Naktavrata
Naktavrata · nakta-vrata, “the vow of the night meal”
Grammar: neuter noun; a compound of nakta (night) and vrata (vow): “the vow of the night”, also called simply nakta.
Meaning: the vrata (vow) of eating only once, at night. The Agni Purāṇa gives it in place of a full fast, as a prāyaścitta (expiation), and as a vrata of its own on chosen days and months.
In the scriptures: in the Pavitrāropaṇa, Agnideva teaches that a yajamāna who has taken the vrata but is unable to fast should keep naktavrata, eating only at night (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 33). Among the prāyaścittas that Pushkara teaches, the nakta-vrata is the expiation for killing snakes and the like, and prāṇāyāma for killing creatures without bones (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 169).
In the vratas of days. One who eats only at night on the ashṭamī and caturdaśī of the kṛshṇa paksha gains the enjoyments he desires in this world and the best state in the other (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 192). When a saṅkrānti falls on a Sunday it is the holy Ādityahṛdaya; one who keeps the nakta vrata for a year on that day, or on Sundays joined with Hasta, gains everything. Agnideva gives the nakta vratas of the weekdays: one who keeps seven Tuesday nakta vratas, beginning on a Tuesday joined with Svātī, is freed from all troubles; seven Wednesday naktas begun with Viśākhā free one from the affliction of the graha Budha; seven Thursday naktas begun with Anurādhā, from the affliction of Bṛhaspati; seven Friday naktas begun with Jyeshṭhā, from the affliction of Śukra; and seven Saturday naktas begun with Mūla, from the affliction of Śani (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 195).
In the vratas of months. One who keeps three ekabhakta naktas, a single meal at night, in every month gains sāyujya, union, with Gaṇapati. In Caitra one keeps a vrata of eating only at night, printed as the Ālāta vrata, and at its completion one who gives five goats becomes happy (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 197). One who keeps the nakta vrata in the months beginning with Mārgaśīrsha becomes worthy of Vishṇuloka (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 198). In the Vishṇu vrata one keeps nakta on Caitra ekādaśī, and at the end of Caitra gives a golden mūrti of Bhagavān Vishṇu to a brāhmaṇa who is a Vishṇu-bhakta; one who keeps this excellent vrata gains Vishṇu-pada, the abode of Vishṇu (Agni Purāṇa, Chapter 199).
In the Bhavishya Purāṇa: bhikshā is better than upavāsa, ayācita better than bhikshā, and nakta better than ayācita, and by the Nakta vrata a person attains mukti (Uttara Parva, Chapters 96–97). If śukla dvitīyā falls on a Thursday, pūjā of Agnideva by vidhi and the nakta-vrata bring the aiśvarya desired (Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 2, Chapters 7–8).
Related terms: Vrata · Upavāsa · Ekabhakta · Kṛcchra · Prāyaścitta
Sources
- Agni Purāṇa, Chapters 33, 169, 192, 195, 197–199
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Madhyama Parva, Bhāga 2, Chapters 7–8; Uttara Parva, Chapters 96–97