History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.149.4

v6.c81.149.4

In order to wean away common people from those two schisms it is very probable that learned followers of the Vedic system hit upon the glorification of vratas and promised heaven and otherworldly and spiritual rewards to those who performed vratas that were comparatively easy and within reach of all instead of sacrifices and also adopted some of the practices of common folks as vratas, e g kukkuṭī-markaṭī-vrata in Bhaviṣyottara 46. 1-43, Sītalā-vrata (Vratārka folio 111 b-113 b, N. S. p 123). The Brahma-purāṇa¹⁰⁵ says ‘the reward that is secured by the worship of the Sun for a single day cannot be secured by hundreds of Vedic sacrifices or by brāhmaṇas to whom the fees stated in the texts are paid’ The Padmapurāṇa¹⁰⁶ extols Jayantīvrata by saying that in the body of the man who performs it all holy places and deities reside The Garuḍapurāṇa¹⁰⁷ quoted by Hemādri states that the Kāñcanapurīvrata described by it is more purifying than even the Ganges, Kurukṣetra, Kāśī and Puṣkara. The Bhaviṣya-purāṇa (Uttara 7 1) provides that a man crosses easily the deep ocean of hells by means of the boat of vratas, *upavāsas* and *niyamas*.