Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 18
The Exposition of the Saptamī Vow Observed Across Twelve Months
Saptamī-vrata-prakāśana
संभोज्य ब्राह्मणान्भक्त्या व्रतसाकल्यमाप्नुयात् । निबव्रतं च तत्रेव तद्विधानं श्रृणुष्व मे ॥ १८ ॥
saṃbhojya brāhmaṇānbhaktyā vratasākalyamāpnuyāt | nibavrataṃ ca tatreva tadvidhānaṃ śrṛṇuṣva me || 18 ||
Wenn man die Brāhmaṇas in Hingabe (bhakti) speist, erlangt man die volle Frucht des Gelübdes (vrata). Und ebendort vollziehe den abschließenden Ritus des Gelübdes gemäß dem niyama; höre von mir seine rechte Vorschrift.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that a vow becomes spiritually complete when sealed with devotional hospitality—feeding brāhmaṇas as an act of reverence and dharma—followed by the prescribed concluding rite.
Bhakti is shown as the inner power that perfects ritual: feeding brāhmaṇas is not merely formality, but an offering done with devotion, which brings the vow to full fruition.
It reflects Kalpa (ritual procedure): the principle that vratas require a proper samāpti (conclusion) with specific vidhāna, including honoring brāhmaṇas, to be considered complete.