Adhyaya 60: The Rite of the Śāntivrata: A Yearlong Observance with Viṣṇu-on-Śeṣa and Nāga-Anganyāsa Worship
Śāntivrata-vidhiḥ (Ananta-Śeṣa-nāga-pūjā-sahitaḥ)
Ritual-Manual
ವರಾಹ–ಪೃಥಿವೀ ಸಂವಾದದ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಈ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಋಷಿ ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯನು ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥರಿಗೆ ದೀರ್ಘಕಾಲ ಶಾಂತಿ ನೀಡುವ ಶಾಂತಿವ್ರತ ವಿಧಿಯನ್ನು ಉಪದೇಶಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಕಾರ್ತಿಕ ಶುಕ್ಲಪಕ್ಷ ಪಂಚಮಿಯಿಂದ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷವರೆಗೆ ಹುಳಿ/ಅಮ್ಲ ಆಹಾರವನ್ನು ವರ್ಜಿಸಿ ನಿಯಮ ಪಾಲಿಸಬೇಕು. ಪ್ರತಿರಾತ್ರಿ ಅನಂತ-ಶೇಷನ ಮೇಲೆ ಶಯನಿಸುವ ಹರಿಯನ್ನು ಧ್ಯಾನಿಸಿ ಪೂಜಿಸಿ, ನಂತರ ಪಾದದಿಂದ ಶಿರಸ್ಸಿನವರೆಗೆ ದೇಹಾಂಗಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ನಿರ್ದಿಷ್ಟ ನಾಗಗಳನ್ನು ಸ್ಥಾಪಿಸುವ ನಾಗ-ಅಂಗನ್ಯಾಸದೊಂದಿಗೆ ವಿಶೇಷ ಪೂಜೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು. ಹಾಲಿನಿಂದ ಅಭಿಷೇಕ, ಹಾಲು-ಎಳ್ಳು ಹೋಮ, ಮತ್ತು ವರ್ಷದ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣಭೋಜನ ಹಾಗೂ ಸ್ವರ್ಣ ನಾಗಪ್ರತಿಮೆ ದಾನ ವಿಧಿಯಾಗಿದೆ. ಇದರಿಂದ ಗೃಹಶಾಂತಿ, ಸಮಾಜಸ್ಥೈರ್ಯ ಮತ್ತು ಸರ್ಪಭಯ ಕ್ಷಯವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲಾಗಿದೆ.
Speakers
Key Concepts
Shlokas in Adhyaya 60
Verse 1
अगस्त्य उवाच । शान्तिव्रतं प्रवक्ष्यामि तव राजन् शृणुष्व तत् । येन चीर्णेन शान्तिः स्यात् सर्वदा गृहमेधिनाम् ॥ ६०.१ ॥
ಅಗಸ್ತ್ಯನು ಹೇಳಿದರು—ಓ ರಾಜನೇ! ನಿನಗೆ ಶಾಂತಿವ್ರತವನ್ನು ವಿವರಿಸುತ್ತೇನೆ; ಅದನ್ನು ಕೇಳು. ಅದನ್ನು ಆಚರಿಸಿದರೆ ಗೃಹಸ್ಥರಿಗೆ ಸದಾ ಶಾಂತಿ ಉಂಟಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
Verse 2
पञ्चम्यां शुक्लपक्षस्य कार्त्तिके मासि सुव्रत । अरभेद् वर्षमेकं तु भुञ्जीयादम्लवर्जितम् ॥ ६०.२ ॥
ಕಾರ್ತ್ತಿಕ ಮಾಸದ ಶುಕ್ಲಪಕ್ಷದ ಪಂಚಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ಹೇ ಸುವ್ರತ, ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷಪೂರ್ತಿ ಅಮ್ಲ (ಹುಳಿ) ವಸ್ತುಗಳನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ ಆಹಾರ ಸೇವಿಸಬೇಕು।
Verse 3
नक्तं देवं तु सम्पूज्य हरिं शेषोपरि स्थितम् । अनन्तायेति पादौ तु वासुकायेति वै कटिम् ॥ ६०.३ ॥
ರಾತ್ರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಶೇಷನ ಮೇಲೆ ಸ್ಥಿತನಾದ ದೇವ ಹರಿಯನ್ನು ಸಮ್ಯಕ್ ಪೂಜಿಸಿ, ಪಾದಗಳಿಗೆ ‘ಅನಂತಾಯ’ ಎಂದು, ಕಟಿಗೆ ‘ವಾಸುಕಾಯ’ ಎಂದು ನಾಮಾರ್ಪಣೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು।
Verse 4
तक्षकाश्येति जठरमुरः कर्कोटकाय च । पद्माय कण्ठं सम्पूज्य महापद्माय दोर्युगम् ॥ ६०.४ ॥
‘ತಕ್ಷಕಾಯ’ ಎಂದು ಜಠರವನ್ನು, ‘ಕರ್ಕೋಟಕಾಯ’ ಎಂದು ಉರಸ್ಸನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸಬೇಕು। ‘ಪದ್ಮಾಯ’ ಎಂದು ಕಂಠವನ್ನು ಸಂಪೂಜಿಸಿ, ‘ಮಹಾಪದ್ಮಾಯ’ ಎಂದು ಭುಜಯುಗವನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸಬೇಕು।
Verse 5
शङ्खपालाय वक्त्रं तु कुटिलायेति वै शिरः । एवं विष्णुगतं पूज्य पृथक्त्वेन च पूजयेत् ॥ ६०.५ ॥
ಮುಖವನ್ನು ‘ಶಂಖಪಾಲಾಯ’ ಎಂದು, ಶಿರಸ್ಸನ್ನು ‘ಕುಟಿಲಾಯ’ ಎಂದು ಸಮರ್ಪಿಸಬೇಕು। ಹೀಗೆ ವಿಷ್ಣುಗತವಾದವುಗಳನ್ನು ಪೂಜಿಸಿ, ಅವನ್ನು ಪ್ರತ್ಯೇಕವಾಗಿಯೂ ಪೂಜಿಸಬೇಕು।
Verse 6
क्षीरेण स्नपनं कुर्यात् तानुद्दिश्य हरेः पुनः । तदग्रे होमयेत् क्षीरं तिलैः सह विचक्षणः ॥ ६०.६ ॥
ಹರಿಯ ಸಂಬಂಧದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರನ್ನು ಉದ್ದೇಶಿಸಿ ಮತ್ತೆ ಕ್ಷೀರದಿಂದ ಸ್ನಪನ (ಅಭಿಷೇಕ) ಮಾಡಬೇಕು। ನಂತರ ಅದರ ಮುಂದೆ ವಿವೇಕಿ ತಿಲಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಕ್ಷೀರವನ್ನು ಹೋಮ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು।
Verse 7
एवं संवत्सरस्यान्ते कुर्याद् ब्राह्मणभोजनम् । नागं तु काञ्चनं कुर्याद् ब्राह्मणाय निवेदयेत् ॥ ६०.७ ॥
ಈ ರೀತಿಯಾಗಿ ವರ್ಷದ ಅಂತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣರಿಗೆ ಭೋಜನ ಮಾಡಿಸಬೇಕು. ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಚಿನ್ನದ ನಾಗವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣನಿಗೆ ಅರ್ಪಿಸಬೇಕು.
Verse 8
एवं यः कुरुते भक्त्या व्रतमेतन्नराधिपः । तस्य शान्तिर्भवेन्नित्यं नागानां न भयṃ तथा ॥ ६०.८ ॥
ಓ ನರಾಧಿಪನೇ! ಯಾರು ಈ ವ್ರತವನ್ನು ಭಕ್ತಿಯಿಂದ ಆಚರಿಸುತ್ತಾರೋ, ಅವರಿಗೆ ನಿತ್ಯ ಶಾಂತಿ ದೊರೆಯುತ್ತದೆ; ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ನಾಗಗಳಿಂದ ಭಯವಿರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ.
Inside Adhyaya 60
How it unfolds
- Where it opens
Within the Varāha–Pṛthivī instructional frame, the chapter introduces a transmitted upadeśa: sage Agastya teaches a rājā a practical vrata meant to establish durable śānti for household life, emphasizing time-bound discipline and correct ritual order.
- Central event
Agastya details the Śāntivrata beginning on Kārttika śuklapakṣa pañcamī and continuing for one year: nakta (night) worship of Hari visualized as reclining on Ananta/Śeṣa, coupled with nāga-aṅganyāsa—mapping specific nāgas onto bodily loci from feet to head—and regular offerings including kṣīra-snāna and a milk-and-sesame homa.
- Climax resolution
At the completion of the year, the observance culminates in social and apotropaic closure: brāhmaṇa-bhojana (feeding brāhmaṇas) and kāñcana-nāga-dāna (gifting a golden serpent image), sealing the vow’s protective and pacifying intent and aligning household order with reduced fear of serpents and broader stability.
- Closing phalashruti
The rite is presented as conferring sustained peace (śānti), domestic harmony, and protection—especially mitigation of nāga-related fear and harm—through disciplined observance, proper worship, and concluding dāna and communal feeding.
Geographical context
No explicit toponyms or regional ecologies are named in these verses. The chapter’s setting is ritual-temporal (Kārttika; śuklapakṣa; pañcamī) rather than geographic; its ecological referent is indirect through nāga symbolism and the household’s harmony with terrestrial forces.
Ritual instructions
- Primary RitualŚāntivrata: a yearlong peace-making vow with nightly Viṣṇu-on-Śeṣa worship and nāga-aṅganyāsa veneration.
- BenefitCultivation of enduring śānti in household life through regulated conduct and worship; apotropaic protection (notably reduction of fear and harm associated with serpents/nāgas); reinforcement of social stability via concluding feeding and gifting.
The narrative frame
- Varāha (as overarching teacher) transmitting Agastya’s instructionPṛthivī (primary listener); within the transmitted discourse, Agastya addresses a rājā · Didactic and procedural (ritual-manual style), with an ethical subtext linking self-restraint, correct order, and social peace.
The emotional journey
- Dominant RasaŚānta
- Emotional ProgressionFrom concern for lasting peace and protection, to steady confidence through disciplined nightly worship and bodily nāga-mapping, culminating in reassurance and communal harmony through brāhmaṇa-feeding and dāna.
Planning a pilgrimage
- Visit FeasibilityNot tirtha-specific in this adhyāya; the observance is primarily home-based (gṛhamedhin) and can be performed wherever a household shrine and homa arrangement are feasible, optionally supplemented by visits to local Viṣṇu or Nāga shrines.
- Best SeasonKārttika (start), with continuity through the year; Kārttika is especially suitable for initiating the vow due to its strong Vaiṣṇava devotional associations.
- Related FestivalKārttika observances in general (month-long Vaiṣṇava devotion); the chapter specifically anchors to Kārttika śuklapakṣa pañcamī rather than a named pan-Indian festival.
Frequently Asked Questions
The text frames peace (śānti) as a household virtue cultivated through disciplined, time-bound observance: regulated diet, regular worship, and socially redistributive acts (brāhmaṇa-bhojana and dāna). The underlying logic links ritual order and self-restraint to sustained domestic stability and the mitigation of harms symbolized by nāgas.
The observance begins on pañcamī (the fifth tithi) of the śuklapakṣa (bright fortnight) in the month of Kārttika and is performed for one full year (saṃvatsara). The worship is specified as nakta (night-time) devotion.
While not explicitly ecological in vocabulary, the chapter employs nāga symbolism—often associated with subterranean waters, land stability, and liminal terrestrial forces—within a protective and harmonizing rite. By prescribing non-violent, regulated conduct and offerings that culminate in communal feeding and gifting, the text can be read as aligning household practice with the maintenance of social and terrestrial equilibrium.
The speaker identified in the transmitted instruction is the sage Agastya, addressing a rājā (king). No dynastic genealogy is specified in these verses, but the presence of Agastya situates the instruction within a sage-to-king didactic model common to Purāṇic legal-ritual discourse.
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