Rūpasaubhāgya Vrata
Rūpasaubhāgya Vrata, simply known as Rupasaubhagya Vrata, Sanskrit: रूपसौभाग्य व्रत, Telugu: రూపసౌభాగ్య వ్రతం, Hindi: रूपसौभाग्य व्रत.
The Rūpasaubhāgya Vrata is a month-long vow of candra-dhyāna (meditation on the moon). It is kept to gain rūpasaubhāgya, beauty of the limbs and good fortune. It begins on the Pratipat (first tithi) of the Śukla-paksha of Mārgaśīrsha, when the moon is with Mūla nakshatra. Bhīshma teaches it to Yudhishṭhira in the Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 110.
The question
Yudhishṭhira comes to Bhīshma, who is now old and lies on his bed of arrows. He asks how rūpasaubhāgya, beauty and good fortune of one’s dear limbs, comes about. He also asks how a person becomes endowed with dharma, artha and kāma together with sukha (happiness).
When it begins
The vrata begins on the Pratipat of the Śukla-paksha of Mārgaśīrsha, when the moon is joined with Mūla nakshatra. The one who keeps it performs a candra-vrata. In it, the nakshatras, each with its own deva, are placed in the mind (nyāsa) on the matching limbs of Candra, whom he pictures in his mind.
The nakshatras on the body of Candra
The Anuśāsana Parva gives these placements:
- Feet: Mūla
- Calves: Rohiṇī
- Hips: Aśvinī
- Thighs: Āshāḍhā
- Private parts (guhya): the pair of Phalgunīs (Pūrva- and Uttara-Phalgunī)
- Waist: Kṛttikā
- Navel: Bhādrapadā
- Eyes: Revatī
- Back: Dhanishṭhā, Anurādhā and Uttarā (the Uttarā-group)
- Arms: Viśākhā
- Hands: Hasta
- Fingers: Punarvasu
- Nails: Āśleshā
- Neck: Jyeshṭhā
- Ears: Śravaṇa
- Face: Pushya
- Teeth and lips: Svātī
- Laughter (smile): Śatabhishā
- Nose: Maghā
- Eyes (a second placement): Mṛgaśiras
- Forehead: Mitra (linked with Anurādhā)
- Head: Bharaṇī
- Hair: Ārdrā
The vidhi
The commentaries, which explain the verses, give this order of the rite:
- First, perform puṇyāhavācana.
- Take the saṅkalpa for the vrata one wishes to keep.
- Meditate on Candra as not different from oneself. In another reading, one meditates on Candra as different from oneself, according to the dhyāna-vidhi that is followed.
- Place (nyāsa) each nakshatra, together with its deva, on the matching limb of the Candra pictured in the mind.
- Worship each nakshatra in turn with its own mantra.
- Do japa and homa every day through the vrata.
This is done every day from the Pratipat until the vrata ends on the Pūrṇimā, the full-moon day. On that day a closing homa is made. The ghee that is left from the homa is given as dāna to a brāhmaṇa who has finished his study of the Veda.
The phala
The one who finishes this vrata gains beauty and is lovely to look at. He gains jñāna and has all his limbs whole, shining like the full moon of Pūrṇimā. The commentaries say plainly that this discipline gives a whole body even to one born with a bodily defect (vikalāṅga), and gives him the complete and shining form of Candra on the full-moon day.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 110