CHATURMAASYA VRATAM AND VYAASA POOJA

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THEIR SIGNIFICANCE On the Sukla Ekadasi day of the month Ashada, Lord Vishnu

starts His Yoga-nidra lying over Adisesha on the ocean of milk. He awakes from

yoga nidra on the Sukla Dwadasi day of the month Karthika. This period of

yoga-nidra is therefore for four months. This period is to be observed as

Chaaturmaasya Vratam. This vrata has to

be observed by brahmacharis, grahastas, vanaprastas and sanyasins.

 

Since sanyasins are considered as the Swarupa of Lord Narayana himself,

they are not supposed to move when Lord Narayana is asleep. The Vedas refer to a

paksha (15 days) as a masa itself. Hence the vrata is generally observed for 4

(four)pakshas considering each paksha as a masa. Thus, sanyasins observe the

vrata for two months. The following Devatas are invoked on the poornima day of

the month Ashada (Vyasa poornima day) by the Sanyasins.

 

1. Sri Krishna Panchakam: Sri Krishna, Sri Vasudeva, Sri Sankarshana, Sri

Praduyumna and Sri Aniruddha

2. Vyasa Panchakam: Sri Vyasa, Paila, Vaisampayana, Jaimini and Sumantu

3. Acharya Panchakam: Sri Sankara Bhagavadpada, Sri Padma Pada, Sri Sureswara,

Sri Hasthamalalaka, and Sri Thotakacharya

4. Sanaka Panchakam: Sanaka, Sanantana,Sanaatana, Sanatkumara and Sanatsujata,

5. Sukha and Narada

6. Dravidacharya Panchakam: Sri Dravidacharya, Sri Gaudapada, Sri Govinda

Bhagavad Pada, Sri Samkshepadacharya and Vivaranacharya

7. Guru Panchakam: Sri Guru, Sri Parama Guru, Sri Parameshthi Guru, Sri

Parathpara Guru and Sri Anye, Brahmavidyaguravaha

8. Sri Ganapati, Sri Durga, Kshetra Palaka, Sri Saraswati, Indra and other

Dik-palakas, Brahma, Sesha and Sudha Chaitanya.

 

ON VYASA POOJA Veda Vyasa laid the foundation for the growth of Sanatana Dharma.

It was Vyasa who gave us our wealth, the Vedas and classified them into four

groups, Rig, Yejur, Sama and Atharvana. The essence of the Vedas is elaborated

in the 18 Puranas compiled by Veda Vyasa.

 

The quintessence of the order was reduced in aphoristic form, called Brahma

Sutra. Adi Sankara later gave the Bhashya for the above. The importance of the

Vyasa puja on the Guru Poornima day is due to the

fact that he handed over the suceeding generation the heritage of

Vedas and Brahama Sutras. In this puja, the immediate Guru and the entire Guru

Paramparas from Veda Vyasa are being worshipped. It is not Veda Vyasa alone who

is worshipped on Vyasa Pooja day.

 

Six groups of preceptors (moola purushas) of jnana each group consisting of

five preceptors are worshipped. The first group

is called Krishna Panchaka and consists of Sri Krishna, Vaasudeva,

Pradyumna, Anirudha and Sankarshana. The five groups besides the Sri

Krishnapanchaka mentioned above, are:

 

(1) The Vyasa Panchaka, consisting of Sri Vyasa, Sri Paila,

Sri Vaisampayana, Sri Jaimini, and Sri Sumantu;

(2) The Bhagavatpada Panchaka, consisting of Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada, Sri

Padmapaadaacharya, Sri Sureswaracharya, Sri Hastaamalakaacharya, and Sri

Totakaachaarya;

(3) The Sanaka Panchaka, consisting of Sri Sanaka, Sri Sanandana, Sri Sanaatana,

Sri Sanat Kumara, and Sri Sanatsujaata;

(4) The Dravida Panchaka, consisting of Sri Dravidaacharya, Sri

Gaudaapadaacharya, Sri Govinda Bhagavatpaadaacharya, Sri Sankshepakaacharya,

and Sri Vivaranaacharys; and

(5) The Guru Panchaka, consisting of the Guru, the Parama Guru, the Parameshti

Guru, and the Paraapara Guru of the sanyasin, and other prmulgators of the

sampradaya ("anye brahmavidyaa sampradaaaya kartaarah guravah").

 

Worship is also offered to Sri Suka, Sri Narada, Sri Durga, Sri Ganapati, the

Kshetrapaalas, Sri Saraswati, and the ten guardians of the directions, beginning

with Indra.

 

Finally pooja is offered to Sudha Chaitanya, whose aavaaahana is made in the

Saaligramah and omnibus worship (samashti pooja) is performed at the end. The

seniority of a synapse is determined, not by his age, but by the number of Vyasa

Poojas he performed. It may happen that a young sanyaasi has performed more

Vyasa Poojas than an aged one. In that case, the aged sanyasi will have to do

obesance to the young one.

 

This practice is similar to the practice among householders of a

person prostrating before a lady younger than himself should the husband of

that lady be senior to him. What is known as Vyasa Poornima in the South is

known as Guru Poornima in the North. On that day, every person makes it a point

to make offerings to all those who occupy the position of teacher to him. For

the Smartha sanyasins, the chaaaturmaasyaa begins with Vyasa Pooja and ends

with Viswaroopa Yatra. The Vaishnavas commence chaaturmaasya with sankalpam and

end

with utthaanam. Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara

 

Vyasa Pooja and other important dates- July to September 2002 * 24-07-2002 :

Vyasa Pooja Commences * 21-09-2002 : Vyasa Pooja Ends Date Day Nakshatram

Festival 26-07-02 Friday Avitam H.H. Sri Jagadguru Jayendra Saraswathi Swamiji

Jayanthi Mahosthavam 02-08-02 Friday Barani Adi Kirthigai 03-08-02 Saturday

Krithigai Adi Perukku 13-08-02 Tuesday Chitra Naga Panchami 21-08-02 Wednesday

Sravanam Rig Veda Upakarma 22-08-02 Thursday Avitam Yajur veda Upakarma 23-08-02

Friday Sathayam

Gayathri Japam 31-08-02 Saturday Rohini Sri Krishna Jayanthi 10-09-02

Tuesday Chitra Sri Vinayaka Chaturti 18-09-02 Wednesday Sravanam Vamana

Jayanthi

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Other special days: Ekadasi :- 05-08-02, 18-08-02, 03-09-02, 17-09-02

Pournami(Full Moon):- 24-07-02, 22-08-02 Amavasya(New Moon) :- 08-08-

02, 07-09-02 Pradosham :- 06-08-02, 20-08-02, 04-09-02, 18-09-02

Shivratri :- 07-07-02, 05-09-02