History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v6.c81.454

v6.c81.454

A vrata comes to an end by a rite called udyāpana (carrying out) or pāraṇa or pārāṇā The word pāraṇa or pārāṇā is derived by some from the root 'pāra' meaning³¹⁰ 'to finish an action or rite'. The word occurs in the drama Śakuntalā referred to above on p 46 and in Raghuvamśa II 70 'prātar-yathoktavrata-pāraṇānte'. *Vide* for pāraṇā also Raghuvamśa II 39 and 55 According to the Kūrma-purāṇa, one should fast on the ekādaśī and pārāṇā is to be on the 12th but pārāṇā should not be done on 13th tithi, since that would destroy (the merit) of twelve dvādaśīs ³¹¹ In spite of this, pārāṇā on the 13th³¹² tithi had to be allowed under certain circumstances e g if ekādaśī is mixed with daśamī on a prior day and with dvādaśī on the next day, then the fast is to be on dvādaśī but if no dvādaśī at all exists on the day after fast, then pārāṇā may be on the 13th tithi The Viṣṇudharmottara³¹³ prescribes 'a vrata ends with pāraṇā and at the end of a vrata, brāhmaṇas are to be fed; before one vrata is finished one should not commence another'. The general rule is that in all vratas³¹⁴ the pāraṇā is in the morning. One should perform the udyāpana as laid down in the texts providing for the vrata concerned; a vrata becomes fruitless if the udyāpana be not performed. If no form of udyāpana is prescribed by the texts, the performer should perform a rite in consonance with the³¹⁵ vrata He should make gifts in proportion to his wealth when no form of udyāpana is mentioned in the texts on a vrata. For making the vrata complete he should donate cows and gold. If none of these can be given and nothing can be done as laid down in the texts, the words of a brāhmaṇa alone are sufficient to complete a vrata; but if a man receives the blessed words of brāhmaṇas without giving a dakṣiṇā (though able), he goes to hell'