By the causeless mercy of Bhaktabāndhava Śrīla Gurudeva, Oṁ Viṣṇupāda Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja, we here present an introduction to Śrī Kātyāyanī-vrata. Śrīla Sukadeva Gosvāmī originally narrated the pastime of the Vraja-devīs performing worship of Kātyāyanī Devī (Yogamāyā), in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, 10th canto 22nd chapter.
Following in the mood of the Vraja-devīs, the eternal associates of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu later described this pastime in greater detail. Prominent descriptions are found in Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī’s Gopāla-campū and Śrīla Kavi Karṇapura’s Ānanda-vṛndāvana-campū, as well as in the Sārātha-darṣiṇī, commentary of Mahāmahopādhyāya Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura on the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. Srīla Sanatāna Gosvāmipāda also summarized the rules and regulations how a sādhaka should perform this vrata in his treatise Hari-bhakti-vilāsa. These works form the basis of the lecture series being published in this book, Śrī Kātyāyanī-vrata.
In the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, a beautiful description of this vrata performed by the Vraja-vadhus is mentioned as follows:
hemanterathame māsi nanda-vraja-kumārikāḥ cerur haviṣyaṁ bhuñjānāḥ kātyāyany-arcana-vratam
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said, “In the Hemanta season, before the winter frost, the young unmarried girls of Nanda Vraja observed the vrata of worshiping goddess Kātyāyanī. For the entire month they ate only haviṣyānna.”kātyāyani mahā māye mahā-yoginy adhīśvari nanda-gopa-sutaṁ devi patiṁ me kuru te namaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.22.4
O goddess Kātyāyanī, O great potency of the Lord, O possessor of great mystic power and mighty controller of all, please make the son of Nanda Mahārāja my beloved maintainer and guardian (pati or palan-karta—husband). I offer my obeisances unto you.
Each of the young unmarried gopīs performed goddess Kātyāyanī’s (Yogamāyā) worship while chanting the above-mentioned mantra. Similarly, Paramāradhyatama Śrīla Guru-pāda-padma used to pray to Bhagavati-devī Yogamāyā everyday with the following mantra:rādheśa-keli-prabhutā-vinoda- vinyāsa-vijñāṁ vraja-vanditānghriṁ kṛpālutādyākhila-viśva-vandyāṁ śrī-paurṇamāsīṁ śirasā namāmi
Śrī Stava-kalpa-druma
Bowing my head I offer praṇāma unto Śrī Paurṇamāsī-devī, who is very expert in arranging the various elevated pleasure-pastimes of the master of Śrīmatī Rādhikā; whose lotus feet are worshipped by all the Vrajavāsīs; and who, owing to being endowed with all transcendental qualities, especially compassion, is worshipable for everyone in the entire universe.
Without taking shelter of the Lord’s internal energy, svārūpa-śakti or Yogamāyā, it is not possible to overcome the material energy and gain entrance into Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s eternal pastimes. Some ignorant people, devoid of tattva-jnāna, say that this observance of Kātyāyanī-vrata is avidhi, or worship of the Lord’s external energy, thus done without the sanction of śāstra. However, our Ācāryas have explained that the Kātyāyanī mentioned in this pastime is not the illusory energy of Kṛṣṇa, but rather the internal potency of the Lord known as Yogamāyā. Our most worshipful Param-Gurudeva, nitya-līlā-praviṣṭa Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja explains that: “If the gopīs were performing Kātyāyanī-pūjā [worship of mahāmāyā], then why did Śrī Kṛṣṇa have to come personally to give the benediction? The reason is that Kṛṣṇa and His svarūpa-śakti Yogamāyā (Kātyāyanī) are non-different: śakti-śaktimator-abedhaḥ. Therefore, in this case, Kātyāyanī pūjā is the same as the pūjā of Śrī Kṛṣṇa.” (Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī - His Life and Precepts) Param-pūjyapāda Śrīla Bhaktivedānta Svāmī Mahārāja explains this siddhānta in his purport to Caitanya Caritāmrṭa, Madhya-līlā (8.90): “Following the example of the gopīs, the devotees sometimes worship the goddess Kātyāyanī, but they understand that Kātyāyanī is an incarnation of Yogamāyā.” Moreover, Jagad-guru Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Gosvāmī Prabhupāda reveals that: “By respecting Kṛṣṇa’s energies that are present within the fourteen worlds and His transcendental energies that are described in the Vedas, one’s devotion to Kṛṣṇa becomes fixed. Rather than considering the universal energies of Kṛṣṇa as mundane, one should consider them transcendental and pray to them for devotional service to Kṛṣṇa. Rather than seeing the energies of Kṛṣṇa mentioned in the Vedas as mundane, if one respects them as maidservants of the gopīs, then one’s devotion to Kṛṣṇa becomes strengthened.” (Caitanya Bhāgavata, Gauḍīya Bhaṣya, Madhya-khaṇḍa, 18.149) Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura prays:kuladevī yogamāyā more kṛpā kari’ āvaraṇa sambaribe kabe viśvadarī
“O Yogamāyā! When will you show mercy to me by lifting up the curtain of illusion with which you cover the universe in your external form of Mahāmāyā? You are known as Kula-devī, the traditional worshipable Goddess of all the Vaiṣṇava lines.”
When the gopis pray: patim me kurute namah, they desire for Krsna to be their beloved. On 22 May 1996, in Radlett, England, Srila Gurudeva said: The influence of Yogamaya is the driving force in the spiritual world. By her influence, the Vrajavasis consider Krsna to be their master, friend, and son. The gopis think, “Krsna is my beloved.” In prakata Vraja, the manifest pastimes of Vraja, the gopis worshiped Katyayani-devi. In Srimad Bhagavatam, the gopis’ worship of Katyayani-devi is described. The mantra given to the gopis was:katyayani maha-maye maha-yoginy adhisvari nanda-gopa-sutam devi patim me kuru te namah
All the Vrajavasis and the residents of the spiritual realm want to serve Krsna. Thus, Yogamaya inspires them to serve Krsna in various ways. Hence, there is no chance for the jivas to come from there. The spiritual world is such a place that mahamaya cannot enter there. Mahamaya cannot go past the Viraja. She is bound to stay within the confines of the material realm. She is the shadow of Yogamaya. So, there are two kinds of souls—those who serve Krsna eternally and those who are conditioned. Gradually, by sadhu-sanga and the help of Yogamaya, the conditioned souls can also liberate themselves. When Srila Gurudeva lived at Kesavaji Gaudiya Matha in Mathura, in the mornings he would go to bathe and offer prayers at the Yamuna. During the month of Katyayani-vrata, Srila Gurudeva would pray at the Yamuna with prayers to Yogamaya Purnamasi-devi. He did not broadcast this openly, but in a hidden way he observed this vrata. * Now, following in Srila Gurudeva’s footsteps, by his inspiration, devotees are annually observing Katyayani-vrata. This has been continuing openly since 2002* with Srila Gurudeva’s consent. In 2007, while this vrata was being performed, Srila Gurudeva wrote in a letter from the West that he was very pleased with all the devotees in the dhama performing bhajana under the guidance of his dear sevaka. This book is a compilation of transcribed lectures. Every year since 2005 we have had the good fortune of hearing lectures on Katyāyāni-vrata spoken during this month—unfortunately we have not had the time to transcribe and compile this book from all those lectures. Instead, we have compiled this book primarily from lectures spoken in 2012, which were transcribed at that time. We have kept the text close to the speaker’s style of diction. Taking shelter of the divine words of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, we beg the readers to be patient with our efforts and forgive our mistakes.tad-vāg-visargo janatāgha-viplavo yasmin prati-ślokam abaddhavaty api nāmāny anantasya yaśo ‘ṅkitāni yac chṛṇvanti gāyanti gṛṇanti sādhavaḥ
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.5.11
That literature which is full with descriptions of the transcendental glories of the name, fame, form and pastimes of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Such transcendental literatures, even though irregularly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest.Sri Guru Vaisnava krpa-lesa-prarthi
Rasik Mohan das Giridhari das Krsna-karunya das