Aśoka Vrata

Aśoka Vrata · a-śoka-vrata, “the vrata of the griefless tree”

The Aśoka Vrata is the pūjā of the Aśoka tree on the pratipadā of the bright fortnight of Āśvina. Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa teaches it to the king in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa. One who does this pūjā never has śoka (grief), and a woman who keeps it with bhakti becomes most dear to her husband. Sītā herself did this pūjā on her way to the forest.

The index of the Parva names it together with the Karavīra Vrata: “Aśoka and Karavīra” (Uttara Parva, Chapter 208).

The vidhi

  1. On Āśvina śukla pratipadā, do pūjā of the Aśoka tree with its lovely fresh leaves, using gandha, pushpa, dhūpa, dīpa and saptadhānya.
  2. Offer many kinds of naivedya: fruits, coconut, pomegranate, laḍḍu and others.
  3. Pray to the tree with the mantra below and offer it arghya.
  4. Wrap the tree with cloth and adorn it with patākās (flags).
  5. The woman does pūjā with tila, akshata, wheat, sarshapa (mustard) and others, bows with the mantra, does pradakshiṇā and gives dakshiṇā to a brāhmaṇa.

पितृभ्रातृपतिश्वश्रूश्वशुराणां तथैव च।
अशोक शोकशमनो भव सर्वत्र नः कुले॥

pitṛbhrātṛpatiśvaśrūśvaśurāṇāṃ tathaiva ca|
aśoka śokaśamano bhava sarvatra naḥ kule||

O Aśoka tree! Calm the śoka of all in my kula: father, brother, husband, mother-in-law and father-in-law.

Sītā at the Aśoka tree

Sītā, at the time of going to the forest, on the way, performed pūjā of the Aśoka tree with bhakti with gandha, pushpa, dhūpa, dīpa, naivedya, tila and akshata, did pradakshiṇā, and went on to the forest.

The phala

A woman who does this vrata with bhakti becomes most dear to her husband, like Damayantī, Svāhā, Vedavatī and Satī. She becomes free of śoka, enjoys the happiness of the world with her husband for a long time, and at the end dwells in Gaurīloka. This vrata removes every kind of śoka and roga (illness).

Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 9–10

Sources

  • Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 9–10, 208