Adhivāsa
Adhivāsa · adhi-vāsa, “the abiding, the preparatory rite”
Grammar: masculine noun, from adhi-vas (to abide, to dwell at).
Meaning: the preparatory rite done before a coronation or a wedding: the auspicious bath, a fast and other rites.
In the scriptures: In the Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, the text explains adhivāsa as the auspicious bath, fast and other rites done before a king is crowned. When Śrī Rāma returned, King Daśaratha welcomed his son with honour and resolved to make him king. He had water brought from seven tīrthas, called the foremost munis and had the adhivāsa performed, and made Śrī Rāma endowed with every auspicious thing (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 62).
In the account of the wedding of Śrī Kṛshṇa at Kuṇḍina, Vasudeva, on the groom’s side, rose at daybreak and did the morning duties: bath, sandhyā and the rest, and put on washed garments. Then, with Veda-mantras, he performed the auspicious adhivāsa for Hari (Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janma Khaṇḍa, Chapter 107).
Related terms: Rāma · Snāna · Upavāsa
Sources
- Brahma Vaivarta Purāṇa, Śrī Kṛshṇa Janma Khaṇḍa, Chapters 62, 107