Vaikuṇṭha Bhaṭṭāraka

 

Chaturmukha Vishnu

 

On a sacred day this month, upāsakās of śrīkula from the lineage of Bimbāmbikā and śīlā Bhaṭṭārikā worship the auspicious form of śrīmannārāyaṇa named Vaikuṇṭha Bhaṭṭāraka. The Lord, also known as Vaikuṇṭha Caturmukha, Vaikuṇṭha Turīya, and Caturmūrti Viṣṇu, is resplendent with four faces facing the four directions: Varāha, Narasimha, Saumya-Nārāyaṇa or Vāsudēva and Kapila. The inclusion of Kapila, who is described as an avatāra of Mahāviṣṇu in the Bhāgavata Upapurāṇa, indicates a Sāṅkhyan association of the worship of this form.

From these four faces emerge five āmnāyas (two from Vāsudēva-mukha) with the adharāmnāya emanating from the Nr̥simha-mukha. These four faces philosophically represent the four vyūhas namely Vāsudēva, Saṅkarṣaṇa (Nr̥simha), Pradyumna (Kapila) and Aniruddha (Varāha).

Such a mūrti, which represents the combined essence of both vyūha and vibhava aspects of the Lord, is considered extremely potent and worshiped in the Aṣṭāvaraṇa yantra using the thirty-four lettered mūlamantra. While the popular depiction of this form shows four hands sporting śaṅkha, cakra, gadā, and padma, the form contemplated during āvaraṇa pūjā and japa sports sixteen hands holding pāñcajanya, mahāsudarśana, kaumōdakī, padma, śakti, hēti, pāśa, ankuśa, triśūla, vajrāyudha, khaḍga, daṇḍa, cāpa, bāṇa, abhaya, and vara mudrās. After the āvaraṇapūjā, balidāna is offered to Viṣvaksēna Bhairava, Hanumadbhairava, Gāruḍabhairava and Viṣṇumāyā with their mūlamantras. Puṣpāñjali is offered with hibiscus flowers uttering the Aparājitā Vāiṣṇavī vidyā. The upāsaka spends three nights thereafter reciting the mūlamantra till certain signs from the Dēvatā are experienced confirming the successful completion of the ritual. On the fourth day, pūjā is offered to a vaṭu with the mantra of Vāmana-mūrti.

 

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