DE_CODING SATYA NARAYANA PUJA

De-coding the Sathya Narayana Vrata Pooja

This is the most popular puja in India for tow reasons

1)                        it is simple and open to all without any restrictions.

2)                        it promises to make every one wealthy if done with faith and devotion. There are threats if you don’t.

Many scholars have questioned this and some have even asked if there is an ‘Asathya Narayana’ as we are doing a ‘Sathya Narayana Puja’.

As always this is a totally misunderstood and misinterpreted ritual.

To start with this is a vrata or a vow, not a simple puja. This is a commitment taken to be Truthful, control senses, be humble, kind and non discriminatory and to meditate on Narayana for Life.  In short, this is commitment to follow Ashtanga Yoga’s all eight steps for Life.

Let us analyze the story told in the Purana.

Shri Sathyanaranayana katha is from Vayu Purana although it is told to be in Skandha purana, Reva kaanda.

In the purana, Sutha PuraanikA narrates the story, in Neimishaaranya Vana to the rishis lead by Shounaka. It is important to note that most of the puranas are told in this vana forest. Naimisha Aranaya means a momentary forest and the symbology should not be lost – our human life is the naimisha aranya and not some mystical forest.

Shounaka laments ,  "When a man has a desire, how can he fulfill that ethically sound desire? By worshipping whom, by what vrata or tapas?”

In other words,  Shounaka is asking the way to channelize our desires. We know that all human beings have 4 large objectives- material wealth, non material pursuits, conduct and attaining endless happiness. Our Shasras call them as Purushaartas and tweaks them by stating the only when we seek Material and non –material things in a righteous dharmik way do we attain unending happiness moksha. Seen this way, Shounaka’s question becomes very relevant.

Suta  said "this question was also asked by Devarshi Narada to   to Lord Narayana Himself; Let me tell you that story”. The story has 5 chapters.

 Chapter 1:  Once Narada came to Bhuloka and found almost everyone  suffering  misery on account of their past Karmas. They didn’t know how to extricate themselves from their untold miseries. Out of compassion, he appealed to Lord Narayana   for getting the people out of their miseries. Shriman Narayana teaches Satyanarayana Vrta that can be performed by anyone   very easily. One who does this, will get all the benefits and the pleasures of this world and will eventually get Moksha too.

Chapter 2 : This has a Brahmin & Wood cutter:
A poor Brahmin becomes rich & moksha following the instructions of Narayana ; based on his advice, a poor woodcutter does so and gets riches too.

 CHAPTER 3  : This is about a King & a merchant
A good king was wedded to truth and sense- control. He strictly does the satyanarayana Vrata. A mechant  desires similar results and takes the Vrata. Though he becomes rich, with family growing, he does not follow vrata. He and his son in law gets arrested by king for robbery and they get released only after his wife does the puja

Chapter 4 : The same merchant lies to a snayasi whens asked what his ship contained . He claims he was carrying only dry leaves and all the good merchandise becomes dry leaves. He begs for forgiveness and is forgiven. In the meantime his wife does puja at home but in a hurry to meet the husband who comes after several moths, neglects to take Prasad. The Ship goes missing until she does puja again and eats prasada with reverence.

 Chapter 5: This talks about a King and Cowherd.

King  Angadwaja was good and righteous king.

Once he sees a group of cowherds play acting that they were doing Satyanarayana puja and ignored the simple prasad  offered by them as part of act. The King was obviously disrespectful. He loses all wealth. The king had to back and do puja with cowherds and accept the Prasad to get back his riches.

What do we get from all these 5 stories?

When we analyze the Characters in the Story, we recognize that only those who were following Yama, Niyama, controlled senses and meditated on Narayana attained results and those who failed to do so failed to get results.

1)                        Poor Brahmin- gains wealth and moksha

2)                        Woodcutter – gains

3)                        Merchant – Gains, loses and gets back

4)                        King – loses wealth and gets back

5)                        Cowherds – were playful and so made no progress

Who is this Satya Narayana ? The answer can be found in Narayana Sookta. The True Narayana  (Satya) is in our hearts and everything outside is merely as Symbol.

The narayana Sukta explains : 

अधो॑ नि॒ष्ट्या वि॑तस्या॒न्ते॒ ना॒भ्यामु॑परि॒ तिष्ठ॑ति ।

ज्वा॒ल॒मा॒लाकु॑लं भा॒ती॒ वि॒श्वस्याय॑त॒नं म॑हत् ।

Below the Adam’s apple, at a distance of a span, and above the navel  , effulges the Great Abode of the universe, as if adorned with garlands of flames.

 सन्तत॑ग्ं शि॒लाभि॑स्तु॒ लम्ब॒त्याकोश॒सन्नि॑भम् ।

तस्यान्ते॑ सुषि॒रग्ं सू॒क्ष्मं तस्मिन्॓ स॒र्वं प्रति॑ष्ठितम् ।

Surrounded on all sides by nerve-currents  , the lotus-bud of the heart is suspended in an inverted position. In it is a subtle space   and therein is to be found the Substratum of all things.

तस्य॒ मध्ये॑ म॒हान॑ग्निर्-वि॒श्वार्चि॑र्-वि॒श्वतो॑मुखः ।

सो‌உग्र॑भु॒ग्विभ॑जन्ति॒ष्ठ॒-न्नाहा॑रमज॒रः क॒विः ।

In that space within the heart resides the Great Flaming Fire, undecaying, all-knowing, with tongues spread out in all directions, with faces turned everywhere, consuming all food presented before it, and assimilating it into itself.

ति॒र्य॒गू॒र्ध्वम॑धश्शा॒यी॒ र॒श्मय॑स्तस्य॒ सन्त॑ता ।

स॒न्ता॒पय॑ति स्वं दे॒हमापा॑दतल॒मस्त॑कः ।

तस्य॒मध्ये॒ वह्नि॑शिखा अ॒णीयो॓र्ध्वा व्य॒वस्थि॑तः ।

His rays, spreading all round, sideways as well as above and below, warm up the whole body from head to foot. In the centre of That (Flame) abides the Tongue of Fire as the topmost among all subtle things.

नी॒लतो॑-यद॑मध्य॒स्था॒द्-वि॒ध्युल्ले॑खेव॒ भास्व॑रा ।

नी॒वार॒शूक॑वत्त॒न्वी॒ पी॒ता भा॓स्वत्य॒णूप॑मा ।

Brilliant like a streak of lightning set in the midst of the blue rain-bearing clouds, slender like the awn of a paddy grain, yellow (like gold) in colour, in subtlety comparable to the minute atom, (this Tongue of Fire) glows splendid.

तस्या॓ः शिखा॒या म॑ध्ये प॒रमा॓त्मा व्य॒वस्थि॑तः ।

स ब्रह्म॒ स शिवः॒ स हरिः॒ सेन्द्रः॒ सो‌உक्ष॑रः पर॒मः स्व॒राट् ॥

In the middle of that Flame, the Supreme Self dwells. This  is Brahma  , Siva  , Hari , Indra  , the Imperishable, the Absolute, the Autonomous Being.

So, the Satya Narayana is the one residing in the blue flame of the heart. Every other portrayal is mere Symbol, and hence not the Satya Narayana. Following   the Sanatana Dharma  worship model which is 5 dimensional -

1)                        Tatva or concept – Narayana the unmanifest God

2)                        Mantra or divine words – Narayana Sukta

3)                        Yantra or roopa form – Blue flame or the Human form

4)                        Tantra or meditation ritual  - Yama Niyamadi Ashtanga Yoga

5)                        Kriya or an integrated worship plan -  Sathya Narayana Vrata Puja

The detailed story has 5 characters representing 5 senses that prevent us from staying focused on Narayana in the heart and lead us astray. We lose focus and detrmnation and come to grief. Once we keep the Vrata discipline we see Narayana in the heart and get moksha which is the highest and true wealth one can get.

In Summary, Satyanarayana Puja Vrata is about committing to  a life of Yama Niyamadi Ashtanga Yoga . The  objective is to see Narayana in ou heart and attain Moksha. The Puja is not about seeking and getting material wealth .