History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v5.c71.s1.402

v5.c71.s1.402

*Vrātyatā* (failure to have upanayana performed at the right time)—A person whose upanayana is not performed at the proper time is called *vrātya* or *patitasāvitrīka*. Vide Āśv. gṛ. I. 19. 5-7, Āp Dh. S I. 1. 1. 22-26, Baud. gṛ. III. 13. 5-6, Vas. XI. 71-75, Manu II. 38-39, Yāj I. 37-38. The penances also such as the performance of *Vrātyastoma* and *Uddālakavrata* (Vas. XI. 76-79, Gaut. 19 8) are prescribed by some of these works, while Manu XI. 191 (=Viṣṇu Dh. S. 54. 26-27=Agni-purāṇa 170. 8-9) prescribes a milder penance of three *kṛcchras* and then *Upanayana* is to be performed again. Vas. XI. 77 describes *Uddālakavrata* as follows: 'for two months he should subsist on barley gruel, for a month on milk, for half a month on āmiksā, for eight days on ghee, for six days on food obtained without begging or asking for it, for three days on water and he should observe a complete fast for one day.' Āp. Dh. S (I. 1.1. 24-27) prescribes another penance for vrātyatā. For *vrātya* or *patitasāvitrīka*, vide H. of Dh. vol II. pp. 96, 376-379. Haradatta as quoted in H. of Dh. vol. II. p 379 appears to hold that even if generations before the great-grand-father of a man had been without *upanayana*, still proper penance should be prescribed and the man taken in the fold of Hinduism But there were others who stuck literally to the words of Āp. and Parāśara and hold that if all the generations from the father of the great-grand-father of a man were without upanayana then nothing could be done for that man 253a