Payovrata
Payovrata · payas-vrata, “the vow of living on milk”
The Payovrata is a sacred twelve-day vrata (vow) offered to Bhagavān Śrī Hari (Vishṇu). During it, the person keeping the vow lives on payaḥ, milk, alone. It is kept in the śukla paksha (bright half) of the month of Phālguna.
Brahmā taught this vrata to Kaśyapa Prajāpati. Kaśyapa taught it to his wife Aditi when she wanted to win back Svarga for her sons, the devas, from the daitya Bali Cakravartī, who had taken it over. Aditi kept the vrata, and Bhagavān Vishṇu himself appeared before her and promised to be born as her son, Vāmana. So the Payovrata is the ārādhana (loving service) that brought about Vāmana, the fifth of the Daśāvatāra (ten avatāras). The Bhāgavata Purāṇa calls it the most complete vrata for Purushottama (the Supreme Person), holding within it the essence of all tapas (discipline), all dāna (giving), all yajña (sacred offering) and all niyama (observance).
Śrī Śuka Maharshi tells Parīkshit the whole account in the eighth Skandha. The vrata begins with a bath on the amāvāsyā (new-moon day) before the bright fortnight, with earth dug up by a boar and a mantra to Bhūdevī. For twelve days the sādhaka worships Śrī Hari in six places with the twelve-syllable mantra, praises him with Kaśyapa’s mantras of praise, offers pāyasa, does japa and homa, feeds knowers of the Veda, and keeps strict niyamas. On the trayodaśī comes the great pūjā with pañcāmṛta and a feast in which no one who comes is turned away. Kaśyapa calls it Sarvayajña and Sarvavrata, the essence of all tapas and the great dāna. The Payovrata is also named the first of all vratas: when Brahmā first gathered the materials of yajña from the limbs of the Virāṭ Purusha, the vratas he gathered were those “beginning with the Payovrata”.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 6; Skandha 8, Chapters 16–17
Origin
Kaśyapa Prajāpati first received the Payovrata from Brahmā, who taught it to him as the highest way to please Keśava (Vishṇu). When Bali drove the devas out of Svarga, Aditi was sunk in grief. Kaśyapa then taught her this vrata as the only upāya (means) strong enough to bring Bhagavān Vishṇu to act directly.
Aditi’s grief. When the rākshasas had seized svarga and the devas, Aditi’s sons, had vanished from it, Aditi, the mother of the devas, fell into unending sorrow, like a woman without a protector. In her āśrama there was no festival and no joy. After a long time Kaśyapa Prajāpati came out of samādhi and went to her āśrama. Aditi honoured him fittingly, and he sat down and spoke to his wife, whose face was downcast.
Kaśyapa’s questions. “O Kalyāṇī,” he asked, “has some misfortune come to the knowers of the Veda, to dharma, or to the people, who live under the sway of death? You are the mistress of this house. Has harm come here to dharma, artha or kāma? The house is a holy place that gives the fruit of sādhanā even to one who has no sādhanā. Did guests come while you were busy and go away before you could honour them? A house from which guests leave unhonoured, without even water, is like the den of the king of jackals. When I was away, did you forget in your anxiety to offer the oblations into the fires at the proper time?” For a gṛhastha who worships Agni and the brāhmaṇa reaches the puṇya lokas, since Agni and the brāhmaṇa are the very mouth of Śrī Hari, the form of all the devas. “Are all your sons well? I see from your face that your mind is not at ease.”
Aditi’s prayer. Aditi answered that all was well with the knowers of the Veda, the cows and dharma; she had honoured the fires, the guests, the servants and all who came in need, and because she meditated on him nothing was lacking. “O son of Marīci,” she said, “all these beings are born from your mind and body, and you are equal towards all of them, the rākshasas too. But even Maheśvara favours his devotee. Our enemies have carried off our sovereignty, our wealth and our fame, taken our home and thrown us out. I am sunk in an ocean of sorrow. Resolve that my sons win these back.”
Kaśyapa’s answer. Kaśyapa smiled and said: “Wonderful is the power of Vishṇu’s māyā; this world is bound by attachment. What is this body made of the five elements, and what is the ātmā beyond prakṛti? Who is husband, who is son? Delusion alone is the cause of saṃsāra. Vāsudeva, the full one, who punishes the wicked, dwells as the ātmā in the heart of every being. Worship that Bhagavān Vāsudeva, the father of the world. Śrī Hari, who is compassionate to the afflicted, can fulfil your wishes. Bhakti to Bhagavān Vishṇu is never in vain; in my view there is no other means.” Aditi asked by what method she should worship Śrī Hari, whose resolve is ever true, so that he would be quickly pleased. Kaśyapa told her: “When I desired offspring and asked the revered Brahmā, born of the lotus, he told me this vrata, by which Keśava is pleased. I will teach it to you.”
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 16
When It Is Kept and for How Long
The vrata lasts twelve days in the bright half of Phālguna, from the pratipadā (first day) to the trayodaśī (thirteenth day) of Phālguna śukla paksha. For all twelve days the sādhaka (the one keeping the vow) lives on milk (payaḥ) alone, taking no other āhāra (food).
The bath on amāvāsyā
On the amāvāsyā with which the bright fortnight begins, the sādhaka smears his body with earth dug up by a boar and bathes in a river, saying this mantra (the text gives it in prose): “O Bhūdevī, Bhagavān Varāha, the cause of the world, wishing to give a place to living beings, lifted you up from Rasātala. Namaskāra to you. Destroy my pāpa completely.”
Then, having done his nitya and naimittika rites (the daily and the occasional duties), he worships Śrī Hari with a one-pointed mind.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 16
The mantras of praise
Kaśyapa gives the mantras with which the sādhaka praises Śrī Hari in the pūjā. The text gives them in prose, in this order:
- “O Bhagavān Vāsudeva, refuge of all beings, you dwell in all beings as the witness-consciousness. O Purushottama, namaskāra to you.”
- Namaskāra to Śrī Hari, whose form is the most subtle consciousness, so that the senses and the mind do not perceive him; who himself is manifest as both prakṛti and the beings; who came as the teacher of Sāṅkhya and saw and counted the twenty-four tattvas: Mūlaprakṛti, the Mahat-tattva, the collective ahaṅkāra, the five subtle elements, the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, the mind and the five gross elements.
- Namaskāra to Śrī Hari who is Yajña: the two rites Prāyaṇīya and Udayanīya are his two heads; the three savanas of morning, midday and evening his three feet; the Ṛg, Yajus, Sāma and Atharva Vedas his four horns; the seven metres, Gāyatrī, Ushṇik, Paṅkti, Trishṭup, Anushṭup, Bṛhatī and the rest, his seven hands.
- Many namaskāras to Śrī Hari, auspicious in form, who withdraws all things in pralaya, who bears all powers, the source of all vidyās, the protector of beings.
- “O Śrī Hari, who shine forth as the world, radiant one, you are the collective power of intellect and of action. You set yoga going, and yoga and its siddhis are your very body. Many namaskāras.”
- “O Śrī Hari, form of light, cause of the world, witness in all beings, you came down as the Maharshis Nara and Nārāyaṇa. Many namaskāras to you who remove pāpas.”
- “O Keśava, whose body is dark like an emerald, whom Lakshmī Devī comes near and serves, many namaskāras to you, clad in yellow silk.”
- “O Purushottama, first of the givers of varas, you alone give every vara. So the wise worship the dust of your feet for moksha.”
- “The devas and Lakshmī Devī serve him, as if longing for the fragrance of his lotus feet. May that Bhagavān Śrī Hari be gracious to me.”
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 16
The Daily Practice
On each of the twelve days:
- Snāna and śauca (bathing and purity): three baths a day, strict brahmacarya (celibacy), and sleeping on the ground (bhū-śayana).
- Pūjā: Śrī Hari is to be honoured in six places: in the vigraha (sacred image), in the vedi (altar) purified with darbha grass, in the sun, in pure water, in agni (fire), and in the guru. The twelve-syllable mūla-mantra Oṃ namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya is used for all the pūjā.
- The pūjā offerings (upacāras): pādya (water for the feet), ācamana (water for sipping), abhisheka (bathing the image) with milk, śuddhodaka-snāna (bath with pure water), vastra (cloth), yajñopavīta (sacred thread), ābharaṇas (ornaments), gandha (sandal paste), pushpamālā (flower garland), dhūpa (incense), dīpa (lamp), and the rest.
- Naivedya: if one has the means, pāyasa of rice cooked with ghee and jaggery is offered as naivedya (food offering). After it Śrī Hari is given ācamana, worshipped again and offered tāmbūla (betel).
- Japa: 108 repetitions of the mūla-mantra.
- Stotra and namaskāra: praise with the stotras, then pradakshiṇa (walking around the image) and sāshṭāṅga namaskāra (bowing with the whole body), done with joy.
- Homa: offerings into the fire of rice pāyasa (kheer) made with ghee and jaggery, with the mūla-mantra.
- Brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding brāhmaṇas): the naivedya is first given to a bhakta, or the sādhaka eats it himself. Then at least two veda-vettas (knowers of the Veda) are fed pāyasa. The sādhaka honours them and, with their leave, eats the rest of the food with his relatives, and keeps brahmacarya that night.
- Pāṭha and kīrtana (recitation and singing): each day must include nāṭya (sacred drama), vādya (instrumental music), gāna (song), stotra (hymns of praise), svastivācana (blessing chants), and listening to the kathās (sacred stories) of Hari.
- Āvāhana (invitation): begin each day’s pūjā by formally inviting Śrī Hari, the indriya-adhipati (master of the senses). End it with udvāsana (formally bidding him farewell) and placing the nirmālya (the used offerings) on one’s head.
At dawn on the next day, the pratipadā, the sādhaka bathes, and with great care, by the rule of the śāstra, does the abhisheka of Śrī Hari with milk and his pūjā. So it goes on each day until the vrata is complete: milk alone as food, the ārādhana of Śrī Hari, homa, pūjā and the feeding of brāhmaṇas.
Throughout the vrata, keep fully away from asad-bhāshaṇa, which means false speech, the company of the wicked, and talk about impure things. Keep away from all pleasures, large and small, and from hiṃsā (harm) to any creature. Keep the mind fixed on Vāsudeva alone.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 16
The Final Day: Trayodaśī
On the last day, Phālguna śukla trayodaśī, the pūjā is completed with a pañcāmṛta abhisheka, a bath of the image with five nectars (milk, curds, ghee, honey and pānaka, a sweet drink), done by those learned in śāstra. The ācārya (teacher) and the ṛtviks (officiating purohitas) are to be honoured with vastra, ābharaṇas, cows and generous dakshiṇā (gifts), as much as one can afford. Everyone who comes, whatever their character, is to be fed pure and tasty food. The poor, the blind and those unable to care for themselves eat first, before the sādhaka eats with his relatives.
Kaśyapa adds that the pūjā of that day is to be done on a grand scale, giving up the mean thought of cutting the cost. Pāyasa is cooked for Vishṇu, the antaryāmī (indweller), and Purushottama is worshipped with it, with a one-pointed mind and with naivedya of the finest quality. The ācārya must be rich in knowledge, and pleasing him and the ṛtvijas is itself the ārādhana of Śrī Hari. Each receives dakshiṇā as he deserves. Even those of ill conduct who come, even butchers, are to be pleased with good food, for by honouring guests in this way Vishṇu is pleased.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapter 16
The Heart of the Vrata
Kaśyapa‘s teaching sums up what the vrata is really about: “Whatever pleases Adhokshaja, the one who cannot be measured by any pramāṇa (means of knowing), that alone is the true yama (restraint), the true niyama (observance), that alone is tapas, that is dāna, that is the vrata, and that is the yajña.”
So the Payovrata is not a ritual that stands by itself. It is a steady turning of one’s whole being towards Śrī Hari: twelve days in which all the sādhaka’s actions, food, speech and thoughts come together on a single point.
“This vrata, famous as the Payovrata,” Kaśyapa told Aditi, “is the highest method of worshipping Purushottama. Brahmā taught it, and I have told it to you in full. Perform it well, with a mind of pure bhakti; master your mind and worship Śrī Hari, who never decays. This vrata, famed as Sarvayajña and Sarvavrata, is dear to Īśvara. It is the essence of all tapas, and it is the great dāna.”
In the second Skandha, Brahmā tells Nārada how, born from the navel-lotus of Śrī Hari, he found no materials for yajña except the limbs of the Virāṭ Purusha, and gathered every one of them from those limbs: the names of the rites beginning with the Agnishṭoma, the āhuti-mantras beginning with svāhākāra, the dakshiṇās beginning with cows, and the vratas beginning with the Payovrata.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 6; Skandha 8, Chapter 16
Phala: The Fruit of the Vrata
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa tells the direct result. Aditi kept this vrata, and Bhagavān Vishṇu appeared before her in his full four-armed form. He promised to be born as her son and kept that promise as Bhagavān Vāmana. The vrata is called sarva-yajña and sarva-vrata, the highest of all yajñas and all vratas.
Kaśyapa‘s promise to Aditi is this: “O Kalyāṇī, perform this vrata with discipline and śraddhā (faith). Bhagavān Śrī Hari will be pleased with you and will quickly fulfil your wishes.”
Aditi keeps the vrata. Śrī Śuka tells Parīkshit that Aditi kept the vrata for twelve days wholly without lapse. Her body was the chariot and her buddhi the charioteer; with the reins of the mind she held in the senses, those unruly horses, and with steady buddhi she meditated on Purushottama, Sarveśvara, the master of all, and fixed her mind on Bhagavān Vāsudeva, the ātmā of all.
The darśana. Then the full Parabrahma, the cause of the world, appeared before her as four-armed Śrī Hari, clad in yellow silk, holding the śaṅkha (conch), the divine cakra and the gadā (mace). Aditi rose at once and, overcome with love, fell in sāshṭāṅga namaskāra. She stood with joined palms, her eyes full of tears of joy, her whole body thrilled, and for a while she could not speak. Then with a voice choked with love she praised Śrī Hari, the husband of Lakshmī, gazing at him as though drinking him with her eyes.
Bhagavān Vishṇu told her that he knew her wish and her sons’ wish. The time was not yet right to conquer the rākshasa chiefs, for Īśvara in the form of Kāla was with them. Yet he was greatly pleased by her keeping of the vrata, and ārādhana of him gives fruit according to one’s śraddhā, so it would not be in vain: because she had kept the Payovrata for the protection of her children, he would enter by his aṃśa the tejas of Kaśyapa’s tapas and be born as her son. He asked her to keep this a secret of the devas, and withdrew. Kaśyapa, in samādhi, saw that Śrī Hari had entered him as an aṃśa, and placed in Aditi the tejas gathered by long tapas, as the wind places fire in wood.
Source: Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 8, Chapters 16–17
Sources
- Bhāgavata Purāṇa, Skandha 2, Chapter 6; Skandha 8, Chapters 16–17