Vishṇu Dvādaśaka
The Vishṇu Dvādaśaka is a teaching of twelve monthly dvādaśī (twelfth tithi) observances. Each one is given to a different name of Bhagavān Vishṇu, and each is said to equal the merit of one of the great Vedic yajñas. Bhīshma tells it to Yudhishṭhira in the Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 109. It is a gīta (song) first sung by Brahmā himself.
The question
Yudhishṭhira asks Bhīshma to say, without any doubt, which upavāsa (fast) in all the world gives the greatest phala (fruit) and brings the most śreyas (good). The Mahābhārata gives this in Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 109.
Brahmā’s own gīta
Bhīshma answers that Brahmā himself sang a gīta long ago. It tells exactly what a person must do to become sukhavān (happy) without any doubt.
The twelve monthly dvādaśīs
| Month | Name of Bhagavān Vishṇu worshipped | Phala equal to |
|---|---|---|
| Mārgaśīrsha | Keśava (worshipped day and night) | The phala of the aśvamedha yajña; pāpa (sin) is also destroyed |
| Pushya | Nārāyaṇa (worshipped with śraddhā) | The phala of the vājapeya yajña; the worshipper also reaches parama-siddhi |
| Māgha | Mādhava (worshipped day and night) | The phala of the rājasūya yajña; the whole kula (family) is lifted up |
| Phālguna | Govinda (worshipped while repeating the name) | The phala of the atirātra yajña; the worshipper reaches Soma-loka |
| Caitra | Vishṇu (remembered day and night on dvādaśī) | The phala of the Pauṇḍarīka yajña; the worshipper reaches devaloka |
| Vaiśākha | Madhusūdana | The phala of the agnishṭoma yajña; the worshipper reaches Soma-loka |
| Jyeshṭha | Trivikrama (worshipped day and night) | The phala of the gomedha yajña; the worshipper rejoices with the apsarasas |
| Āshāḍha | Vāmana (japa day and night on dvādaśī) | The phala of the naramedha yajña; great puṇya (merit) |
| Śrāvaṇa | Śrīdhara (worshipped day and night) | The phala of the pañca yajña; the worshipper delights in a vimāna |
| Bhādrapada | Hṛshīkeśa | The phala of the sautrāmaṇi yajña; a pure antaḥkaraṇa (inner mind) |
| Āśvayuja | Padmanābha (worshipped on dvādaśī) | The phala of a gift of a thousand cows, without doubt |
| Kārtika | Dāmodara (japa) | The phala of the go-yajña, for a man or a woman alike, without doubt |
The final practice: daily tadbhāva dhyāna
Beyond the twelve monthly observances, a person should worship Puṇḍarīkāksha (the lotus-eyed one) all through the year in this way. One who does so gains pūrvajanma-jñāna (knowledge of past births) and gets gold in great abundance.
The greatest practice of all is described as follows. Every single day, meditate on Upendra and build tad-bhāva, the state of knowing oneself as one with that very deva. This follows the kīṭa-bhṛṅga-nyāya (the rule of the insect and the wasp): through unbroken dhyāna on a thing, one takes on its very nature.
When the daily dhyāna is finished, one should feed brāhmaṇas, or else give ghee as dāna (a gift). There is no upavāsa greater than this. This is a firm and settled view.
Bhīshma says clearly that Bhagavān Vishṇu himself spoke this ancient teaching (purātana-sampradāya) with his own voice.
Sources
- Mahābhārata, Anuśāsana Parva, Chapter 109