Varaha

 

Essence Of
Varaha Purana

 

43    Vishnu Puja-‘Aparadha Prayaschyas’ (Correctives for misdeeds)
‘Karmana Manasa Vaacha ye Paaparuchayo janaah,
Aparadhagruhaasthey thu viparithaastu Sadhava /
Ajnaanaacha pramadaaccha esham Praaptamayantaram,
Praayasthittham dahet Savamaparadha malothitham /

(Either due to ignorance or carelessness, quite a few ‘Aparaadhaas’ (blunders) are committed in the context of Vishnu’s worship; Corrective steps be taken to burn off all the sins.)

The examples of such blunders are using harsh language; wearing unclean, blue coloured and blood-mixed clothes; disrespect for Gurus and the learned; eating spoilt and inedible food; eating while in Puja, entering Temples and Sacred Places with footwear; Puja of Deities with prohibited flowers; puja in a condition of anger or lust or inebriated stage; Puja in darkness without light, etc.Puja in improper clothing could be corrected by fasts on one day, two days or three days, followed by bath and ‘Panchagavya’(or a mix of equal measure each of cow dung, cow urine, milk, ghee or butter and curd-all cow products) and finally food. Wearing of Blue dress should be preceded by aforesaid procedure plus Paajaapathya Vratha including ‘homam’. Insulting or abusing Gurus or Men of Elders must be compensated by Chandrayana Vratha or eating fistful of food in an increasing scale from one fist on Partham day to Purnami and again from fourteen fists to Amavasya on a decreasing scale! The blunder of eating inedible food or ‘Abhaksha Bakshana’ would attract the Corrective of Chandrayan Vratha, Prajaapathya and Go Daan and ‘Annadaan’or food to anybody after sancifying as Prasad to any Temple God / Goddess. The sins of Puja in an inebriated condition or wearing footwear in a Temple precinct should be treated with ‘Panchagavya’. The indiscretions of performing Puja without flowers or Pushp Mala to Vishnu should be absolved by Mantroktak ‘Panchamritha’ to the Deity.’Surapan’ or far worse still, the performance of Vishnu Puja in an inebriated condition, the Brahmanas should execute four Chandrayan Vrathas in one hundred and twenty days. The rest of the sins ranging from bad stomach with gas to romance or passion with women or worse still Stree Sangam attract light to heavy punishments as per one’s own conscience since the nature of ‘Paschattapas’ (High sense of remorse) and the ‘Aparadha Prayastischyas’ are to be determined by the norms afore mentioned as per one’s own conscience or the Guidelines laid. In any case, the hidden or unnoticed ‘Aparadhas’ must be warded off with the following steps viz. external and internal cleanliness, concentration, kirthan, recitation, shravanam (‘hearing), ‘pathanam’
(reading), ‘mananam’( Retention), ‘dhyanam’(meditation) and surrender.


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