History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.357.1

v6.c81.357.1

If one were to examine the numerous passages of the Purāṇas and the like one would notice that some simply prohibit the partaking of food (on Ekādaśī), while others lay down the observance of Ekādaśīvrata. A few specimens of the first kind may be cited. The Nāradīya states²³⁶ "all sins whatever and sins equal to brāhmaṇa-murder take resort to food on the day of Hari; one who partakes of food on Ekādaśī incurs those sins; the Purāṇas again and again loudly proclaim 'one should not eat food, one should not eat food, when the day of Hari comes'." In this case the observance of Ekādaśī consists in simply not eating for the whole day anything that is cooked Those passages which contain the word *vrata* are not to be looked upon as merely prohibiting (the eating of food) but are to be construed as prescribing something positive as in the case of Prajāpativrata 'one should not see the rising sun', which is interpreted by Jaimini IV. 1. 3–6 and VI 2 20 Vide n 42 above.