Shloka 60
Aditi’s Lament and Kaśyapa’s Instruction of the Payo-vrata (Milk Vow) to Please Keśava
अयं वै सर्वयज्ञाख्य: सर्वव्रतमिति स्मृतम् । तप:सारमिदं भद्रे दानं चेश्वरतर्पणम् ॥ ६० ॥
ayaṁ vai sarva-yajñākhyaḥ sarva-vratam iti smṛtam tapaḥ-sāram idaṁ bhadre dānaṁ ceśvara-tarpaṇam
This payo-vrata is known as sarva-yajña and is remembered as sarva-vrata. O gentle lady, it is the essence of all austerity, the path of charity, and the means to please the Supreme Controller.
Ārādhanānāṁ sarveṣāṁ viṣṇor ārādhanaṁ param. This is a statement made by Lord Śiva to Pārvatī. Worshiping Lord Viṣṇu is the supreme process of worship. And how Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped in this payo-vrata ceremony has now been fully described. The ultimate goal of life is to please Lord Viṣṇu by varṇāśrama-dharma. The Vedic principles of four varṇas and four āśramas are meant for worship of Viṣṇu ( viṣṇur ārādhyate panthā nānyat tat-toṣa-kāraṇam ). The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is also viṣṇu-ārādhanam, or worship of Lord Viṣṇu, according to the age. The payo-vrata method of viṣṇu-ārādhanam was enunciated long, long ago by Kaśyapa Muni to his wife, Aditi, in the heavenly planets, and the same process is bona fide on earth even now. Especially for this Age of Kali, the process accepted by the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to open hundreds and thousands of Viṣṇu temples (temples of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, Jagannātha, Balarāma, Sītā-Rāma, Gaura-Nitāi and so on). Performing prescribed worship in such temples of Viṣṇu and thus worshiping the Lord is as good as performing the payo-vrata ceremony recommended here. The payo-vrata ceremony is performed from the first to the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight of the moon, but in our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement Lord Viṣṇu is worshiped in every temple according to a schedule of twenty-four hours of engagement in performing kīrtana, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, offering palatable food to Lord Viṣṇu and distributing this food to Vaiṣṇavas and others. These are authorized activities, and if the members of the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement stick to these principles, they will achieve the same result one gains by observing the payo-vrata ceremony. Thus the essence of all auspicious activities, such as performing yajña, giving in charity, observing vratas, and undergoing austerities, is included in the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement. The members of this movement should immediately and sincerely follow the processes already recommended. Of course, sacrifice is meant to please Lord Viṣṇu. Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ: in Kali-yuga, those who are intelligent perform the saṅkīrtana-yajña. One should follow this process conscientiously.
FAQs
This verse states that a properly performed vow can be regarded as the essence of sacrifice, austerity, and charity because its ultimate purpose is to satisfy the Supreme Lord (Viṣṇu).
Brahmā was instructing Aditi in the Payo-vrata, emphasizing its exceptional spiritual potency so she could please Lord Viṣṇu and obtain divine help for the welfare of the devas.
Treat any spiritual discipline—fasting, restraint, charity, or worship—as successful when it is done with sincerity and devotion to please God, not merely for personal gain.