The thirteenth day after the new and full moons is called Trayodasi (meaning thirteen in sanskrit). While certain Trayodasis are delegated to the veneration of certain deities such as Shiva or Kama, these days are most specifically assigned to the praise of the Dharma Bull. In Puranic lore, the Dharma Bull manifested not from any deity but from the almighty “God”, the unknowable undefinable power of the universe called Brahman (not to be confused with the creation god Brahma). According to the Varaha Purana, the Dharma Bull serves as a barometer of righteousness in the Yugas or ages of humans. His hooves represent the four virtues of truth, purity, penance and charity. In the Satya Yuga, the rule of the gods when humans are most virtuous, he has all four hooves on the ground representing the strength of righteousness on earth, as the Yugas decline into Tetra Yuga, Dwarpa Yuga and finally Kali Yuga (age of confusion and vice) the Dharma Bull only has three, two and one leg on the earth respectively, representing the decline of virtue in human affairs. We are currently either in or exiting the Kali Yuga, the lowest phase of human civilization, where the world is in the grips of untruths, weaknesses and distortions. It should be noted that the Dharma Bull is even greater than the deities themselves, working as an arbiter and judge between them, maintaining peace and order, he is the voice of reason and goodness among them. It was because of his abilities to judge fairly and prevent war between the gods that he was given the date of Trayodasi as a time for his worship. May we all aspire to restore the Dharma Bull to his full strength, his four hooves on the earth, spreading truth, purity, penance and charity.
BIRTH OF THE DHARMA BULL
Sage Mahatapa then told king Mahapal about the manifestation of Dharma and the significance of trayodashi- ‘Dharma manifested himself from the right part of almighty God and appeared like a bullock. The almighty God instructed him to protect the mankind from all evils and sins. All the four feet of Dharma signified four various virtues- truth, purity, penance and charity. In Satya Yuga, Dharma was four footed- all the four virtues were prevalent during that era. In Treta Yuga, the feet of Dharma reduced to three. The subsequent eras of Dwapar Yuga and Kali Yuga saw the further decline in virtuosity in which Dharma had two feet and one foot respectively.’ ‘Once a fierce battle was fought between the deities and demons. The bone of contention was a woman for whom both the side made claims. Dharma intervened and solved the contentious issue to the satisfaction of both the warring sides. Lord Brahma was very impressed by the deftness with which Dharma had handled such a tough situation and blessed him by saying- I am assigning the auspicious day of tryodashi to you. One who observes a fast and worship you on this day will be liberated from all his sins.’ – Varaha Purana, International Gita Society
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