The King said – O sage! I wish to know the details of the Purscharan rite from you, O sinless one! So you kindly tell me, who are desirous of listening the same. 2.
Shatanand said – I have already told you about times that bestow auspicious fruits. Purascharan rites should be started during such periods. O King! The host should select and invite six, nine or twelve Brahmans with the above mentioned qualities of the speaker of the Satsangijivan. 3-4.
Caution for one performing Purascharan
The Brahman reader should take breaks at the end of the chapters mentioned before. The pronunciation of the speaker should be very clear and exact. He should not talk to others while the reading is being conducted. 11.
Those selected Brahman readers should not accept any fees and gifts like cloths, etc., from anybody else. 12.
Caution for the host of the Purascharan
At the end of each Saptaha (weekly reading) each Brahman should be individually given three gold coins. Fees may be given to each reader after the completion of a number of readings assigned to him separately or collectively to all at the end. 13-14.
If a person is not able to give three coins of gold, then he should give half of it, if that is also not possible than half of that again. If that much, i.e. lowest amount is also not possible, then he should not make the Brahmans exert unnecessarily; he should follow some other course to serve God. 15-16.
Purascharan rituals
The host who makes arrangements for Purascharan should, on the same day of the selection of the Brahman readers, choose Brahmans for Japa, i.e. chanting of Ashtakshar mantra (eight-syllabled chant) throughout the Purascharan. At the end he should arrange a Hom, i.e. offering oblations in the sacrificial fire, in the one tenth of the Japa and host should also offer food to Brahmans in one tenth number of the oblations. 17-18.
If it is possible for the performer of this Purascharan, this wise one should give oblations of ghee, milk (Payasa) and rice or grains and other materials, one oblation for each stanza. He should also give separate oblation for the words like Uvacha (said) Pratyuvacha (replied) and Itishri (concluding). The oblations should be given in the sacrificial fire with proper sequence with Mrugi Mudra (posture of fingers). 19-20.
A person who is not able to perform Hom fully should give oblations in the sacrificial fire, offering the items told before, by uttering the chants of various names of Lord Shri Hari given in the Sarvamangal Stotra. 21.
A person who is unable to perform the sacrifice should arrange a Parayan of the complete text twelve times by those selected Brahmans, compensatory to Hom. 22.
Celibacy during Purascharan
The host and the Brahmans should observe celibacy during the days of the Purascharan – from the beginning to the end. 23.
If the rules (vows) are not properly observed one will certainly not get the reward as stated and if all the rules are properly observed, then all of his desires will surely be fulfilled. 24.
Other Purascharans
O King! Now, eventually, I shall tell you in short, about the rules that are to be observed during the Purascharan rite of Shikshapatri, Ashtakshara Mantra (eighteen syllable chant) Sarvamangal Stotra, Janamangal Stotra, Vishnusahasranam, Shree Narayanakavacha, sixteen syllabled chant of Hanuman which is dear to Shri Hari, and the Vasudeva Mahatmya occurring in Vishnukhand of Skand Puran. Observance of these bestows fulfilment of the four goals of human life to the devotees of Lord Shri Hari, in a short time. 25-28.
O King! The Purascharan rite of Shikshapatri should be performed by reciting the text for a 1000 times. It will surely give the desired fruits. 29.
(At the end) the oblations in the sacrificial fire should be given with utterances of each stanza by the tenth part of the number of the recitations of Shikshapatri, according to the said procedure. Thus, the number of oblations will come to 21000; 30.
If it is not possible to perform the sacrifice then the repeating of the text should be done in the tenth of the fixed number of recitations. This rule should be followed in all Purascharan programs. 31.
It is said that the Purascharan of eight syllabled chants of Lord Shri Krishna, should be done by uttering the mantra for eight lakh times (800,000) and if the sacrifice is to be done it should be done with oblations in one tenth part of the total chants. 32.
If Purascharan of Sarvamangal Stotra is to be conducted then it should be repeated for 1080; then only it will give desired fruit. In this Purascharan if the oblations are given according to the procedure, by uttering Shri Hari’s names in Sarvamangal Stotra, for one lakh eight thousand times (108,000) and in its tenth number of utterance (Japa) it will surely give the desired fruit. 33-34.
O best of the kings! If Purascharan of Janamangal Stotra is to be conducted then it should be repeated for10,000; then it certainly bestows desired fruit and the sacrifice should be performed by uttering names of Shri Hari in the hymn for 8000; the tenth part of the number of utterances. 35-36.
Now Purascharan of Vishnusahsranam is explained. If Purascharan of Vishnusahsranam is to be conducted it should be in the same manner of Sarvamangal Stotra and the sacrifice should be performed by uttering the names of Vishnu. 37.
If Purascharan of Narayanavarm in Shrimad Bhagvat is to be performed, it should be repeated a 1000 times as it is recommended. 38.
The twenty stanzas in this hymn starting from ‘Harirvidadhyat’ up to ‘Vidikshu’ give proper protection to the devotee. Here, the 20 stanzas repeated for 1000 times will amount to 20,000, and the oblations should be offered in sacrificial fire according to the procedure, the tenth part of it, that means 2000 times. 39-40.
The sixteen lettered chant of the God Maruti, who is the destroyer of all fear – which occurs in Satsangijivan, should be repeated for 400,000 times. O King! Sacrifice should be performed in the tenth part of the chants. 41-42.
Purascharan of Shree Vasudev Mahatmya should be done by 150 repetitions. Sacrifice should be done in the tenth part of it. 43.
Thus, I have told you the procedure of Purascharan of Satsangijivan and other texts – the bestower of all enjoyments and liberation also, in brief. 44.
Here ends the sixth chapter of Satsangijivan Mahatmya that describes the correct way of Purascharan rite, in the conversation between Shatanand and Hemantsinh. 6