Pages

Pages

Hinduism - What Is Solah Somvar Vrat?

 


Every Monday (Somvar), the day of the week over which he is supposed to preside, a religious vow (vrat) that is a version of the devotion of the deity Shiva is mandated.

The observer promises to execute this ritual for sixteen (solah) consecutive Mondays in the Solah Somvar Vrat.

Fasting (upavasa), worship, and reading aloud the founding myth for this particular observance are all part of each week's celebration.

The passage concludes, as does most material on such ceremonies, with a list of the advantages conferred by the rite—in short, it bestows anything one wishes.

According to the founding tale of the vow, as Shiva and his wife Parvati are playing dice at a temple, Parvati asks a neighboring brahmin which of them would win, and when he says Shiva, she curses him with lep rosy.

The curse is fulfilled (as it is with all curses in Indian mythology), and the brahmin is doomed.

Shiva takes pity on the brahmin and advises him to execute the Solah Somvar Vrat, after which the brahmin is entirely healed on the sixteenth Monday.

Parvati meets him again later and is astounded by his recuperation.

When she inquires about his healing, the brahmin explains the vow, which she subsequently uses to cure her son of disobedience (thus emphasizing the power of the vow, since it is even used by the gods themselves).

~Kiran Atma


You may also want to read more about Hinduism here.

Be sure to check out my writings on religion here.