History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.2046

v6.c81.2046

*Veśyāvrata*—HV II. pp. 541-548 (quoting Bhav. U.) deals with this vrata and contains the startling story narrated by Kṛṣṇa to Yudhiṣṭhira that the former cursed his 16000 wives, when he noticed their erotic emotion roused by the charms of his son Sāmba, that after his death *dasyus* would kidnap them and the story of a prior curse pronounced by sage Nārada on Apsarases who proudly did not bow to him that they would have Nārāyaṇa as their husband but that ultimately they would be kidnapped by robbers and become Veśyās (prostitutes). The long and short of this story is that they were advised to follow the profession in palaces and temples, that they should not love any male who has no wealth, but that they should have as their sole object wealth, whether the man who approached them was handsome or ugly. It is further stated that they should make gifts of cows, fields, gold to brāhmaṇas, should bathe with *sarvauṣadhi* water when on a Sunday there is Hasta, Puṣya or Punarvasu nakṣatra and offer worship to Kāmadeva from the feet to the head, that they should worship Cupid as Viṣṇu, honour a brāhmaṇa learned in the Veda with gift of a *prastha* of husked rice grains and render their person to him on Sunday as above for a year and in the 13th month make a gift of bedstead, gold chain and an image of Kāmadeva, this is the vrata for all Veśyās, this is vāravrata; Anaṅga (god of love) is devatā, KKV (27-31) has this vrata and calls it Veśyādityavārānaṅgadāna-vrata