* Vows to be observed by widows in Vaishakha, Kartika and Magha months.
Vows to be observed by widows in Vaishakha, Kartika and Magha months.
Shri Narayan Muni said:-
A Widow should observe the Ekadashi, Janmashtami (birthday of Lord Krishna) and other obligatory vows and should worship Lord Vasudeva on those days respectfully. 1.
That pious woman should repeatedly observe the vows (of keeping fast) for three nights, five nights or fortnight. 2.
She may observe the vow of fasting for a month. Such as Chandrayana or Kruchhra or Parak or Tapta-kruchhra and so forth. She should sustain herself on barley, fruits, and vegetables or milk, until her vital breath naturally leaves her (up to natural death). 3-4.
She should observe special rules during the month of Vaishakha, Kartik and Magha. She should observe special bath, give donations, go to pilgrimage, chant the name of God Vishnu repeatedly. 5.
If a widow can financial afford, she should gift water pots in the month of Vaishaka, lamps with ghee in Kartik, grains and sesames in the moth of Magha; and in the month of Vaishaka, she should maintain water containers to distribute water to travellers, Offer water (in constant flow) to Lord Shiva; she should give all following things to a Brahmins - footwear, fan, umbrella, fine clothes, sandal paste; Betel leaf with camphor, a flower garland, vessels for drinking water, a house decorated with flowers, various juices or drinks, fruits like banana, grapes, etc. with the prayer ‘may my husband be pleased by this’. 6-9.
In the month of Kartika she should eat barley only or one type of grain; she should not eat Baigana, Surana, Moog and Udada. Moreover in Kartika, she should not eat oil, honey and should not take her food in a bronze vessel; and also she avoid stale food and vegetable added with salt, if she observes the vow of keeping silence, she should gift a jingling bell; If she keeps a vow of eating food on leaf she should gift a bronze vessel filled with ghee to a Brahmin. If she observes the vow of sleeping on a bare ground, then she should gift a soft cotton bed. If she has left eating fruits she should give fruits. Likewise, if she has left fruit juice she should gift that juice to a Brahmin. 10-13.
If she has left eating only one type of a grain, she should gift same grain or rice. In Kartika month, a widow should donate a cow decorated with various ornaments and gold. Moreover, donating a lamp is so important that, if you put donation of lamp on one side, it is equal to donating all other gift. So a lamp should specially be donated by all means (in Kartika month). 14-15.
She should take bath just before the time of sunrise in the month of Magha and such a lady who has taken this vow should observe (above mentioned) rules as per her capacity. 16.
She should offer food to the learned Brahmins and ascetics observing austerities, like Pheni, Laddoos, Vadas (salty and sweet), and Gharghuras; All these cooked in ghee added with pepper, flavoured with camphor and full of sugar, pleasing to the eyes, and tasty. 17-18.
She should gift - dry fuel for protection from cold, a garment studded with cotton, a bed and cushion; red and magenta coloured clothes and coverlets made of cotton. Moreover, betel leaves with nutmegs, cloves and cardamoms should be gifted. 19-20.
In addition to the above; she should gift colourful blankets, houses undisturbed by wind, soft boots or slippers and fragrant ointments, by uttering the words – ‘May Lord in form of my husband be pleased with these gifts’. 21-22.
Thus a widow should spend the months of Vaishakha, Kartik and Magha of her life by observing various vows and rules as per her capacity. 23.
A woman (widow) surely falls down from the pious way of life, who does not observe such vows and fasting, and gets excited for sexual enjoyment, just as a bitch or a female monkey gets excited in the month of Kartik. 24.
Being engaged in observing her own duties and vows she should hear the stories from sacred scriptures from a pious learned speaker, sitting in the company of other ladies. 25.
Thus, she should exert herself to follow the righteous path with speech, mind and action as well. Though recommended by religious code, she should not follow the conduct, condemned by society and which does not lead to the attainment of heaven. 26.
Thus, a woman by remembering her deceased husband in her mind and observing these rules surely attains the Sati Loka - the world gained by chaste ladies, accompanied by her husband. 27.
O Brahmin! Thus, the lady who always observes her duties and imagines her husband to be Lord Shri Krishna Himself and adores Him, surely attains that highest abode. 28.
Thus ends the thirty-fourth chapter entitled, ‘narration of the procedure of special vows for widows,’ in the fifth Prakaran of Satsangi jivan, the life story of Lord Narayan, also titled as Dharmashastra. (the rules of the code of conduct). 34