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THE
VRATA
It
an be said with great certainty that this is prime cause of
the rapid growth and universality of the temple. Much about it is
said in the Skandapurana in all details, like the aim for
propitiation, method of initiation, eligibility, time, rituals etc.
It beings with the origin and necessity of Satyanarayana Vratha.
According to it Srimannarayana will incarnate in Kaliyuga as Sri
Satyanarayanaswamy to lift mankind from worries and problems gnawing
at its vitals. He goes by the names of Satyadeva or Sri Satya, and
by invoking and worshipping him soulfully one is rid of sins, and
reaps all the worldly pleasures- acquires wealth, gains strength and
earns spiritual contentment. And makes a steady, rapid progress, in
profession, industry, education, besides obtaining santanaprapti to
the barren, and manssanti to the star-crossed and down-trodden. The
procedure prescribed to worship him systematically goes by the name
of the Vratam. It has a method and imposes certain restrictions.
Normally the prospective bhaktas propitiate the Lord at the temple
first, where the priests with elaborate procedure and due rituals
initiate them into the mysteries of mahamantra - potent chant. It
puts into practice the Vishnu Sahasranama, the efficacious mantra of
all. It was first administered to Yudhishtara by Bhishma pitamaha,
the redoubtable immortal hero of Mahabharata.
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