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Masaupasa

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

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a famous fast among the East Indian pagans. The name is derived from masa, which, in the Malabarian language, signifies a mouth, and upada a fast. It is the most sacred of all their fasts, and begins with the last day of October. Such as keep the fast, having first washed and dressed themselves very clean, repair to the pagoda or temple of the god Vistnum, and the next morning, having changed their clothes, go round the temple 101 times, and the most devoted 1001 times. They repeat the same ceremony every day during the months of November and December. During this time they must eat nothing but milk and eggs, must not look upon a woman, nor think or speak of anything but what relates to the Vistnum. The next year they perform the same devotion, beginning with the first day of December, and continuing till the tenth day of January. The next year they begin with the first day of January and end with the tenth day of February, and so on till the number of twelve years is completed, when they receive pardon for all their sins. — Broughton, Biblioth. Hist. Sac. vol. 2, s.v.