Vrata - WikiHQ

Vrata is a Sanskrit word that means "vow, resolve, devotion", It is typically accompanied with prayers seeking health and happiness for their loved ones.

Etymology

Vrata (Sanskrit: व्रत) means "vow, resolve, devotion", and refers to the practice of austerity, particularly in matters related to foods and drinks by people in Hindu and Jaina culture, as part of a pious observance or prayers seeking health, fertility, long life or happiness for her loved ones.

Derived from the root ‘vr’ ("will, rule, restrain, conduct, choose, select"), the word is found over 200 times in the Rigveda.

A vrata is a personal practice that typically involves no priest, but it may involve personal prayer, chanting, reading of spiritual texts, social get-togethers of friends and family, or silent meditation.

Reasons

A Vrata may be motivated by many factors and is observed by both genders, but far more often by women. The most common reasons for a vrata are temporal wishes, such as the speedy recovery of a sick child, success or happiness for a loved one, fertility, the warding off of negativity, prayers and good wishes for someone departing to a distant place. In the case of women, the prayers are usually on behalf of brother(s), children or husbands, but sometimes for the woman's own prosperity, mind-body balance and health. It is also an expression of care and love, a reminder of the ethical principles of the Hindu traditions.

A vrata is sometimes practiced by a brahmacharya (students) or grihastha (householders) if they feel it is obligatory before, or during, certain spiritual or religious practices. Utsavas, or religious festivals, share some elements with vratas, incorporating the practice of fasting and similar austerities as a part of the festive observance. Some vratas are for religious (dharma)

A typical vrata involves fasting for a fixed period of time, usually a full day, where either no food is eaten, or only one meal is eaten in the entire day, or only a certain food such as milk is consumed. Other observances include sleeping on the ground or abstaining from sleep, or alternatively practicing yoga with meditation, reading scriptures and giving to charity (dāna).

Some vratas are more elaborate, such as those associated with major festivals or tirtha pilgrimages or rites of passage, involving weeks of preparation, the drawing of Vrata mandala with coloured powders, decorating and cleaning the house, special baths and festive dress, charity, visits to Hindu temples or puja within one's home. In Nepal, for example, Hindus visit the Pashupatinatha temple, families light lamps on the Balacaturdasi night and then set them afloat in the Bagamati river next morning, followed by strewing of grains for birds. Kane lists hundreds of vrata found in Hindu texts.

Types

The puranas denote various types of vratas, such as,

‘kayika-vrata’. It is a vrata pertaining to the body. The stress is on physical austerity like fasting.
‘vachika-vrata’ or vrata pertaining to speech. Here much importance is given to speaking the truth and reciting the scriptures.
‘manasa-vrata’ or vrata pertaining to the mind. The emphasis here is on controlling the mind, by controlling the passions and prejudices that arise in it.

A vrata may also be classified by its duration: a vrata lasting one day is a dina-vrata, and a vrata lasting for a paksha (week or fortnight) is a vaara-vrata or a paksha-vrata.

There are different rules and guidelines followed while observing a given vrata period.

Nirjala-vrata (nirjal vrat)

This consists of complete fasting without drinking any water. Hence, it is called Nirjala (waterless) vrata. Unlike normal (common) vratas in which the consumption of fruits, juices, milk, water and sugar are allowed, the 'vrati' doesn't eat or drink anything at all, with the intent to purify their body. It is common on Hindu festivals such as Nirjala Ekadashi, and chhath.

Jainism

Five vrata-s (vows) are one of the codes of conduct for Jain householders. Any of the vows (vratas) that govern the activities of both monks and laymen. These are similar to the Yamas of yoga, and include the vow of ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya and aparigraha. Jainism also has seven supplementary vows, called the Shila-vratas, which suggest additional virtues.

Fasting is part of vrata observances in Jainism, and some involve congregational fasting at temples. Vrata among Jaina women may involve complete or partial fasting on certain specific days; a pilgrimage or tirtha to a particular place or places, as well as virtuous actions to others. Vrata is viewed as a form of austerity, with the power to remove karma from jiva (soul) and gain punya (merit).

Laypersons aren't expected to observe these vows strictly. Once a layperson has gone through the preliminary stages of spiritual discipline (gunasthana), that person may promise to observe 12 vows for a stated period of time and may renew the pledge at the completion of that time.

References

Bibliography

Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend () by Anna Dallapiccola
Vrata: Sacred Vows and Traditional Fasts, by M.N. Dutt. Cosmo Publication, 2003.