Significance of "CHATURMAASYA"

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CHATURMAASYA VRATAM AND VYAASA POOJA - 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

 

 

Regards

 

Ramachandra K.C.

 

 

 

 

 

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