Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 10
उपवासी नरो भूत्वा यस्तु कुर्यात्प्रजागरम् । मुच्यते सर्वपापेभ्यो गायंस्तस्य शुभां कथाम्
upavāsī naro bhūtvā yastu kuryātprajāgaram | mucyate sarvapāpebhyo gāyaṃstasya śubhāṃ kathām
Und wer, nachdem er gefastet hat, die ganze Nacht in wacher Vigil verbringt, wird von allen Sünden befreit, indem er die heilige, glückverheißende Erzählung jenes Herrn besingt.
Mārkaṇḍeya
Tirtha: Bala–Keśava-tīrtha on Revā
Type: kshetra
Scene: Night at the riverbank shrine: lamps flicker, devotees seated in a circle singing Hari-kathā, some standing in vigil with folded hands; the river glimmers under moonlight; the deity shrine of Bala–Keśava illuminated.
FAQs
Devotional discipline—fasting, vigil, and sacred singing—purifies the devotee and is portrayed as a powerful means of pāpa-kṣaya (removal of sin).
The practice is taught in the flow of the Yojaneśvara tīrtha-māhātmya, implying these vows are especially meritorious when observed there.
Upavāsa (fasting), prajāgara (night vigil), and gāna/kīrtana of the Lord’s auspicious kathā.