Śarkarā
Śarkarā · śarkarā, “sugar”
Vaiśākha has other meanings too: see all meanings of Vaiśākha.
Grammar: feminine noun.
Meaning: sugar, the essence of ikshu (sugarcane), of the form of amṛta.
In the scriptures: śarkarā is one of the things in the Vijaya Dhūpa, the mixture prepared by Mahādeva himself for his pūjā of Bhagavān Sūrya (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 68). In the Śarkarā Saptamī vrata, Śrī Kṛshṇa tells Yudhishṭhira why it is used: when Bhagavān Sūrya was drinking amṛta, the drops that fell from his mouth became śāli, mūṅga and ikshu. Śarkarā is the essence of ikshu, so it is of the form of amṛta, and its use in havya and kavya is very dear to Bhagavān Sūrya. In that vrata a full vessel of śarkarā is set on a kalaśa, brāhmaṇas are fed with śarkarā, ghṛta and pāyasa, and at the completion of the year a pot full of śarkarā is given to a brāhmaṇa (Bhavishya Purāṇa, Uttara Parva, Chapter 49).
Sources
- Bhavishya Purāṇa, Brahma Parva, Chapter 68; Uttara Parva, Chapter 49