Skandapurana 2.2.36
English (machine translation) 2.2.36
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Jaimini said:
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Hereafter I shall describe the excellent festival of sleep.
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Starting from the full moon of Āṣāḍha, the slumber of Hari occurs when the sun enters Cancer,
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throughout the four rainy months, until the full moon of Kārttika, O twice-born ones.
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This is the most sacred time for the worship of Hari.
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Whatever fruit is spoken of from dwelling in Kāśī for many yugas, established in vows and restraints,
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one should know that [same fruit is obtained] in the sacred field of the glorious Puruṣottama
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by dwelling in the presence of Hari for even a single day of Cāturmāsya.
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As for the days of the four rainy months that one might spend dwelling
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in the sacred field in the presence of Jagannātha, with a pure heart,
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he directly obtains the fruit of a thousand horse sacrifices.
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Having bathed in the holy water of the ocean and beheld the glorious Puruṣottama,
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abiding in the vow of Cāturmāsya, he grieves for nothing whatsoever.
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Dwelling in the sacred field of the glorious Puruṣottama during Cāturmāsya
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and the direct vision of the Lord—these two are the means to liberation.
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Therefore, abandoning all Vedic and Smṛti duties, a man
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should make every effort to dwell in the sacred field of the glorious Puruṣottama.
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Asleep on the seat of the serpent's coils during Cāturmāsya, the Lord,
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the teacher of the universe, does not manifest His presence in all sacred fields;
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here He dwells in visible form, just as in the abode of Vaikuṇṭha.
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Throughout all twelve months the Lord is embodied here;
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seen with one's eyes, He grants liberation, especially during Cāturmāsya.
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Whatever fruit one obtains by residing for eight months and beholding Viṣṇu day by day,
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he surely obtains that from a single day during the Cāturmāsya.
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By residing during the Cāturmāsya in the sacred field Śrī Puruṣottama,
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day by day [he gains] the great merit born of residing in all sacred fields;
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the Lord grants the fruit derived from residing a year in the sacred field.
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Even if attached to every sin, and even if fallen from all proper conduct,
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even if cast out from all righteousness, one should reside in Puruṣottama.
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If a man who has committed sins should then observe a single Cāturmāsya,
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abandoning all sins and becoming pure both outside and within,
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by the grace of Narasiṃha he goes to the abode of Vaikuṇṭha.
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Therefore, with all one's being, [concentrating] on the sleeping state of Viṣṇu,
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a man should reside in Puruṣottama during the four rainy months.
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Whether he does anything else or not, he attains the fulfillment of his birth.
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On the eleventh day of the bright fortnight of Āṣāḍha, one should celebrate the great festival of sleeping;
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there he should prepare a pavilion, an excellent bedchamber,
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in front of the god, [preparing] a bed upon a jeweled couch,
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well-spread, provided with pillows, with a soft silk bedspread,
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sprinkled with camphor dust, having a fine awning, auspicious,
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enclosed on all sides, free from holes, sprinkled with sandalwood,
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with a good door, level, smooth, and adorned with various pictures.
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Having made a single bedchamber, at midnight three images—
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either of gold, or of silver, or made of brass, or of stone—
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he should make according to his faith; each following one is more commendable.
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Having placed them duly at the feet of those three gods,
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he should worship the gods and place the remnants upon them.
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At the conclusion of the worship, he should meditate on their oneness with Kṛṣṇa and the others:
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“Come, come, O Lord, O God, sole life of all worlds!
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For four months, for the purpose of sleep, for the increase of all auspiciousness!”
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Having thus prayed to the lords of gods, [taking] three garlands from their limbs,
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and placing them on each of the substitute images, with auspicious hymns and songs,
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he should lead them to the door of the bedchamber and make them stay for three ghaṭikās.
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He should bathe them with the five nectars, each [measuring] more than a hundred palas.
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Smeared with fragrant sandalwood, with garments, ornaments, and the like,
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having worshipped them properly, with folded hands he should utter the mantra:
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“O worshipful one of the universe, O Lord of the universe, O you dedicated to protecting the universe!
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For the welfare of the worlds, O Lord, during the Cāturmāsya when the clouds arrive,
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sleeping, worshipped together with Śakra, pacify all calamities!
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Come, come to the bedchamber; sleep pleasantly here, O Lord!”
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Having thus prayed to the Lord of gods, he should lay Puruṣottama down to sleep.
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He should firmly fasten the door of Viṣṇu's bedchamber;
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having put the Lord of the universe to sleep, he obtains supreme happiness.
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During the four rainy months, while Janārdana is asleep,
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one should spend the four months with various vows and observances.
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A devoted man will surely dwell in the world of Viṣṇu for a kalpa.
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O sages, listen to me as I speak of the observances and vows!
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A devoted man should avoid sleeping on a cot, bedstead, and the like.
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He should not go to his wife out of season, [nor consume] meat, honey, or food from another.
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He should not eat pointed gourd, radish, or eggplant;
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he should avoid forbidden food from afar: lentils, white mustard,
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kidney beans, horse gram, and fast-ripening grain he should abandon.
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Vegetables, curd, milk, and black gram—in order, starting from the month of Śrāvaṇa;
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excepting the king, cowherd, and ascetic, one should not put on leather shoes.
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If one spends the four rainy months without vows,
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for the pacification of that sin he should observe vows in the month of Kārtika.
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“Obeisance to Kṛṣṇa, to Hari, to Keśava, obeisance, obeisance!
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Obeisance be to Narasiṃha, to Viṣṇu, the conqueror of sin!”
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In the evening, morning, midday, and at the conclusion of rites, he should recite this.
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His terrible sins accumulated over many births,
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he burns away entirely, like fire [burns] a heap of cotton.
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Eating once a day, with restrained food, eating the remnants of Viṣṇu's offerings,
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Whoever, making the full moon of Āṣāḍha the beginning and that of Kārttika the limit,
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eats only at night—heaven is a small reward for him.
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He should avoid oil-massage, sleeping during the day, and speaking falsehood.
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On the eleventh day of the bright half of Āṣāḍha, or at the Cancer solstice,
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or on the full moon of Āṣāḍha, a person undertaking the observance should devoutly adopt the rule.
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Having worshipped god Madhusūdana, the destroyer of all sins,
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making the resolve before him regarding the observance, worship, recitation, and other rites,
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the practitioner of the observance, with palms joined together, should pray to the Supreme Bliss:
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"O Lord, the cāturmāsya observance has been undertaken by your grace;
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by your grace, O Keśava, may it reach fulfillment without obstacle.
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If in the midst of this observance my departure to the other world should occur,
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then let it be complete for me by your grace, O Adhokṣaja!"
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Having thus prayed to the Lord of gods, established in the previously stated rule,
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the practitioner of the observance, with mind dedicated to Viṣṇu, should spend the four months.
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At the end of each month, one should perform the breaking of the fast for the pleasure of Kṛṣṇa.
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Having worshipped the Lord of the world, he should feed brahmins with sweet foods.
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One who is unable, however, should break the excellent observance on the full moon of Kārttika.
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Having worshipped Jagannātha on that day, he should then satisfy [the deity] residing in fire.
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He should honour the foremost brahmins with sweet milk-rice through devotion to Viṣṇu.
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According to his ability, he should indeed give gold and clothing.
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If unable, he should perform the previously described observance in the month of Kārttika:
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and the manifold observance of Viṣṇu, as well as the kṛcchra and cāndrāyaṇa penances.
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Whoever passes [the time] drinking milk, or else living on a diet of vegetables,
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having enjoyed vast pleasures here, attains supreme nirvāṇa.
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If he should be unable even in that regard, then during the excellent five days of Bhīṣma
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the practitioner of the observance should subsist on forest fare for the pleasure of the God of gods.
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This observance has been proclaimed as that which brings about the Lord's pleasure,
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calms all sins, and grants departure to the realm of Viṣṇu;
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it brings fortune, renown, long life, and accomplishes all desires.
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O sages, this secret has been told to you; hear another:
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These observances and many other observances,
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know them to be completely fruitless for those devoid of devotion to the Lord!
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Whatever fruit belongs to great sacrifices, whatever excellent fruit to sacred fords,
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and whatever fruit belongs to gifts and to pure austerities,
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one attains all of that fruit through devotion to Viṣṇu alone.
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Those great-souled ones who behold the excellent festival of [the Lord's] sleep,
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and those who arrange the festival, do not sleep in a mother's womb.
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Having vowed this observance before him at the end of the festival,
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and having completed it fully, one is honoured in the world of Brahmā.
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Thus ends the thirty-sixth chapter in the Puruṣottamakṣetra-māhātmya in the second Section on Viṣṇu in the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa of eighty-one thousand verses.
Linked texts (1)
- Skandapurāṇa — Vyāsa, Sanskrit