Chitragupta

This article is about the Hindu god. For the composer, see Chitragupta (composer).
Chitragupta
Devanagari चित्रगुप्त
Sanskrit transliteration Citragupta
Affiliation Deva
Mantra ॐ श्री चित्रगुप्ताय नमः
(Oṃ shri chitraguptaay Namaḥ)
Weapon lekhani (Pen),
Katani (Ink) & sword
Consort Dakshina Nandini, Erawati Shobhawati

Chitragupta (Sanskrit: चित्रगुप्त, 'rich in secrets' or 'hidden picture') is a Hindu god assigned with the task of keeping complete records of actions of human beings on the earth. Upon their death, Chitragupta has the task of deciding heaven or the hell for the humans, depending on their actions on the earth. Chitragupta Maharaj (Chitragupta the King) is the patron deity of Kayasthas, a Hindu caste of India and Nepal. He is the son of Lord Brahma and holds a fairly special place in the Hindu pantheon because of the order of his birth.

Lord Brahma had many various sons and daughters in various myth structures, including many seers born of his mind, such as Vashishta, Narada, and Atri, and many sons born of his body, such as Dharma, Delusion, Lust, Death, and Bharata. The story of the birth of Chitragupta is related in different ways, but he is nearly always delineated differently from the other children of Lord Brahma, and a common thread is that he is born directly of Lord Brahma’s body.

In one popular version of the creation myth of Chitragupta, it is said that Lord Brahma gave the land of the dead over to the god Yama, also known as Dharamraj or Yamraj. Yama would become confused sometimes when dead souls would come to him, and would occasionally send the wrong souls to either heaven or hell. Lord Brahma commanded him to keep better track of everyone, and Yama declared that he could not reasonably be expected to keep track of the many people born of the eighty-four lac different life forms of planet Earth.

Lord Brahma, determined to solve this problem for Yama, sat in meditation for many thousands of years. Finally he opened his eyes, and a man stood before him with a pen and paper. As Chitragupta was born of Lord Brahma’s body, or kaya in Sanskrit, Brahma declared that his children would forever be known as Kayasthas. As he was first conceived in Brahma’s mind, or chitra, and then made whole in secrecy, or gupta, away from the other gods, he was named Chitragupta.

Chitragupta is sometimes also referred to as the first man to use letters, and is hailed that way in the Garud Puran. He is known as being incredibly meticulous, and with his pen and paper he tracks every action of every sentient life form, building up a record of them over the course of their life so that when they die the fate of their soul can be easily determined. These perfect and complete documents are referred to in mystical traditions as the Akashic records, and as they contain the actions of each person from birth to death, they can be said to contain every action taken in the universe.

Items associated with Chitragupta in his puja include the paper and pen, ink, honey, betel nut, matches, mustard, sugar, sandalwood, and frankincense. A puja is often performed to Chitragupta in reverence of the four virtues he is seen to embody: justice, peace, literacy, and knowledge. Part of the Chitragupta puja also includes writing down how much money you make in your household, and how much you need to make to survive in the following year, while making offerings of turmeric, flowers, and vermilion

Family

First Wife: Nandini Aravati, Grand daughter of Sun God and daughter of Shraddhdev Muni. Sons from her:

  1. Dhramdhwaja, he founded Srivastava Kayastha
  2. Samdayalu , he founded Saxena Kayastha
  3. Yugandhar, he founded Mathur Kayastha
  4. Dhramyuj, he founded Gowd Kayastha

Second wife: Shobhvati, daughter of Susharma Rishi. Sons from her:

  1. Sumti, he founded Karan Kayastha
  2. Damodar, he founded Nigam Kayastha
  3. Bhanuprakash, he founded Bhatnagar Kayastha
  4. Yugandhar, he founded Ambashtha (Sinha and Sahay) Kayastha
  5. Dindayalu, he founded Asthana Kayastha
  6. Sadanand, he founded Kulshreshtha Kayastha
  7. Raghavram, he founded Valmiki Kayastha
  8. Vibhanu, he founded Surajdhwaj Kayastha

In scriptures

Yama's Court and Hell. The Blue figure is Yama with Yami and Chitragupta, 17th-century painting
A large central panel portrays Yama the god of death (often referred to as Dharma) seated on a throne; to the left stands a demon. To the right of Yama sits Chitragupta, assigned with keeping detailed records of every human being and upon their death deciding how they are to be reincarnated, depending on their previous actions.

Legends

Chitragupta came into being after Brahma, the creator, having established the four varnas — Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra — ordained Dharamraj (also called Yamraj, the god of death) to keep record of the deeds — good and evil — of all life-forms born and yet to be born on earth, in the heavens above and in the lands below. Dharamraj, however, complained, "O Lord, how can I alone keep record of the deeds of the beings born into 84 lakh yonis (life-forms) in the three worlds"

Brahma went into meditation for 11, 000 years and when he opened his eyes he saw a man holding pen and ink-pot in his hands and a sword girdled to his waist. Brahma spoke: "Thou hast been created from my body (Kaya), therefore shall thy progeny be known as the Kayasthas. Thou hast been conceived in my mind (Chitra) and in secrecy (gupta), thy name shall also be Chitragupta." Brahma then enjoined him to dispense justice and punish those who violated the dharma.

In the Garuda Purana, Chitragupta is hailed as the first man to give the script.

Chitragupta namastubhyam vedaksaradatre
(Obeisance to Chitragupta, the giver of letters)

In the legends of Chitragupta as well as in the Vedas, he is referred to as the greatest king, while the rest are "Rajakas," or little kings.

चित्र इद राजा राजका इदन्यके यके सरस्वतीमनु।
पर्जन्य इव ततनद धि वर्ष्ट्या सहस्रमयुता ददत॥ RIG VEDA Book 8/ Hymn 21/ Stanza 18

The Rig Veda mentions an invocation to be made to Chitragupta before offering sacrifice. There is also a special invocation to Chitragupta as Dharmraj (Lord of Justice) to be made at the performance of shradh or other rituals. "Om tat purushaya vidmahe Chitragupta dhimahi tena lekha prachodayata."

The priests also pay reverence to Chitragupta: "Yamam Dharmarajya Chitraguptaya vain namah."

Chitragupta is the Athi Devathai for Ketu, one of the Navagrahas, and those who worship Chitragupta, would be bestowed with prosperity. Also the evil effects of Ketu during its transit period would be mitigated.

The birthday of Chitragupta is celebrated on Yama Dwitiya and Chitraguptajayanti Puja is performed on this day.

A more than 300-year-old very famous temple of Shri Chitra Gupta is located in the centre of city in Alwar, Alwar, Rajasthanwhere an annual fair is held for darshan and worship of chitraguptaji, between Dhantriyodashi to Yam Dwitia in the Hindu month of Kartic(October–November).to celebrate the chitragupta jayanti, on Yam Dwitiya.

Temples

Khajuraho India, Chitragupta Temple

There are numerous temples for Chitraguptaji Maharaj. Notable temples of Chitraguptaji Maharaj:

Andhra Pradesh
Jharkhand

Chitragupta Mandir on the Bank of KOEL River on Chitragpta Ghat , Daltonganj, Medininagar (Palamau) , JHARKHAND. A group of Kayastha Pariwar built a temple where a beautiful Chitrugupta Maharaj statue is established in the centre of the temple.

Bihar
Madhya Pradesh
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
Chitragupta temple, Kanchipuram
Uttar Pradesh
Nepal

In popular culture

Yam Hain Hum Hindi TV Series SAB TV Dharmakshetra Hindi TV series EPIC CHANNEL

Android Application (link)

References

  1. ↑ "Shrine for Chitragupta". The Hindu. 18 April 2003. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  2. ↑ Harshananda, Swami (2012). Hindu Pilgrimage Centres (second ed.). Bangalore: Ramakrishna Math. p. 61. ISBN 81-7907-053-0.
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