Varaha Purana 55.2: Adhyaya 55, Shloka 2
Observance of the Auspicious Dvādaśī Vow and the Sacred Account of the Kubjākāmra Tīrtha
Pūrva Bhāga · Vratācāra (Ritual Observances) / Kāla-nirṇaya (Calendar Discipline)
मार्गशीर्षेऽथ मासे तु प्रथमह्नात् समारभेत् । एकभक्तं सिते पक्षे यावत् स्याद् दशमी तिथिः ॥ ५५.२ ॥
mārgaśīrṣe ’tha māse tu prathamāhnāt samārabhet | ekabhaktaṃ site pakṣe yāvat syād daśamī tithiḥ || 55.2 ||
mArgashIrShe.atha mAse tu prathamAhnAt samArabhet | ekabhaktaM site pakShe yAvat syAd dashamI tithiH || 55.2 ||
പിന്നീട് മാർഗശീർഷ മാസത്തിൽ ആദ്യദിനം മുതൽ ആരംഭിക്കണം; ശുക്ലപക്ഷത്തിൽ പ്രതിദിനം ഏകഭക്തം (ഒരിക്കൽ മാത്രം ഭക്ഷണം) ആചരിച്ച് ദശമി തിഥി വരുവോളം തുടരുക।
Sandhi Notes
- मार्गशीर्षेऽथ→मार्गशीर्षे अथ
- प्रथमह्नात्→प्रथम् अह्नात् (अह्नात् = अहन्-शब्द पञ्चमी एकवचन)
- स्याद्→स्यात्
Varāha
How should the vow be begun and regulated in time—month, fortnight, and dietary rule?
Spiritual attainment is supported by regulated time (kāla) and restraint (ekabhakta) as embodied devotion.
Adopt a structured regimen: set start-date, maintain dietary restraint consistently, track tithis carefully.
Begin in Mārgaśīrṣa from the 1st day; in śukla-pakṣa observe ekabhakta (single daily meal) until Daśamī.
Proper timing and niyama qualify the observance for its promised fruit; mistiming/niyama-bhaṅga undermines efficacy.
Mārgaśīrṣa-śukla ekabhakta vrata leading up to Daśamī (as part of a larger Viṣṇu-vrata)
Preparation for the main observance culminating in Viṣṇu’s grace (fruit detailed across the sequence).
Implicit: the vrata is Vaiṣṇava; later ‘Kṛṣṇāya’ formula appears, but here it is calendrical discipline.
55.55.3 (Daśamī midday bath and worship; saṅkalpa for Dvādaśī)
FAQs
It reflects a Purāṇic integration of calendrical time (tithi and pakṣa) with regulated dietary discipline, a common feature in late-classical South Asian vrata literature and Dharma-śāstra-adjacent practice.
No specific geographic site is named in this verse; it is primarily a time-based (month/fortnight/tithi) instruction.
A principle of restraint and intentional regulation of consumption—maintaining a once-daily meal (ekabhakta) during the bright fortnight until Daśamī.
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