śrī Pañcamī by this rule dwells in Lakshmīloka together with twenty-one kulas. A saubhāgyavatī woman (a wife blessed with a living husband) who keeps it becomes rich in good fortune, beauty, children and wealth, and is very dear to her husband.
The list of vratas in the Uttara Parva, Chapter 208, names the Śrī Pañcamī.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 37, 208
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 37, 208