Vratas

The earth now asked the boar about the rites known as vratas. The boar explained that there were different types of vratas. Some involved celibacy and a devotion to the truth. Other involved chanting hymns and singing praises of the gods. Still others involved fasting at prescribed points of time.

Many of vratas have stories associated with them. There is no point in trying to recount all of them. We will tell you about a select few.

The sage Durvasa used to know a hunter. He renamed the hunter Satyatapa (one of true meditation), as the hunter was righteous and had performed very difficult meditation. Durvasa told Satyatapa about a secret rite that the earth had observed when she had sunk into the depths of the ocean. This was known as dvadashi vrata. The observance of this had pleased Narayana so much that he had adopted the form of a boar so as to rescue the earth. This vrata began on dvadashi tithi in the month of Margashirsha. One had to observe certain norms of cleanliness and think of Narayana.