Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्
Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months
नभःशुक्लेतथाष्टम्यां देवीमिष्ट्वा विधानतः । क्षीरेण स्नापयित्वा च मिष्टान्नं विनिवेदयेत् ॥ १३ ॥
nabhaḥśukletathāṣṭamyāṃ devīmiṣṭvā vidhānataḥ | kṣīreṇa snāpayitvā ca miṣṭānnaṃ vinivedayet || 13 ||
Am Aṣṭamī, dem achten Mondtag der hellen Monatshälfte im Monat Nabhas, nachdem man die Göttin gemäß der vorgeschriebenen Ordnung verehrt hat, soll man sie mit Milch baden und danach süßes gekochtes Speiseopfer (miṣṭānna) als Naivedya darbringen.
Narada (instructional narration within the ritual context; traditional dialogue framework with Sanatkumara lineage assumed for this section)
Vrata: none (vrata context implied; specific name appears later)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that devotion is strengthened through vidhi—worship done with scriptural order—where purity (milk abhiṣeka) and gratitude (offering miṣṭānna) become concrete acts of reverence to Devī.
Bhakti here is expressed as personal service (upacāra): worshipping, bathing the deity, and offering food—actions that cultivate surrender, care, and remembrance through ritual intimacy.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa (tithi/month timing): the verse specifies Shukla Paksha Aṣṭamī in Nabhas and prescribes concrete offerings and abhiṣeka as the correct vidhi.