Why should only the wife pray?
Every year around Karaka Caturthī the same question comes up: why should only the wife fast for the husband? The Skanda Purāṇa has the answers for this. It mentions a vrata kept by the husband for his wife. It is called the Aśūnyaśayana Vrata, and it is described in the Skanda Purāṇa, Book 6 (Nāgara-khaṇḍa), Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya, Adhyāya 265.
The name and its origin
A-śūnya means "not empty" and śayana means "bed". It is the vow that the bed may never be empty: that husband and wife are never parted.
The chapter opens with the ṛṣis asking Sūta about this vrata, which Indra performed long ago to please Viṣṇu while He slept (v. 21). The setting is Cāturmāsya, the four months of Viṣṇu's sleep (v. 1), and the deity worshipped is Jalaśāyin, Viṣṇu reclining on the waters. The chapter itself calls it the jalaśāyy-upākhyāna, the narrative of Jalaśāyin.
The story behind the vrata
The origin of the vrata is told earlier in the same narrative, in Skanda Purāṇa 6.231, the chapter on the greatness of Ekādaśī. Sūta narrates it to the brāhmaṇas.
Vṛka and the sage Sāṅkṛti. The Dānava Vṛka seized the three worlds and had anyone who worshipped the devas killed (vv. 1–9). The sage Sāṅkṛti kept up his tapas in secret in a chasm at Hāṭakeśvara, before an image of Vāsudeva, and the Dānavas' weapons were blunted against him (vv. 10–17). Vṛka flung the image away, kicked the sage and struck him with his sword, which shattered into a hundred pieces (vv. 18–22). Sāṅkṛti cursed him: "Since you struck me with your feet, let your feet fall to the ground" (v. 24). They fell at once (v. 25).
Feet for four months. Brahmā, pleased with Vṛka's tapas, asked Sāṅkṛti to give his feet back (vv. 31–38). The sage refused, for a Vṛka with feet, free of old age and death, would destroy the world (vv. 39–42). Brahmā found a way: in the rainy season no conqueror marches, so let Vṛka have his feet only for the four months of the rains (vv. 43–46). Sāṅkṛti agreed, and the feet grew back (v. 47). So for eight months Vṛka lay lame in the chasm, and for four months every year he came out and tormented the devas, ruined the places of dharma, and harassed the wives of the devas (vv. 48–52). The devas took shelter with Viṣṇu in the Milk Ocean for those four months (vv. 53–54).
Indra's grief. At the end of Āṣāḍha, Indra went to Bṛhaspati. Year after year he lost his place and lived in another's shelter, leaving his home, his beds and everything dear (vv. 55–58). He asked for a vrata, a niyama or a homa:
अशून्यं शयनं येन स्वकलत्रेण जायते ।
तथा न गृहसंत्यागः स्वकीयस्य प्रजायते ॥ ६० ॥
aśūnyaṃ śayanaṃ yena svakalatreṇa jāyate ।
tathā na gṛhasaṃtyāgaḥ svakīyasya prajāyate ॥ 60 ॥
"[Tell us a means] by which one's bed is not left empty of one's own wife, and likewise one's own home is not abandoned."
पुनर्भूमौ शयिष्यामि यावन्मासचतुष्टयम् ।
निष्कलत्रो भयोद्विग्नो ब्रह्मचर्यपरायणः ॥ ६२ ॥
punarbhūmau śayiṣyāmi yāvanmāsacatuṣṭayam ।
niṣkalatro bhayodvigno brahmacaryaparāyaṇaḥ ॥ 62 ॥
"Again I shall sleep on the ground for four months, without my wife, troubled by fear, bound to celibacy."
Bṛhaspati's answer. After reflecting long, Bṛhaspati gave him this vrata:
अशून्यशयनंनाम व्रतमस्ति महत्तपः ।
विष्णोराराधनार्थाय तत्कुरुष्व समाहितः ॥ ६४ ॥
aśūnyaśayanaṃnāma vratamasti mahattapaḥ ।
viṣṇorārādhanārthāya tatkuruṣva samāhitaḥ ॥ 64 ॥
"There is a vrata named Aśūnyaśayana, a great tapas. Perform it with a collected mind, for the worship of Viṣṇu."
यथा न शून्यं शयनं गृहभंगः प्रजायते ।
सर्वशत्रुविनाशश्च तत्प्रसादेन वासव ॥ ६६ ॥
yathā na śūnyaṃ śayanaṃ gṛhabhaṃgaḥ prajāyate ।
sarvaśatruvināśaśca tatprasādena vāsava ॥ 66 ॥
"[He will grant it] so that, by His grace, O Vāsava, your bed is not empty, no breaking of your home occurs, and all your enemies are destroyed."
Viṣṇu's boon. Indra kept the vrata, and Viṣṇu, pleased with "this vrata kept in Cāturmāsya", offered him a boon (vv. 67–68). Indra asked that his rule, which lasted only eight months a year, be made permanent (vv. 69–71). Vṛka could not be killed, for Brahmā had made him free of old age and death (v. 72). So Viṣṇu made a promise:
क्षीरार्णवं परित्यज्य हाटकेश्वरसंज्ञिते ।
क्षेत्रे गत्वा समं लक्ष्म्या तस्योपरि ततः परम् ॥ ७४ ॥
kṣīrārṇavaṃ parityajya hāṭakeśvarasaṃjñite ।
kṣetre gatvā samaṃ lakṣmyā tasyopari tataḥ param ॥ 74 ॥
करिष्यामि त्वहं शक्र शयनं यत्नमास्थितः ।
यावच्च चतुरो मासान्यथा स न चलिष्यति ॥ ७५ ॥
kariṣyāmi tvahaṃ śakra śayanaṃ yatnamāsthitaḥ ।
yāvacca caturo māsānyathā sa na caliṣyati ॥ 75 ॥
"Leaving the Milk Ocean, I shall go with Lakṣmī to the kṣetra called Hāṭakeśvara, and there, O Śakra, I shall make my bed upon him with effort for four months, so that he cannot stir."
And He added a promise for all who keep this vrata:
यो मां तत्र शयानं तु व्रतेनानेन देवप ।
पूजयिष्यति सद्भक्त्या तस्य दास्यामि वांछितम् ॥ ७८ ॥
yo māṃ tatra śayānaṃ tu vratenānena devapa ।
pūjayiṣyati sadbhaktyā tasya dāsyāmi vāṃchitam ॥ 78 ॥
"Whoever, O lord of the devas, worships me lying there, with true devotion, through this vrata, to him I shall give what he desires."
Why Jalaśāyin at Hāṭakeśvara. Every year, on Āṣāḍha śukla ekādaśī, Viṣṇu comes to Hāṭakeśvara and lies upon Vṛka, who is pinned down, almost lifeless, under His weight. On Kārttika śukla ekādaśī He rises and returns to the Milk Ocean (vv. 80–83).
This is the Viṣṇu of the vrata: Jalaśāyin lying with Lakṣmī through the four months, never parted from her. It is why the husband's prayer in Chapter 265 asks, "As you are never parted from Lakṣmī, so may my bond with my wife never perish." From its very first observance the vrata was a husband's prayer not to be separated from his wife.
When is it kept?
Karaka Caturthī is one day a year. The Aśūnyaśayana Vrata is four. It begins on the dvitīyā after Śrāvaṇa Pūrṇimā, under the nakṣatra whose deity is Viṣṇu, that is Śravaṇa (v. 23). It is then kept in the same way in Bhādrapada, Āśvina and Kārttika (v. 30).
Amānta | Pūrṇimānta | |
|---|---|---|
1 | Śrāvaṇa kṛṣṇa dvitīyā | Bhādrapada kṛṣṇa dvitīyā |
2 | Bhādrapada kṛṣṇa dvitīyā | Āśvina kṛṣṇa dvitīyā |
3 | Āśvina kṛṣṇa dvitīyā | Kārttika kṛṣṇa dvitīyā |
4 | Kārttika kṛṣṇa dvitīyā | Mārgaśīrṣa kṛṣṇa dvitīyā |
The text fixes the first day; for the next three months it says only "in the same way" (evam), so the dvitīyā of each month is the natural reading.
How to observe it
- At dawn. Rise early, and do not converse with the wicked, the fallen or the mlecchas (v. 23).
- At midday. Bathe, put on washed clothes, and approach Jalaśāyin Viṣṇu (v. 24).
- The pūjā. Worship Him with the prayer of vv. 25–28, given below.
- Honour a brāhmaṇa. Having made the offering, honour a brāhmaṇa according to your means, without stinginess (v. 29).
- The food. Eat food without salt, and especially without oil (v. 31).
- Repeat. Worship Jalaśāyin in the same way in Bhādrapada, Āśvina and Kārttika (v. 30).
- Conclusion. At the end, give an eminent brāhmaṇa a bed furnished with fruits and grain, with clothes, and gold as dakṣiṇā (vv. 31–32).
The husband's prayer
The heart of the vrata is the prayer to Jalaśāyin (vv. 25–28). The husband first asks that his householder's life, which grants dharma, artha and kāma, not come to ruin. He then asks that his Pitṛs, his sacred fires and his devatās not be lost to him through any parting of husband and wife, dāmpatya-bhedataḥ. His whole household dharma rests on the marriage. Then the prayer turns to Lakṣmī and Nārāyaṇa themselves:
लक्ष्म्या वियुज्यसे कृष्ण न कदाचिद्यथा भवान् ।
तथा कलत्रसम्बन्धो देव मा मे प्रणश्यतु ॥
lakṣmyā viyujyase kṛṣṇa na kadācidyathā bhavān ।
tathā kalatrasambandho deva mā me praṇaśyatu ॥
"As you, O Kṛṣṇa, are never parted from Lakṣmī, so, O Lord, may my bond with my wife never perish." (v. 27)
And the next verse gives the vrata its name: as Viṣṇu's bed is never empty of Lakṣmī, so may his bed never be empty, birth after birth (v. 28).
The fruit of the vrata
- For the husband. As Jalaśāyin was once pleased with Indra, so the one who keeps this vrata will have a bed never empty, birth after birth (vv. 33–34). The text speaks of him as pumān, a man: whatever sin he has committed over eight months, knowingly or unknowingly, is destroyed (v. 35).
- For women. A woman without a son, a woman with only one child, or a widow who keeps it with a collected mind is granted purity of body; her mind never turns to sin or is overcome by desire (vv. 36–37).
- For maidens. A maiden who keeps it obtains a husband of noble family, endowed with good looks (v. 38).
- Without desire. One who keeps it without seeking any fruit obtains the fruit of all the niyamas of Cāturmāsya (v. 39).
One prayer, two sides
Karaka Caturthī is the wife's vrata for saubhāgya, an unbroken married life; the Nārada Purāṇa gives its adhikāra to women. Aśūnyaśayana is the husband's vrata for the same thing: that the bond with his wife never perish. One is kept for a day, the other for four. Both ask that husband and wife are never parted.
So it is not that only wives pray for husbands. The tradition gives each a vow for the other.
Appendix
The verses: Skanda Purāṇa 6.265.21–39
The Aśūnyaśayana Vrata occupies verses 21–39 of the chapter; verses 1–20 describe the Bhīṣma-pañcaka. The Sanskrit follows the text on wisdomlib, with its spellings kept as they are. The translations are literal; words in square brackets are supplied from the surrounding verses so that each verse reads complete.
Verse 21
ऋषय ऊचुः ॥
यदेतद्भवता प्रोक्तमशून्यशायिनीव्रतम् ।
इन्द्रेण यत्कृतं पूर्वं तुष्ट्यर्थं चक्रपाणिनः ।
प्रसुप्तस्य महाभाग फलं चैव प्रकीर्तितम् ॥ २१ ॥
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ ॥
yadetadbhavatā proktamaśūnyaśāyinīvratam ।
indreṇa yatkṛtaṃ pūrvaṃ tuṣṭyarthaṃ cakrapāṇinaḥ ।
prasuptasya mahābhāga phalaṃ caiva prakīrtitam ॥ 21 ॥
The ṛṣis said: "O fortunate one, you have spoken of this Aśūnyaśāyinī vrata, which Indra performed long ago to please the Discus-bearer while He slept, and you have proclaimed its fruit."
Verse 22
कस्मिन्काले प्रकर्तव्यं केनैव विधिना तथा ।
तस्मात्सूत महाभाग विधानं विस्तराद्वद ॥ २२ ॥
kasminkāle prakartavyaṃ kenaiva vidhinā tathā ।
tasmātsūta mahābhāga vidhānaṃ vistarādvada ॥ 22 ॥
"At what time is it to be kept, and by what procedure? So, O fortunate Sūta, tell us its procedure in detail."
Verse 23
सूत उवाच ।
श्रावण्यां समतीतायां द्वितीयादिवसे स्थिते ।
प्रातरुत्थाय विप्रेन्द्रा नक्षत्रे विष्णुदैवते ।
पापिष्ठैः पतितैर्म्लेच्छैः संभाषं नैव कारयेत् ॥ २३ ॥
sūta uvāca ।
śrāvaṇyāṃ samatītāyāṃ dvitīyādivase sthite ।
prātarutthāya viprendrā nakṣatre viṣṇudaivate ।
pāpiṣṭhaiḥ patitairmlecchaiḥ saṃbhāṣaṃ naiva kārayet ॥ 23 ॥
Sūta said: "When the Śrāvaṇa full moon has passed, on the second day, O best of brāhmaṇas, rising at dawn under the nakṣatra whose deity is Viṣṇu, one should not converse with the wicked, the fallen or the mlecchas."
Verse 24
ततो मध्याह्नसमये स्नात्वा धौतांबरः शुचिः ।
जलशायिनमासाद्य मंत्रेणानेन पूजयेत् ॥ २४ ॥
tato madhyāhnasamaye snātvā dhautāṃbaraḥ śuciḥ ।
jalaśāyinamāsādya maṃtreṇānena pūjayet ॥ 24 ॥
"Then at midday, having bathed, clean and in washed clothes, he should approach Jalaśāyin and worship Him with this mantra:"
Verse 25
श्रीवत्सधारिञ्छ्रीकांत श्रीधामञ्छ्रीपतेऽव्यय ।
गार्हस्थ्यं मा प्रणाशं मे यातु धर्मार्थकामदम् ॥ २५ ॥
śrīvatsadhāriñchrīkāṃta śrīdhāmañchrīpate'vyaya ।
gārhasthyaṃ mā praṇāśaṃ me yātu dharmārthakāmadam ॥ 25 ॥
"O bearer of the Śrīvatsa, beloved of Śrī, abode of Śrī, lord of Śrī, imperishable one! May my householder's life, which grants dharma, artha and kāma, not come to ruin."
Verse 26
पितरो मा प्रणश्यंतु मा प्रणश्यंतु चाग्नयः ।
देवता मा प्रणश्यंतु मत्तो दांपत्यभेदतः ॥ २६ ॥
pitaro mā praṇaśyaṃtu mā praṇaśyaṃtu cāgnayaḥ ।
devatā mā praṇaśyaṃtu matto dāṃpatyabhedataḥ ॥ 26 ॥
"May the Pitṛs not be lost to me, nor the sacred fires, nor the devatās, through a breaking apart of husband and wife."
Verse 27
लक्ष्म्या वियुज्यसे कृष्ण न कदाचिद्यथा भवान् ।
तथा कलत्रसम्बन्धो देव मा मे प्रणश्यतु ॥ २७ ॥
lakṣmyā viyujyase kṛṣṇa na kadācidyathā bhavān ।
tathā kalatrasambandho deva mā me praṇaśyatu ॥ 27 ॥
"As you, O Kṛṣṇa, are never parted from Lakṣmī, so, O Lord, may my bond with my wife never perish."
Verse 28
लक्ष्म्या ह्यशून्यं शयनं यथा ते देव सर्वदा ।
शय्या ममाप्यशून्यास्तु तथा जन्मनि जन्मनि ॥ २८ ॥
lakṣmyā hyaśūnyaṃ śayanaṃ yathā te deva sarvadā ।
śayyā mamāpyaśūnyāstu tathā janmani janmani ॥ 28 ॥
"As your bed, O Lord, is never empty of Lakṣmī, so may my bed too never be empty, birth after birth."
Verse 29
एवमर्थं निवेद्याथ ततो विप्रं प्रपूजयेत् ।
यथाशक्त्या द्विजश्रेष्ठा वित्तशाठ्यं विवर्जयेत् ॥ २९ ॥
evamarthaṃ nivedyātha tato vipraṃ prapūjayet ।
yathāśaktyā dvijaśreṣṭhā vittaśāṭhyaṃ vivarjayet ॥ 29 ॥
"Having thus made known his petition, he should then honour a brāhmaṇa according to his means, O best of the twice-born, avoiding stinginess with wealth."
Verse 30
एवं भाद्रपदे मासि आश्विने कार्तिके तथा ।
पूजयेच्च जगन्नाथं जलशायिनमच्युतम् ॥ ३० ॥
evaṃ bhādrapade māsi āśvine kārtike tathā ।
pūjayecca jagannāthaṃ jalaśāyinamacyutam ॥ 30 ॥
"In the same way, in the months of Bhādrapada, Āśvina and Kārttika, he should worship Jagannātha, the imperishable Jalaśāyin."
Verse 31
अक्षारभोजनं कार्यं विशेषात्तैलवर्जितम् ।
समाप्तौ च ततो दद्याद्ब्राह्मणेंद्राय भक्तितः ॥ ३१ ॥
akṣārabhojanaṃ kāryaṃ viśeṣāttailavarjitam ।
samāptau ca tato dadyādbrāhmaṇeṃdrāya bhaktitaḥ ॥ 31 ॥
"His food is to be without salt, and above all without oil. At the conclusion he should then, with devotion, give to an eminent brāhmaṇa [the gifts named in the next verse]."
Verse 32
फलव्रीहिसमोपेतां शय्यां वस्त्रसमन्विताम् ।
सुवर्णं दक्षिणायां च तथैव च फलं लभेत् ॥ ३२ ॥
phalavrīhisamopetāṃ śayyāṃ vastrasamanvitām ।
suvarṇaṃ dakṣiṇāyāṃ ca tathaiva ca phalaṃ labhet ॥ 32 ॥
"[He should give] a bed furnished with fruits and grain, together with clothes, and gold as dakṣiṇā. In this way he obtains the fruit."
Verse 33
एवं यः कुरुते सम्यग्व्रतमेतत्समाहितः ।
तस्य तुष्टिपथं याति जलशायी जगद्गुरुः ॥ ३३ ॥
evaṃ yaḥ kurute samyagvratametatsamāhitaḥ ।
tasya tuṣṭipathaṃ yāti jalaśāyī jagadguruḥ ॥ 33 ॥
"Whoever keeps this vrata properly in this way, with a collected mind, Jalaśāyin, the teacher of the world, is pleased with him."
Verse 34
यथा शक्रस्य संतुष्टः पूर्वमेव द्विजोत्तमाः ।
अशून्यं शयनं तस्य भवेज्जन्मनि जन्मनि ॥ ३४ ॥
yathā śakrasya saṃtuṣṭaḥ pūrvameva dvijottamāḥ ।
aśūnyaṃ śayanaṃ tasya bhavejjanmani janmani ॥ 34 ॥
"As He was pleased with Śakra (Indra) long ago, O best of the twice-born, so this man's bed shall never be empty, birth after birth."
Verse 35
अष्टमासकृतं पापमज्ञानाज्ज्ञानतोऽपि वा ।
अशून्यशयनात्सर्वं व्रतान्नाशं नयेत्पुमान् ॥ ३५ ॥
aṣṭamāsakṛtaṃ pāpamajñānājjñānato'pi vā ।
aśūnyaśayanātsarvaṃ vratānnāśaṃ nayetpumān ॥ 35 ॥
"Whatever sin a man has committed over eight months, knowingly or unknowingly, he destroys it all through the Aśūnyaśayana vrata."
Verse 36
पुत्रहीना च या नारी काकवन्ध्या च या भवेत् ।
विधवा या करोत्येतद्व्रतमेवं समाहिता ।
तस्यास्तुष्टो जगन्नाथः कायशुद्धिं प्रयच्छति ॥ ३६ ॥
putrahīnā ca yā nārī kākavandhyā ca yā bhavet ।
vidhavā yā karotyetadvratamevaṃ samāhitā ।
tasyāstuṣṭo jagannāthaḥ kāyaśuddhiṃ prayacchati ॥ 36 ॥
"A woman without a son, a woman who has borne only one child, or a widow, who keeps this vrata thus with a collected mind: pleased with her, Jagannātha grants her purity of body."
Verse 37
न तस्या जायते बुद्धिः कदाचित्पापसंभवा ।
न कामोपहता बुद्धिः कथंचिदपि जायते ॥ ३७ ॥
na tasyā jāyate buddhiḥ kadācitpāpasaṃbhavā ।
na kāmopahatā buddhiḥ kathaṃcidapi jāyate ॥ 37 ॥
"Her mind never turns to sin, nor is it in any way overcome by desire."
Verse 38
कुमारिकापि या सम्यग्व्रतमेतत्समाचरेत् ।
सा पतिं लभते विप्राः कुलीनं रूपसंयुतम् ॥ ३८ ॥
kumārikāpi yā samyagvratametatsamācaret ।
sā patiṃ labhate viprāḥ kulīnaṃ rūpasaṃyutam ॥ 38 ॥
"A maiden too who keeps this vrata properly obtains, O brāhmaṇas, a husband of noble family, endowed with good looks."
Verse 39
निष्कामः कुरुते यस्तु व्रतमेतत्समाहितः ।
चातुर्मास्युद्भवानां च नियमानां फलं लभेत् ॥ ३९ ॥
niṣkāmaḥ kurute yastu vratametatsamāhitaḥ ।
cāturmāsyudbhavānāṃ ca niyamānāṃ phalaṃ labhet ॥ 39 ॥
"And one who keeps this vrata without desire, with a collected mind, obtains the fruit of the niyamas of Cāturmāsya."
Colophon
इति श्रीस्कांदे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां षष्ठे नागरखण्डे हाटकेश्वरक्षेत्रमाहात्म्ये जलशाय्युपाख्याने अशून्यशयनव्रतमाहात्म्यवर्णनं नाम पञ्चषष्ट्युत्तरद्विशततमोऽध्यायः ॥ २६५ ॥
iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ ṣaṣṭhe nāgarakhaṇḍe hāṭakeśvarakṣetramāhātmye jalaśāyyupākhyāne aśūnyaśayanavratamāhātmyavarṇanaṃ nāma pañcaṣaṣṭyuttaradviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ॥ 265 ॥
"Thus ends the two hundred and sixty-fifth chapter, called the description of the greatness of the Aśūnyaśayana vrata, in the narrative of Jalaśāyin within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya, in the sixth book, the Nāgara-khaṇḍa, of the eighty-one-thousand-verse saṃhitā of the Śrī Skanda Mahāpurāṇa."
The verses of the Indra story: Skanda Purāṇa 6.231
These are the verses of Chapter 231 that tell the origin of the vrata: Brahmā's ruling on Vṛka's feet (vv. 43–47) and the episode of Indra, Bṛhaspati and Viṣṇu (vv. 55–83). The Sanskrit follows the wisdomlib text; obvious spacing breaks in the source (such as suro ttamaḥ, samā hitaḥ) have been joined, and the misprinted verse number "785" has been read as 75. The translations are literal; words in square brackets are supplied from the surrounding verses so that each verse reads complete.
Verse 43
ब्रह्मोवाच ।
प्रावृट्काले तु सञ्जाते यानं कर्तुं न युज्यते ।
विजिगीषोर्विशेषेण मुक्त्वा शीतातपागमम् ॥ ४३ ॥
brahmovāca ।
prāvṛṭkāle tu sañjāte yānaṃ kartuṃ na yujyate ।
vijigīṣorviśeṣeṇa muktvā śītātapāgamam ॥ 43 ॥
Brahmā said: "When the rainy season has come, it is not fitting to march out, especially for one bent on conquest; that is for the coming of the cold and hot seasons."
Verse 44
तस्माच्च चतुरो मासान्वार्षिकान्पादसंयुतः ।
अगम्यः सर्वलोकानां कुर्यात्कर्माणि धैर्यतः ॥ ४४ ॥
tasmācca caturo māsānvārṣikānpādasaṃyutaḥ ।
agamyaḥ sarvalokānāṃ kuryātkarmāṇi dhairyataḥ ॥ 44 ॥
"Therefore, for the four months of the rains, let him have his feet, and, unassailable by all the worlds, carry out his deeds with steadiness."
Verse 45
तद्भूयात्पादसंयुक्तः स वृको दानवोत्तमः ।
येन क्षेमं च देवानां द्विजानां जायते द्विज ॥ ४५ ॥
tadbhūyātpādasaṃyuktaḥ sa vṛko dānavottamaḥ ।
yena kṣemaṃ ca devānāṃ dvijānāṃ jāyate dvija ॥ 45 ॥
"So let Vṛka, best of Dānavas, have his feet in that way, so that there is welfare for the devas and the brāhmaṇas, O brāhmaṇa."
Verse 46
एवं कृते न मिथ्या ते वाक्यं विप्र भविष्यति ।
फलं च तपसस्तस्य न वृथा संभविष्यति ॥ ४६ ॥
evaṃ kṛte na mithyā te vākyaṃ vipra bhaviṣyati ।
phalaṃ ca tapasastasya na vṛthā saṃbhaviṣyati ॥ 46 ॥
"Done thus, your word will not prove false, O brāhmaṇa, nor will the fruit of his tapas be in vain."
Verse 47
सूत उवाच ।
बाढमित्येव तेनोक्ते सांकृतेन महात्मना ।
उत्थितौ सहसा पादौ तस्य गात्रात्पुनर्नवौ ॥ ४७ ॥
sūta uvāca ।
bāḍhamityeva tenokte sāṃkṛtena mahātmanā ।
utthitau sahasā pādau tasya gātrātpunarnavau ॥ 47 ॥
Sūta said: "When the great-souled Sāṅkṛti said, 'So be it', his feet at once grew anew from his body."
Verse 55
तस्मिन्पंगुत्वमापन्ने दैत्ये परमदारुणे ।
कस्यचित्त्वथ कालस्य देवराजो बृहस्पतिम् ।
प्रोवाच दुःखसंतप्त आषाढांते सुरोत्तमः ॥ ५५ ॥
tasminpaṃgutvamāpanne daitye paramadāruṇe ।
kasyacittvatha kālasya devarājo bṛhaspatim ।
provāca duḥkhasaṃtapta āṣāḍhāṃte surottamaḥ ॥ 55 ॥
"While that most terrible Daitya was lame, after some time, at the end of Āṣāḍha, the king of the devas, best of the gods, burning with sorrow, spoke to Bṛhaspati:"
Verse 56
गुरो स मासः संप्राप्तः प्रावृट्कालो भयावहः ।
आगमिष्यति यत्रासौ लब्धपादो वृकासुरः ॥ ५६ ॥
guro sa māsaḥ saṃprāptaḥ prāvṛṭkālo bhayāvahaḥ ।
āgamiṣyati yatrāsau labdhapādo vṛkāsuraḥ ॥ 56 ॥
"O Guru, that month has come, the fearsome rainy season, in which Vṛkāsura, his feet regained, will come."
Verse 57
गन्तव्यं च ततोऽस्माभिः क्षीरोदे केशवालये ।
मैवं दीनैस्तथा भाव्यं पराश्रयनिवासिभिः ॥ ५७ ॥
gantavyaṃ ca tato'smābhiḥ kṣīrode keśavālaye ।
maivaṃ dīnaistathā bhāvyaṃ parāśrayanivāsibhiḥ ॥ 57 ॥
"Then we must go to the Milk Ocean, to Keśava's abode. It is not fitting that we be so wretched, living in another's shelter."
Verse 58
स्वगृहाणि परित्यज्य शयनान्यासनानि च ।
वाहनानि विचित्राणि यच्चान्यद्दयितं गृहे ॥ ५८ ॥
svagṛhāṇi parityajya śayanānyāsanāni ca ।
vāhanāni vicitrāṇi yaccānyaddayitaṃ gṛhe ॥ 58 ॥
"[We go there] having abandoned our own homes, our beds and seats, our splendid vehicles, and whatever else is dear in the home."
Verse 59
तस्मात्कथय चास्माकमुपायं कञ्चिदेव हि ।
व्रतं वा नियमं वाथ होमं वा मुनिसत्तम ॥ ५९ ॥
tasmātkathaya cāsmākamupāyaṃ kañcideva hi ।
vrataṃ vā niyamaṃ vātha homaṃ vā munisattama ॥ 59 ॥
"So tell us some means, O best of sages: a vrata, a niyama, or a homa."
Verse 60
अशून्यं शयनं येन स्वकलत्रेण जायते ।
तथा न गृहसंत्यागः स्वकीयस्य प्रजायते ॥ ६० ॥
aśūnyaṃ śayanaṃ yena svakalatreṇa jāyate ।
tathā na gṛhasaṃtyāgaḥ svakīyasya prajāyate ॥ 60 ॥
"[Tell us a means] by which one's bed is not left empty of one's own wife, and likewise one's own home is not abandoned."
Verse 61
निर्विण्णोऽहं निजस्थानभ्रंशाद्द्विजवरोत्तम ।
वर्षेवर्षे च सम्प्राप्ते स्थानकस्य च्युतिर्भवेत् ॥ ६१ ॥
nirviṇṇo'haṃ nijasthānabhraṃśāddvijavarottama ।
varṣevarṣe ca samprāpte sthānakasya cyutirbhavet ॥ 61 ॥
"I am weary of losing my own place, O best of brāhmaṇas. Year after year, when this season comes, I fall from my position."
Verse 62
पुनर्भूमौ शयिष्यामि यावन्मासचतुष्टयम् ।
निष्कलत्रो भयोद्विग्नो ब्रह्मचर्यपरायणः ॥ ६२ ॥
punarbhūmau śayiṣyāmi yāvanmāsacatuṣṭayam ।
niṣkalatro bhayodvigno brahmacaryaparāyaṇaḥ ॥ 62 ॥
"Again I shall sleep on the ground for four months, without my wife, troubled by fear, bound to celibacy."
Verse 63
तस्य तद्वचनं श्रुत्वा भयार्तस्य बृहस्पतिः ।
प्रोवाच सुचिरं ध्यात्वा ततो देवं शतक्रतुम् ॥ ६३ ॥
tasya tadvacanaṃ śrutvā bhayārtasya bṛhaspatiḥ ।
provāca suciraṃ dhyātvā tato devaṃ śatakratum ॥ 63 ॥
"Hearing these words of the fear-stricken one, Bṛhaspati reflected for a long time and then said to the god Śatakratu:"
Verse 64
अशून्यशयनंनाम व्रतमस्ति महत्तपः ।
विष्णोराराधनार्थाय तत्कुरुष्व समाहितः ॥ ६४ ॥
aśūnyaśayanaṃnāma vratamasti mahattapaḥ ।
viṣṇorārādhanārthāya tatkuruṣva samāhitaḥ ॥ 64 ॥
"There is a vrata named Aśūnyaśayana, a great tapas. Perform it with a collected mind, for the worship of Viṣṇu."
Verse 65
देवो यत्रास्ति विष्णुः स क्षीराब्धौ मधुसूदनः ।
जलशायी जगद्योनिः स दास्यति हितं च ते ॥ ६५ ॥
devo yatrāsti viṣṇuḥ sa kṣīrābdhau madhusūdanaḥ ।
jalaśāyī jagadyoniḥ sa dāsyati hitaṃ ca te ॥ 65 ॥
"The god Viṣṇu Madhusūdana, Jalaśāyin, the source of the world, who dwells in the Milk Ocean, will grant your good."
Verse 66
यथा न शून्यं शयनं गृहभंगः प्रजायते ।
सर्वशत्रुविनाशश्च तत्प्रसादेन वासव ॥ ६६ ॥
yathā na śūnyaṃ śayanaṃ gṛhabhaṃgaḥ prajāyate ।
sarvaśatruvināśaśca tatprasādena vāsava ॥ 66 ॥
"[He will grant it] so that, by His grace, O Vāsava, your bed is not empty, no breaking of your home occurs, and all your enemies are destroyed."
Verse 67
सूत उवाच ।
तस्मिन्व्रते ततश्चीर्णे ह्यशून्यशयनात्मके ।
तुतोष भगवान्विष्णुस्ततः प्रोवाच देवपम् ॥ ६७ ॥
sūta uvāca ।
tasminvrate tataścīrṇe hyaśūnyaśayanātmake ।
tutoṣa bhagavānviṣṇustataḥ provāca devapam ॥ 67 ॥
Sūta said: "When that vrata, the Aśūnyaśayana, had been kept, Lord Viṣṇu was pleased and spoke to the king of the devas:"
Verse 68
शक्र तुष्टोऽस्मि भद्रं ते वरं वरय सुव्रत ।
व्रतेनानेन चीर्णेन चातुर्मास्योद्भवेन च ।
तस्मात्प्रार्थय देवेन्द्र नित्यं यन्मनसि स्थितम् ॥ ६८ ॥
śakra tuṣṭo'smi bhadraṃ te varaṃ varaya suvrata ।
vratenānena cīrṇena cāturmāsyodbhavena ca ।
tasmātprārthaya devendra nityaṃ yanmanasi sthitam ॥ 68 ॥
"Śakra, I am pleased; blessings to you. Choose a boon, O you of good vows, for this vrata you have kept in Cāturmāsya. So ask, O lord of the devas, for whatever is always in your mind."
Verse 69
इन्द्र उवाच ।
कृष्ण जानासि त्वं चापि यश्च मेऽत्र पराभवः ।
क्रियते दानवेन्द्रेण वृकेण सुदुरात्मना ॥ ६९ ॥
indra uvāca ।
kṛṣṇa jānāsi tvaṃ cāpi yaśca me'tra parābhavaḥ ।
kriyate dānavendreṇa vṛkeṇa sudurātmanā ॥ 69 ॥
Indra said: "O Kṛṣṇa, you too know the defeat inflicted on me here by Vṛka, the wicked lord of the Dānavas."
Verse 70
ममाष्टमासिकं राज्यं त्रैलोक्येऽपि व्यवस्थितम् ।
शेषांश्च चतुरो मासान्वर्षेवर्षे समेति सः ॥ ७० ॥
mamāṣṭamāsikaṃ rājyaṃ trailokye'pi vyavasthitam ।
śeṣāṃśca caturo māsānvarṣevarṣe sameti saḥ ॥ 70 ॥
"My rule over the three worlds stands for eight months; for the other four months, year after year, he comes."
Verse 71
एवं ज्ञात्वा सुरश्रेष्ठ दयां कृत्वा ममोपरि ।
तथा कुरु यथा राज्यं मम स्यात्सार्वकालिकम् ॥ ७१ ॥
evaṃ jñātvā suraśreṣṭha dayāṃ kṛtvā mamopari ।
tathā kuru yathā rājyaṃ mama syātsārvakālikam ॥ 71 ॥
"Knowing this, O best of the gods, take pity on me and act so that my rule may be for all time."
Verse 72
विष्णुरुवाच ।
अजरश्चामरश्चापि स कृतः पद्मयोनिना ।
तत्कथं जीवमानेन तेन राज्यं भवेत्तव ॥ ७२ ॥
viṣṇuruvāca ।
ajaraścāmaraścāpi sa kṛtaḥ padmayoninā ।
tatkathaṃ jīvamānena tena rājyaṃ bhavettava ॥ 72 ॥
Viṣṇu said: "He was made free of old age and death by the Lotus-born. So how, while he lives, could the rule be yours?"
Verse 73
परं तथापि देवेन्द्र करिष्यामि हितं तव ॥ ७३ ॥
paraṃ tathāpi devendra kariṣyāmi hitaṃ tava ॥ 73 ॥
"Even so, O lord of the devas, I shall do what is good for you."
Verse 74
क्षीरार्णवं परित्यज्य हाटकेश्वरसंज्ञिते ।
क्षेत्रे गत्वा समं लक्ष्म्या तस्योपरि ततः परम् ॥ ७४ ॥
kṣīrārṇavaṃ parityajya hāṭakeśvarasaṃjñite ।
kṣetre gatvā samaṃ lakṣmyā tasyopari tataḥ param ॥ 74 ॥
"Leaving the Milk Ocean, I shall go with Lakṣmī to the kṣetra called Hāṭakeśvara, and then [I shall lie] upon him."
Verse 75
करिष्यामि त्वहं शक्र शयनं यत्नमास्थितः ।
यावच्च चतुरो मासान्यथा स न चलिष्यति ॥ ७५ ॥
kariṣyāmi tvahaṃ śakra śayanaṃ yatnamāsthitaḥ ।
yāvacca caturo māsānyathā sa na caliṣyati ॥ 75 ॥
"I, O Śakra, shall with effort make my bed [upon him] for four months, so that he will not stir."
Verse 76
तस्मात्स्थानात्सहस्राक्ष मद्भारेण प्रपीडितः ।
वर्षेवर्षे सदा कार्यं मया तत्सुहितं तव ॥ ७६ ॥
tasmātsthānātsahasrākṣa madbhāreṇa prapīḍitaḥ ।
varṣevarṣe sadā kāryaṃ mayā tatsuhitaṃ tava ॥ 76 ॥
"[He will not stir] from that place, O thousand-eyed one, pressed down by my weight. Year after year I shall always do this, for your good."
Verse 77
तस्माद्गच्छाधुना स्वर्गे कुरु राज्यमकंटकम् ।
प्रावृट्काले तु संप्राप्ते न भीः कार्या तदुद्भवा ॥ ७७ ॥
tasmādgacchādhunā svarge kuru rājyamakaṃṭakam ।
prāvṛṭkāle tu saṃprāpte na bhīḥ kāryā tadudbhavā ॥ 77 ॥
"So go now to heaven and rule without a thorn. When the rainy season comes, have no fear of him."
Verse 78
यो मां तत्र शयानं तु व्रतेनानेन देवप ।
पूजयिष्यति सद्भक्त्या तस्य दास्यामि वांछितम् ॥ ७८ ॥
yo māṃ tatra śayānaṃ tu vratenānena devapa ।
pūjayiṣyati sadbhaktyā tasya dāsyāmi vāṃchitam ॥ 78 ॥
"Whoever, O lord of the devas, worships me lying there, with true devotion, through this vrata, to him I shall give what he desires."
Verse 79
सूत उवाच ।
एवमुक्त्वा हृषीकेशो विससर्ज शतक्रतुम् ।
निःशेषभयनिर्मुक्तं स्वराज्यपरिवृद्धये ॥ ७९ ॥
sūta uvāca ।
evamuktvā hṛṣīkeśo visasarja śatakratum ।
niḥśeṣabhayanirmuktaṃ svarājyaparivṛddhaye ॥ 79 ॥
Sūta said: "Having said this, Hṛṣīkeśa sent Śatakratu away, wholly freed of fear, to make his kingdom flourish."
Verse 80
आषाढस्य सिते पक्ष एकादश्या दिने सदा ।
हाटकेश्वरजे क्षेत्रे तत्रागत्य स्वयं विभुः ॥ ८० ॥
āṣāḍhasya site pakṣa ekādaśyā dine sadā ।
hāṭakeśvaraje kṣetre tatrāgatya svayaṃ vibhuḥ ॥ 80 ॥
"Always, on the ekādaśī of the bright half of Āṣāḍha, the Lord Himself comes to the Hāṭakeśvara kṣetra."
Verse 81
वृकोपरि ततश्चक्रे शयनं यत्नमास्थितः ।
तेनाक्रांतस्ततः सोऽपि शक्नोति चलितुं न हि ॥ ८१ ॥
vṛkopari tataścakre śayanaṃ yatnamāsthitaḥ ।
tenākrāṃtastataḥ so'pi śaknoti calituṃ na hi ॥ 81 ॥
"There He makes His bed upon Vṛka with effort. Weighed down by Him, Vṛka cannot move."
Verse 82
मृतप्रायस्ततो नित्यं तद्भारेण प्रपीडितः ।
कार्तिकस्य सिते पक्ष एकादश्या दिने स्थिते ॥ ८२ ॥
mṛtaprāyastato nityaṃ tadbhāreṇa prapīḍitaḥ ।
kārtikasya site pakṣa ekādaśyā dine sthite ॥ 82 ॥
"[Vṛka lies there] all but dead, constantly crushed by His weight. Then the ekādaśī of the bright half of Kārttika arrives."
Verse 83
उत्थानं कुरुते विष्णुः क्षीरोदं प्रति गच्छति ।
सोऽपि सांकृतिशापेन वृकः पंगुत्वमाप्नुयात् ॥ ८३ ॥
utthānaṃ kurute viṣṇuḥ kṣīrodaṃ prati gacchati ।
so'pi sāṃkṛtiśāpena vṛkaḥ paṃgutvamāpnuyāt ॥ 83 ॥
"[On that day] Viṣṇu rises and goes back to the Milk Ocean, and Vṛka, by Sāṅkṛti's curse, is lame once more."
Colophon
इति श्रीस्कांदे महापुराण एकाशीतिसाहस्र्यां संहितायां षष्ठे नागरखण्डे हाटकेश्वरक्षेत्रमाहात्म्ये जलशाय्युपाख्यान एकादशीव्रतमाहात्म्यवर्णनंनामैकत्रिंशदुत्तरद्विशततमोऽध्यायः ॥ २३१ ॥
iti śrīskāṃde mahāpurāṇa ekāśītisāhasryāṃ saṃhitāyāṃ ṣaṣṭhe nāgarakhaṇḍe hāṭakeśvarakṣetramāhātmye jalaśāyyupākhyāna ekādaśīvratamāhātmyavarṇanaṃnāmaikatriṃśaduttaradviśatatamo'dhyāyaḥ ॥ 231 ॥
"Thus ends the two hundred and thirty-first chapter, called the description of the greatness of the Ekādaśī vrata, in the narrative of Jalaśāyin within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya, in the sixth book, the Nāgara-khaṇḍa, of the eighty-one-thousand-verse saṃhitā of the Śrī Skanda Mahāpurāṇa."
