634 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. (September, 1911. 
woman made all preparations for the marriage. During the 
festivities the bridegroom died as soon as he commenced the 
alone was calm. She stood erect and, in the midst of the 
wailings, held the sacrificial cup in her hand, an ave 
away to the girl her own credit for having worshipped the 
Vrat Raj or King of Vratas! Wonder of wonders! The dead 
man was brought to life! Soma the washerwoman returned 
home. She learnt that the giving away of the merit of her 
worship of the Vrat-Raj caused the deaths of all her sons, her 
husband, and even her son-in-law. Fortunately for her a 
ark onday, Somavati, befell while she was returning 
cotton was proscribed on a Dark Monday. Soma, next, met a 
woman carrying a load of radishes. In this case also she could 
not touch the vegetable. Soma then went to an ashvath 
(Ficus religiosa) tree that stood on the bank of a river. She 
bathed herself and worshipped the tree. She then took some 
sand in her hand, and went round the tree 108 times. AS 
soon as she performed the 108 peregrinations her lost husband, 
her sons, and her son in-law came to life again! The city and 
her house teemed with wealth. When !Soma reached home, 
she was glad to see her own son-in-law come to lifeagain. Her 
daughters-in-law enquired how all the male members came to 
life again. Soma replied that when she parted with the 
accumulated credit of the worship all of them died, but as 
soon as she refused to touch either cotton or radishes on the 
lived a long and happy life, and in the end reached Vaikunth, 
the Heaven of Vishnu.’’ ‘I have,’’ said Bhishma, ‘‘ thus des- 
cribed this Vrata for your benefit.’’ 
Dharma asked Bhishma to describe it more fully and was 
told that on the Dark-Monday the worshipper should rise very 
early and bathe herself in the river or in the sea, should wear 
a silk dress, should observe silence, should go to the religious 
fig tree, should worship the tree in the usual way, should 
meditate on the power of the All-pervading, visible and in- 
