Adhyaya 61: The Observance for the Fulfilment of Desires: Worship of Keśava in the Form of Guha (Kumāra)
Kāmavrata (Guha-rūpeṇa Keśava-pūjā) Vidhiḥ
Ritual-Manual (Vrata-vidhi) / Royal-Ethics (Kingship restoration motif)
Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī teaching frame, this adhyāya sets forth a vrata taught by the sage Agastya to a mahārāja/nṛpa for the attainment of desired ends (kāma-siddhi). It prescribes a year-long discipline of fruit-only regulated eating (phala-āśana), silence/controlled speech (vāg-yata), and observance of lunar tithis in the bright fortnight of Pauṣa. The rite centers on agni-kārya and worship of Keśava envisioned “in the form of Guha,” with a litany of names linked to Ṣaṇmukha/Skanda/Kārttikeya. The conclusion enjoins feeding brāhmaṇas and gifting a golden Ṣaṇmukha icon, followed by a mantra-accompanied donation. Exempla such as Nala and other displaced rulers frame the vrata as a means to restore prosperity, lineage, and political stability, implicitly tying disciplined conduct to Pṛthivī’s social equilibrium.
Primary Speakers
Key Concepts
Shlokas in Adhyaya 61
Verse 1
अगस्त्य उवाच । कामव्रतं महाराज शृणु मे गदतोऽधुना । येन कामाः समृद्ध्यन्ते मनसा चिन्तिता अपि ॥ ६१.१ ॥
Agastya said: “O great king, now listen to me as I speak of the kāma-vrata—by which one’s desires, even those merely conceived in the mind, come to full fruition.”
Verse 2
षष्ठ्यां फलाशनो यस्तु वर्षमेकं व्रतं चरेत् । पौषमाससिते पक्षे चतुर्थ्यां कृतभोजनः ॥ ६१.२ ॥
One who, on the sixth lunar day (ṣaṣṭhī), subsists on fruits and observes this vow for a full year, and who, in the dark fortnight of the month of Pauṣa, takes food on the fourth lunar day (caturthī)—such is the prescribed regimen.
Verse 3
षष्ठ्यां तु पारयेद् धीमान् प्रथमं तु फलं नृप । ततो भुञ्जीत यत्नेन वाग्यतः शुद्धमोदनम् ॥ ६१.३ ॥
On the sixth day, O king, the wise one should conclude the observance by first taking fruit; thereafter, with care and restraint of speech, he should eat purified boiled rice.
Verse 4
ब्राह्मणैः सह राजेन्द्र अथवा केवलैः फलैः । तमेेकं दिवसं स्थित्वा सप्तम्यां पारयेन्नृप ॥ ६१.४ ॥
O king of kings, either together with Brāhmaṇas or else with fruits alone—having maintained that observance for a single day—one should conclude it on the seventh lunar day (saptamī), O ruler.
Verse 5
अग्निकार्यं तु कुर्वीत गुहारूपेण केशवम् । पूजयित्वाभिधानॆन वर्षमेकं व्रतं चरेत् ॥ ६१.५ ॥
One should perform the fire-rite (agni-kārya); and, having worshipped Keśava in the form named “Guharūpa,” one should undertake this vow (vrata) for a full year.
Verse 6
षड्वक्त्र कार्त्तिक गुह सेनानी कृत्तिकासुत । कुमार स्कन्द इत्येवं पूज्यो विष्णुः स्वनामभिः ॥ ६१.६ ॥
By the epithets “Ṣaḍvaktra, Kārttika, Guha, Senānī, Kṛttikāsuta, Kumāra, and Skanda”—thus should Viṣṇu be honored through the recitation of his own sacred names.
Verse 7
समाप्तौ तु व्रतस्यास्य कुर्याद् ब्राह्मणभोजनम् । षण्मुखं सर्वसौवर्णं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् ॥ ६१.७ ॥
At the conclusion of this vow, one should arrange a meal for a Brāhmaṇa; and one should present to a Brāhmaṇa a six-faced (Ṣaṇmukha) image made entirely of gold.
Verse 8
सर्वे कामाः समृद्ध्यन्तां मम देव कुमारक । त्वत्प्रसादादिमं भक्त्या गृह्यतां विप्र माचिरम् ॥ ६१.८ ॥
May all my wishes be fulfilled, O divine youth. By your favor, O brāhmaṇa, please accept this with devotion—without delay.
Verse 9
अनेन दत्त्वा मन्त्रेण ब्राह्मणाय सयुग्मकम् । ततः कामाः समृद्ध्यन्ते सर्वे वै इह जन्मनि ॥ ६१.९ ॥
Having given the offering, together with its pair, to a brāhmaṇa using this mantra, then all desired aims are said to prosper here in this very life.
Verse 10
अपुत्रो लभते पुत्रमधनो लभते धनम् । भ्रष्टराज्यो लभेद्राज्यं नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥ ६१.१० ॥
One who is without a son obtains a son; one who is poor obtains wealth; and one who has lost his kingdom regains sovereignty—here, no doubt is to be entertained.
Verse 11
एतद् व्रतं पुरा चीर्णं नलेन नृपसत्तम । ऋतुपर्णस्य विषये वसता व्रतचर्यया ॥ ६१.११ ॥
O best of kings, this vow was formerly observed by Nala, while he dwelt in the realm of Ṛtuparṇa, practicing the discipline of the vow.
Verse 12
तथा राज्यच्युतैरन्यैर्बहुभिर्नृपसत्तमैः । पौराणिकं व्रतं चैव सिद्ध्यर्थं नृपसत्तम ॥ ६१.१२ ॥
Likewise, O best of kings, many other excellent kings who had fallen from sovereignty undertook this ‘Paurāṇika’ vow as well, for the sake of attaining success.
Frequently Asked Questions
The chapter frames disciplined self-regulation (dietary restraint, controlled speech, and calendrically ordered practice) as a means to stabilize personal aims and social order; it further presents dāna and feeding brāhmaṇas as completion acts that redistribute resources, supporting communal equilibrium understood as beneficial to Pṛthivī’s sustained order.
The vrata is to be observed for one year (varṣam ekaṃ). Specific tithis are named: ṣaṣṭhī (as a key fasting/fruit regimen day and also as a concluding marker), caturthī in the śukla pakṣa of Pauṣa (Pauṣamāsa-site pakṣe) with kṛta-bhojana, and saptamī as a completion/transition point (pārayet).
Although it does not explicitly discuss landscapes or ecology in the provided verses, the text implicitly links Pṛthivī’s balance to human conduct: regulated consumption (phala-āhāra), restraint (vāg-yama), and structured giving (dāna, brāhmaṇa-bhojana) are presented as practices that reduce excess, formalize resource circulation, and reinforce social stability—an indirect model of terrestrial stewardship within the Purāṇic ethic.
Agastya appears as the instructing sage. The exemplum cites King Nala (nṛpa-sattama) and mentions Ṛtuparṇa (as the ruler in whose domain Nala resided), along with a generalized reference to other kings who had lost their kingdoms (rājya-cyuta) and sought success through the vrata.