Cleaning

Story 1

Devamali had two sons named Yajnamali and Sumali. Yajnamali was the elder of the two.

Yajnamali divided whatever riches he had received from his father into two parts and gave one part to Sumali. But Sumali spent all his wealth on idle and evil pursuits. When his money was exhausted, he resorted to theft and robbery.

Yajnamali tried to restrain his brother. "Please mend your ways," he told Sumali. "What you are doing is evil. Do not bring ill repute to our family."

These words of advice only served to anger Sumali and he took up a sword to kill his borther. But the city-guards came and arrested Sumali before he could cause his brother any harm. Yajnamali used his good offices to free Sumali. He divided whatever riches he then possessed into two parts and gave one part to Sumali. As had happened earlier, Sumali again spent this money on evil and idle pursuits.

Sumali’s friends and associates were evil and outcasts. He was punished by the king and banished to the forest. When this happened, all his co-called friends deserted him.

Yajnamali was righteous. He associated with holy people, donated alms and dug ponds. Soon his wealth was also exhausted, being spent on all these good pursuits. Yajnamali retired to a temple of Vishnu and there spent his time in worshipping Vishnu.

By a curious quirk of fate, Yajnamali and Sumali died at the same time. A vimana arrived to take Yajnamali to heaven. While travelling in this wonderful vehicle, Yajnamali noticed that his brother was being taken to hell. Yama’s servants were beating Sumali and the poor fellow was suffering from hunger and thirst.

Yajnamali asked Vishnu’s companions, who had come to take him up to heaven, "How can my brother be freed of his sins?"

"Let us tell you your story," replied the Companions. "In your earlier life you were born as a vaishya named Vishvambhara. You were evil and committed many sins. You were so evil that you deserted your parents and all your firends, in turn, deserted you. Once you were hungry and thirsty and sought refuge in a temple of Vishnu. Your feet were dirty and when you tried to clean them, part of the temple also got cleaned. This was a punya that was credited to your account. Since you had no food, you fasted throughout the night. And in the morning you died of snake-bite. But the little bit of punya was enough to ensure that you became devoted to Vishnu in your next life, when you were born as Yajnamali. So far as your brother is concerned, there is indeed a way to free him. Give him the punya that you had acquired as a result of cleaning part of the temple and your brother shall go free."

Yajnamali did as he had been bidden. Yama’s servants immediately left Sumali and fled. A wonderful vimana came down to take Sumali as well to heaven. The two brothers were delighted to see each other. So great was Yajnamali’s punya that he did not have to be born again. But after spending some time in heaven. Sumali had to be born again. In his next life, he was devoted to Vishnu and performed only good deeds. Eventually, he too was freed.

Such is the wonderful punya that can be acquired from something so trivial as cleaning a tiny part of Vishnu’s temple.

Story 2 

Many years ago, there used to be a king named Yajnadhvaja. He was born in the lunar dynasty.

The king was devoted to Vishnu. He got all of Vishnu’s temples cleaned regularly. He made sure that lamps were lit in the temples at night.

Yajnadhvaja also had a temple to Vishu built on the banks of the river Reva. There too, he made arrangements for the temple to be swept regularly. And he also made sure that lamps wre lit in the temple at night.

The king had a priest named Vitahotra.

Vitahotra once asked the king. "Please tell me what is so special about cleaning temples and lighting lamps in them at night. There are many other tasks that are regarded as being sacred to Vishu. Why do you devotee special attention to these two tasks?"

"Let me tell you my story," replied Yajnadhvaja.

The king remembered the story because he was a jatismara.

Many years ago, in satya yuga, there was a brahmana named Raivata. The brahmana had studied the shastras well. Nevertheless, he acted as priest for people whom no brahmana should serve as priest. Raivata was also cruel and he traded in goods that no brahmana should touch. Because of these evil ways, the brahmana’s friends and relatives deserted him. Raivata had no opiton but to wander around from country to country. In a poor and diseased state, he finally died on the banks of the river Narmada.

Raivata’s wife was named Bandhumati. She too was evil and gave birth to a son named Dandaketu. This turned out to be a sinner. He oppressed brahmanas, stole other people’s property, drank wine and killed many living beings.

One night, Dandaketu happened to turn up at a temple of Vishu. He decided to spend the night there. To clean a place for him to sleep at night, Dandaketu swept part of the temple with his clothing. Although he did not realize it then, this act of piety pardoned many of his sins and gave hima lot of punya. The sinner then lit a lamp so that he could see better. And this additional act of piety pardoned all his ealier sins.

Meanwhile, the city-guards arrived at the temple. They took Dandaketu to be a thief and killed him. But since Dandaketu had now acquired such a lot of punya, a vimana descended and took him straight up to heaven. After spending some time there, he was born again as the king Yajnadhvaja.

Yajnadhvaja told Vitahotra, "Now yu realize the increditble amount of punya that I accumulated by sweeping a temple and lighting a lamp, there inadvertently. Can you imagine what the punya would be like if I did these things consciously? Thankfully, I am a jatismara and I remember the events that transpired in my earlier life. No wonder then that I devote so much of attention to the cleaning of temples and to the lighting of lamps there. I am sure that your question is now answered.

Vitahotra marveled at the story and became even more devoted to Vishnu.

If one wants to overcome the miseries of life, one has to pray to Vishnu. There is no other way. Great punya is also acquired by serving those who are devoted to Vishnu. If a person serves Vishnu’s devotees, twenty-one of his ancestral generations ascend to heaven. All the gods and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, are ever-present in a house where Vishnu is worshipped. 

A house where the basil tree, sacred to Vishnu, is planted, is eternally blessed. Also blessed is a house where there is a shalagrama, Vishnu’s image.

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Source
http://messengerofgods.blogspot.com/search/label/Narad%20Puran%20%2F%20Online%20%2F%20Summary

List of 64 Seva Apradhas - Offences / Solution

The following are offenses:

1. (a) to enter the temple with shoes or being carried on a palanquin,
2. (b) not to observe the prescribed festivals,
3. (c) to avoid offering obeisance’s in front of the Deity,
4. (d) to offer prayers in an unclean state, not having washed one’s hands after eating,
5. (e) to offer obeisance’s with one hand,
6. (f) to circumambulate directly in front of the Deity,
7. (g) to spread one’s legs before the Deity,
8. (h) to sit before the Deity while holding one’s ankles with one’s hands,
9. (i) to lie down before the Deity, (j) to eat before the Deity,
10. (k) to speak lies before the Deity,
11. (l) to address someone loudly before the Deity,
12. (m) to talk nonsense before the Deity,
13. (n) to cry before the Deity,
14. (o) to argue before the Deity,
15. (p) to chastise someone before the Deity,
16. (q) to show someone favor before the Deity,
17. (r) to use harsh words before the Deity,
18. (s) to wear a woolen blanket before the Deity,
19. (t) to blaspheme someone before the Deity,
20. (u) to worship someone else before the Deity,
21. (v) to use vulgar language before the Deity,
22. (w) to pass air before the Deity,
23. (x) to avoid very opulent worship of the Deity, even though one is able to perform it,
24. (y) to eat something not offered to the Deity,
25. (z) to avoid offering fresh fruits to the Deity according to the season,
26. (aa) to offer food to the Deity which has already been used or from which has first been given to others (in other words, food should not be distributed to anyone else until it has been offered to the Deity),
27. (bb) to sit with one’s back toward the Deity,
28. (cc) to offer obeisance’s to someone else in front of the Deity,
29. (dd) not to chant proper prayers when offering obeisance’s to the spiritual master,
30. (ee) to praise oneself before the Deity, and
31. (ff) to blaspheme the demigods.
32. One should not use slang before the Deity
• In the worship of the Deity, these thirty-two offenses should be avoided.

In the Varaha Purana the following offenses are mentioned:

1. (a) to eat in the house of a non devotee,
2. (b) to enter the Deity’s room in the dark,
3. (c) to worship the Deity without following the regulative principles,
4. (d) to enter the temple without vibrating any sound,
5. (e) to collect food that has been seen by a dog,
6. (f) to break silence while offering worship to the Deity,
7. (g) to go to the toilet during the time of worshiping the Deity,
8. (h) to offer incense without offering flowers,
9. (i) to worship the Deity with forbidden flowers,
10. (j) to begin worship without having washed one’s teeth,
11. (k) to begin worship after sex,
12. (l) to touch a lamp, dead body or a woman during her menstrual period, or to put on red or bluish clothing, unwashed clothing, the clothing of others or soiled clothing.
13. (m) Other offenses are to worship the Deity after seeing a dead body, to pass air before the Deity, to show anger before the Deity, and to worship the Deity just after returning from a crematorium.
14. (n)After eating, one should not worship the Deity until one has digested his food, nor should one touch the Deity or engage in any Deity worship after eating safflower oil or hing. These are also offenses.

In other places, the following offenses are listed:

1. (a) to be against the scriptural injunctions of the Vedic literature or to disrespect within one’s heart the Srimad-Bhagavatam while externally falsely accepting its principles,
2. (b) to introduce differing sastras,
3. (c) to chew pan and betel before the Deity,
4. (d) to keep flowers for worship on the leaf of a castor oil plant,
5. (e) to worship the Deity without interest or casualy
6. (f) to sit on the altar or to sit on the floor to worship the Deity (without a seat),
7. (g) to touch the Deity with the left hand while bathing the Deity,
8. (h) to worship the Deity with a stale or used flower,
9. (i) to spit while worshiping the Deity,
10. (j) to advertise one’s glory while worshiping the Deity,
11. (k) to apply tilaka to one’s forehead when individual desire to avoid
12. (l) to enter the temple without having washed one’s feet,
13. (m) to offer the Deity food cooked by an uninitiated person,
14. (n) to worship the Deity and offer bhoga to the Deity within the vision of an non devotee,
15. (o) to offer worship to the Deity without worshiping Vaikuntha deities like Ganesa,
16. (p) to worship the Deity while perspiring,
17. (q) to refuse flowers offered to the Deity,
18. (r) to take a vow or oath in the holy name of the Lord.

Parihara - Solution

If one commits any of the above offenses, one must read at least one chapter of Bhagavad-gītā. This is confirmed in the Skanda-Purāṇa, Avantī-khaṇḍa. Similarly, there is another injunction, stating that one who reads the thousand names of Viṣṇu can be released from all offenses. In the same Skanda-Purāṇa, Revā-khaṇḍa, it is said that one who recites prayers to tulasī or sows a tulasī seed is also freed from all offenses. Similarly, one who worships the śālagrāma-śilā can also be relieved of offenses. In the Brahma-ṇḍa Purāṇa it is said that one who worships Lord Viṣṇu, whose four hands bear a conchshell, disc, lotus flower and club, can be relieved from the above offenses. In the Ādi-varāha Purāṇa it is said that a worshiper who has committed offenses may fast for one day at the holy place known as Śaukarava and then bathe in the Ganges.

• Ref. VedaBase => SB 7.5.23, SB 7.5.24, SB 7.5.23-24, Madhaya24.366, NOD-8