Ananta Vrata in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

A vrata is a sacred observance kept with pūjā and self-discipline. The Ananta Vrata lasts twelve months. In it, the divine body of Bhagavān Vishṇu is honoured part by part, one part each month, on a particular nakshatra (lunar mansion). It is kept to gain sons and wealth.

The Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa describes the full method, links the vrata with Yuvanāśva and the family line of Māndhatā, and gives its phalaśruti (statement of fruits): children, prosperity and liberation.

How the Vrata Is Kept

The Ananta Vrata runs for twelve months. Each month is linked with a particular nakshatra, and on that nakshatra the devotee offers pūjā to the matching aṅga (part of the body) of Bhagavān Vishṇu. Over the twelve months the devotee makes a full circuit of Vishṇu’s divine body, from head to foot and back again, so that by the end of the year every part of Bhagavān Vishṇu’s form has been honoured.

When the year is complete, the devotee performs a final pūjā and gives the ghana-kumbha dāna, the gift of a filled golden pot, as the closing offering.

Yuvanāśva, Māndhatā and Kārtavīrya

The Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa links the Ananta Vrata with the family line of Māndhatā. Māndhatā’s father Yuvanāśva was part of the events in which the Ananta Vrata played a role. Kṛtavīrya, a king of the same Solar line, also had his wife Śīladharā keep the Ananta Vrata. The fruit of her faithful observance was the birth of Kārtavīrya: the mighty, thousand-armed Kārtavīryārjuna, who became one of the greatest kings of the Vaivasvata Manvantara (the present age of Manu).

Phalaśruti: The Fruits of the Vrata

The Ananta Vrata grants:

  • Sons: the main fruit, for those who long for children
  • Wealth and prosperity: material plenty follows from the vrata
  • Liberation: for those who keep it with true jñāna (knowledge) of Vishṇu’s nature, it leads toward moksha

The name “Ananta” means endless, without limit, infinite. It is a name of Bhagavān Vishṇu, since he is the master of Śesha-nāga (the serpent Ananta) and is himself the infinite one. The name also hints at the limitless fruit this vrata gives.

Sources

  • Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 173