vrat | व्रत

Vrat (Devanagari: व्रत ISO15919: vrata) means pledging to always be in favor of someone.

Also, called upavas (Devanagari: उपवास ISO15919: upavāsa).

You must have heard of pati-vrat dharma (Devanagari: पतिव्रत धर्म​ISO15919: pati-vrata dharma) which means always thinking in favor of your husband no matter what.

Similarly, Guru-vrat means always thinking favorably of your Guru. Bhagavat-vrat (Devanagari: भगवत्-व्रत​ ISO15919: bhagavat-vrata​) means always thinking favorably of God no matter how hard going gets.

In the modern times, the commonly accepted meaning of vrat is pious observance of fasting. Abstaining from food has physical benefit, nevertheless it does not result in any spiritual benefit.

REFERENCE

Sadhan Sadhya - The Way to God's Love - March 2024