नारायणाय इति समर्पयामि

The month of Ashadh brings rain and with it, a renewed sense of optimism and opportunity within everyone, doesn’t it?

The holy period of चातुर्मास  / Chatur-maas (literally, four months) start from the आषाढी एकादशी  / Ashadhi Ekadashi (11th day of Ashadh) till the कार्तिकी एकादशी / Kartiki Ekadashi (11th day of Kartik). It is believed that the Supreme Lord Vishnu goes to sleep on the Ashadhi Ekadashi (hence called देवशयनी / Devashayani – God sleeping) and wakes up 4 months later on Kartiki Ekadashi (called देवउठी / Devuthi – God waking up). These interim 4 months are spent in prayer, austerities, penance, fasting, religious observances etc. Many festivals in Hinduism like Krishnasthami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Navaratri, Dassera, Diwali are also celebrated in this period.

Ever wonder if there is any reason behind this?

Well, as we all know, human settlements and early civilization started with agriculture. The allegory behind this terminology of देवशयनी / Devashayani and देवउठी /  Devuthi is that when the sowing gets completed before the rains arrive in Ashadh, the seeds are sleeping inside the womb of mother earth. Mother Nature nourishes them with rains, and sunlight and in the next 3-4 months you are able to harvest the wealth (Goddess Laxmi) that the sleeping seeds bring up with it as they wake up and sprout from Mother Earth. During this period, our ancestors who were largely cultivators had more free time on hand as sowing was done and there weren’t any modern farming techniques or implements. Hence, they devoted the free time to prayer and festivals, वारी vaaris (journeys to holy places) and so on.

Most of our customs, traditions are rooted in the cycle of seasons, or nature or the way of life of our ancestors but we have lost that knowledge now and hence dismiss the now as superstitions.

In Maharashtra, पंढरपुर वारी / Pandharpur Vaari (journey over many days from different villages/towns to Pandharpur) is said to have existed from over 800 years. Vitthal, who is worshipped on Ashadhi Ekadashi day is another form of the Lord Vishnu.

The overall ethos of these rituals, be it the Vaari or the Chatur-maas austerities, is an acknowledgment of the Higher Consciousness (God, Vishnu, Shankar, Brahman – what you may choose to call it) and समर्पण (surrender) to that Force.

There is a beautiful shloka dedicated to Lord Vishnu, which wonderfully encapsulates this समर्पण भावना / Samarpan Bhavana that is one of the basic principles of Hinduism. And most of us already know it by heart. As it is a part of the आरती /aarti sung at the end of all Aartis!

It goes thus –

कायेन वाचा मनसेन्द्रियैर्वा । बुद्ध्यात्मना वा प्रकृतेस्स्वभवात् । करोमि यद्यत्सकलं परस्मै । नारायणायेति समर्पयामि ॥

kayen vacha

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This shloka is found in the Bhagvatam in a slightly different form. It seems to have been modified to first person from third person while including it in the आरती / Aarti.

It means that –

कायेन वाचा मनसा इन्द्रियैः वा                with body, speech, mind or sense organs,

बुद्ध्या आत्मना वा प्रकृतेः स्वभावात्           with intellect, soul or by nature,

करोमि यत् यत् सकलं                      each and every thing that I do

परस्मै नारायणाय इति समर्पयामि           I offer it to the Supreme Narayana

Don’t we recite this shloka so many times during the Ganapati Festival and whenever there are pujas at home?

Well, now on, you will be able to sing it with knowledge of this meaning. To practise humility, equanimity and balance, you may also recite it daily.