Vishṇusvāmī
Vishṇusvāmī · vishṇu-svāmī, “the one whose master is Vishṇu”
Vishṇuśarmā has other meanings too: see all meanings of Vishṇuśarmā.
Vishṇusvāmī, also called Vishṇuśarman, is the Vaishṇava ācārya of whom the Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells, in the account of the devas’ descent into the Kali age. It tells that he was once the brāhmaṇa Prāṃśuśarman, who lived by bhikshā and would not eat the fruit of Kali until it was offered to Bhagavān Śālagrāma. Kali shut him in an iron prison, Bhagavān Sūrya sent him to Kaliñjara, and after a hundred and twenty-five years of worship he went to Sūryaloka. In the twenty-eighth Kali Yuga he was born at Kaliñjara as the son of Śivadatta.
The text shows him as a master of Veda, śāstra and the kalās, a worshipper of the devatās and a supreme Vaishṇava. He came to Śāntipurī and put his question to Kṛshṇacaitanya, became his disciple, did upāsanā of the Kṛshṇa-mantra together with ārādhana of Bhagavān Śiva, and told the Vaishṇavī Saṃhitā. When yantras were set up in the seven purīs, he went to Haridvāra with his gaṇas and reversed the great yantra there.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 8, 19, 21–23
Prāṃśuśarman and Kali
Sūta tells how Bṛhaspati, the guru of the devas, told Indra of the māhātmya of Bhagavān Sūrya month by month. The account of Bhādrapada is the account of Prāṃśuśarman.
In the Kali Yuga there was a brāhmaṇa named Prāṃśuśarman. He was always devoted to Veda and śāstra, a worshipper of devatās and guests, truthful and most virtuous, free of theft and hiṃsā (harm to others). He supported his son and wife by bhikshā (alms).
One day, as he walked the road for bhikshā, he saw Kali, the master of māyā. Kali created a charming garden, took on the guise of a brāhmaṇa and said: “Prāṃśuśarman, hear me. This is my beautiful garden. Go in and live in comfort.” Prāṃśuśarman went into the garden. Kali came in after him, picked fine fruits and gave them to him. Bowing with joined palms, he said: “Vipra, eat with me the fine kalinda fruit.”
Prāṃśuśarman smiled and answered in a sweet voice: “The learned have said that Kali lives on the Baheḍā tree and in the kalinda fruit, so I will not eat it. If you give this fruit with great faith and bhakti, for the sake of serving a brāhmaṇa, I can accept it only after offering it to Bhagavān Śālagrāma, for Śālagrāma is Brahman himself, of the form of saccidānanda. It is certain that whatever Bhagavān Śālagrāma’s gaze falls on, even what must not be eaten becomes fit to eat.”
Hearing this, Kali was ashamed and lost hope. The brāhmaṇa took the fruit and went to Bhūmigrāma.
Then Kali came to him again, this time in the guise of a king, and said with gladness: “Brāhmaṇa devatā, have you taken the fruit? Show it to me quickly.” Prāṃśuśarman brought the fruit and showed it to him. Enraged, Kali beat the brāhmaṇa and shut him in an iron prison.
At dawn, at sunrise, the grieving Prāṃśuśarman pleased Bhagavān Bhāskara with sūktas (hymns) of the Veda. Pleased, the eternal Ravi himself spoke by ākāśavāṇī (a voice from the sky) into the brāhmaṇa’s ear: “Mahābhāga, Hari himself, in the form of Kāla, made the four yugas for the sustaining of the universe, and it is he who made Kali for the death of the multitude of worlds. So when the terrible Kali Yuga comes, go to the city of Kaliñjara, built by the māyā of Vishṇu, and live there in joy.”
Saying this, Bhagavān Sūrya sent the brāhmaṇa to Kaliñjara for his protection. Prāṃśuśarman lived there for one hundred and twenty-five years, worshipping Bhagavān Sūrya, and went with his son and wife to Sūryaloka.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 8
His birth at Kaliñjara
That same Prāṃśuśarman, in the twenty-eighth Kali Yuga, on the pūrṇimā (full moon) of Bhādrapada, became the son of Śivadatta in Kaliñjara. He became famous under the name Vishṇuśarman-Vishṇusvāmī. He knew Veda, śāstra and the kalās, worshipped the devatās and was a supreme Vaishṇava.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 8
His question to Kṛshṇacaitanya
Sūta tells Śaunaka that Vishṇusvāmī came in time to lovely Śāntipurī. He bowed to Kṛshṇacaitanya, who was then nineteen years old, and said: “In this brahmāṇḍa, which devatā is the one honoured by all devatās?”
Mahāprabhu answered: “Mahādeva, who shows grace to bhaktas, is honoured by all. Vishṇu, Rudra, Brahmā and the other devatās always do him pūjā. Vishṇu-bhaktas devoted to Śaṅkarārcana gain, by the prasāda of Śiva, the highest Vaishṇavī bhakti. One who is a Vaishṇava and does not do pūjā of Śaṅkara, the benefactor of the worlds, is not a true Vaishṇava.”
Hearing this, Vishṇusvāmī, drawn by the qualities of Kṛshṇacaitanya, became his disciple. Doing upāsanā of the Kṛshṇa-mantra, he became devoted to ārādhana of Bhagavān Śiva, and by his guru’s order he told the Vaishṇavī Saṃhitā.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 19
The yantra at Haridvāra
The Pratisarga Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa tells that the mlecchas, taught by the daitya Maya, had yantras made in all seven purīs, and that by the power of those yantras the people there took up mleccha conduct. All the Vaishṇavas, sevakas of Kṛshṇacaitanya, took the divine mantra of the guru and went separately to the purīs and other places.
Vishṇusvāmī went to Haridvāra with his gaṇas. He reversed the great yantra there, and all who came to serve became Vaishṇavas. These were the marks they bore:
- On the forehead an ūrdhva-puṇḍra (upright mark) of two lines, with a bindu in the middle.
- On the neck a tulasī bead.
- In the mouth the auspicious mantra of Mādhava.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapter 21
Keśava, who followed him
Devavān descended as Keśava and became a follower of Vishṇusvāmī. By composing Kavipriyā and other works he came to the state of a preta. By composing the work called Rāma-jyotsnā he attained svarga.
Source: Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 22–23
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Pratisarga Parva, Khaṇḍa 4, Chapters 8, 19, 21–23