Chitra Purnima
HE TWELVE months of the
Hindu year, based on the lunar calendar, are named after that star
during whose ascendency the full moon of that month occurs. The full
moon day of Chaitra month, that is, the Purnima during the ascendency of
the Chitra star is particularly sacred to the Chitra Guptas, the
recording angels of the Hindu pantheon. A special worship is offered to
these celestial representatives of the god of death, and an offering of
spiced rice is prepared and later distributed as prasad or holy
sacrament. A fire worship is done at the close of the ritualistic
worship. By the performance of this religious observance annually, these
angels of the other world are greatly pleased and judge man’s actions
with more sympathy.
The psychological effect of this worship, done on
the very first full moon day of every year (Chaitra is the first of the
twelve months), is to vividly remind us of the higher power that
maintains a constant watch over every act of ours on this earth-plane.
This memory serves as an invisible check on one’s conduct. The
conception of the Chitra Guptas as located within each shoulder is a
powerful inducement to keep oneself engaged in constantly doing good
actions only.
The term Chitra Gupta means “hidden picture”. A
true picture of all our good and evil actions is preserved in the
ethereal records. The Hindu personifies it for the sake of worship. The
real significance of the worship of the Chitra Guptas is beautifully
brought out in the following story connected with it.
Brihaspati is the Guru or preceptor of Indra, the
king of the gods. Indra disobeyed Brihaspati on one occasion and the
Guru relinquished his task of instructing Indra in what he should and
should not do. During the period of the Guru’s absence, Indra did many
evil deeds. When the compassionate Guru resumed his duty again, Indra
wanted to know what he should do to expiate the wrongs he had done in
his Guru’s absence. Brihaspati asked Indra to undertake a pilgrimage.
While Indra was on pilgrimage, he suddenly felt
the load of sins taken off his shoulders at a certain place (near
Madurai in South India), and he discovered a Shiva Lingam there. He
attributed the miracle to this Lingam and wanted to build a temple for
it. He had this constructed immediately. Now he wished to perform the
worship of the Lingam; the Lord Himself caused golden lotuses to appear
in a nearby pond. Indra was greatly pleased and blessed. The day on
which he thus worshipped the Lord was Chitra Purnima.
When you perform worship on the Chitra Purnima
day, remember this story. If you have intense faith, if you feel with a
contrite heart that you have committed sins on account of ignorance, if
you pray with faith and devotion to the Lord to forgive your sins, if
you resolve never to commit them in the future, and if you resolve to be
obedient to your Guru and never to flout his counsel, then your sins
will be forgiven. There is no doubt about this. This is the significance
of the above story of Indra. Meditate on this story on Chitra Purnima
day.
The Hindu scriptures prescribe elaborate worship
of the Chitra Guptas on this day. The Deity is invoked in an image or a
kalasa (vessel filled with water) and then worshipped with all
the rituals and formalities of the worship offered to God’s image.
Meditate on Chitra Gupta, reciting the following verse:
Chitra guptam mahaa praajnam lekhaneepatra
dhaarinam;
Chitra-ratnaambara-dhaararn madhyastham sarvadehinaam.
Then offer ritualistic worship with incense,
camphor, flowers, etc. Feed some Brahmins, the poor and the needy. Give
bountifully in charity and receive the Lord’s blessings.
