Pālī Vrata

Pālī Vrata · pālī vrata, “the vow of the pālī”

The Pālī Vrata is kept on Bhādrapada śukla caturdaśī, at step-wells, wells, pushkariṇīs and large bodies of water, with arghya to Bhagavān Varuṇa Deva. Yudhishṭhira asked for what purpose excellent women do bathing, dāna and other acts at tanks and lakes full of water, and Bhagavān Śrī Kṛshṇa answered him in the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purāṇa (Chapter 91).

The vidhi

The vratī becomes pure and goes to the bank of the tank. There he duly does pūjā of Varuṇa Deva with Vāruṇī, and of the body of water, with fruit, flowers, cloth, dīpa, sandalwood, mahāvara (red lac dye), the seven grains, food cooked without touch of fire, sesame, rice, dates, coconut, citron, orange, grapes, pomegranate, areca nut and the like. He gives them arghya and prays:

वरुणाय नमस्तुभ्यं नमस्ते यादसाम्पते।
अपाम्पते नमस्तेऽस्तु रसानाम्पतये नमः॥
मा क्लेदं मा च दौर्गन्ध्यं वैरस्यं मा मुखेऽस्तु मे।
वरुणो वारुणीभर्ता वरदोऽस्तु सदा मम ॥

varuṇāya namastubhyaṃ namaste yādasāmpate|
apāmpate namaste’stu rasānāmpataye namaḥ||
mā kledaṃ mā ca daurgandhyaṃ vairasyaṃ mā mukhe’stu me|
varuṇo vāruṇībhartā varado’stu sadā mama ||

Varuṇa Deva, master of creatures of the water, salutations to you. Varuṇa Deva, master of all waters and of the rasa substances born of water, salutations to you. May sweat, bad smell and tastelessness not be in my mouth. Varuṇa Deva, husband of Vāruṇī Devī, be always gracious to me and a giver of varas.

On this day the vratī eats food not cooked by fire, that is, fruit and the like.

The phala

One who keeps the Pālī Vrata in this way is freed from all pāpa at that very moment, obtains life, fame and saubhāgya, and his wealth never ends, like the water of the ocean.

The index of the Bhavishyottara names the Pālī Vrata among its vratas.

Sources

• Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapters 91, 208