History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.441

v6.c81.441

The result of the insistence by Vaiṣṇavas on observing a fast on ekādaśī mixed with dvādaśī was often this that in order to be able to observe pāraṇā on dvādaśī before it ended, they had to get up very early before dawn, take their bath and compress all their morning and midday duties into a short period before sunrise. In modern times many orthodox Vaiṣṇavas do this and rely on the authority of the Nārada³⁰¹ and Skanda purāṇas quoted below. A smṛti³⁰² text goes so far as to prescribe 'on seeing that dvādaśī exists only for half a *kalā* after *niśītha*, a (Vaiṣṇava) person should perform all acts proper to be performed up till midday following, because Śaṅkara has so ordered'. *Kalā* as a measure of time has been variously defined Matsya (142 4) and Vāyu (100 217-218) say that 30 kalās are equal to a *muhūrta* (i. e two ghaṭikās); on the other hand, the Amarakośa holds that 360 kalās constitute a muhūrta and the Kālanirṇaya accepts this last. As the astronomers themselves were at variance as to the length of a tithi in question, a plain straightforward rule was proposed that the fast in case of doubt should be observed on dvādaśī and the pāraṇā should be observed on the 13th.³⁰³ The rank and file of Vaiṣṇavas are very exclusive and bigoted and treat with some contempt everything connected with Śiva and some of them eat sumptuous food on Śivarātri, instead of observing a fast Many of the smārtas generally observe a fast both on the Ekādaśī and the Śivarātri (particularly the Mahāśivarātri i. e on Māgha dark 14th). There have been great wrangles and hatreds among Vaiṣṇavas and Śaivas The Brahmapurāṇa expressly³⁰⁴ states that in the holy Puruṣottamakṣetra a temple of Śiva was erected in order to put a stop to the wranglings between Śaivas and Bhāgavatas (devotees of Viṣṇu) The higher Hindu thought including even the Purāṇa excursions in philosophy always held that there³⁰⁵ is only one God, that the one Brahma that is all Intelligence, that is incapable of being thoroughly comprehended, that is without parts and without body, is imagined to have different visible forms for securing the purposes of devotees and that deities deemed to have visible forms are imagined as male or female or as portions (of the one *brahma*). The Mahābhārata and some of the Purāṇas emphasize that God is one and that there is no difference between Śiva and Viṣṇu.³⁰⁶ Vide Vanaparva 39 76-77, Brahmapurāṇa 130 10-11, 192 51-53, Vāmana 67. 27-28, Varāha 70. 27, Viṣṇupurāṇa V. 18. 50, Brahmāṇḍa III. 43. 47-51, Nāradīya I. 2. 32. Some purāṇas³⁰⁷ put forward the notion that health is secured from (the worship of God as) the Sun, wealth from Agni, (true) knowledge from Śaṅkara, and *mokṣa* from Viṣṇu.