Shloka 8
आर्द्रायां कृसरं दत्त्वा तिलमिश्रमुपोषित: । नरस्तरति दुर्गाणि क्षुरधारांश्व॒ पर्वतान्,आर्द्रा नक्षत्रमें उपवासपूर्वक तिलमिश्रित खिचड़ी दान करनेवाला मनुष्य बड़े-बड़े दुर्गम संकटोंसे तथा क्षुरकी-सी धारवाले पर्वतोंसे भी पार हो जाता है
Ārdrāyāṃ kṛsaraṃ dattvā tilamiśram upoṣitaḥ | naras tarati durgāṇi kṣuradhārāṃś ca parvatān ||
Nārada said: A person who, after observing a fast, gives kṛsara (a rice-and-pulse dish) mixed with sesame on the day of the Ārdrā lunar mansion, crosses even formidable hardships—indeed, even razor-edged mountains.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches that disciplined self-restraint (fasting) combined with timely, prescribed charity (donating sesame-mixed kṛsara on Ārdrā) generates spiritual merit that helps one overcome even extreme difficulties.
Nārada is describing the fruit (phala) of a specific observance: fasting and then giving a particular food-offering on the Ārdrā nakṣatra. He uses vivid imagery—crossing perilous obstacles and razor-edged mountains—to emphasize the power of such dharmic acts.