Characteristics of Vakta narrated to Uttamraja by Bhawan Shri Hari, rules to be observed.
Characteristics of Vakta narrated to Uttamraja by Bhawan Shri Hari, rules to be observed.
The Narayan Muni said:-
‘O King, I will narrate to you, the restrictions beneficial for preacher and listener, as explained in Puranas. 1
According to the three Gunas - the preachers and the listeners are of three types. Of these the Sattviks are the best. They obtain the proper fruit. 2
Tamasa Preacher:
He whose speech is vague, disconnected, prolonged, dry, having no knowledge of proper division of words, not fluent, devoid of energy is called as Grantha dushaka. He is short- tempered, speaks harsh words, greedy and interested in looking at women. He does not understand the proper meaning of the book. He has no devotion to God. Such a preacher is called as Tamasa, which is regarded as the lowest type. 3-5
Rajasa Preacher:
He whose words are clear, who is quiet i.e. soft, sometimes lengthy in explanation, whose voice is sweet and suitable to time, who creates a feeling of surprise among the audience, who is sometimes greedy, sometimes angry, who is interested in eating and wearing rich clothes and ornaments, does not know the proper contents of the book. Though he is a devotee of God, he should be regarded as Rajasa, the middle type. 6-8
Sattvik Preacher:
He whose voice is sweet and modified according to different sentiments, whose words are clear, energetic and not lengthy, who is quiet, soft and determined, has deep faith, is well-read and knows the contents of the book fully well, is the Sattvik type. 9-10
He has control over his senses, is well-behaved, is far from wrong-assertion, knows the proper meaning of the work and is a good orator. He is skilled in communicating the meaning to the audience. 11
He is pleased with what he gets. He is sympathetic, non- egoistic, quiet, soft-natured and has devotion towards God. 12
He is free from censure, does not hoard wealth, has conquered desire, anger and greed. He is desire less. 13
He is friendly, courageous, saintly, far from pretending. He has no belongings. He does good to others. Such a preacher is regarded as Sattvik, the best type. 14
Possessing the signs of Sattva-guna, the intelligent preacher should get-up early in the morning everyday and perform his daily religious rites. 15
After that, invited by the audience, he should go to the pavilion, specially erected for Bhagavata-katha, wash his feet, sip water trice with chanting of mantras, wear washed white clothes, remember his own Guru, salute Brahmins and saints and then worship the holy book of Bhagavata. 16-17
After that with the consent of honorable Guru, he should sit on the seat named after Vyas, facing the east or north. 18
Worshipped by the audience, he then should sing the auspicious prayer and then recite ‘Yam pravrajantam’ etc. —the three verses from Bhagavata. 19
After that he should recite the verse ‘Kasmai yen….etc., and then his own favourite verse and then saluting the holy book, he should recite the following verse: 20
‘Shruyatam deva devesha….’ Listen ‘O God, ‘O God of Gods; ‘O Narayan, ‘O chief of this world, I will now narrate the auspicious stories with the help of concentration obtained by your grace. 21
Reciting this verse, the intelligent one should narrate the story and explain the meaning, looking at the saints and Brahmins, not at the women. 22.
The chapters at which readings should not conclude in Bhagwat Katha.
‘O King, everyday you should not put an end to your narration at the chapters which are prohibited for the close of narration. I will tell you those chapters. 23
In the first Skanda, the first, the eighth, tenth, fourteenth and sixteenth – these chapters are not approved for the close of narration. 24
In the second Skanda, the third and eighth-these two chapters are not approved for the close of narration, hence the preacher should not close his narration here. 25
In the third Skanda, the tenth, seventh, first, eighteenth and twenty-third chapters should not be employed for the close of narration. 26
In the fourth Skanda, the first, third, tenth, seventeenth, twentyeighth- these chapters are not auspicious for men for the close of narration. 27
In the fifth Skanda, the fifth and thirteenth chapters are prohibited for the closure of narration. In the sixth Skanda, the first, fifth, sixth and tenth are prohibited. 28
In the seventh Skanda, the first, fourth and sixth chapters are prohibited. In the eighth Skanda, the first, second, eighth, tenth and twenty first chapters are prohibited. 29
In the ninth Skanda, the fifteenth, tenth, fourth and first chapters are prohibited at the close, as they are not accepted by the Munis, ‘O King ! 30
In the tenth Skanda the tenth, first, twenty-second, ninth, twenty ninth, thirty, thirty first, and sixty-second chapters are prohibited. 31
The seventy-sixth and seventy-seventh are also said to be prohibited by six Brahmins well-versed in Puranas. 32
In the eleventh Skanda, tenth, twenty second and thirtieth chapters are prohibited. In the twelfth Skanda, the ninth chapter is prohibited for the close of narration. Thus I have explained to you, the prohibited chapters. 33
The preacher should never close his narration at the end of the above mentioned chapters. This is also applicable to the reading of one chapter a day. 34
When it comes to months, fortnights etc where number of days is fixed, chapters suitable to the number of days, should be read every day and then reading should be closed. 35
At the end of the narration every day, the preacher should do a loud chanting of the names of the Lord, for a minute or for an hour, and then only, he should get down from the seat of Vishnu. 36
Then saluting his Guru etc. once again, the preacher should go to his home. He should behave in the same manner till the end of narration of Bhagavata-katha. 37
Restrictions on Preacher :
Right from the day of beginning i.e. the first day of narration of Bhagavata-katha, till the end of it, the preacher should not accept food or any presents. If accepted, that will be a sin. 38
But if the listeners do not give him sufficient food every day, then he should accept food given by others. Then there will be no sin. 39
This rule is applicable to the preacher in case of reading the holy book Bhagavata for seven days, ten days or a fortnight. 40
He should avoid eating gas-producing food and avoid overeating. He should also avoid vegetables which cause some illness like yellow bile etc., and avoid oily and spicy food, so that his voice will not be affected. 41
He should observe celibacy, non-violence, speaking the truth and avoid stealing. He should avoid any action causing disturbance to the narration of Bhagavata-katha. 42
‘O King, until now I have described to you, the good signs of and rules for the preacher. Now I will explain to you the good signs of and rules for the listeners (i.e. for the audience). 43
Thus ends the fifth chapter entitled ‘Explanation of characteristics of Preacher’ in the fourth Prakaran of Satsangijivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as ‘Dharmashastra’ (the rules of the code of conduct). 5
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