[Advaita-l] Fwd: शिरोव्रतम् नाम किम्?

[V Subrahmanian]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: V Subrahmanian <v.subrahmanian at gmail.com>
Date: 2018-03-20 8:53 GMT+05:30
Subject: शिरोव्रतम् नाम किम्?
To: BHARATIYA VIDVAT <bvparishat at googlegroups.com>


At the end of the Mundakopanishat occurs this mantra:

तदेतदृचाभ्युक्तम् —
क्रियावन्तः श्रोत्रिया ब्रह्मनिष्ठाः स्वयं जुह्वत एकर्षिं श्रद्धयन्तः ।
तेषामेवैतां ब्रह्मविद्यां वदेत *शिरोव्रतं* विधिवद्यैस्तु चीर्णम् ॥ १० ॥

This vidya is to be given to those who have performed/observed the
'shirovratam'.  Shankara in his commentary says:  शिरोव्रतं
शिरस्यग्निधारणलक्षणम् । यथा आथर्वणानां वेदव्रतं प्रसिद्धम् । यैस्तु यैश्च
तत् चीर्णं विधिवत् यथाविधानं तेषामेव वदेत ॥

It appears that there is such a vrata mentioned in the Atharva Veda.  It
involves bearing fire on the head.  Are any scholars aware of the vrata of
this nature in the Atharva Veda?

In the Devi Bhagavatam, Skanda Puranam, etc. there is a 'shirovratam'
mentioned but that is different from the one Shankara is referring to:

https://sa.wikisource.org/s/hsl

Sri Appayya Dikshitar too, in his Vaadanakshatra maala, has cited the type
of vrata from the Non-Atharva Veda (that Shankara has cited), etc. source,
involving reciting the Atharva Shira mantras 'agniriti bhasma, etc.'

Any information on the above topic is welcome.

Thanks and regards
subrahmanian.v