55 - Shubhavrata

Agastya said:

1. O great king, listen to the best of vratas namely Shubha, by which Lord may be attained.

2. This should be started on the first day in the bright fortnight of the month of Margashirsha and on Dashami take food only

3. Then at noon on that Dašhamï day worship Vishnu. And on the Dvädašhi day, perform Sañkalpa as before.

4. Fasting on that day, give away yava grain to Brahmins and utter the name of Hari while performing Däna, Homa and Archana.

5. Spend four months like this, and in the next four from Chaitra month observe similarly but give barley meal as gifts to Brahmins.

6. In the next three months from Šhrävana give paddy grain as gift.

7. In the month of Kärttika also observe in the same manner and on Dvädašhi worship Vishnu with great purity and devotion in the name of the month.

8. With full control of the senses and with sañkalpa as before, perform rituals on Dvâdašhi.

9-10. (For this) on Ekàdašhi day install a golden image of Earth, with the great mountains in front of Vishnu, on a pair of white clothes over layers of different grains.

11. Offer to the deity five gems (gold, silver, ruby, emerald and pearl) and keep awake the whole night.

12. In the morning invite twenty-four Brahmins and give each a cow with dakshinä.

13. Also a pair of clothes, a ring (for the finger), bangles and earrings in gold.

14. The king may give a village each to the poor (Brahmins).

15. Along with the land gift, a pair of golden cows as well as a pair of clothes also may be given, according to capacity.

16. A cow decorated with all ornaments may also be specially given. In this way the Lord becomes pleased.

17. The image of Earth may also be made of silver and this may be given to the Brahmin along with the other associate materials thinking of Vishnu.

18-19, He should also be fed and given slippers and umbrella uttering ‘May lord Vishnu of universal form be always. pleased with me’.

20-21. The merit acquired by such feeding and gifts cannot be described even in the course of many years. Still, I shall tell you a little of it. Listen to my account of what was achieved by this vrata.

 22. In the Krutayuga there was a saintly king named Drudhavrata. He asked Lord Brahmä as to what he might do to get a son. Brahma told him about this vrata and he performed it.

23. At the close of the vrata, the universal god (Vishnu) appeared before him and asked him to seek a boon.

The king said:

24. “Bless me with a son, O Lord, who will be long lived, very famous, highly virtuous, proficient in the Vedas and inclined to perform sacrifices”.

25-26. The king continued: “Grant me also, O great god, the position of a sage by attaining which one will have no cause to regret”

27. Lord Vishnu granted the boons sought and disåppeared. And a son by name Vatsašhri was born to him.

28. He became very learned, well versed in Vedas and Vedäñgas and performed many sacrifices, and his fame spread over the whole world.

29. The king, having attained this son by the blessing of Vishnu, retired to perform intensive penance.

30. With full control of the senses and absolute fasting, he began to meditate on Vishnu in the Himälayas and always utter the praise of Vishnu.

Bhadrãshva said:

  31. O sage, what was the praise uttered by him and what happened to him who was praising the lord in that manner?

Durväsas said:

32. Resorting to the Himalayas and with mind fully immersed in Vishnu, the king praised him.

The king said: 

  33. “I bow to Janärdana of the form of water, the permanent as well as the transient, reposing in the milky ocean, the holder of the earth, the final resort of all beings, beyond all senses and the foremost among the enjoyers of the whole universe.

  34. O lord, you are the first principle, the ultimate truth, all-pervading, most ancient, the best among men, beyond senses, the foremost among those who have mastered the Vedas. Save me, O holder of the conch, mace and weapons.

35. O Vishnu, the Eternal, all that you have done at the entreaties of Devas and Asuras is for the sake of bringing about creation, though you are the ultimate.

36. Still, you assumed the form of the tortoise and other animals and you are spoken of as having taken birth several times, though actually all this is not there.

37. I bow to you, O Narasimha, Vämana, Parašhuräma, Räma, Väsudeva, Buddha, Kalkin, Shambhu, the destroyer of the enemies of the gods.

38. I bow to you, O Näräyana, Padmanäbha, Purushottama, worshipped by all gods and the foremost of all-knowing.

39. O eternal god, I bow to you who assumed the fierce man-lion form, the tortoise-form expansive like the mountain, the fish-form extensive like the ocean and the boar form.

40. All this (assumption of different forms) is for the sake of creation (of the world). Really you have no form whatsoever. To facilitate meditation, a form is conceived for you, the ancient Man.

41. You are the first sacrifice by yourself. You are the accessories of the sacrifice. You are the offering in the sacrifice. You are the sacrificial animal. You are the priest and the clarified butter. Groups of gods and sages sacrifice for you.

42. The entire world, animate and inanimate, is in you. In you are the gods, time and fire. O Janärdana, you are undivided. Please grant me my desire. 

 43. I bow to you Hari, lotus-eyed. I bow to you the finite and infinite. I seek refuge in you. Lift me up from the worries of the world”.

44. Thus praised by. the great king standing under a big mango tree, the lord became very much pleased.

45. And he came there in the form of a dwarfish Brahmin. As soon as he came, the big mango tree also became a small one.

46. Seeing that great wonder, the saintly king began to think about how the big tree became small.

47. Then he was able to understand that the arrival of the Brahmin was the cause and that this very fact showed, that the visitor was the lord himself.

48. He prostrated before that Brahmin and prayed.

49. “O Lord, you are certainly the great come here to bless me. Be pleased to show me your genuine form”.

50. Thus requested the lord appeared before him in his original form bearing the conch, disc and mace, and told him:

51. “O great king, ask me the boon you wish to get. When I am pleased, the whole world to me is but a sesamum seed”.

52. Told thus, the king became extremely delighted and asked for moksha and nothing else.

53. Thus requested, the lord said again:

54. “Since at my arrival this expansive mango tree (ämra) became small this tirtha will hereafter be known as Kubjakämra.

55. Not only Brahmins, but even the animals, when they give up the body here, will get salvation that is the yogin’s.”

56. After saying thus, the lord touched the king with the tip of his conch and immediately he attained salvation.

57. Therefore, O king, you too resort to this lord so that you may not revert to worldly existence.

58. He who listens to this story and he who recites it daily in the morning, attains liberation.

59. And, O king, he who performs this holy Shubhavrata, will get great prosperity and, in the end, will be merged in Him.