Essay name: Purana Bulletin
Author:
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
The "Purana Bulletin" is an academic journal published in India. The journal focuses on the study of Puranas, which are a genre of ancient Indian literature encompassing mythological stories, traditions, and philosophical teachings. They represent Hindu scriptures in Sanskrit and cover a wide range of subjects.
Purana, Volume 11, Part 2 (1969)
10 (of 150)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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A NOTE ON THE VASUDEVA-STUTI.
The above Vasudeva-stuti is a part of the payo-vrata (a vow to
live on milk only for twelve days in the bright half of the month
of Falguna) instructed by Sage Kasyapa to his wife Aditi. By
observation of this vow Vis峁噓 is pleased and grants a boon to the
worshipper. Aditi observed this vrata strictly according to the
instructions of Kasyapa, and thereby she was granted a boon by
Vis峁噓 that He would be born to her as a son in the form of Vamana.
This payo-vrata is called sarva-yaj帽a (essence of all the sacrifices),
sarva-vrata (essence of all the vows) and tapah-sara (essence of all the
austerities) and satisfies God Vis峁噓-
啶呧く啶� 啶掂 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啶啷嵿啶距啷嵿く啶� 啶膏ぐ啷嵿さ啶掂啶班い啶た啶むた 啶膏啶啶むぎ啷� 啷�
啶むお啶� 啶膏ぞ啶班ぎ啶苦う啶� 啶う啷嵿ぐ啷� 啶︵ぞ啶ㄠ 啶氞啶多啶掂ぐ啶むぐ啷嵿お啶｀ぎ啷� 啷�
||
( [aya峁� vai sarvayaj帽膩khya岣� sarvavratamiti sm峁泃am |
tapa岣� s膩ramida峁� bhadre d膩na峁� ce艣varatarpa峁嘺m |
||
(] Bh膩g. VIII. 16.60).
This Vasudeva-stuti, being a part of this important vrata, has
great importance from the religious point of view. The first two
艣lokas (29, 30) of this stuli are in general praise of Vasudeva: He
is the greatest of all the beings, he resides in all the beings, he is
Puru峁 (the Supreme Being and the soul of the universe), Vasudeva
(the deity who resides in all and in whom reside all) and s膩k峁n
(the witness) of all-(29). He is avyakta (unmanifest), s眉k峁a
(subtle) and Pradhana-puru峁 (the Primaeval Matter or Prak峁泃i).
He knows the twenty-four gunas (i. e. 24 tattvas as enumerated in
the Sankhya Philosophy), He is the founder of the Samkhya-philo-
sophy (called here gu峁嘺-sa峁僰hy膩na, as gunas or tattva-s are enu-
merated and expounded here)-(30).
The third sloka (31) describes symbolically the form of
raj帽a (Sacrifice) who is considered as Vis峁噓 himself ('&')
and also as an Avatara of Vis峁噓 (Cf. Bhag.-P. II. 7.2). Yaj帽a here
is said as having two heads (pr膩ya峁嚹珁a, introductory libation, and
udayaniya, finishing ceremony), three feet (i. e. the three savana-s
act of pressing out the soma-juice performed at the three periods
of the day), four horns (i. e. the four Vedas), seven hands (i. e.
the seven Vedic metres). He (God Yaj帽a) is tantu (producer and
