Ārogya Vratas in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

A vrata is a sacred vow: a set of observances such as fasting, bathing and pūjā kept on a particular day for a particular aim. Ārogya means health, freedom from disease. Chapters 57 to 60 of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa (second part) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa give four vratas meant for health and healing.

These are the Śatabhishā-snāna (Chapter 57, part of the section on treating people), the Ārogya-dvitīyā-vrata (Chapter 58), the Ārogya-pratipad-vrata (Chapter 59) and the Ārogya-vrata (Chapter 60). Together they form a set of ritual remedies for illness that combine Āyurvedic herbs with prārthanā to the devas.

Śatabhishā-snāna

Occasion: Done on the day when the moon is in the Śatabhishā nakshatra (lunar mansion).

Meaning: Śatabhishā means “the hundred physicians”. This nakshatra is ruled by Varuṇa, the deva of the purifying waters, and is linked with healing and medical treatment. The “hundred physicians” are understood as the hundred healing powers of this nakshatra.

Procedure:

  • A kalaśa (sacred water pot) is prepared with healing herbs: gudūcī (giloy), āmalakī, harītakī and varuṇa bark. All of these are medicinal plants linked with Varuṇa’s domain
  • The sick person, or a healthy person seeking protection, bathes with this water
  • During the bath, the names of Varuṇa and the mantra of the Śatabhishā nakshatra are recited
  • After the bath, offerings are made to Varuṇa and Vishṇu

Phala (fruit): Relief from long-lasting illness. It is said to work especially well for diseases of breathing and of the urinary system, since Varuṇa rules the waters and the kidneys. This nakshatra is called the physician’s nakshatra.

Ārogya-dvitīyā-vrata

Occasion: The dvitīyā (second day) of a bright fortnight, especially in the months of Kārtika or Vaiśākha.

The dvitīyā tithi: In some traditions the second day of the lunar fortnight is sacred to Yama, and in others to Vishṇu. In this health vrata of the Dvitīya Khaṇḍa, it is set aside for seeking health from the divine physicians.

Procedure:

  • Fast on the day before (pratipad, the first day)
  • On the dvitīyā, perform pūjā of Bhagavān Vishṇu in his form as Dhanvantari, the divine physician who came out of the churning of the ocean carrying amṛta, the nectar of immortality
  • Offerings for Dhanvantari pūjā: white flowers, white sesame, camphor incense (dhūpa), and a food offering (naivedya) of milk-rice (pāyasam)
  • Recite the twelve names of Dhanvantari, such as Dhanvantari, Suśruta, Āyurdevatā, Vaidya-rāja and Amṛtapāṇi
  • Spend the day reading or listening to the principles of Āyurveda and the kind of conduct that supports good health

Phala: Health and freedom from disease for the family. The vrata is said especially to protect the household from epidemics.

Ārogya-pratipad-vrata

Occasion: The pratipad (first day) of the bright fortnight. It may be kept as the day before the Ārogya-dvitīyā-vrata or on its own.

Procedure:

  • Bathe at dawn with water mixed with sesame
  • Offer pūjā to the sun at sunrise, calling on Sūrya as Ārogya-prada, “the giver of health”
  • Recite an invocation in the style of the well-known Āditya Hṛdayam: “May the Sun who lights up the body, who drives away all disease and darkness, grant health to this household”
  • Feed brāhmaṇas, and give dakshiṇā (a respectful gift) to a physician who practises medicine according to dharma

Phala: Protection of every family member from seasonal illness. This vrata is especially advised at the meeting point of two seasons (ṛtu-sandhi), when changing weather brings a risk of illness.

Ārogya-vrata

Occasion: A more general vrata that may be repeated every month or every season.

The complete health vrata: The Ārogya-vrata brings together elements of all the vratas above:

  • Fasting and purification
  • Pūjā of Vishṇu as Dhanvantari and as Sarvabheshaja, the all-pervading physician
  • A homa (fire offering) with medicinal herbs placed in the fire. The smoke and fragrance of these herbs are said to have a direct healing effect on breathing problems
  • Eating āmalakī (Indian gooseberry, the most famous rejuvenating herb of Āyurveda) as part of the vrata’s prasāda (blessed food)
  • Vishṇu-bhakti (loving devotion to Vishṇu) is declared the highest ārogya. A person of pure bhakti is protected from illness by divine grace, which works beyond the ordinary causes of disease

Phala: Full health and long life, and at the highest level, freedom from the cycle of illness and rebirth that makes up saṃsāra.

Medicine and Ritual Together

Pushkara, the teacher in this part of the Purāṇa, does not present these vratas as a replacement for Purusha-cikitsā (medical treatment of people). He presents them as its divine partner. Medicine treats the physical body, while the vratas address the divine, karmic and astrological sides of illness. A person who takes proper medical treatment and also keeps the right vrata recovers faster and more fully than one who does only one of the two.

Sources

  • Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapters 57–60