History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.1010

v6.c81.1010

It may not be out of place to point out here what should be done about the numerous vratas and utsavas, described so far and to be mentioned in the long list that follows. Many of the vratas and utsavas once observed have already gone out of vogue owing to various causes. But it would not do to recommend the abolition of all vratas and utsavas even in the latter half of the 20th century. Some seasonal vratas and festivals should be kept up as in the case of Divālī and Holikā, but they should be shorn of extravagances like gambling on Balipratipadā or the obscenities and dirt-throwing indulged in by some people in Holikā. Other vratas and utsavas like the Rāmanavamī, Vijayādaśamī, Kṛṣṇa-janmāṣṭamī should also be celebrated in order to remind the present generation of the great heroes and *avatāras* of the past and the supreme values they exemplified in their lives and a few new ones such as the Jayantīs of Shivaji, Guru Govindsingh, Tagore, Tilak and Gandhi may be added. Besides, such vratas as Vaṭa-sāvitrī and Haritālikā may still be emphasized for observance by women and lastly such nice observances redolent of disinterested regard and affection as Rakṣābandhana and Bhrātṛdvitīyā deserve to be preserved.