Devanagari: व्रत ISO15919: vrata also written as vrat
1. A pious observance of fasting.
2. Pledging to always be in favor of someone, also called upavasa (Devanagari: उपवास ISO15919: upavāsa).
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In the modern times, fasting is the commonly accepted meaning. Abstaining from food has physical benefits, but it does not result in any spiritual ones.
Pati-vrat dharma (Devanagari: पतिव्रत धर्मISO15919: pati-vrata dharma) means always thinking in favour of your husband no matter what. Similarly, guru-vrat means always thinking favourably of your Guru. Bhagavat-vrat (Devanagari: भगवत्-व्रत ISO15919: bhagavat-vrata) means always thinking favourably of God no matter how hard the going gets.
