History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.102.4

v6.c81.102.4

Although at the root of every vrata and as an urge for it, there must be a sankalpa it appears to me that Raghunandana and the Dharmasindhu properly represent the popular meaning of vrata A vrata comprehends several items such as snāna (bath), the morning prayer (prātaḥ-sandhyā), *sankalpa*, *homa*, *pūjā* of the deity or deities in whose honour or for securing whose favour the vrata is undertaken, upavāsa, feeding of brāhmaṇas, maidens or married women or the poor and helpless (according to the nature of the vrata), gifts (of cows, money, apparel, sweetmeats &c ) and the observance of certain rules of conduct during the period of the vrata. Some of these matters will be dealt with in detail later on, but a few may be disposed off here. Some writers relying on Śātātapa said that before a vrata was undertaken a Vṛddhi-śrāddha must be performed⁶⁵ The Agnipuraṇa (175 12) states⁶⁶ that one who undertakes a vrata must always take a bath (every day), should subsist on a limited quantity of food, should worship and honour his *guru*, gods and brāhmaṇas and should eschew kṣāra, kṣaudra, lavaṇa, honey and meat. Devala states⁶⁷ 'without partaking of food (the previous night), after bathing and concentrating one's mind, one should, after invoking the Sun and other deities to be present, commence a vrata in the morning'.