Caturthī Vratas (Nārada Purāṇa)
Caturthī Vrata, simply known as Chaturthi Vratas, Sanskrit: चतुर्थी व्रत, Telugu: చతుర్థి వ్రతాలు, Hindi: चतुर्थी व्रत.
Caturthī is the fourth lunar tithi of each fortnight. In the Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Sanātana Maharshi teaches Nārada the vratas of this tithi through the twelve months. The teaching is in the Pūrvārdha, Chapter 113. Every Caturthī, in both the Śukla and the Kṛshṇa pakshas, belongs to Gaṇapati, who is Vināyaka and Vighna-nāyaka, the lord of obstacles. The chapter gives the Catur-mūrti Vrata (Gaṇeśa as the four Vyūhas: Vāsudeva, Saṅkarshaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha), the Dūrvā-Gaṇapati Vrata, the Siddhi-Vaināyaka Vrata with twenty-one leaves, Saṅkashṭa Caturthī, the Nāga-vrata of Mārgaśīra, Śrī Gaṇeśa Caturthī in Bhādrapada, the Karaka-vrata for women, and the Gaurī-vrata of Māgha.
Overview
Gaṇapati-Vināyaka presides over all Caturthī tithis. Men and women who keep these vratas gain all the things they wish for (sarvābhīshṭa). If a Caturthī falls on a Sunday (Āditya-vāra) or a Tuesday (Maṅgala-vāra), it gives especially good phala. Both Śukla and Kṛshṇa Caturthīs in all pakshas belong to Vighneśa.
The Catur-mūrti Vrata (twelve years)
In this vrata Bhagavān Gaṇeśa is offered pūjā in four forms, which match the four Vyūhas, across four months.
- Caitra Śukla Caturthī: Gaṇeśa as Vāsudeva (Vāsudeva-rūpin). Offer pūjā and give hema-dakshiṇā (gold as dakshiṇā). Phala: Vishṇu-loka.
- Vaiśākha Śukla Caturthī: Gaṇeśa as Saṅkarshaṇa (Saṅkarshaṇa-rūpin). Offer pūjā and give a śaṅkha (conch) to a householder brāhmaṇa (gṛhastha-brāhmaṇa). Phala: Saṅkarshaṇa-loka for many kalpas.
- Jyeshṭha Śukla Caturthī: Gaṇeśa as Pradyumna (Pradyumna-rūpin). Offer pūjā and give fruit and roots to ascetics. Phala: svarga.
- Āshāḍha Śukla Caturthī: Gaṇeśa as Aniruddha (Aniruddha-rūpin). Offer pūjā and give alabu-patra (pumpkin leaves) to yatis (renunciants). Phala: abhīshṭa, what one wishes for.
Keep this Catur-mūrti Vrata for twelve years. Then do the udyāpana (concluding rite) on Jyeshṭha Caturthī.
Also on Jyeshṭha Caturthī is the Satī-vrata. Offer pūjā to Pārvatī Devī. Phala: Pārvatī-loka.
Āshāḍha Caturthī. This day is the beginning of the Rathantara Kalpa. Offer pūjā to Bhagavān Gaṇeśa with full śraddhā. The keeper gains a phala that even the devas cannot reach.
Śrāvaṇa Śukla Caturthī: Gaṇeśa Candra-darśana Vrata
At moonrise (candra-udaya), offer arghya to Bhagavān Gaṇeśa with all sixteen upacāras (shoḍaśopacāra).
Dhyāna of Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa is Lambodara (large-bellied), four-armed and three-eyed, of red colour, adorned with many gems, with a pleasant face.
Give him the pañcāmṛta-snāna (bath with the five nectars). Offer pūjā with āvāhana (the invitation) and all sixteen upacāras. Offer modaka as naivedya. After the vrata, eat modaka and sleep on the ground.
Phala: all the wishes of the heart are fulfilled, and the Gaṇapati-pada is reached at death. This vrata has no equal in the three worlds.
Caution. On this Caturthī, do not look at the moon. If one sees the moon by chance, one gets apavāda (a false accusation). To remove this dosha (fault), say the mantra from the Purāṇas: “The lion killed Prasena; the lion was killed by Jāmbavān. O dear child, do not weep. Here is the Syamantaka-maṇi.”
Dūrvā-Gaṇapati Vrata (five years)
Make a Gaṇapati of gold and place it on a copper dish. Wrap it in a red cloth. Set it up on the Sarvatobhadra-maṇḍala with red flowers and five kinds of patra (leaves):
- Māreḍu (bilva)
- Uttareṇī
- Jammi (śamī)
- Darbha (kuśa)
- Tulasī
Offer pūjā with these leaves, with other flowers, with fruit and with modaka. Give arghya. Then pray to Vighna-nāyaka and give the image to the ācārya. Keep the vrata for five years and do the udyāpana at the end.
Phala: all worldly bhoga (enjoyment), and Gaṇapati-loka.
Bhādrapada Śukla Caturthī: Śrī Gaṇeśa Caturthī
This is the most important day. Offer pūjā to the Siddhi-dhenu, a cow with her calf, with śrāg-gandha-yavasas. Do pradakshiṇa around her. Give dāna if one can. Keep this for five, ten or sixteen years. At the end, do the udyāpana and give a milk-giving cow.
Phala: all desired bhoga, and Goloka after death.
Siddhi-Vaināyaka Vrata (five years)
On Bhādrapada Śukla Caturthī offer pūjā to Siddhi-Vināyaka with the sixteen upacāras.
Dhyāna. Siddhi-Vināyaka is Eka-danta (single-toothed), Śūrpa-karṇa (fan-eared), Gaja-vakra (elephant-faced) and Catur-bhuja (four-armed). He carries the pāśa (noose) and the aṅkuśa (goad). He shines like molten gold (tapta-kāñcana-sannibha).
Twenty-one leaves with twenty-one nāmas. Each nāma is offered with its own leaf:
- Sumukhāya, with Śamī-patra
- Gaṇādhīśāya, with Bhṛṅga-patra
- Umāputrāya, with Bilva-patra
- Gajamukhāya, with Dūrvā-patra
- Lambodarāya, with Badarī-patra
- Hara-sūnave, with Dattūra-patra
- Śūrpa-karṇāya, with Tulasī
- Vakra-tuṇḍāya, with Śimbi-patra
- Guhāgrajāya, with Apāmārga
- Eka-dantāya, with Bārha-patra
- Hērambe, with Sindūra-patra
- Caturlotāya, with Patra-ja
- Sarveśvarāya, with Agastya-patra
Then offer a pair of dūrvā blades (dūrvā-yugma) with gandha, pushpa and akshatas. Present five modakas. Offer ācamana (sipping of water). Prostrate, and then release the mūrti. Give a golden Vināyaka pratimā to the guru, and give dakshiṇā to brāhmaṇas.
Phala: blessings in this world and the next (ihaika-āmushmika). After five years, all desired objects are gained, and then the pada of Vighna-nāyaka.
Āśvayuja Śukla Caturthī: Kapardīśa Vrata
Offer pūjā to Kapardī-Vināyaka with the Purusha-sūkta and the upacāras. Offer handfuls of rice (mushṭi-gata) together with kapardī (cowries). Give these portions of rice to a young brāhmaṇa brahmacārī with gandha and pushpa.
Phala: Kapardī Gaṇanātha is pleased.
Kārtika Kṛshṇa Caturthī: Karaka-vrata (for women)
This vrata is for women only. The woman bathes, adorns herself and offers pūjā to Gaṇādhīśa. She sets ten karaka vessels of cooked food before him. She offers pūjā with devotion and says: “May my Deva be pleased.” She gives to muttayidavas (married women) and to brāhmaṇas. At moonrise she gives arghya with the proper vidhāna. She gives the karaka with milk or water, betel nut, akshatas and gems to a brāhmaṇa. She keeps this vrata for twelve years.
Phala: it is the greatest saubhāgya-pradā vrata for women, and none is equal to it in the three worlds.
Mārgaśīra Śukla Caturthī: Nāga-vrata
At midday (madhyāhna), invite Śaṅkhapāla and the other pannagas (serpents), and Ādiśesha. Offer pūjā with the sixteen upacāras. Bathe them with milk and please them with kshīra (milk pudding).
Keep the vrata for one year with one meal a day (eka-bhukta). In the second year eat at night (rātri-bhojana). In the third and fourth years keep a fast on food that is not asked for (ayācita-upavāsa).
After four years, make a golden mūshaka-ratha (mouse-chariot) and set Gaṇeśa on it. Place it on a lotus-maṇḍala in a kalaśa. Offer all the upacāras, and do the udyāpana. Give a golden Gaṇeśa-prāsāda to the guru.
Phala: all poisons (vishas) are destroyed, serpents do not bite, and the whole lineage is free from fear of serpents (sarpa-bhaya).
Māgha Kṛshṇa Caturthī: Saṅkashṭa Caturthī
Fast through the day. At moonrise make a Gaṇa-nāyaka of clay, with his weapons, his mount and his throne. Offer pūjā with all sixteen upacāras. Offer guḍa-tila kuṭṭams (jaggery and sesame pounded together) and modaka as naivedya.
Give arghya to the moon in a copper dish with red sandal, kuśa, dūrvā, flowers, akshatas, śamī-patra and curd (dadhi). Say: “O Candra, jewel of the sky! O husband of Dākshāyaṇī! O likeness of Gaṇeśa! Accept this arghya!” Give the arghya. Feed brāhmaṇas, and then eat with their permission.
Phala: wealth and grain in plenty (dhana-dhānya-samṛddhi), and freedom from all troubles (kashṭas).
Māgha Śukla Caturthī: Gaurī-vrata
Offer pūjā to Gaurī Devī. Women in particular offer kuṅkuma, jasmine, red thread (rakta-sūtra), red flowers, alaktaka-rasa (red dye), dhūpa, dīpa, bali, jaggery with ginger, milk, pāyasa, salt (lavaṇa) and pālaku. They offer pūjā to muttayidavas and to good brāhmaṇas (sat-brāhmaṇas). They give saubhāgya-dāna and eat together with their relatives.
Phala: more saubhāgya and ārogya (health). This vrata is also called Ḍuṇḍi-vrata, Kuṇḍala-vrata, Lalitā-vrata or Śānti-vrata. Any japa, bath, dāna or homa on this day gives a result a thousand times greater, by the grace of Bhagavān Gaṇeśa.
Phālguna Śukla Caturthī: Ḍuṇḍi-rāja Vrata
Feed brāhmaṇas with tila-pishṭa (sesame paste). Offer tila-dāna (a gift of sesame), tila-homa (a fire offering of sesame) and Gaṇeśa-pūjā.
Phala: siddhi by the grace of Bhagavān Gaṇeśa.
Make a golden Gajānana pratimā and give it to the best of brāhmaṇas (brāhmaṇottama). Phala: wealth and plenty of every kind (sarva-sampat-samṛddhi).
Sources
- Nārada Mahā Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, Chapter 113