Vamana Purana — Saptasarasvata Tirtha, Shloka 16
Harihara Revelation and the Tirtha-Glorification of Saptasarasvata in Kurukshetra
वासुदेव उवाच त्र्यहमुष्णं पिबेदापः त्र्यहमुष्णं पयः पिवेत् त्र्यहमुष्णं पिबेत्सर्पिर्वायुभक्षो दिनत्रयम्
vāsudeva uvāca tryahamuṣṇaṃ pibedāpaḥ tryahamuṣṇaṃ payaḥ pivet tryahamuṣṇaṃ pibetsarpirvāyubhakṣo dinatrayam
Dijo Vāsudeva: «Durante tres días debe beberse agua tibia; durante tres días debe beberse leche tibia; durante tres días debe beberse ghee (mantequilla clarificada) tibio; y durante tres días debe subsistirse del aire, es decir, ayunar por completo».
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FAQs
The verse lays out four consecutive three-day phases—warm water, warm milk, warm ghee, then complete fasting—totaling twelve days, a common kṛcchra structure in dharma traditions.
It denotes total abstention from food and drink (a fast), poetically described as ‘living on air.’ In practice, traditions may interpret it strictly (no intake) or with minimal allowances depending on ancillary rules, but the term itself signals the most austere phase.
‘Uṣṇa’ marks the ‘tapt(a)’ character of the observance—heated intake symbolizing austerity and aiding the ritual logic of purification through controlled, simplified consumption, contrasting with ordinary pleasurable eating.