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Purusottama Vrata (Bhativinoda Thakur)
Purusottama Vrata (Bhativinoda Thakur)
ottama⁄mǎsa⁄mahǎtm a
Š F
TH5 G5ORI5S OE
R URU?OTTAWA
WONTH
By Šrīla Saccidǎnanda Bhaktivinoda Thǎkura
The Vedic ǎt a śǎsttas afe divided into two two types of adλikǎta—katmǎdλikǎta and bλakti
sections—smǎtta (litefatufe based on smiti) adλikλǎta. As long as one maintains his
and patamǎttλa (tfanscendental litefatufe based on katmǎdλikǎta¸ he defives benefit ffom the path shown
śtuti). Those who afe eligible (adλikǎti) fof the smǎtta by the smǎtta section. When he entefs bλakti
sec2 tion do not have any natufal inclination of adλikǎta¸ by tfans2 gfessing the katmǎdλikǎta¸ then
taste fof the patamǎttλa śǎsttas. The thoughts¸ he develops a natu2 fal tuci (inclination) fof the
pfinciples¸ activities and life goal of evefy human is patamǎttλika¸ of tfan2 scendental¸ path. Thefefofe¸
constituted accofding to his fespective tuci pfovidence has made these two divisions of śǎstta:
(inclination). Gen2 efally¸ smǎttas accept those smǎtta and patamǎttλa.
scfiptufes which afe in accofdance with theif
fespective tuci. Having gfeatef adλikǎta fof smǎtta THh RUlhS AND Rh UlATIONS OF SMǍRTA ŚǍSTRA ARh
śǎstta, they do not demonstfate much fegafd fof COW2 WITThD TO KARMA
patamǎttλika śǎstta. Pfovidence is the agent behind
the cfeation of these two divisions. Thefefofe¸ The smǎtta śǎstta has made vafious types of fules
undoubtedly the maintainef of the wofld must have and fegulations in ofdef to help one attain ni?tλǎ¸
a hidden pufpose in having made such an steadfastness¸ in katmǎdλikǎta. In many instances¸ it
affangement. even demonstfates indiffefence towafds patamǎttλa
śǎstta to make people attain specific ni?tλǎ in such
As faf as I undefstand¸ the pufpose is that the fules and fegulations. In feality¸ although śǎstta is
jīeas sequentially make pfogfess in theif level of con2 one¸ it manifests in two ways fof the people. If the
sciousness by femaining steadfast in theif fespective jīea gives up adλikǎta ni?tλa, he can nevef
adλikǎta. By deviating ffom one’s adλikǎta¸ one falls attain auspiciousness. Fof this feason¸ the śǎsttas have
down. Accofding to one’s activities¸ a pefson been divided into two: smǎtta and patamǎttλa.
attains
SUMMER 2001
7
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ADHIMǍSA (hXTRA WONTH)¸ AlSO CAllhD MALA MǍSA
THE H7STORV AND GLOR7ES OT ADHIMǍSA AND HOW 7T
(IW2 RECE7VED THE NAME G R ?OTTAMA
SURh WONTH)¸ IS DhVOID OF All AUSSICIOUS ACTIVITIhS
2
It is stated in Śtī 3ǔt a 3iddλǎnta that in one maλǎ uga there are K59333δ extra months and 5K8 0000 solar months.
Therefore¸ there is one extra month after every 32 months¸ Kδ days and hours of the solar calendar.
they will achieve We. Wy bλaktas sometimes com2
“He Wuni! Dufing the pefiod of theif exile¸
mit offenses¸ but in this Pufusottama month¸ they
the Pǎụďavas tfaveled thfoughout all the holy
will be pfotected ffom committing any offense. In
places¸ and by the mefcy of Šfī K=sụa they
this adλimǎsa, those gfeatly foolish pefsons who
obsefved Šfī Pufusottama etata with all fules and
neglect to peffofm auspicious activities¸ such
fegu2
as japa¸ giving in chafity¸ visiting and
lations. As a fesult of this they com2
bathing at the holy places¸ and who afe
pleted theif foufteen yeafs of exile
envious
without any obstacles and at the end
of the deijas (btǎλmanas) afe
attained an unpafalleled kingdom.”
deemed wicked¸ unfoftunate and
living at the cost of othefs. Thus¸ THh ACCOUNT OF KIN DẠDHADHANVǍ
they V ǍlW KI Rh ARDIN
A S SSOK h N BY
will not attain a scent of hap2 PURU?OTTAWA VRATA
piness¸ even in theif dfeams.
Convefsely¸ those who afe Pufusottama2mǎsa is glofified in
filled with bλakti will take the account of King D=ďhadhanvǎ’s
advantage of this pfevious bifth. At Badafikǎ¡fǎma¸
Pufusottama month to Nǎfada heafd the pfocedufe of the
peffofm atcana to We. Aftef etata ffom Nǎfayaụa Rsī¸ which Vǎlmiki
enjoying wofldly happiness¸ Wuni then felated to King D=ďhadhanvǎ
such as wealth¸ sons and so on¸ in answef to the king’s questions. Just as
they will eventually attain the fules of aλanika (gǎ atti manttas) fof
fesidence in Goloka. btǎλmanas afe asceftained in dλatma
śǎsttas¸ similafly¸ the obliga2
THh lORIhS OF tofy activities fof one obsefv2
PURU?OTTAWA WONTH IN Just as 7 am celebrated in this
ing Pufusottama etata afe also
THh CONThXT OF
world by the name Turu?ottama, delineated¸ beginning ffom the
DRAUSAD ’S HISTORY btaλma muλǔtta houf.
similarly, this adhcmǎsa too will be
Wany episodes ffom
the Łutǎnas afe naffated in
renowned in the world by the
R Ulh S FO R B ATHIN IN
the context of the glofies name Turu?ottama. Now 7 offer all THh WONTH OF ŠR PURU?
of Pufusottama month. OTTAWA
Vǎlmīki said¸ “He D=dhadhanvǎ! Pufusottama THh OBlI ATORY ACTIVITIhS IN THh PURU?OTTAWA
WONTH
Šfī K=sụa is the pfesiding deity of the Pufosottama
month. Thefefofe¸ being filled with bλakti śtaddλǎ, eittaśǎtλ am akuteǎno dǎnam dadλ ǎd deijǎta e
you should wofship Pufusottama Šfī K=sụa with six2 eid amǎne dλane śǎtλ am kuteǎno tautaeam
teen types of pafaphefnalia evefy day of this etajet
month. As it is said:
dine dine deijendtǎ a datteǎ bλojanam uttamam
śoạaśopacǎtais ca pǔja et putu?ottam dieasas ǎ?tame bλǎge etatī bλojanam ǎcatet
indtad umna# śatad umno aueanǎśeo bλagītatλa#
“The wofship of the divine couple Šfī Šfī
putu?ottamam ǎtǎdλ a a ut bλagaeadantikam
Rǎdhǎ2K=sụa is indeed obligatofy in Pufusottama
mǎsa.” tasmǎt satea pta atnena samsee a putu?
ottama# satea sǎdλanata# śte?tλa# sateǎttλa
ǎgaccλa deea deeeśa śtī ki?na putu?ottama pλala dǎ aka#
tǎdλa ǎ saλitaś cǎtta giλǎna pǔjanam mama
goeardhauardharam eaude gopǎlam goparrňpcuam
gohulotsaeamrčśǎuam goecudam gopchǎrprcçamL
ACTIVITIhS FORBIDDhN IN THh WONTH OF PURU?OTTAWA
kaunạin ena putǎ ptoktam imam manttam puna#
All the fules and fegulations fegafding Šfī puna# japan mǎsam na ed bλakt ǎ putu?ottamam
Pufusottama etata, which we have pfesented above apnu ǎt
ffom these śǎsttas, should be followed by feligiously dλ ǎ en naeagλana ś ǎmam deibλujam mutalīdλatam
devoted pefsons of all the eatnas (castes). The lasat pīta patam tam am sa tǎdλam putosottamam
Nǎtadī a Łutǎna concludes by saying that in the holy
place of Naimi¡afanya¸ Šfī Suta Gosvǎmī spoke to dλ ǎ am dλ ǎ am na en mǎsam pǔja an putu?
ottamam eeam a# kutute bλakt a seǎbλī?tam sateam
the assembled devotees as follows:
ǎpnu ǎt
bλǎtate janutǎsǎd a putu?ottam uttamam
na seeante na śineanti giλǎsakta natǎdλamǎ# “Giving up misefliness¸ one should give in
gatǎgatam bλajante ’tta dutbλagǎ janmajanmani chafity to the btǎλmanas. If a pefson femains
putta mitta kalattǎpta ei ogǎd du#kλa bλǎgina# mi2 sefly even though he has wealth¸ his
asmin mǎse deija śte?tλǎ nǎsaccλǎsttan udǎλatet misefliness will be the cause of his going to
na seapet pata śa ǎ ǎm nǎlapet eitatλam keacit Raufava (one type of hell). Evefyday one should
patǎpaeǎdǎn na kta ǎn na katλaũcit kadǎcana feed the Vaisụavas and btǎλmanas with the best
patǎnnaũca na bλunjīta na kuteita patakti ǎm
foodstuffs. A pefson who is following the vows
should take his food in the eighth paft of the day.
Indfadyuyamna¸ Šatadyuyamna¸ Yauvanǎ¡va and
Bhagīfatha attained sǎmīp a, close association of
Bhagavǎn by wofshiping the
3
”I worship the lifter of $ovardhana¸ $opǎla¸ who has the form of a gopa. He is the festival of $okula (gokula⁄utsaea)¸
the Supreme Controller of all (īćeata)¸ and He is $ovinda the beloved of the gopīs (gopikǎ⁄pti am).”
10 RAYS OF THE
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Pufusottama month. One should peffofm sefvice THh INNATh RUCI (INClINATION) AND OBlI ATORY
to Pufusottama with all of one’s endeavofs. Such
AC2 TIVITIhS OF EKǍNTIKA 8HAKTAS
sefvice to Pufusottama is supefiof to all types of
sǎdλana and fulfills all vafiety of desifes. In a
Thefefofe¸ Šfīla Sanǎtana Gosvǎmī has con2
pfevious age¸ Kauụďilya Wuni fepeatedly chanted
cluded his book Śtī Hati bλakti eilǎsa by pfesent2
the mantta ‘goeatdλana dλatam eande’. By chanting
ing the following statements fof one2pointed devo2
this mantta with devotion dufing Šfī Pufusottama
tees:
month¸ one will attain Šfī Pufusottama Himself.
One should devote Pufusottama month to eeam ekǎntinǎm ptǎ a# kīttanam smatanam ptabλo#
constantly meditating upon naea gλana deibλuja kuteatǎm patam ptīt ǎ kit am an an na tocate
mutalīdλata pītǎmbata Šfī K=sụa with Šfī Rǎdhǎ. bλǎeena kenacit pte?tλa# śtī mǔttet amgλti seeane
Those who do this with devotion will have all theif s ǎd iccλ ai?ǎm seatanttena sea tasanaiea tad eidλi#
eiλite?e eea nit e?u ptaeattante sea am λite
chefished desifes fulfilled.”
it ǎd ekǎntinǎm bλǎti mǎλǎtm am likλitam λi
tat
THh OBShRVANCh FOR TRANSChNDhNTAlISTS – SVANI?
“3kǎntika bλaktas (one2pointed devotees) of
THA, rARANI?THA AND NIRArEK?A
Šfī K=sụa considef śtī ki?na smatana and śtī ki?na
Thefe afe thfee types of tfanscendentalists: kīttana alone to be the most fulfilling and valued
seani?tλa — those who afe steadfast in theif activities. Genefally¸ they do not engage in any
pef2 sonal vows¸ patani?tλita — those who afe othef amgas of bλakti besides these two¸ which
steadfast in following the vows set fofth by theif they cultivate with gfeat love and affection. Theif
fespective ǎcǎt as¸ and nitpek?a — those who afe ea2 gefness fof these amgas is so stfong that no
indiffefent to the above two types of othef activity can captivate theif taste. They
steadfastness4 All the activities mentioned above develop an intense desife to sefve the lotus feet of
fof Pufusottama month afe pfescfibed fof seani?tλa Šfī K=sụa in a specific mood. Thefefofe¸ they
tfanscendentalists. Łatani?tλita bλaktas afe fendef sefvice to the lotus feet of Šfī K=sụa with
eligible to obsefve Pufusottama etata moods which afe favofable to theif own tasa,
accofding to the fules and in2 stfuctions of along with some independence (to give up the
Kǎfttika etata pfescfibed by theif fe2 spective ǎcǎt injunctions which afe unfavofable to theif
as. Nitapek?a bλaktas fepect this sa2 cfed month cultivation). This alone is theif eidλi. The
by daily honofing śtī bλagaeat ptasad with ekǎntika bλaktas afe not bound to follow all the
one2pointed attention¸ following some fou2 tine fules and fegulations which have been
fof śtaeana and kīttana of śtī λatinǎma accofd2 ing pfescfibed by the i?is. The moods of the
to theif capacity. ekǎntika bλakta’s inbofn¸ natufal disposition
genefally femain pfominent. This is theif glofy.”
The following statement ffom Vi?nu Raλas
a, which is the topmost instfuction of Śtī Hati ADHIMǍSA IS DhAR TO 8HAKTAS AS THhRh IS NO DISTUR2
bλakti eilǎsa, fecommends: BANCh FROW THh KARMA KǍNDA IN THIS WONTH.
3eanistλa and patanistλita bλaktas are generally householders and nitapeksa bλaktas are renounciates.
SUMMER 2001 11
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