Purusottam The Most Auspicious Month

[Guest guest]

Sri Sri Guru Gauranga Jayatah!

 

vande navaghana-syamam

dvibhujam muralidharam

pitambara-dharam devam

saradham purusottamam

 

"I offer my obeisances to Navaganasyam (Krsna, who has the color of a fresh rain cloud), who is holding the flute with His two hands. I worship Purusottama who is so beautiful in His yellow dress (pitambhara)."

 

from a lecture delivered by Srila Bhakti Ballabhava Tirtha Maharaja - President Acharya of Sri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Calcutta, India on Saturday, 29th May in 'Vrinda-Wien' - Mandir Vienna, Austria:

 

I pray for the causeless mercy of my Gurudeva, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Dayita Madhava Goswami, to give me strength to sing the glories of the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna and His personal associates to purify my mind and to get exclusive one-pointed devotion to the Supreme Lord Sri Krsna. I pay my innumerable prostrated obeisances to my most revered siksa gurus and I pay my due respects to all who are present here. By the will of the Supreme Lord we have come to this areas, like Paris, Amsterdam and Vienna during this month of Purusottama vrata, which is actually the holiest month. By the Lord's desire we have come outside of India, thus having no opportunity to observe this vow as strictly as prescribed by devotional injunctions.

 

According to our calendar every three years one month is added. This is done to harmonize the calendar month with the solar year. The inserted month is known as 'Purussottam', and is technically called an 'intercalary month'.

 

This month is unholy according to some smarta Brahmins. They call it 'tarnished'. The word ''Smarta' is derived from 'Smriti', which is the book of laws of Sanatana dharma. The brahmins who prescribed these laws are called Smarta brahmins. Prescribing various holy functions for all months of the year, they left out this additional month taking it to be unholy ('tarnished') for no holy activity can be performed therein.

 

Yet devotees object to this, arguing that not a single moment is to be spent without the worship of the Supreme Lord. If you spent it to the contrary, your life will be spoiled. If we shall not do any holy work in this month then in this month if we will die we shall go to hell? This is not the purpose. But these Karma kandis, who prescribed these rituals and regulations were inclined to observe them merely for achieving material benefits in this world and being uplifted after death to heaven. Taking this to be the aim and not being able to understand the purpose behind it, they encourage the observance of rules and rituals. So they neglected this month.

 

As everything has got consciousness in the background - the example is given of the sun, which is presided over by the Sungod, The moon which is presided over by the Moongod and Srimati Ganga Devi, who is the presiding Deity of the river Ganges -- so similarly this month has a presiding deity.

 

Being depressed due to its seemingly uselessness existence, the personified deity of this month approached Lord Narayana. This incident is described in the scriptures. She went to Narayana, asking, ' What offense did I commit? No one is performing any pious activities during my time. Why?" Lord Narayana directed her towards Lord Krsna: "You come with Me, I shall take you to Lord Krsna.'' Upon being approached by her, Lord Krsna responded: 'I am Purussottam and I can not be comprehended by finite beings of this world . They can not comprehend Me by their mental comprehension and sense organs as I am beyond these means."

 

Those Brahmins also are under the control of the illusory energy. They give some prescriptions for getting mundane benefits without understanding that these various prescriptions simply have been given to facilitate different classes of persons to finally submit to the Supreme Lord. Yet the purpose is not the achievement of material benefits, but it is to recover from the disease of birth and death and to finally develop loving devotion to the Supreme Lord, and thus experience supreme bliss. They do not understand this.

 

Krsna explained: " This additional month is like Me. I can not be comprehended by the conditioned souls of this world and I am supremely superior to Brahman and Paramatma so I am designated as Purusottam. You are identical with Me. You are the holiest month. If anybody observes vrata during your time, he can get everything.' If as by scriptural injunctions he observes it, it is even more auspicious than Kartik vrata, the holiest month. So you will be known by the name 'Purusottam'." Vaisnavas do observe this Purusottam Vrata. But as by the eligibility of those who perform it Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura has given three categories, known as: 'Svanistha' 'Parinistitha ' and' Nirapeksa' Svanistha : Svanistha' refers to those persons who have inclinations with Varnasrhama dharma and are still striving for material temporary benefits.

 

Being covered by the illusory potency - sattva, raja and tama guna they nevertheless follow some rituals. Prescriptions on how to perform this vrata are given by Valmiki Muni. Yet hearing them may make you faint. They are very strict, like lying done only on a bed of nails rather than on a normal bed.

 

Another section, superior in quality yet less in number is called Parinistitha

 

Parinistitha'

 

Parinistitha refers to those who are not striving for any material benefits and are correctly following the prescriptions as given by the respective acharyas of one of the four Vaisnava schools on how to observe this Purussottama Vrata ( in a similar way as Kartika Vrata).

 

The highest form of observance is called Nirapeksa.

 

'Nirapeksa'

 

Nirapeksa refers to those possessing one pointed devotion to Sri Krsna. They concentrate on worshipping the Supreme Lord by hearing, chanting and remembering the name, form, pastimes and qualities of Sri Krsna day and night for spiritual benefit only. Reasoning correctly that any tendency for material benefit will certainly deviate their mind, they observe this vrata by hearing about Krsna, chanting the Maha Mantra and taking prasadam. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura recommends we follow this path.