Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्
Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months
कुमारीर्भोजयेच्चापि नवम्यां पारणाग्रतः । ज्योतिर्मयविमानेन भ्राजमानो यथा रविः ॥ ६ ॥
kumārīrbhojayeccāpi navamyāṃ pāraṇāgrataḥ | jyotirmayavimānena bhrājamāno yathā raviḥ || 6 ||
Am neunten Tag (Navamī), vor dem Pāraṇa, der abschließenden Mahlzeit nach dem Fasten, soll man auch junge Mädchen (kumārī) speisen. Dann erstrahlt man wie die Sonne, getragen von einem Vimāna aus Licht.
Narada (teaching in a vrata/ritual instruction flow; traditional dialogue framework with Sanatkumara context)
Vrata: Mahāṣṭamī (context continuation)
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It teaches that a vrata is perfected not only by personal austerity but by compassionate giving—feeding kumārīs before pāraṇa transforms the observance into shared merit, leading to luminous, exalted results.
Bhakti expresses itself through seva (service) and honoring purity; feeding maidens as part of vrata-conclusion is a devotional act that converts ritual into heartfelt offering, yielding auspicious, ‘sun-like’ radiance.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) is implied: timing matters—perform kumārī-bhojana specifically on Navamī and before pāraṇa, reflecting precise vrata-vidhi and correct sequencing of concluding rites.