Note 563 — Chapter I

On the fourth day of the dark half of Shrāvan, women observe a vrat called Bolchoth. In the morning the woman worships a cow and her calf (which must both be of the same colour), applies a little cotton to the horns of the cow, and makes an auspicious mark on the foreheads of both with red lac. She then places an offering of betel and rice before the cow, takes four turns round the pair, and whispers in the ears of the cow the words tārun satya mārun vritya (your truth and my devotion). A Brāhman then recites the legend of the vrat.563