एकोऽव्यक्तात्मको विष्णुर्नादिः प्रभुरीश्वरः।
शुद्धसत्व जगत्स्वामी निर्गुणास्त्रिगुणान्वितः॥

eko'vyaktātmako viṣṇurnādiḥ prabhurīśvaraḥ|
śuddhasatvao jagatsvāmī nirguṇāstriguṇānvitaḥ||

Bṛhat Parāśara Horā Śāśtra, sṛṣṭikramakathanādhyāya, śloka 13

The Beginning

In the beginning there was the great Void. The five primordial elements or the pañca bhūtas, the 14 lokas or the caturdaśa bhuvanas, the Universe, dyu and Space, water and air, sound and light nothing existed. There was neither death nor life, no day nor night, neither beginning nor end. There existed only the one Brahmaṇ, immersed in the mire of dark ignorance and undivided from its Māyā, formless and without any attributes or qualities. Then Parameśvara Brahma desired to create, and upon this desire, creation took place and the Universe unfolded.[1] The Supreme Being appeared with qualities and attributes; its creative energy latent within was stirred and activated, and manifested itself, to eventually give birth to this splendorous world.

From Muṇḍakopaniṣad

ॐ ब्रह्मा देवानां प्रथमं सम्बभूव

विश्व्स्य कर्ता भुवनस्य गोप्ता।

स ब्रह्मविद्यं सर्वविद्याप्रतिष्ठाम्

अथर्वाय ज्येष्ठपुत्राय प्राह॥ १११

om brahmā devānāṁ prathamaṁ sambabhūva

viśvsya kartā bhuvanasya goptā|

sa brahmavidyaṁ sarvavidyāpratiṣṭhām

atharvāya jyeṣṭhaputrāya prāha|| 111

The Nakṣatra Puruṣa Vrata, wherein each part of Viṣṇu’s body is worshipped, following the transit of the Moon in the 27 nakṣatras, is considered to be one of the supreme vratas elucidated in the purāṇas. As explained by Pulastya to Devaṛṣi Nārada in the Vāmana Purāṇa, it begins with a description of the nakṣatrāngas (parts of the body representing the different nakṣatras) of Lord Viṣṇu. The 27 nakṣatras are said to represent the Divine Body in the following manner. Mūlā nakṣatra are the Lord’s lotus feet, Rohiṇī and Aświnī are his shanks, the two Āṣādas his buttocks and the two Phālgunis his privies. Krittikā is his waist, Anurādhā his thighs, Dhaniṣṭhā his back, Viṣākhā his arms, Hastā his hands and Śatabhiṣāj his ankles. Maghā represents his nails, Jyeṣṭhā his neck, Srāvaṇa his ears, Puṣya his lips and Svātī his teeth. The jaws are ruled by Punarvasu, Mitrā his nose, Prajāpati his eyes and Indra his hair. After describing the nakṣatra-parts of the Divine Body, Pulastya goes on to describe the ritual of the Nakṣatra Puruṣa Vrata.

Introduction[1]

Abhiśāpa or ­śāpa, otherwise known as a curse, is an invocation to the superior powers, in order to cause harm and bring about suffering to another person or persons, nation or lands. The person bestowing the śāpa or curse causes misfortune to another by evoking the Gods or supernatural elements. Consequently, the cursed person is engulfed by misery and hardship, while cursed lands are devastated by wars, strife, floods and famine. A person is instigated to curse because of extreme and intense emotions, namely, anger (Mars), sorrow (Saturn) and shock (Rāhu)[2]. Such emotion ignites a person to curse, which very often leads to the denial of the basic aspects of happiness and content in life like marriage, children, family, home, money, and profession etc. of the cursed subject.