Jātismara
Jātismara · jāti-smara, “one who remembers former births”
Grammar: adjective and masculine noun; a compound of jāti (birth) and smara (remembering): “remembering one’s births”.
Meaning: one who remembers his former births.
In the scriptures: Yudhishṭhira says to Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa that knowledge of one’s former births is very hard to gain, and asks whether it can be gained by the vara of ṛshis, by ārādhanā of devatās, or by tīrtha, snāna, homa, japa, tapas, vrata and the like. Śrī Kṛshṇa answers that by fasting with śraddhā in the Bhadravrata in the four months Mārgaśīrsha, Phālguna, Jyeshṭha and Bhādrapada, in order, within one year, a person remembers his former birth. The vrata is named the Jātismara-Bhadravrata, and by it Svarṇashṭhīvī, son of King Sañjaya, remembered his former birth (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 13–14).
Related terms: Bhadravrata · Svarṇashṭhīvī · Vrata
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 13–14