The Vow

A vrata is a religious vow undertaken in Hinduism, a self-imposed discipline observed for a set time toward a particular end, most often fasting or dietary restriction combined with special worship, and frequently directed to a chosen deity on a fixed day of the sacred calendar. The word carries the sense of a solemn commitment freely taken on, and the observance binds the one who vows for its duration. Vratas range from the fast kept every fortnight on the eleventh lunar day, to the day-long fasts for the welfare of a husband or children, to elaborate multi-day observances with prescribed rites, stories and offerings.

Vratas are woven especially closely into the religious lives of Hindu women, many of the best-known vows being kept by wives and mothers for the long life, health and prosperity of their families. But the form is general: men and women undertake vratas for the removal of obstacles, the fulfilment of a wish, expiation, or simple devotion, and the keeping of the vow is understood to generate merit and to move the deity to favour.