Adevrata

Adevrata is a term that appears infrequently in Sanskrit-language sources, and it is not a standard technical term in established Hindu legal, religious, or philosophical vocabularies. The word is generally read as a compound built from a- (a negation) and vrata (vow or observance), yielding a sense akin to “without a vow” or “not observing a vow.” Because it is rarely attested in primary texts, adevrata does not have a settled, widely cited definition or usage in mainstream scholarship.

Etymology and usage

The form is typically analyzed as a negated vrata rather than as a fixed, widely used category. In discussions where it appears, adevrata is discussed as a descriptor rather than as a named practice or doctrinal category. Its appearance is sporadic and largely confined to lexical, textual, or philological notes rather than constituting a coherent doctrinal concept across schools.

Attestation and scholarly status

Adevrata remains obscure in comparative and historical studies of dharma, vow-taking, and devotional practice. It is not treated as a canonical term in major Sanskrit dictionaries or in the standard corpora of Hindu legal and devotional literature. Consequently, references to adevrata are limited, and the term often serves as a linguistic or contextual observation rather than a foundational concept.

See also

Vrata, Vow (religious observance), Dharma, Hindu law, Sanskrit philology.

Note

Due to limited attestation, any specific claims about adevrata should be checked against primary texts or scholarly apparatus that discuss rare or obscure Sanskrit forms.