Nārada and the Apsarasas

This account is in Chapter 54 of the Varāha Purāṇa. In an earlier kalpa, the devarshi Nārada went to bathe at Māna-sarovara and met a group of apsarasas. They asked him how they could win Bhagavān Vishṇu as their husband. Nārada taught them the Caitra Śukla Dvādaśī vrata, which is also called the Vishṇu-dvādaśī. He also warned them that, because they had not bowed to him, they would meet the śāpa of the ṛshi Ashṭāvakra and be carried off by cowherd-boys.

The supreme deva

A king asks Agastya who is the one most worthy of pūjā for all who seek jñāna. Agastya answers without a pause: “The deva worthy of adoration by all devas, by all munis and by all people, at all times, is Bhagavān Vishṇu alone. Nārāyaṇa is the paradaiva (the highest deva). This is a holy secret. One who bows to him never comes to ruin.” To show how Bhagavān Vishṇu gives his grace to his devotees, Agastya tells of Nārada and the apsarasas.

Nārada at Māna-sarovara

In an earlier kalpa, the great Nārada went to the divine Māna-sarovara to bathe. He wore his matted hair as a crown. His body was worn to skin and bone by tapas, and he carried an umbrella, a staff and a skull-bowl. He always longed to see devas, asuras and people. He loved a righteous quarrel, rang with the sound of the Vedas, and was rich in tapas. At the lake he saw a gathering of apsarasas, beautiful and playful women of the devas.

What the apsarasas asked

The apsarasas were proud of their beauty and the bloom of their youth. They spoke to Nārada without the usual bow. They said, “O pūjya (respected one)! O son of Brahmā! We want a husband. Teach us how Nārāyaṇa can become our husband.”

Nārada gently scolded them. He said, “A question should always begin with a praṇāma (a bow). That alone brings good fortune. You were drunk with youth and did not ask me that way. Even so, you have spoken the name of Vishṇu, the Deva-deva: ‘How can Hari become our lord?’ By the mere speaking of his name, everything is already done.”

The Caitra Śukla Dvādaśī vrata

Nārada then taught the apsarasas the vrata by which Hari himself gives a husband.

On the dvādaśī of the śukla-paksha (bright fortnight) of the month of Caitra, in the spring, one fasts and keeps an all-night pūjā of Hari with full care for the rites. A bed is made ready, covered with white cloth in many patterns. On it a silver image of Hari with Lakshmī is set up. A beautiful canopy of flowers is raised over the bed. Through the night, dance (nṛtya), music (vādya) and song (gīta) fill the place in a jāgara (night vigil).

The pūjā uses a mantra for each part of the image:

Jasmine, jāji flowers and other sweet scents are used all through. Four fine sugarcane stalks are placed in the four directions around the image.

The next morning, a learned brāhmaṇa is honoured with a fitting dāna (gift). He must know the Vedas and vedāṅgas, be wise, and have no bodily defect. When the brāhmaṇas have been honoured in this way, the vrata is complete. Nārada said, “By this vrata, Vishṇu will surely become your husband.”

The warning about pride

Nārada taught the vrata, but he did not overlook their lack of respect. He warned them:

“You have not bowed to me. The fruit of this disrespect will surely come to you. In this very lake lives the great ṛshi Ashṭāvakra. You will mock him, and through that you will receive his śāpa. By this vrata you will gain the Deva-deva as your husband. But because of this insult you will also be carried off by cowherd-boys. The same Deva who once stole away the maidens will then become your husband.”

After saying this, the devarshi Nārada left in an instant.

What came of it

The apsarasas kept the Caitra Śukla Dvādaśī vrata. Hari himself was pleased with them. The account ends by saying that the vrata did its work: Bhagavān Vishṇu became their lord. Both results, the grace of Bhagavān Vishṇu and the meeting with the cowherd-boys, came from what happened at Māna-sarovara.

Sources

• Varāha Mahā Purāṇa, Chapter 54