Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 3
Dharmopadeśa-Śānti: Rules of Impurity, Expiations, and Ancestor Rites
त्रिरात्रं वाथ षड्रात्रं यथासंख्यं समाचरेत् । स्नानं त्रिषवणं विप्रपञ्चगव्येन शुध्यति ॥ ३ ॥
trirātraṃ vātha ṣaḍrātraṃ yathāsaṃkhyaṃ samācaret | snānaṃ triṣavaṇaṃ viprapañcagavyena śudhyati || 3 ||
One should observe the prescribed expiation for three nights, or else for six nights, according to the proper order. By bathing at the three sandhyā times—morning, noon, and evening—a brāhmaṇa is purified through pañcagavya.
Sanatkumara (in instruction to Narada)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It frames purification (śauca) as a disciplined prāyaścitta: a time-bound observance (three or six nights) supported by tri-savana bathing and pañcagavya, emphasizing inner and outer cleansing as a prerequisite for Vaidika practice.
While primarily ritual, it supports bhakti by teaching that bodily and ritual purity steady the mind and senses, making worship and remembrance more focused and sattvic—an enabling foundation for devotion.
It reflects Kalpa (procedural rules for rites) through the specified durations and the tri-savana schedule, and it also implies traditional time-division used in Vedic ritual practice.