Shloka 37
The Greatness of the Month of Māgha
Māgha-snāna, Harivāsara, and the Kāṣṭhīlā-Upākhyāna
उपोषणात्सकृद्देवि विनश्यंत्यघराशयः । एकतः पृथिवीदानमेकतो हरिवासरम् ॥ ३७ ॥
upoṣaṇātsakṛddevi vinaśyaṃtyagharāśayaḥ | ekataḥ pṛthivīdānamekato harivāsaram || 37 ||
O Goddess, by fasting even once, heaps of sins are destroyed. On one side is the gift of the earth itself; on the other side is the sacred day of Hari (Harivāsara)—such is its greatness.
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada; addressing as 'Devi' per the received verse-formula)
Vrata: Harivāsara (commonly identified with Ekādaśī observance in later/parallel traditions)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It proclaims the extraordinary purifying power of a single fast on Harivāsara (Ekādaśī), stating that it can destroy accumulated sins and is comparable to the highest forms of charity.
By centering practice on Hari’s sacred day, it frames Bhakti as disciplined devotion—observing Ekādaśī as an act of surrender and remembrance of Viṣṇu that yields profound inner purification.
Kalpa (ritual discipline) is implied: the verse emphasizes vrata-vidhi—structured observance of fasting on a specified sacred day (Harivāsara/Ekādaśī) as an authorized religious practice.