4 - The Performing of Punyaka Vrata

Narayana said - After listening to the method of performing the Punyaka-vrata, the mind of Durga was delighted; she therefore enquired about the per forming of the vrata. 

Parvati said - О best of the gods, О lord, О ocean of compassion, О beloved of the down trodden, you are beyond everything and therefore, you kindly tell me what materials are required for this vrata and what is the reward, what is the time for it, the regulations, the eatables, the method and reward thereof? О lord, you also tell me about the best of the priests, the Brahmanas who adore with flowers and servants who collects the material? 

What else is required for this vrata, I am not aware of it. You kindly arrange for everything because the husband has to provide everything for the wife.

During childhood, the woman is protected by the father, during youth the husband protects her and during old age, the son protects her. Therefore, there are three stages of a chaste woman.

The father gives away in marriage his daughter to the best of the husbands and feels satisfied thereafter and the husband feels satisfied after entrusting his wife to the care of the son.

Thus, a woman who deals with three types of these relatives is considered to be quite fortunate; the one who is with some deficiency, is considered to be mediocre and the one who is deprived of all the three is considered to be the degraded of all. Such a woman who remains with these relatives is considered to be the best everywhere. Such a woman, the care of whom is entrusted to anyone else earns denouncement. This is all prescribed in the Vedas. 

You are the soul of all, the lord, the witness for all and you know everyone; therefore, you kindly tell me everything to enable to me to achieve the best son. 

I have spoken out to you, О great lord, everything and you are the one who knows the mind of everyone; what else can I speak to you? 

Thus, speaking Parvati at once fell at the feet of the lord. Thereafter, lord Shiva started speaking to Parvati. 

Mahadeva said - О goddess I am going to speak out to you the method for performing the vrata, its regulation, the reward and the things which are eatables and those who are prohibited from consumption for this vrata. You listen to it. 

A hundred Brahmanas are needed for the collection of flowers and fruits and another hundred servants are required for bringing up other materials. 

A crore of female slaves is required, and the priest should be such as should be well-versed in the bringing of the material and well-versed in the Vedic and post-Vedic literature and should be the best of the devotees of lord Vishnu and the foremost of the intellectuals. Therefore, for performing vrata you request Sanathkumara to function as a priest. 

О goddess, О beloved, during the auspicious time you start this vrata in a proper manner. The bright thirteenth day of Magha shall be the most auspicious time. 

After taking a bath including washing the hair of the head, one should clad oneself in clean garments and then resort to fasting, the next day, in the early morning one should get up from the bed and brush the teeth, should take a bath with clean water performing Achamana and with great effort recite the name of Hari and offer arghya to lord Krishna and proceed to his abode. One should clad oneself in two clean garments and be seated on the sacred seat. One should complete the daily routine taking Achamana (sipping of water), the application of sandal-paste and performing all other routines. Thereafter by making an effort, the priest should be selected who should consecrate the vase reciting the svasti-mantra. Thereafter, taking a sankalpa according to the provisions of the Vedas, one should complete the vrata. One should make all the sixteen offerings daily, while performing puja. О goddess, these articles are offered to lord Krishna daily which include the seat, welcome padya, arghya, Achamana, breathing, madhuparka, clothes, ornaments, fragrant flowers, essence, lamp, naivedya, sandal-paste, yajnopavita, camphor and fragrant betel. 

О beautiful one, all these articles are a part of the puja. О goddess, in case of any deficiency in the offerings, the performer is likely to lose her limbs. 

And the person is deprived of limbs with deficient performance. A deficient performance also results in the loss of merit. О Durga, a hundred and eight Parijata flowers are required to be offered to lord Krishna daily. 

And in order to increase the beauty, the white jasmine flowers are required to be offered besides a lakh of unbroken rice with devotion to lord Krishna, in order to increase the beauty of the face; a lotus with hundred petals and a lakh of unbroken flowers should be offered to the lord with devotion for the increase of the glory of the eyes. A lakh of mirrors made of invaluable gems should be offered of Narayana. 

О goddess, for the increase in the beauty of the eyes, lord Krishna should be offered a lakh of blue lotus flowers with devotion which form part of the vrata. 

For adding to the beauty of the hair on the head, a lakh of flywhisks which are produced in the Himalaya should be offered to lord Keshava.

For increasing the beauty of the nose, a lotus and beautiful boxes made of invaluable gems should be presented to Krishna the lord of the gopis. 

То increase the beauty of the lips, a lakh of Bandhuka¹ flowers should be offered to Krishna, the lord of Radha. 

         1. Pentapeter Phoenicea

O daughter of the mountain, for increase in the beauty of the teeth, lakh of pearls should be offered to the lord of the Goloka with devotion. 

О daughter of the mountain, in order to increase the beauty of the cheeks, a lakh of balls made of gems should be offered to Maheshwara with devotion. 

O lady of my life, for the increase of the beauty of the lower part of the lips, a lakh of gem-studded ornaments should be offered to lord Krishna with devotion; for increasing the beauty of ears, a lakh of ear ornaments should be given away in charity by the devotees to the lord of all. 

For increasing the beauty of the voice, a lakh of kalashas filled with bassia latifolia should be offered to the lord of the universe. 

О goddess, for the increase in the beauty of speech a thousand pitchers filled with nectar should be offered to lord Krishna, with devotion. 

For increase in the beauty of the eyes, a lakh of lamps made of gems should be offered to the Balamukunda form of lord Krishna. 

To increase the beauty of the throat, a vase studded with a thousand gems, resembling the thornapple should be offered to lord who is the protector of the cows; for protecting the beauty of the arms a thousand lotuses with stalks should be offered to Chandakapala. 

О Narayani, for increase in the beauty of the hands a lakh of red lotuses should be offered to the lord of the Gopis with devotion. 

To increase the beauty of the fingers, a lakh of finger rings studded with gems should be offered to Devesvara. 

For the increase of the beauty of the nails the best of gems of white colour should be offered numbering a lakh of them to Munindranatha. 

In order to increase the beauty of the chest, a lakh of beautiful garlands studded with gems should be offered to Madanamohana. 

For increasing the beauty of the breasts, a lakh of ripe wood apples should be offered to lord Shiva. 

For increase in the beauty of the body, a lakh of golden sheet studded with gems should be offered to lord Vishnu, with devotion. 

For increasing the beauty of the navel, a thousand of navels made of the best of gold and studded with gems should be offered to Padmanabha. For increasing the beauty of the pelvic region, a thousand of Ratha-cakras made of the best of gems should be offered to lord Chakrapani.

For the increase in the beauty of the thighs a lakh of trunks of the banyana trees, made of gold should be offered to lord Srinivasa. 

For increasing the beauty of the teeth, a lakh of spotless and unbroken lotuses should be offered to Kamala-nayana. 

For increase in the grace, a lakh of fireflies made of gold should be offered to the lord of Lakshmi. 

For preserving the speech, a thousand geese made of gold and a thousand elephants, made of gold should be offered to lord Gajendra. 

In order to increase the beauty of the head a thousand umbrellas made of gold and studded with gems should be offered to Narayana, О goddess, to preserve the beauty in the smiling, a lakh of jasmine flowers and a lakh of unbroken Malati flowers should be offered to the lord of Vrundavana.

О chaste lady, for the increase of the beauty of the character and for the successful completion of the vrata, a lakh of valuable gems, should be offered to Narayana. 

For the increase in the beauty of the mind, a lakh of crystal gems should be offered to lord Krishna. 

In order to preserve the chastity of the lady and for the long life of her husband, a lakh of rubies should be offered to lord Krishna with the desire of having a son; a melon, a coconut citron and wood apple should also be offered to the lord. 

For the increase of the fortune of the husband in innumerable births, a lakh of the best of the gems should be offered to lord Krishna; at the time of completion of the vrata, the devotee should arrange for a musical concert in honour of lord Hari. 

Offering the delicious eatables made of ghee and sugar, besides the payasam and stuff made of a mixture should be offered to the lord. 

For the increase in the devotion of the lord, the garland of a lakh of flowers should be offered with devotion to the lord. 

О Durga, in order to achieve the grace of lord Krishna, several types of delicious and sweet preparations may be offered as naivedya.

O chaste lady, in order to attract the grace of lord Krishna, one should offer the Tulasi leaves and several other flowers with devotion. 

In order to increase the prosperity in several coming births, a thousand Brahmanas should be offered food daily. 

О goddess, for the completion of this vrata, a hundred offerings of flowers should be made daily with devotion offering at the same time salutations, daily. 

The person who performs this vrata should live on the left-over of the food of the sacrifice or on fruits for five months. The left-over of Hari for a fortnight and for a fortnight one should live on consuming water alone. 

 During the performing of the vrata, a hundred lamps of gems should be lighted, and one should sleep on the bed of kusa-grass during the night and always remain awake. 

By remaining awake in Jagarana, there is increase in intelligence and by consuming fruits and roots, one develops noble wisdom. During this time, one should get oneself free from greed, illusion, passions, anger, fear, grief and unnecessary discussion. О goddess, for keeping chastity during this Punyaka-vrata, the worshipper should detract his attention from voluptuous thoughts, recitations, sports, gazing at something, secret talk, resolve for getting something, efforts for getting something, conjugal pleasures and various types of love sports besides quarrelling should be discarded. At the completion of the vrata one should perform the ceremony of establishing it. One should collect three hundred and sixty blankets, clothes, food, yajnopavita and presents should be given away in charity, one should feed three hundred and sixty Brahmanas. One should make the offering of three hundred and sixty sea-same seeds and should also offer three hundred and sixty gold coins in dakshina. This has been ordained by Brahma. О goddess, on the day of the completion of the vrata another dakshina has to be given which I am going to tell you. 

Thus after completing this vrata one gets the reward of achieving immense devotion to the lord. One also gets a noble son who is well known in the three worlds, and he attains enough of beauty, and she gets fortune for the husband and enormous riches. In every birth she achieves all the desired riches. О Maheshwari, О goddess, thus I have spoken to you everything about the vrata and you better accomplish it. О Sadhavi, you will surely get a son. Thus, speaking Shiva kept quiet.