Saṅkarshaṇa Namaskāras (Brahma Purāṇa)

Saṅkarshaṇa Namaskāra · saṅkarshaṇa namaskāra, “the salutations to Saṅkarshaṇa”

The Saṅkarshaṇa Namaskāras are the seven salutations with which a pilgrim at the Purushottama-kshetra honours Balarāma, worshipped there as Saṅkarshaṇa beside Śrī Kṛshṇa and Subhadrā. They are given in the Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 57, where Brahmā tells the munis the rules of the pañcatīrtha, the bath, dāna and darśana at the holy places of the kshetra. They praise Balarāma as the bearer of the plough and the pestle, the beloved of Revatī, the bearer of the earth, the slayer of Pralamba and the elder brother of Kṛshṇa, and the Purāṇa promises Vishṇu-loka and, in the end, mukti to the one who offers them.

The setting

Brahmā tells the order of the pilgrimage. The pilgrim first bathes in the Mārkaṇḍeya-hrada and worships Mārkaṇḍeyeśvara, then goes round the kalpa-vṛksha, the banyan in which Vishṇu stands, and bows to the mūrti of Garuḍa before Kṛshṇa. One who sees the banyan and Garuḍa and then sees Purushottama, Saṅkarshaṇa and Subhadrā goes to the highest goal.

The pilgrim enters the temple of Vishṇu, goes round it three times in pradakshiṇa, worships the mūrti of Saṅkarshaṇa with the Saṅkarshaṇa-mantra, and pleases him with these salutations.

The namaskāras

  1. Namaskāra to you who bear the plough.
  2. Namaskāra to you who hold the pestle (musala).
  3. Namaskāra to you, beloved of Revatī, loving to your devotees (bhakta-vatsala).
  4. Namaskāra to you, the foremost of all the strong.
  5. Namaskāra to you who bear the earth.
  6. Namaskāra to you who slew Pralambāsura.
  7. Namaskāra to you, the elder brother of Kṛshṇa.

The phala

Having pleased Hari in this way and gained the grace of Balarāma, the blue-garmented (nīlāmbara), the wearer of a single kuṇḍala, the son of Rohiṇī, the pilgrim:

  • is freed from pāpa and goes to Vishṇu-loka;
  • enjoys happiness there until the pralaya;
  • when that puṇya is spent, comes back to earth and is born a brāhmaṇa in a family of yogīs;
  • becomes master of all the śāstras, gains jñāna and attains mukti.

After this the pilgrim worships Śrī Kṛshṇa with the dvādaśākshara-mantra, the mantra of twelve syllables, and then Subhadrā.

Source: Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 57

Sources

  • Brahma Purāṇa, Chapter 57