Uma said:—Thus according to all the prescribed rules a self-controlled
and chaste woman should observe the vow either for one year, six months
or one month; and afterwards, she must reverentially invite eleven
chaste women. O auspicious lady, I have myself observed this sacred rule
(1-2). Having taken those chaste ladies from their husbands after paying
them the proper return the principal lady should dedicate them along
with water to the preceptor. And having taken them back from the
preceptor, paying him his fees according to the practices of the country
and time she should return them to their husbands (3). Thereupon at the
end of the month in the light fort-night after offering adoration she
should bring about the termination of the rite (4). In order to
accomplish her Vrata, a woman, bent upon performing it, should day and
night fast just at the beginning and at the termination (5). Thus when
Vrata terminates she should make her husband trim his nails and crop his
hairs. And she should also do it herself. Such is laid down in the Sruti
(6). Thereafter, O auspicious lady, she should bathe and adorn herself
with ornaments and garlands as on the occasion of a wedding (7).
Thereupon saluting her husband’s feet either with mind or with words,
she, after reciting the following _Mantra_, should bathe with water in
the pot (8). "Water is the procreator of the Rishis and the preserver of
the universe. It is born in the celestial region and is called Madanti
(in a sacrifice). It is the origin of piety and therefore delightful. It
is pure and purifying. Let it therefore, with juice productive of
highest good, cover me with blessings (9). This hymn, (offered) to water
is heard everywhere. O you of perfectly beautiful limbs, listen now to
Mantras sanctioned by the Puranas for women which run as follows (10).
"’May I do good unto my husband, may I not waste money, may I be
accomplished, and perform religious rites with my husband and serve him
as a slave for a boon. May I not disregard my husband with deeds, mind,
or words. And even when enraged may I follow him (11). May I reign
supreme over the other wives of my husband, be gifted with a charming
beauty, be fortunate, a mother of sons, liberal in distributing food,
speak of others’ accomplishments and be free from poverty by every means
(12). May my husband be of a beautiful face; may he depend on me, be
devoted to me, have his mind fixed on me and follow me. May our
attachment be like that of a pair of _Chakravāka_ birds; may not
disaffection grow between us and may we be crowned with auspiciousness
(13). May I go to the region of those most excellently chaste women,
who, having attained to highest culture through devotion to their
husbands, have purified the families of their father and husband and who
have been upholding the whole universe (14). May the earth, air, water,
ether, fire, sky, the soul, nature, the principles of greatness and
egoism and the sages, who are my witness, remember my penances and
reverential faith (15). May the elemental creation, existing everywhere,
who are engaged in the works of creatures, who are born of men and
otherwise and are pervaded by the qualities of Satwa, etc., and who have
worked out the bodies of creatures, witness my Vrata and reverential
faith (16). May the sun and moon, the witness of pious works, Yama, the
ten quarters and my mind always bear testimony to my penances and
resolution (17)’. From the very beginning of a Vrata all the articles
should be inspired every day with the _mantra_, for such is laid down in
the Puranas (18). O auspicious Arundhati, after bathing thus she should
present to her husband two pieces of raiment made by her own hand. If by
an impediment those two pieces of cloth are not made by her own hand,
she should present another fresh white cloth together with thread spun
by her own hands (19–20), O youthful lady, afterwards she should feed,
as mush as lies in her power, along with her husband, another Brāhmana
endued with discriminative knowledge, self-controlled and pure (21). She
should also give to the Brāhmana two pieces of cloth, beds, conveyances,
corns and a house consisting of servants, male and female (22). She
should also, according to her power, give ornaments and diverse sorts of
corn especially a mountain of jems mixed with sessamum seeds (23). She
should also give elephants, horses, and kine, covered with sheets of
diverse colours (24). She should also give salt, butter, treacle, honey,
gold, various perfumeries, juice, flowers, silver, copper vessels, all
sorts of fruits, raiments, wood, stone, curd, milk, clarified butter,
Durva and other articles, which she wishes. With them she should present
beautiful idols of Umā and Maheshwara and their likenesses in painting.
O chaste lady, all the gifts should be given away according to the
husband’s desire and in agreement with his means, country and time,
either small or great (25–29). If the husband permits her she should
also give away vessels full of sessamum seeds and Kapilā kine with
bell-metalled vessels (30). O blameless and lucky damsel, if one gives
away the skin of a black antelope together with sessamum and raiments, a
mirror, and deer-skin, she attains to all desired-for objects (31), O
you of a fair face, if a woman thus performs a _Vrata_ (rite) she
becomes the foremost of her sex, lucky, a mother of sons, beautiful,
liberal, rich and of lotus-eyes. She also gets a daughter, beautiful and
accomplished after her own heart. Those, who make presents in this way,
become the foremost of all lucky women, mother of sons, rich and endued
with accomplishments (32-34), O Arundhati, because I was the first
person to perform this _Vrata_, it passes, in the world, by the name of
_Umā-Vrata_ (35), O blameless lady, this is the best of Vratas that
women can perform. And if they make presents according to the ordinances
of this Vrata they acquire all desired-for objects (36). O gentle lady,
propitiated at the performance of this Vrata the god of gods, Siva, the
rider of the bull, selected me as his queenly consort (37). At the
termination of the Vrata, women should distribute edibles and other
articles procurable in the country and at the time (37). O fair lady,
the articles of the Vrata should be distributed amongst the Brāhmanas.
And as desired by them, food should be offered accompanied with presents
(29). _Pāyasa_ should be given in this Vrata: it gives a separate fruit.
However animals should not be sacrificed any how. Such is laid down in
the Puranas (40). O auspicious daughter of Soma, the second Vrata, that
I am now, describing to you, I had also known of by the favour of
Māhadeva (41). The learned hold that a son is the only fruit that women
should desire for. Those, who wish to have sons should give away small
vessels (42). In the two auspicious months of Jaistha and Ashāda, or
either in the former or in the latter one should observe the ordinances
mentioned before (43). O fair lady, when the appointed two months or one
month will be over one should give away a small vessel filled with
_Sirbat_ (44). O you having the effulgence of the moon, she should also,
in the same way, distribute clarified butter, curd, milk, honey and jars
full of water (45). She should give away small vessels proportionate to
the number of sons she desires for to a Brāhmana self-controlled, of
firm vows and of ripened knowledge (46). If any woman wishes to have a
daughter she will undoubtedly have her if she, out of her own will,
presents any article to a Brāhmana (47). O you of pure smiles, sheets
and kine or gold are the most becoming presents in it. In this Vrata,
according to the regulations regarding the gift of small vessels for
sons, a wise and pure woman should give away sacrificial threads
(48-49). A woman, observing the rules of Vrata, should make presents to
the Brāhmanas for one full year, under the auspicies of the stars
(favourable either to the son or to the daughter²⁹⁷) (50). O truthful
Arundhati, when one year is complete, she should, with the permission of
her husband, make presents of small vessels (51). Having completed the
Vrata, in the full moon of the month of Kārtika (October) she should, of
her own will, present to a Brāhmana, sacrificial thread and golden
thread (52). If a chaste lady, according to her might, gives to a
Brāhmana sacrificial thread, small vessels and Dakshinā (money presents)
she attains to all desired-for objects (53). So long a woman observes
this vow she should not take new rice, fruits or enjoy flowers (54). O
you conversant with religious tenets, taking one meal a day, a woman
should perform the Punyaka rite; and she should give meals to the
Brāhmanas and her husband in the same way. If a woman observes a vow in
the way for one full year she becomes, lucky, beautiful, mistress of
riches and does never become a widow (55–56). O Arundhati, a woman, who
does not take _Vārtāku_ for one full year, never witnesses the
destruction of her son; know this for certain. If a woman does not take
the meat of a hare or deer she becomes chaste and long-lived. The woman,
who seeks the well-being of her husband, should avoid bottle-gourds,
potherbs and turmeric. The woman, who after the completion of one year,
gives vegetables from the beginning accompanied with money-gifts, will
be the foremost of those having sons (57-60). The woman, who from the
very beginning washes herself her feet, attains to fame and never
suffers anxiety (61). The chaste woman, who avoids taking her food in
the night and who takes it only in the day for one full year, becomes
lucky and her sons never die. And undoubtedly she rules over the other
wives of her husband (62–63). In this way when one year will be complete
she should present to an illustrious Brāhmana after her own heart, a
most excellent sun of gold. The pious woman, who will thus observe a
Vrata, should dedicate to the sun, not declining, flowers, fruits and
other edibles (64–65).
"O fair lady, in this way, the chaste woman, who will take her meals
after the sunset for full one year, should give to a selected Brāhmana
edibles purified by the moon and stars, and the moon, stars and planets
made of gold and raiments covered with salt (65–67). O you having the
colour of an immortal, by so doing a woman becomes lucky, beautiful and
worthy of being looked at by all. And her body will be cool like the
moon. The woman, who in the light half of the month of Kartika, offers
to the gods untouched water for washing feet with Kusā, and balls of
barley with curd, acquires all desired-for objects. The chaste woman,
who does not take her food without seeing the sun either on a clear or a
cloudy day, has all her objects accomplished. The liberal-minded woman,
who according to her might gives gold to a Brāhmana, becomes lucky,
beautiful and worthy of of being looked at by all (68-72)".
²⁹⁷ The purport of the sloka is that some stars as Pushya etc., are
favourable for having a son and Rohini and others for a daughter.
The woman, who wishes to have a son, must give away presents under
the auspices of the former; and she, who wishes to have a
daughter, must do so under the auspices of the latter. We have
rendered the sloka freely to make the sense clear.