Bhāgavata-Lakṣaṇas

A Bhāgavata is a true devotee of Bhagavān Viṣṇu, one who has become his devotee in the deepest sense. The Bhāgavata-lakṣaṇas are the lakṣaṇas (marks or qualities) of such a devotee. There are more than forty of them. Bhagavān Śrīnivāsa himself taught them to a brāhmaṇa named Rāmānuja at Ākāśagaṅgā tīrtha (a sacred bathing place) on Veṅkaṭādri, the holy hill of Tirumala.

This teaching appears in Chapter 21 of the Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmya. It is a fuller form of the basic pañca-saṃskāra teaching given in Chapter 6, where Padmāvatī teaches her mother Dharaṇī the five rites of Vaiṣṇava initiation. Together the two teachings, outer signs and inner qualities, give the Māhātmya’s full picture of the ideal Vaiṣṇava (devotee of Viṣṇu).

The Setting: The Tapas of the Brāhmaṇa Rāmānuja

In the twenty-first adhyāya (chapter), a brāhmaṇa named Rāmānuja carried out the very hard pañcāgni tapas (the discipline of the five fires) at Ākāśagaṅgā tīrtha. In summer he sat in the middle of five fires with the blazing sun above him. In the rainy season he stayed outside with no shelter from the downpour. In winter he stood in the cold water of the lake. All the while he lived on nothing but air and water. After this long discipline, Bhagavān Viṣṇu appeared before him, riding on Garuḍa. In answer to Rāmānuja’s heartfelt stotra (hymn of praise), Bhagavān Viṣṇu taught him the full set of Bhāgavata-lakṣaṇas, the signs by which a true Bhāgavata is known, as the highest teaching of this tīrtha.

The Forty-Plus Qualities

The qualities Bhagavān Viṣṇu listed cover the whole of life: the inner life, outward conduct, speech, bodily practice, behaviour with others, and ritual.

Compassion and non-violence

  • Sarva-prāṇi-hita-kāmitā: wishes for the good of all creatures at all times
  • Nirīrṣyā: free from jealousy toward any living being
  • Sarva-bhūta-sama-darśana: sees all beings as equal
  • Ahiṃsā in mano-vāk-kāya: does no harm in mind, word or deed
  • Dayā: shows compassion to all, always

Evenness of mind and detachment

  • Śāntatā: inner peace and calm
  • Mitra-śatru-samatā: the same attitude toward friends and enemies
  • Expects nothing in return from anyone
  • Free from rāga, bhaya and krodha (attachment, fear and anger)

Speech and conduct with others

  • Satya-vākyatā: speaks only the truth
  • Anindā: does not speak ill of others
  • Hita-vacanam: says what is good for others
  • Anasūyā: free from jealousy at others’ achievements

Devotional practice

  • Love of puṇya-kathā: delights in hearing holy stories
  • Bhakti: firm devotion to Bhagavān Viṣṇu
  • Hari-nāma-stuti: praises the names of Viṣṇu with pulakodbhava (the thrill of devotion felt in the body)
  • Manasā-niṣṭhā: keeps the mind fixed on Bhagavān Viṣṇu at all times
  • Sarva-karma-Bhagavad-arpaṇam: offers all actions to Bhagavān Viṣṇu

Bodily and ritual practice

  • Mudrā-dhāraṇā: wears the Vaiṣṇava marks on the body
  • Tulasī-praṇāma: bows to the tulasī plant
  • Tulasī-gandha-āghrāṇa: smells the fragrance of tulasī with devotion
  • Ekādaśī-vrata: keeps the fast of Ekādaśī (the eleventh lunar day)
  • Gāyatrī-japa: repeats the Gāyatrī mantra daily at sandhyā (the junctions of the day)

Service to worthy persons and to the devas

  • Sevā (service) to one’s parents
  • Deva-pūjā: pūjā to the devas
  • Service to brahmacārins (celibate students) and sannyāsins (renunciants)
  • Go-brāhmaṇa-sevā: serving cows and brāhmaṇas
  • Atithi-pūjā: honouring guests

Knowledge and pilgrimage

  • Purāṇa-śravaṇa: regularly hearing the holy Purāṇas
  • Tīrtha-yātrā: going on pilgrimage to holy places
  • Śāstra-artha-pradāna: explaining the meaning of the śāstras (sacred texts) to those who ask
  • Veda-artha-vyākhyāna: explaining the meaning of the Vedas

Social virtues

  • Satsaṅga: seeking the company of santas (holy people)
  • Para-abhyudaya-ānanda: feeling joy at the good fortune of others
  • Āśrama-dharma-pālana: keeping the duties of one’s āśrama (stage of life)

Acts of service and generosity

  • Taṭāka, toṭa and kūpa-khanana: digging tanks, planting groves and digging wells for public use
  • Devālaya-nirmāṇa: building temples
  • Jaladāna: giving water to the thirsty
  • Annadāna: giving food to the hungry
  • Godāna: giving cows as gifts
  • Kanyādāna: giving daughters in proper marriage

The Phalaśruti

The phalaśruti is the statement of the spiritual reward. Bhagavān Viṣṇu declared that a person with these qualities who bathes in the Ākāśagaṅgā tīrtha of Veṅkaṭādri reaches the rank of “Bhāgavata-uttama”, the highest grade of devotee. The phalaśruti of Chapter 21 also says that the best time to approach Bhagavān Viṣṇu at this tīrtha is Meṣa saṃkrānti (when the Sun enters Aries), Caitra paurṇamī (the full moon of the month Caitra) and Citrā nakṣatra (the lunar mansion Citrā). At that time all tīrthas gather here, and a single bath gives the merit of one hundred yāgas (great fire offerings).

How It Relates to the Pañca-Saṃskāra Teaching

The pañca-saṃskāra teaching of Chapter 6, given by Padmāvatī to her mother Dharaṇī, is about the five marks and rites of initiation: Tāpa, Puṇḍra, Nāma, Mantra and Yāga. These are the outward signs by which a Vaiṣṇava is known. The Bhāgavata-lakṣaṇas of Chapter 21 build on this and turn it inward. They describe the inner and outer life that flows from true Vaiṣṇava initiation. A devotee who has received the pañca-saṃskāra and grows these forty-plus qualities is known as a Bhāgavata-uttama.

Sources

  • Skanda Mahā Purāṇa, Vaiṣṇava Khaṇḍa, Veṅkaṭācala Māhātmya, Chapter 21