Bearing the Marks of a Disc etc. Essential for a Brahmana

Dillpa said:

1-3. O revered one, tell me all about (it) full of the nectar of devotion to Vishnu. Listening to (the account of) devotion to Vishnu, that brings happiness, I am not at all satisfied. O best sage, except the ocean of the nectar of devotion to Vishnu, what else is the refuge in the fearful forest of the mundane existence to men who are always tormented by the fires with huge flames in the form of the three torments? O great sage, tell (me) in detail the varieties of devotion to the highest soul that are constantly practised by the sages. Vasishtha said:

4-5. O lord of kings, you ask well about the means of emancipation of men from the worldly existence, viz. devotion to Vishnu, the highest lord, which always brings happiness. Formerly goddess Parvati asked the same great question to Shiva, worshipped by the world, on the peak of Kailasa. Parvati said:

6-10. O god of gods, Mahadeva, O killer of Tripura, O lord of gods, tell me about devotion to Vishnu, which gives salvation to all human beings. So also the different deities that are worshipped, the hymns, and the various ways of the worship, and the nature of that Vishnu, and his qualities like splendour, the nature of his heaven, reaching which (a devotee) does not return (to his world), and due to which the lord Vishnu brings about creation, maintenance and destruction. That is the great abode of Vishnu reaching which (men) do not return (to this world). With this or that act or means, sinful men, with their minds addicted to objects of senses, reach the highest place. Due to your love for me tell all that to me in detail. Vasishtha Said:

11. Mahadeva, the killer of Tripura, thus asked by the great goddess, saluted Vishnu, and with great affection said (to her):

Rudra said:

12-17. Well, O great goddess, 0 you desiring the good of all people, you ask me well (to tell you) the excellent greatness of (Vishnu) the lord of Shri. O ParvatI, you are blessed; you have earned religious merit; you are Vishnu's devotee. O good one, I am always pleased with your (good) character, beauty and virtues. I shall, O Girija, tell you about the best devotion (to Vishnu), the manner of (reciting) his hymns, and about his form. Vishnu, the ancient Vasudeva is the truth. He is the highest soul, the highest Brahman, the highest light, and greater than the great. He is Acyuta, Purusa, Krishna, the eternal one, the benevolent lord, the eternal and omnipresent one, the stable one, Rudra, the witness of everything, and the lord of created beings. He is the sacrifice, the lord of sacrifice, and actually the lord of the Veda. He is Hiranyagarbha, the sun, the lord creating and sustaining the worlds.

18-28. He is to be described by the letter A, is the lord, and the lord of!shrl, the Earth and Nlla. He is the lord of immortality, and of that which grows with food. He has a thousand heads; he is the soul of all; he has a thousand eyes and a thousand feet. Having touched the earth on all sides, he has stood above it by ten fingers. He is Ananta, the lord of Lakshmi, Rama; he possesses qualities and is without them, and is great. He is the lord of all worlds, he has splendour, is omniscient, and is unlimited. O ParvatI, I shall tell you as I can, the greatness of that Vasudeva, the chief in the worlds, and the lord of the worlds. With Brahma and the deities it is impossible for me to describe it, the meaning of all Upanisads determined in the Vedanta. I shall also tell you the kinds of his worship. Listen, I shall tell them separately. The marking with Vishnu's conch and disc is said to be the first (worship) of Vishnu. (Other varieties are ^putting on rectangular marks, accepting hymns of (i.e. holy to) him, worshipping (him), muttering, meditating (on him), recollecting his names; so also narration (of), listening to his (accounts), saluting (him), serving his feet; so also taking the water (flowing) from his feet, and taking food after offering it to him. (So also) serving those who belong to him, faith in the vow of Dvadasi, planting the TulasI (plant). (Thus) the devotion to Vishnu, the holder of the Sarnga bow and the god of gods is said to be of sixteen kinds for freedom from the bondage of the mundane existence. Vishnu is always venerable to all gods, so also to me, and especially to brahmanas. Therefore, a brahmana should everyday duly worship Vishnu.

29-37. Having marks of his signs he doubtlessly reaches the feet (or the position) of the lord of Lakshmi. A brahmana should have the marks of a conch and a disc at the roots of his arms, (and) for removing all sins the marks should be made after these are heated in fire. Having duly put on the mark of a disc or a conch and a disc or of the five weapons (of Vishnu), he should begin his religious duties. Having worn the mark of the disc heated in fire at the roots of his arms, he avoids the fearful city of Yama, and goes to the highest position of Vishnu. All that worship, hymns, muttering (of hymns) of him who worships Vishnu without (having on his body) the mark of a disc perishes. The brahmana who having marked (his body) at the roots of arms with a disc heated in fire, (then) mutters the hymn, would obtain salvation. The best brahmana having put on the mark of Sudarsana disc heated in fire and having duly made offerings should appoint (a brahmana) for the rites. All the sraddha (offered) by him who feeds (a brahmana) without the mark of Vishnu on his body, becomes fruitless, and his dead ancestors leave disappointed. One should honour at a sraddha a brahmana having (on his body) the markof Vishnu's disc, and should carefully avoid one without the mark of Vishnu's disc (on his body). One should present a cow, land, gold to him having a mark of the disc (of Vishnu on his body).

38-46. Whatever is given to (a brahmana) not having the mark of a disc (on his body) is given to a demon. Those who have marks made with a disc heated in fire at the roots of their arms, get freed from all sins, and go to the highest position of Vishnu. To him whose body is marked with a disc heated in fire, all holy places and sacrifices have come. There is no doubt about it. A brahmana, not having (the mark of) the disc (made) duly, would be unrefined. Nothing would come to him even if he performs a thousand sacrifices. A brahmana, having knowledge not easily obtained, but not (having the mark of) the disc made duly, is condemned among all people, and would fall from the status of a brahmana. As Vishnu, holding the conch and disc is worshipped by the souls (i.e. men), similarly a brahmana, having (on his body) the marks of the disc etc. deserves to be honoured by all. A brahmana, even though he knows all the Vedas, or is proficient in all holy texts, would fall without having (i.e. if he does not have) (the mark of) the disc duly made (on his body); if he is without the mark or the marks of a conch or a disc, he should be put on a donkey and be driven out of the city. Vasudeva Janardana is untouched by the primordial matter (Prakrti). O goddess, a brahmana having the mark of Vishnu's disc is just like that. Therefore, a man should have, at the roots of his arms, the (marks of) heated disc and conch of Vishnu, which burn the stream of sins (produced) due to the contact of matter.

47-50. He should have, at the roots of his arms, the marks made with heated disc and conch. Women and shudras should always have those made with scented sandal (-paste). At the root of the arm of a brahmana the mark of the disc should be made with a heated (sign). Marks with heated (signs) must be duly made (on the body) of a brahmana. For the success in (rites prescribed by) the holy and the Smrti texts, so also for being entitled to worshipping Vishnu, (the mark of) the disc should be duly had. For accomplishing the status of Vishnu, and for getting knowledge, a man should burn his body with (i.e. have marks of) heated conch and disc, after duly having offered oblations into fire.

51-53. A brahmana should not mark his body with any other symbol than that of Vishnu — with other symbols than the conch, disc, mace, sword and the Sharriga (bow) of Vishnu. He should burn his body with marks (made with Vishnu's symbols). He, whose body is burnt with (i.e. has) other marks, is not entitled to (performing) rites. One should avoid a brahmana not having the disc (-mark) from a distance. In the world one should not look at a brahmana who is not a devotee of Vishnu as (one does not look at) a candala. Vishnu's devotee, even if he is outside the castes, purifies the three worlds.

54-59. Therefore, O you of a charming face, brahmanas should duly have marks (on their bodies). Brahmanas (with their bodies marked) with Vishnu's disc are refined and noble for acquiring mastery of hymns, knowledge and for salvation. Brahmanas without (marks of) Vishnu's disc are not refined. As it is urged by the holy texts, especially brahmanas, living in all stages of life, should duly have (the mark of) Vishnu's disc. Those who know the Vedas consider that a brahmana should have (the mark of) Sudarsana on his right arm, and (that of) the conch on the left. The wearing of (the mark of) the disc etc. is told in the Mahopanisad (the great Upanisad texts); so also in the Saman (Veda), Yajur (Veda) and the R.g (Veda), O you of a beautiful face. O Vishnu, the other ancients have the marks of your pure lotus, disc for crossing the ocean of existence, at the roots of their arms. Others have other marks of you.

60-64. The extensive disc is known as Carana. Pavitra is an old and auspicious word. Burnt by the disc they would cross the ocean of sins. Vishnu's disc is the lord of the hymns (brahmanaspatyam?) and has always pervaded the world. Those whose bodies are not burnt (with it) do not go to the highest position. Those whose bodies are burnt with (it) go to the highest position. Know from me the names of Vishnu's disc in succession: Pavitra, Carana, Nemi, Sudarsana, Haricakra, Sahasrara (having a thousand spokes), Prakrtaghna (killer of the mean), Lokadvara (a gate to the good world), Mahaujasa (very bright). Purify us with the Brahmanhood, pure and burnt in fire. Purify us with that Pavitra, having flames of you, O Agni.

65-69. May the Pavamanya (hymns) purify me with the thousand-edged disc with which they always protect themselves. The disc of the Creator is bright with metal plates and golden. We knowing the hymn purify it (already) purified by it. The unaging disc with the felly is the eye of the noble one. Having put it on gods reached a high position. Therefore, (the marks of) the weapons should be duly put on particularly by brahmanas, especially by Vishnu's devotees. The noble one of a pure heart, who having the Urdhvapundra (perpendicular marks of sandal on the forehead) and the mark of the disc, meditates on Vishnu's position, by means of singing the hymn always reaches (god Vishnu) higher than the highest always remaining in his heart.

70-74. Those devotees of Vishnu, having stuck to (i.e. round) their necks the garland of TulasI or lotuses or a rosary, having the marks of conch or disc at the roots of their arms, or those having the Urdhvapundra (the vertical lines) on their foreheads, quickly purify the world. Beings are not sorry for those who pre3140 serve (but) do not properly carry (the mark of) the extensive disc of the lord of heaven. Those who carry the disc very firm(-ly marked) with (the proper) rite on their arm(s), quickly occupy, by means of their lustre, a high place in the sky. He who lias at the root(s) of his arms the disc mark of Vishnu, the highest soul (made) by heating (the disc) in the sacrificial fire, crosses the great ocean of the mundane existence, and goes to the pure world of the highest lord. A man should make at the roots of his arms the marks with the heated discs etc. He should also get such marks put on (the bodies of) his wife, children, servants and beasts etc.

75-80. O you of an excellent face, all holy texts tell this. In the history (books) and the Puranas the same thing is told. The mark of devotion to Vishnu is said to be of two kinds: external and internal. The external (mark) is (produced) by means of a conch, a disc etc. The internal (one) is freedom from attachment. One having similarity between the external and the internal is said to belong to Vishnu. Therefore, the disc etc. are said to be the first (external) mark pertaining to Vishnu. The internal (mark) is realising the soul after being free from the faults due to Cupid (i.e. passion of love). So also showing compassion to all beings, tranquility and absence of greed for the objects of senses. So also having no attachment for sons, wife etc.; and delight in the study of Yoga; serving the highest lord by means of undistracted application to devotion. Therefore, marking with (Vishnu's) weapons like ths disc is said to pertain to Vishnu. Vaisnavatva (the status of belonging to Vishnu) cannot be had without the marks of the disc etc.

ЧТО ТАКОЕ УВЕРЕННОЕ ПОВЕДЕНИЕ В МЕЖЛИЧНОСТНЫХ ОТНОШЕНИЯХ? Исторически существует три основных модели различий, существующих между...

ЧТО И КАК ПИСАЛИ О МОДЕ В ЖУРНАЛАХ НАЧАЛА XX ВЕКА Первый номер журнала «Аполлон» за 1909 г. начинался, по сути, с программного заявления редакции журнала...

ЧТО ПРОИСХОДИТ ВО ВЗРОСЛОЙ ЖИЗНИ? Если вы все еще «неправильно» связаны с матерью, вы избегаете отделения и независимого взрослого существования...

Живите по правилу: МАЛО ЛИ ЧТО НА СВЕТЕ СУЩЕСТВУЕТ? Я неслучайно подчеркиваю, что место в голове ограничено, а информации вокруг много, и что ваше право...

Не нашли то, что искали? Воспользуйтесь поиском гугл на сайте: