By Swami Harshananda
Ayācita literally means ‘got unasked’.
Fasting on ekādaśī days (the eleventh day in the fortnight as per the lunar calendar) is an important religious discipline followed by the dvijas.[1] It is of four types, of which ‘ayācita’ is one. The word literally means ‘that which is got without asking.’ A person who is observing a fast of this type is permitted to eat food got without asking. But even this can be accepted and eaten only once.
References[edit]
- The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore