Purushottam Maas Katha: Adhyaya 29 – पुरुषोत्तम मास कथा: अध्याय 29

At the time of sunset, go to a pilgrimage site or wash your feet at home, wear clean clothes, and worship the evening twilight.

The virtuous and well-behaved one said, 'O Lord! Let's go to Goloka, why are you delaying here? You have attained the proximity of Lord Purushottam.

The miser said, 'I have many karmas to be enjoyed in various ways. But how did our salvation happen, by which we attained Goloka? I have as many sins as there are streams of rain, as many blades of grass, as many particles of dust on the earth, as many stars in the sky. How did I get this beautiful and charming body? O beloved of Lord Hari! Tell me its very fierce reason.

Shri Narayan said, 'Hearing the words of the miser in this way, the messengers of Hari said.

The messengers of Hari said, 'Oh! It's amazing. O Lord! How did you not know the great means of attaining this position? O Lord! Why did you not know the month known as Purushottam Maas, which is the best of all, dear to Vishnu, and gives great virtuous results? You performed penance in that Purushottam Maas that even the gods cannot do. O Maharaj! That penance was done unknowingly in the forest with the body of a monkey. Due to mouth disease, you unknowingly fasted without food, and due to the restlessness of being a monkey, you plucked fruits from the tree and threw them on the ground, and other humans were satisfied with those fruits. Due to special sorrow in the heart, you did not even drink water. In this way, unknowingly, you performed intense penance in Shri Purushottam Maas. O sinless one! By throwing the fruits, you also did good to others. Wandering in the forest, you endured cold, wind, and sunshine, and took a dip for five days in a beautiful great pilgrimage site in a superior pilgrimage site. By which you attained the virtue of bathing in Shri Purushottam Maas. In this way, due to your disease, an excellent penance was done unknowingly. So all this was successful and you have experienced it at this time. When you have received this fruit by unknowingly observing Purushottam Maas, then what can be said of a man who knows the excellent greatness of this Purushottam Maas and performs actions with faith and according to the rules?

Who is capable of doing what you have done to achieve your goal? No other thing is more pleasing to Lord Purushottam. Those who are born in this Bharatkhand in the very rare human form and serve Lord Purushottam. By fasting even once in the Purushottam Maas, a man is freed from a heap of sins, where you have fasted for months, where will the fruit of this fierce penance go?

Those creatures are blessed and fulfilled like this month. They are always fortunate, doers of virtuous deeds, pure, and their birth is successful, whose Purushottam Maas, which is the best of all, is spent in bathing, giving, and chanting. Giving, performing ancestral rites, and various types of penance in Shri Purushottam Maas give crores of times more results than other months. Woe to that atheist, sinner, deceitful, religious hypocrite, wicked person who remains without bathing and giving when Purushottam Maas arrives.

Shri Narayan said, 'Hearing his unseen described by the virtuous and well-behaved, the miser was surprised, pleased, and thrilled. After bowing to the deities of the pilgrimage site, he bowed to Mount Kalinjar. And he bowed to the deities of the forest and the shrubs, creepers, and trees. Then, being humble, he circumambulated the plane and, wearing a beautiful yellow garment like a cloud, the miser boarded the plane.

While all the gods were watching, being praised by Gandharvas and others and repeatedly playing instruments by Kinnaras and others, Indra and other gods, being pleased, showered gentle flowers and worshiped him with respect. Then, filled with joy, he went to Goloka, which is rare for yogis, served by cowherds, cowgirls, and cows, and adorned with Rasamandal. Having gone to that Goloka, which is free from old age and death, where a creature does not become a partaker of sorrow, this Chitrasharma went to that Goloka by observing Purushottam Maas. By observing Purushottam Maas with pretense, leaving the body of a monkey, holding a flute in his two hands, he became very pleased after seeing Lord Purushottam.

Shri Narayan said, 'Seeing this wonder, all the gods were astonished and, praising Shri Purushottam, went to their respective places.

Narad Muni said, 'O ascetic! You have told the duties of the first part of the day. How should the duties performed in the latter part of the day of Purushottam Maas be performed? O best of speakers! Tell me for the benefit of the householder. Because great souls like you always wander for the benefit of all.

Shri Narayan said, 'After completing the morning duties according to the rules, then perform the midday twilight and perform Tarpana. May all those who desire food, whether they are gods, humans, animals, birds, siddhas, yakshas, ​​serpents, demons, ghosts, goblins, or nagas, accept the food given by me. Then perform the Panchmahayagya, then perform Bhutabali and offer Bali to the crow and dog while reciting the shloka. Saying this, offer Bali separately to all the beings, then perform Achamana according to the rules and happily observe the door until the time of milking the cow with faith for the arrival of a guest. If a guest is found by luck, then the wise man should first honor him with words and worship that guest like a god and satisfy him with food and water as much as possible.

Then, after taking out food from the cooked food containing all the dishes according to the rules, give alms to the mendicant and the celibate. Sannyasis and celibates are both owners of cooked food. One who eats food without giving it to them should observe the Chandrayana fast.

If water is given on the hand of a Sannyasi first and alms are given, then that alms is said to be like Mount Meru and the water is said to be like the ocean. The merit of giving alms to a Sannyasi with respect is equal to the merit of giving a cow, this has been said by Lord Yamaraj. Then, remaining silent, sit facing east and eat the food placed in a clean and large vessel while praising it.

Do not eat on your seat in your vessel with a single cloth. The man who sits on his own seat and eats alone in his bronze vessel with a healthy and happy mind, his age, wisdom, fame, and strength increase.

During the day, 'Satyam tvarten parishinchami' and at night, 'Ritam va satyen paripinchami', taking water in hand with this mantra, determine and eat food containing ghee and dishes.

Taking some food from the meal, say like this, 'Bhoopataye Namah, first say Bhuvanapataye Namah, say Bhootanam Pataye Namah, and give Bali to Dharmaraj, then give it to Chitragupta and say this to give it to the ghosts, for the satisfaction of the ghosts who are situated in any place and are afflicted with hunger and thirst, may this imperishable food be available as per their happiness, say Pranaya, Apanaya, Vyanaya, Udanaya and Samanaya.

First pronounce Pranava, then add the word Swaha at the end and swallow five morsels with ghee from the tongue first, do not press them with the teeth. Then, being absorbed, first eat sweet food, salty substances and sour substances in the middle, and bitter and pungent food at the end. A man who first eats liquid food, eats solid food in the middle, and again eats thin food at the end, does not lack strength and health.

Eight morsels of food have been said for a sage. Sixteen morsels of food have been said for a Vanaprasthashrami. 32 morsels of food have been said for a householder and unlimited morsels of food have been said for a celibate.

A Brahmin should not eat food and other substances that are forbidden by the scriptures. Dry and stale substances have been declared unfit for eating by scholars. Eat the remaining food except ghee and milk. After eating, keep that residue on the tips of the fingers and fill the palm with water. Drink half of that water and give the residue on the tips of the fingers to the earth and the remaining half of the water in the palm on top. The scholar should sprinkle in the same place while reciting this mantra. By not doing so, the Brahmin becomes a partaker of sin, then he is purified by performing penance.

Raurave puyanilaye padmarbudanivasinam॥
Aarthinamudakam dattamakshayyamupatishthatu॥

Meaning of the mantra, 'May this water given by me, becoming imperishable, be attained by those who reside in Raurava hell, in the pit of pus, for Padma Arbud years and those who desire it.

After reciting the mantra and sprinkling water, clean the teeth. After performing Achamana, move the vessel slightly with wet hands and get up from that eating place, sit outside, be healthy, purify the mouth and hands with soil and water, rinse sixteen times, become pure and sit comfortably and touch the stomach with your hands while reciting these two mantras.

Agastyam kumbhakarnam cha shanim cha vadavanalam॥
Aharaparipakartham smaredbheemam cha panchmam ॥
Aatapi maarito yena vatapo cha nipatitah॥
Samudrah shoshito yena sa me'gastyah praseedatu॥

Remember Agastya, Kumbhakarna, Shani, Badavanal and the fifth Bhima for the digestion of food. May that Agastya be pleased with me, who killed Atapi and also killed Vatapi, and who dried up the ocean.

After this, remember Shri Krishna Dev with a happy mind. Then perform Achamana and eat betel leaves. After eating, sit down and contemplate on the Supreme Brahman Shri Krishna with the excellent scriptures that are not opposed to the excellent path. The wise should listen to spiritual knowledge. Even a man who is completely devoid of livelihood should listen with a healthy mind for a moment.

He who listens and knows Dharma, abandons sin by listening, delusion is removed after listening, and attains the nectar of knowledge by listening. Even a low person becomes great by listening, and even a great person becomes low by not listening. Then go outside and do business etc. as per your happiness and meditate on Lord Shri Krishna, who gives complete success, with your mind.

At the time of sunset, go to a pilgrimage site or wash your feet at home, wear clean clothes, and worship the evening twilight. He who is the lowest among the Brahmins and does not perform the evening twilight due to negligence becomes a partaker of the sin of cow slaughter and goes to Raurava hell after death. If it is never done on time, in times of trouble, if he is on the way, then the best of Brahmins should perform the evening twilight before midnight. The radiance of the Brahmin who worships the morning, midday, and evening twilight with faith increases greatly like fire when ghee is poured into it.

In the evening, when the sun is half set, do Pranayama and cleanse with the mantra 'Aapo Hishta'. And in the evening, perform Achamana with the mantra 'Agnishch Ma॰-' and in the morning, perform Achamana with the mantra 'Suryashch Ma॰-'. Sitting facing west, with a silent and concentrated mind, chant the Gayatri mantra with Pranava and Vyahruti with a rosary of Rudraksha until the stars rise. After worshiping Suryanarayan with the verses related to Varuna, circumambulate and salute the directions and the lords of the separate directions.

After worshiping the evening twilight, offer oblations in the fire and eat a small meal with the servants. Then sit down for some time. Even if there is no desire for food in the evening and morning, Vaishvadeva and Bali Karma should always be performed. If he does not do so, he becomes a sinner. After eating in the evening and sitting down, the householder should wash his hands and feet and go to a soft bed with a pillow. He should sleep in his house with his head towards the east, in his father-in-law's house with his head towards the south, and in a foreign country with his head towards the west, but he should never sleep with his head towards the north. He should chant the Ratrisukta and remember the Sukhshayi deities and salute the imperishable Lord Vishnu, and sleep at night with a healthy mind.

Agastya, Madhava, Mahabali Muchukunda, Kapil, Aastik Muni, these five are said to be Sukhshayi. Keep a pot full of auspicious water near your head and protect yourself with Vedic and Garuda mantras and sleep. Go to your wife during the menstrual cycle and always love your wife, a celibate should go to his wife leaving the festival with the desire for pleasure. Spend time studying the Vedas in Pradosh and the last part of Pradosh. Then one who sleeps for two prahars is worthy of becoming equal to Brahma.

All this has been said about the entire group of daily duties. The householder should do it well and this is the characteristic of the householder's ashram. Non-violence, truthful speech, compassion for all beings, peace, giving charity as much as possible, is said to be the dharma of the householder's ashram. Not enjoying another woman, protecting one's own wife, not taking things that have not been given, not eating honey and meat. This five-fold dharma has many branches and gives happiness. The dharma arising from the body should be done by the best creatures.

Shri Narayan said, 'This excellent character, which has been said in all the Vedas, is the characteristic of the householder's ashram. O sage! I have told you this briefly with its characteristics for the benefit of the world.

Thus ends the twenty-ninth chapter in the Purushottammasmahatmya of Shri Brihannaradiya Purana ॥29॥