Sampūrṇa Vrata
Sampūrṇa Vrata · sampūrṇa vrata, “the vrata that makes complete”
The Sampūrṇa Vrata is the prāyaścitta (the rite of making amends) for a broken vrata. By it a vrata broken through trouble, pride, delusion or carelessness gives its full fruit. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa teaches it to Yudhishṭhira in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa, Chapters 110–111, and says that Garga Maharshi told it to him and that he kept it himself in his childhood.
An image of the devī or devatā of the broken vrata is set on a kalaśa and worshipped on the day of that vrata. The keeper asks forgiveness and takes refuge, and a brāhmaṇa gives the blessing of completion. One who does this even once is freed from the pāpa of breaking the vrata, and at the last attains moksha.
The question
Yudhishṭhira asks: if a person takes up the Nakshatrapurusha Vrata and cannot perform it, by what deed is it counted as done?
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa says this is a most secret matter, told at his insistence. If a vrata is broken by many kinds of trouble, by pride, delusion or carelessness, this vrata is to be done for its completion. By it broken vratas give their full fruit; there is no doubt of this.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 110–111
The vidhi
- Of whichever devī or devatā the vrata was broken, make a gold or silver image of that deity.
- On the day of that vrata, invite a brāhmaṇa and bathe the image with pañcāmṛta.
- Set the image on a kalaśa full of water, and do pūjā with gandha, flowers, akshata, dhūpa, dīpa, cloth, ornaments, naivedya and the like.
- Offer arghya to the devatā with the nāma-mantra: oṃ amuka devāya namaḥ (Oṃ, salutation to such-and-such a deva).
- For the completion of the vrata and the removal of the fault of breaking it, pray for forgiveness and take refuge in the deity of the vrata. The gist of the prayer is: “I am in your refuge; have compassion on me. Whatever fault, offence or lapse has occurred in any way in the vrata, tapas and other acts done by me, Devadeveśa, by your grace may all those faults be removed and my vrata be complete. Salutation to you.”
- Offer arghya to the dikpālas, do the aṅga-pūjā of the chief devatā, and at the end pray again.
- Do pūjā of the brāhmaṇa. The brāhmaṇa in turn gives the blessing below for the completion of the vrata.
- The yajamāna sends the brāhmaṇa off and sends all the materials to his house. Afterwards he performs the pañca-yajña (the five daily yajñas) and eats.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 110–111
The brāhmaṇa’s blessing
वाक्सम्पूर्ण मनः पूर्ण पूर्ण कायव्रतेन ते।
सम्पूर्णस्य प्रसादेन भव पूर्णमनोरथः ॥
ब्राह्मणा यत्प्रभाषन्ते ह्यनुमोदन्ति देवताः।
सर्वदेवमया विप्रा नैतद्वचनमन्यथा ।।
जलधिः क्षारतां नीतः पावकः सर्वभक्षताम्।
सहस्रनेत्रः शक्रोऽपि कृतो विप्रैर्महात्मभिः ।।
ब्राह्मणानां तु वचनाद् ब्रह्महत्या प्रणश्यति ।
अश्वमेधफलं साग्रं प्राप्यते नात्र संशयः ।।
vāksampūrṇa manaḥ pūrṇa pūrṇa kāyavratena te
sampūrṇasya prasādena bhava pūrṇamanorathaḥ
brāhmaṇā yatprabhāshante hyanumodanti devatāḥ
sarvadevamayā viprā naitadvacanamanyathā
jaladhiḥ kshāratāṃ nītaḥ pāvakaḥ sarvabhakshatām
sahasranetraḥ śakro’pi kṛto viprairmahātmabhiḥ
brāhmaṇānāṃ tu vacanād brahmahatyā praṇaśyati
aśvamedhaphalaṃ sāgraṃ prāpyate nātra saṃśayaḥ
Complete in speech, complete in mind, complete in your bodily vrata: by the grace of the Complete One, be one whose wishes are fulfilled. What brāhmaṇas declare, the devatās approve. The vipras are made of all the devas; this word is not otherwise. The ocean was brought to saltness, the fire to eating everything, and Śakra himself was made thousand-eyed by the mahātmā vipras. By the word of the brāhmaṇas brahmahatyā perishes, and the fruit of an aśvamedha is gained entire; there is no doubt of this.
He ends: “By the word of Vyāsa and Vālmīki, by the word of the brāhmaṇas, and by the word of the munis Garga, Gautama, Parāśara, Dhaumya, Aṅgiras, Vasishṭha, Nārada and others, may your vrata be complete.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 110–111
The phala
One who performs this Sampūrṇa Vrata even once with bhakti gains the full fruit of the broken vrata and is freed from the pāpa of breaking it. He gains wealth, form, health, fame and the like, enjoys happiness on earth for a hundred years, reaches svarga, and at the last attains moksha.
Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa says: “Mahārāja! Garga Maharshi, pleased, told me this prāyaścitta, this Sampūrṇa Vrata, and in my childhood I kept it too. So, Rājan, keep this vrata yourself, that broken vratas even of other births may be made complete.”
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 110–111
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 110–111