Chapter 139 of 230 · 2365 words · ~12 min read

CHAPTER CCXXVII

. THE SAME SUBJECT CONTINUED.

The goddess continued:—O Arundhati, hear with these ladies, I shall describe the pious rites, by which the body becomes worthy of attaining to most excellent bliss (1). If a chaste woman fasts on the eighth day of the dark-half of the month, or living on roots and fruits if she gives a meal to a Brāhmana, and if she, clad in a white raiment, and observant of pure conduct, adores her preceptor and gods for one year and gives away to the twice-born, according to her might, chowries of the hairs of cows, flags and sweet meats, her hairs become curling and waving and extend up to the waist and she becomes the most favorite of her husband. The chaste woman, who wishes to make her head worthy of the most excellent bliss, should wash it with milk mixed with _bel_ fruit and myrobalan and should drink the urine of a cow and mix the latter with water for washing her head. O fair lady, if one observes these practises on the fourteenth day of the dark-half of a month, she does not become a widow and becomes lucky and freed from diseases. She never suffers from head-diseases (2-8). O you of pure smiles, the woman, who desires to have a beautiful forehead, must spend the first days of the fort-nights, taking her meals once a day. And as long as the year does not run out she should only subsist on milk and food mixed with it. Thereupon, bestowing on a Brāhmana a golden seat she attains to a most beautiful fore-head (9-10). The youthful woman, who seeks beautiful eye-brows, beginning with the second day of a fortnight, must take her meals every alternate day and live upon vegetables. O gentle lady, after the completion of full one year she should give to a Brāhmana ripe fruits, salt and vessels of clarified butter with _Dakshina_ of gold of the weight of a _māsha_ and then make him recite benedictory hymns (11-13). The youthful lady, who desires to have a pair of beautiful ears, should, under the influence of Srāvana, feed on barley. And after the completion of one year she should throw into clarified butter a pair of golden ears and then offer them to a Brāhmana with milk (14-15). The damsel, who desires for a beautiful nose extending straight to the end of fore-head, should fast every alternate day till the season of the growing of flowers and offer water with sessamum. And when the flowers will grow she should cull some and throw them into clarified butter and then give them away (16–17). O you of pure smiles, O you born from ambrosia, the learned and chaste lady, who wishes to have beautiful eyes, should fast every alternate day and live upon milk and curd. Thereupon when one year will be complete, she should throw leaves of lotus and lily upon milk and give them away to a Brāhmana when they will remain afloat. O chaste lady, by this gift she will forsooth have eyes like those of a black antelope (18–20). The pious and chaste lady, who desires to have a pair of charming lips, should, for one year, live upon unsolicited food on the ninth day of a fortnight and drink water from an earthen pot. After the completion of the year she should give away sapphires. If a woman observes this rule she becomes lucky, mother of sons, rich and a mistress of kine and her lips become shining like _Nimva_ fruits (20–23). The fair lady, who wishes to have beautiful teeth, should not take her meals twice on the eight day of a light-half month. O accomplished and pious lady, a chaste woman, completing one year in this way, should throw silver teeth into milk and give them away. O sinless one, observing this rite, a chaste lady will acquire teeth like _Tila_ flowers, good fortune and sons (24–26). O you of a beautiful countenance, the lady, who wishes to have a charming countenance, should bathe when the moon rises in a full-moon night and give to a Brāhmana barley boiled with milk. Thereupon after the completion of one year, placing a moon made of pure silver on a full blown lotus, she should request a Brāhmana to recite benedictory hymns. By such a gift a woman acquires a countenance beautiful like the full-moon (27–29). The woman, who desires to have breast rising like _Tāla_ fruits, should control her speech and feed upon unsolicited food on the tenth day of a fortnight. After the completion of a year she should give away two _Vilwa_ fruits made of gold to a self-controlled Brahmanana with _Dakshinā_. By this a woman gets rising breast, great fortune and many sons (30–32). The woman, who wishes to have a thin-built belly, should live on one meal for one year and should not take her food with water on the fifth day of a fortnight. After the completion of one year she should, with many gifts, give a beautiful _Jali_ creeper to a self-controlled Brāhmana (32–34). O youthful lady, she, who wishes to have beautiful arms, should live on all sorts of herbs on the twelfth day of every fort-night. And after the completion of one year she should give to a selected Brāhmana one golden lotus and two born in water (35-36). O you of firm vows, she, who wishes to have a spacious waist, should spend the thirteenth day of every fortnight by taking food once unsolicited. O you of a beautiful face, when a year will be complete in this way she should make a model of Brahma’s face with salt and give it away. Afterwards the lady, conversant with religious rites, should give away a figure of his made of gold and free from collyrium and other powders, unbroken jems and crimson coloured raiments. O gentle lady, by doing this, one gets a waist after her heart (37–40). The chaste lady, who wishes to have sweet words, should avoid the use of salt for one year, at least for one month and should give it to a Brāhmana accompanied with money gifts. By this the beautiful lady will have words sweeter than those of Sruti even (41-42). O daughter of Soma, she, who wishes to have legs well-built, should take watery food on every sixth day of a fortnight. O you engaged in Tapas, she should not touch fire or a Brāhman a with her foot; if she does it any time she must adore them. While observing this rite a chaste lady, well-versed in religious ceremonies, should not wash her foot with another. O sinless one, O chaste lady, after the termination of the Vrata, she should place two golden tortoises into clarified butter and give it to a Brāhmana. O beautiful lady, afterwards, keeping two lotuses in a reverse position and mixing them with red articles she should give them away to a Brāhmana (43–47). O pure lady, the chaste lady, who desires to have all beautiful limbs, should observe this _Vrata_ for three nights in the flowery season. In the full moon day of either the month of Ashara, Aswina, Kartika or Māgha she should adore her father and mother as the presiding deity of the day. O honourable lady, the woman, considering her husband as her God, should daily give clarified butter and salt to a Brāhmana during that period. She should clean the house and rub it with clay. O pure and illustrious lady, the damsel, looking upon her husband as her God, should not, during that period, commit sin (even) by her words, eat any sort of herb and offer any sort of unclean food (48–52).

## CHAPTER CCXXVIII. NARADA GIVES A HISTORY OF VRATAS PERFORMED BY OTHER

LADIES.

Uma said:—The chaste woman, who wishes that her friends and relatives may be accomplished, should fast on every seventh day of a fort-night for one year. After the completion of the year, she should give to a Brāhmana a golden tree accompanied with money gifts. She will then have pious kinsmen (1–2). O pious and foremost of ladies, she, who duly places a lamp before a _Karanja_ tree for one year and a golden one on the day in which the year is complete, becomes the mother of sons, a favourite of her husband by virtue of her beauty and shines over the other wives of her lord like a lamp (3–4). O auspicious lady, the chaste woman who does not cut others to the quick with her harsh words, does not take her food on Wednesday and does not use a harsh word, who always takes food last of all, who is pure in her habits, who serves her father-in-law and mother-in-law, who regards her husband as her god and who is truthful, does not stand in need of the performance of a Vrata or fasting (5-7).

O youthful and chaste lady, if any chaste woman accidently suffers widow-hood she should observe some rites laid down in the Puranas. Hear, I shall describe them. Remembering the virtuous conduct of the pious, a widow should place an earthen image of her husband or a painting of his likeness and should worship it (9). While performing a Vrata or fasting and especially at the time of taking meals a chaste lady should take the permission of that image. The widow, who does not disobey her husband, goes to his region like Shāndili and shines there like the sun (10–11). From to-day the celestial damsels will learn the eternal religious rites that have been laid down in the Puranas (12). The pious-souled Muni Narada will learn the entire code of regulations relating to fast and Vrata as described in the Puranas (13). O most excellent daughter of Soma, in the matter of extending religious rites according to the rules of fast and Vrata as mentioned before the virtuous Aditi, Indrani and yourself will be most celebrated in the band of chaste women. In all the incarnations of the high-souled Vishnu his wives will always be informed of the rules of the eternal Punyaka rite. O chaste lady, what more shall I speak; of all the virtues and especially amongst the duties of women, devotion to husband, absence of wickedness and that of sin even by words are the foremost (14–17).

Narada said:—Thus addressed by the great goddess, beloved of Hara, the ascetic ladies, having Tapas for their wealth, saluted her and went away (18). According to the regulations mentioned before, Aditi, ever observant of religious rites, performed the _Umā Vrata_. The Vrata, in which she having bound Kashyapa to the Pārijāta tree, gave him to me, is celebrated by the name of _Aditi-Vrata_. And according to the rules of that Vrata Satyabhāmā has presented her gifts (19–20). Sāvitri too, ever stationed in virtue, observed that. Vrata. At present Satyabhāmā has properly performed this Vrata. It has excelled all others (21). If this Vrata is performed in the evening or at a proper place, worship, recitation of names and prostration bear double the fruit. Celebrating _Savitri Vrata_ and _Aditi-Vrata_, a chaste lady can save the family of her husband, that of her father and her own self too (22–23). Having performed a rite according to the rules of _Uma-Vrata_ Indra’s queen distributed numberless crimson-coloured raiments and food with fish and meat (24). There is another rule laid down for this Vrata which should be observed on the fourth day. According to it one should fast day and night, and give away a hundred jars. O illustrious lady, having performed that _Uma-Vrata_ the goddess Gangā bathed early in the morning in her own water. O beloved queen of Hari, while performing this _Gangā-Vrata_ in the light-half of the month of Māgha, if one bathes in any other water, it is said to give all desired-for objects (25–27). O beloved wife of Hari, having performed the _Ganga-Vrata_ a woman, cognizant of all religious rites, can save seven generations of both the sides (28). O auspicious lady, while performing this _Ganga-Vrata_ that dissipates sorrows and grants all objects of desire one should give away a thousand jars (29). O beloved queen of Hari, in a country where the dewy season prevails, one can perform the Vrata that Yama’s wife celebrated and which passes by the name of Yama-Vratha (30). O auspicious lady, having bowed unto her husband after bathing, a woman, of pure conduct, while performing this Vrata, should address the following words to the sky:—"As I am, while performing the Vratā Jāmaratha, holding the dew on my back, I may become foremost of those women whose sons survive and of those who are devoted to their husbands. May I rule over the other wives of my husband, may I not see Yama and may live happily for ever with my husband and sons. May I, by virtue of this Vrata, repair to the same region with my husband, become rich, have good raiments, become open-handed, fond of my own people and accomplished" (31–34). Hiving done so she should offer honey to a Brāhmana and make him recite benedictory verses and then feed him with sessamum and pudding (35). O beloved wife of Hari possessing the hue of an immortal, thus the goddesses observed the diverse Vratas described by the great goddess, the wife of Rudra (36). I tell you the truth; by virtue of my ascetic powers you will reap the fruits of auspicious and holy rites, described in the Puranas, which the goddess Umā obtained before (37-38).

Vaishampāyana said:—Thereupon by virtue of the boon conferred by Umā Rukshmini observed, by her celestial vision, all the rules of Vrata and performed it (39). She gave away bulls, jems and food because they yeild greater fruits and grant all desired-for objects in all the forms of Umā-Vrata (40). O Janamejaya, having celebrated this Vrata formerly Jāmavati too made a present of a beautiful jewelled tree. Having performed this _Umāvrata_ Satyā distributed a number of yellow raiments. O descendant of Kuru, having performed this holy rite Shatabhisha acquired the most exalted position amongst the stars (41-44).