Śānti Karma in the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa

Śānti means “peace”, and a śānti karma is a rite performed to calm the effect of a bad omen and to bring well-being. Chapters 132 and 133 of the second part (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa) of the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa set out a complete system of these rites. The teacher is Pushkara, who is instructing Paraśurāma.

Chapter 132 lists twenty-one kinds of śānti, sorts them into three groups (amṛta, abhaya and saumya), names the deity and colour that goes with each, and says which maṇi (protective amulet) belongs to each. Chapter 133, called Adbhuta Śānti, matches each kind of śānti to the kind of omen that calls for it, and adds śāntis linked to the nakshatras (lunar mansions).

The Three Groups of Śānti

Pushkara first explains that śāntis fall into three groups:

  1. Amṛta śānti: the “nectar” group, performed to bring positive blessings (āyushya, long life; sampada, prosperity; vijaya, victory)
  2. Abhaya śānti: the “fearlessness” group, performed to protect from danger, disease and enemies
  3. Saumya śānti: the “gentle” group, performed as a milder remedy for less serious omens

Each of the twenty-one śāntis belongs to one of these three groups. The group decides the colours used in the rite (the clothing of the deities, the flowers and the dravyas, or offered materials) and how intense the homa (fire offering) should be.

The Twenty-One Śāntis

The list below follows the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa’s list of śāntis and the deities assigned to them.

Amṛta Śāntis:

  1. Āindra: Indra as deity; protection of the king; indigo or white colour
  2. Āgneya: Agni as deity; remedy for fire omens; red colour
  3. Varuṇa: Varuṇa as deity; omens involving bodies of water; blue colour
  4. Vāyavya: Vāyu as deity; wind omens; white or silver colour
  5. Kaubera: Kubera as deity; protection of wealth; yellow or gold colour
  6. Yāmya: Yama as deity; omens of death; dark or black colour
  7. Nairṛta: Nirṛti as deity; harmful omens; dark red colour

Abhaya Śāntis:

  1. Āśvina: the Aśvin twins as deities; healing of disease
  2. Rudra: Rudra as deity; removal of fierce omens
  3. Brahma: Brahmā as deity; confusion about dharma
  4. Vishṇu: Vishṇu as deity; protection in every way; the highest kind
  5. Skānda: Skanda as deity; protection of armies and children

Saumya Śāntis:

  1. Saurī: Sūrya as deity; omens involving the sun
  2. Cāndra: Candra as deity; omens involving the moon
  3. Mānasa: omens relating to the mind
  4. Pārthiva: omens of the earth, such as earthquakes and tremors
  5. Āntariksha: remedy for omens in the sky and air (calling on several deities together)
  6. Divya: remedy for omens in the celestial sphere
  7. Nakshatra: troubles linked to a particular nakshatra
  8. Graha: troubles caused by the planets
  9. Sārvakālika: the “for all times” śānti, used when the kind of omen cannot be identified

The Ten Gaṇas

Pushkara sorts the twenty deities and divine groups linked with śānti into ten gaṇas (groups), each of which needs its own ritual treatment. The gaṇas are: devagaṇas (devas), pitṛgaṇas (ancestors), ṛshigaṇas (ṛshis), nāgagaṇas (serpent beings), yakshagaṇas (yakshas), rākshasagaṇas (rākshasas), vetālagaṇas (vetālas), the gandharva-apsarā gaṇas (celestial musicians and dancers), graha-gaṇas (planets) and nakshatra-gaṇas (lunar mansions). Each gaṇa has its own typical offerings and way of pūjā.

The Maṇi (Protective Amulet)

Each śānti ends with the making and wearing of a maṇi, a protective amulet. The maṇi is made from materials that suit the deity of that śānti:

  • Āindra śānti: an amulet of indigo-coloured cord or metal
  • Āgneya śānti: red materials, including copper or a red gemstone
  • Varuṇa śānti: a pearl or a blue gemstone
  • Vishṇu śānti: the highest amulet, usually a gold disc or a symbol of Vishṇu, worn after the śānti homa

The amulet is made abhimantrita (charged with mantras) during the śānti. It is then tied on the wrist of the person for whom the rite was done, or worn around the neck. It acts as a protective shield so that the harmful influence does not return.

Adbhuta Śānti: Matching Śānti to Omen (Chapter 133)

Chapter 133 gives a guide showing which śānti should be performed for each kind of adbhuta (strange or unusual event) that is seen.

For omens in the celestial sphere (divya):

  • Unusual meetings of the planets → Graha śānti
  • An eclipse at an unexpected time → Cāndra or Saurī śānti
  • Meteors → Āindra or Āntariksha śānti

For omens in the sky and air (āntariksha):

  • Strange winds or sounds in the sky → Vāyavya śānti
  • Unexplained light or thunder → Āgneya śānti

For omens on the earth (bhaumika):

  • Earthquakes → Pārthiva śānti
  • Unusual happenings with mūrtis (sacred images) → Vishṇu śānti first, or Rudra śānti
  • Unusual happenings with trees → Pārthiva śānti
  • Abnormal births → Brahma śānti or Āśvina śānti

Śāntis for the nakshatras: Each of the twenty-seven nakshatras is linked with a particular śānti, to be performed when a bad omen appears on that nakshatra’s day. For example, an omen on Kṛttikā calls for Āgneya śānti, because Agni is the deity of Kṛttikā. An omen on Rohiṇī calls for Brahma śānti. The same pattern runs through all twenty-seven nakshatras.

How These Chapters Fit the Larger Teaching

The śānti karma chapters (132–133), taught by Pushkara to Paraśurāma, lay the groundwork for the detailed teaching on each omen and its śānti that Gargācārya later gives to Atri (Chapters 134–165). Pushkara’s chapters give the overall scheme and its principles. Garga’s chapters apply them omen by omen. Together they form the Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa’s complete teaching on rites of śānti.

Sources

  • Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Uttarārdha (Dvitīya Khaṇḍa), Chapters 132–133
  • Vishṇu Dharmottara Purāṇa, Volume 5