Shloka 1
Viśvāvasu-Prayoga (Marriage Mantra), Kālarātri/Ṛkṣakarṇī Invocation, and Yantra-Rakṣā at Twilight
चत्वारिंशो ऽध्यायः वासुदेव उवाच / ॐ विश्वावसुर्नाम गन्धर्वः कन्यानामधिपतिर्लभामि ते कन्यां समुत्पाद्य तस्मै विश्ववासवे स्वाहा / स्त्रीलाभो मन्त्रजाप्याच्च कालरात्रिं वदाम्यहम्
catvāriṃśo 'dhyāyaḥ vāsudeva uvāca / oṃ viśvāvasurnāma gandharvaḥ kanyānāmadhipatirlabhāmi te kanyāṃ samutpādya tasmai viśvavāsave svāhā / strīlābho mantrajāpyācca kālarātriṃ vadāmyaham
Vāsudeva said: “Om. There is a Gandharva named Viśvāvasu, lord over maidens. I obtain for you a maiden; having brought her forth, I offer her unto that Viśvāvasu—svāhā. By repeated recitation of this mantra one gains a wife; and now I shall speak of Kālarātri.”
Vāsudeva (Lord Vishnu)
Concept: Mantra-japa as a means (sādhana) for specific worldly attainment (strī-lābha), framed as a ritual efficacy claim; introduces Kālarātri as the next doctrinal/ritual topic.
Vedantic Theme: Kāmya-karma (desire-motivated rites) contrasted implicitly with niṣkāma orientation; worldly boons are attainable but not ultimate.
Application: Read as a cautionary template: if engaging in desire-driven practices, maintain ethical boundaries (consent, dharma of marriage) and remember such aims are secondary to inner purification.
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: shringara
Type: mantra-ritual context
Related Themes: Garuda Purana 1.41 (contextual continuation on Kālarātri, as indicated)
FAQs
This verse presents a specific japa-mantra associated with Viśvāvasu, said to confer strīlābha (attainment of a wife), showing the text’s inclusion of practical mantra-ritual aims alongside spiritual instruction.
It does not directly describe the soul’s post-death journey here; instead, it shifts to a ritual/mantric topic and signals a transition to teaching about Kālarātri, a time-power often linked to fear, darkness, and liminal states.
It highlights disciplined mantra-recitation (japa) and intentional ritual speech; ethically, it can be taken as a reminder to approach relationships and household life through restraint, responsibility, and dharmic intent.