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 instructional frame, this adhyāya presents a vrata taught by the sage Agastya to a king (mahārāja/nṛpa) for the attainment of desired outcomes (kāma-siddhi). The text specifies a year-long discipline structured around regulated eating (phala-āśana), silence/controlled speech (vāg-yata), and calendrical observance tied to lunar tithis in the bright fortnight of Pauṣa. Ritual action centers on an agni-kārya and worship of Keśava conceived “in the form of Guha,” with a litany of names associated with Ṣaṇmukha/Skanda/Kārttikeya. The conclusion prescribes feeding brāhmaṇas and gifting a golden Ṣaṇmukha icon, followed by a mantraic donation. Exempla (Nala and other displaced rulers) frame the vrata as a means of restoring prosperity, lineage, and political stability—implicitly linking orderly conduct to the maintenance of Pṛthivī’s social equilibrium.
Speakers
Key Concepts
Shlokas in Adhyaya 61
Verse 1
अगस्त्य उवाच । कामव्रतं महाराज शृणु मे गदतोऽधुना । येन कामाः समृद्ध्यन्ते मनसा चिन्तिता अपि ॥ ६१.१ ॥
अगस्त्य ने कहा, महाराज, सुनो मैं एक व्रत बताता हूँ। काम व्रत कहते हैं इसको। इससे तुम्हारी सारी इच्छाएँ पूरी होती हैं, जो भी तुम दिल में सोचो।
Verse 2
षष्ठ्यां फलाशनो यस्तु वर्षमेकं व्रतं चरेत् । पौषमाससिते पक्षे चतुर्थ्यां कृतभोजनः ॥ ६१.२ ॥
एक साल तक छठी को फल खाओ और व्रत रखो। पौष महीने के कृष्ण पक्ष में चौथी को खाना खाओ। यह पूरा नियम है।
Verse 3
षष्ठ्यां तु पारयेद् धीमान् प्रथमं तु फलं नृप । ततो भुञ्जीत यत्नेन वाग्यतः शुद्धमोदनम् ॥ ६१.३ ॥
छठवे दिन में होशियार इंसान पहले फल खाता है। राजा, यह व्रत खतम करने का तरीका है। उसके बाद ध्यान से खाना खाना, और ज़्यादा बात नहीं करनी। साफ बना हुआ चावल खाना है।
Verse 4
ब्राह्मणैः सह राजेन्द्र अथवा केवलैः फलैः । तमेेकं दिवसं स्थित्वा सप्तम्यां पारयेन्नृप ॥ ६१.४ ॥
राजा, पंडित लोगों के साथ खाना खाओ या सिर्फ फल से काम चलाओ। एक दिन यह व्रत रखना है। सातवे दिन में इसको पूरा करना है।
Verse 5
अग्निकार्यं तु कुर्वीत गुहारूपेण केशवम् । पूजयित्वाभिधानॆन वर्षमेकं व्रतं चरेत् ॥ ६१.५ ॥
हवन करना है अग्नि के साथ। फिर केशव भगवान की पूजा करनी है, उनको गुहरूप नाम से बुलाना है। पूरा साल यह व्रत रखना है।
Verse 6
षड्वक्त्र कार्त्तिक गुह सेनानी कृत्तिकासुत । कुमार स्कन्द इत्येवं पूज्यो विष्णुः स्वनामभिः ॥ ६१.६ ॥
विष्णु भगवान को इन सब नाम से बुलाना है, छह मुख वाला, कार्तिक, गुह, सेनापति, कृत्तिका का बेटा, कुमार, स्कंद। यह सब उनके ही नाम हैं।
Verse 7
समाप्तौ तु व्रतस्यास्य कुर्याद् ब्राह्मणभोजनम् । षण्मुखं सर्वसौवर्णं ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् ॥ ६१.७ ॥
जब व्रत खतम हो, पंडित को खाना खिलाना है। छह मुख वाला मूर्ति सोने की बनानी है और पंडित को देनी है।
Verse 8
सर्वे कामाः समृद्ध्यन्तां मम देव कुमारक । त्वत्प्रसादादिमं भक्त्या गृह्यतां विप्र माचिरम् ॥ ६१.८ ॥
मेरे सारे काम पूरे हो जाएँ, ऐसे आशीर्वाद दे दो। आप कृपा करके यह चीज़ भक्ति से ले लो, देर न करें।
Verse 9
अनेन दत्त्वा मन्त्रेण ब्राह्मणाय सयुग्मकम् । ततः कामाः समृद्ध्यन्ते सर्वे वै इह जन्मनि ॥ ६१.९ ॥
इस मंत्र के साथ ब्राह्मण को देना है। जब आप देंगे, तो इस जन्म में ही सारी इच्छा पूरी हो जाएगी।
Verse 10
अपुत्रो लभते पुत्रमधनो लभते धनम् । भ्रष्टराज्यो लभेद्राज्यं नात्र कार्या विचारणा ॥ ६१.१० ॥
जिसका बेटा नहीं है, उसे बेटा मिल जाता है। जिसके पास पैसा नहीं, उसको धन मिलता है। जो राजा अपना राज्य खो बैठता है, वो वापस राज्य पा लेता है। इसमें कोई शक नहीं।
Verse 11
एतद् व्रतं पुरा चीर्णं नलेन नृपसत्तम । ऋतुपर्णस्य विषये वसता व्रतचर्यया ॥ ६१.११ ॥
यह व्रत पहले नल ने किया था। जब वो ऋतुपर्ण के यहाँ रहता था, तब उसने इस व्रत को ध्यान से निभाया था।
Verse 12
तथा राज्यच्युतैरन्यैर्बहुभिर्नृपसत्तमैः । पौराणिकं व्रतं चैव सिद्ध्यर्थं नृपसत्तम ॥ ६१.१२ ॥
और भी बहुत बड़े राजा थे जिन्होंने अपना राज्य खो दिया था। उन सबने यह पुराना व्रत किया और अपना काम बनवा लिया।
Inside Adhyaya 61
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī teaching frame, the discourse turns to a pragmatic royal question: how a ruler (or any seeker) may regain stability, prosperity, and desired ends through disciplined observance. Agastya is introduced as the authoritative transmitter of a kāma-siddhi vrata to an unnamed mahārāja/nṛpa.
- Central event
Agastya lays out a year-long vrata structured by (1) regulated diet (phala-āhāra), (2) restraint of speech (vāg-yama), and (3) tithi-governed observance in the bright fortnight of Pauṣa. The ritual core is an agni-kārya and worship of Keśava identified with Guha/Kumāra, accompanied by a litany of Ṣaṇmukha/Skanda names that function as praise and invocation.
- Climax resolution
The observance culminates in a formal completion (pāraṇa/pārayet) around the specified tithis (notably ṣaṣṭhī with transitions through caturthī and saptamī), followed by brāhmaṇa-bhojana and dāna. The climactic gift is a golden Ṣaṇmukha icon, sealed by a mantraic donation—marking the transfer of merit and the social reintegration of the vow’s fruits.
- Closing phalashruti
The chapter’s stated fruit is kāma-siddhi broadly construed—restoration of rājya, prosperity, lineage-continuity, and political steadiness. Exempla (Nala and other rājya-cyuta kings) serve as an implicit phalaśruti: those who were displaced regain fortune and standing through this vrata.
Geographical context
No explicit toponyms or river systems are named in the provided passage. Cultural-historical setting references include the narrative association with Nala and Ṛtuparṇa (Itihāsa-linked royal milieu), but without specified locations here.
Ritual instructions
- Primary RitualKāma-siddhi vrata: worship of Keśava in the form of Guha (Kumāra/Ṣaṇmukha) with agni-kārya, year-long restraints, and concluding dāna/brāhmaṇa-bhojana.
- BenefitFulfilment of desired aims (kāma-siddhi), with emphasis on royal restoration: recovery of kingdom/fortune, stabilization of rule, prosperity, and lineage/security; additionally, personal steadiness through restraint and merit through dāna.
The narrative frame
- Varāha (in the overarching Varāha–Pṛthivī frame); within the adhyāya, Agastya functions as the instructing authority for the vrata.Pṛthivī (Earth) as principal listener; within the embedded instruction, an unnamed mahārāja/nṛpa receives Agastya’s teaching. · Didactic and procedural (vrata-manual), with a royal-ethical undertone linking personal discipline to public order.
The emotional journey
- Dominant RasaŚānta (disciplined composure) with supportive Vīra (royal recovery/steadfastness).
- Emotional ProgressionAnxiety of loss/instability → resolve through rule-bound practice → focused devotion in fire-rite and name-litany → relief and confidence at completion through feeding and gifting → restored equilibrium (personal and political).
Planning a pilgrimage
- Visit FeasibilityText does not anchor the vrata to a specific tīrtha; practice is feasible as a home/temple observance with access to a fire-rite setting and a Skanda/Guha shrine or Vaiṣṇava temple accommodating the syncretic form.
- Best SeasonPauṣa (Dec–Jan) for the highlighted śukla pakṣa tithis; generally winter is conducive for vrata discipline and fire-rites in many regions.
- Related FestivalSkanda Ṣaṣṭhī (as a culturally resonant ṣaṣṭhī observance), and broader Pauṣa-month Vaiṣṇava/temple calendars depending on locale.
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.
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