Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 38
The Explanation of the Twelve-Month Caturthī Vrata
अस्यां चतुर्थ्यां शशिनं न पश्येच्च कदाचन । पश्यन् मिथ्याभिशाप तु लभते नात्र संशयः । अथ तद्दोषनाशाय मन्त्रं पौराणिकं पठेत् ॥ ३८ ॥
asyāṃ caturthyāṃ śaśinaṃ na paśyecca kadācana | paśyan mithyābhiśāpa tu labhate nātra saṃśayaḥ | atha taddoṣanāśāya mantraṃ paurāṇikaṃ paṭhet || 38 ||
En esta Caturthī no debe mirarse jamás la Luna. Si se la mira, sin duda se incurre en una falsa acusación. Por ello, para borrar esa mancha, debe recitarse un mantra puránico.
Narada (teaching in a Purāṇic instructional context, traditionally within the Narada–Sanatkumāra dialogue frame)
Vrata: Caturthī observance (Gaṇeśa/Vināyaka-associated in tradition)
Primary Rasa: bhayanaka
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It links tithi-dharma (discipline tied to lunar days) with ethical consequence: on Caturthī, improper conduct (moon-sighting) is said to invite social-spiritual blemish (false accusation), and the remedy is Purāṇic mantra-recitation as prāyaścitta.
Bhakti here is expressed as śraddhā-filled obedience to Purāṇic injunctions and reliance on mantra (sacred recitation) to cleanse faults—turning a mistake into renewed remembrance of the sacred through disciplined practice.
It highlights Jyotiṣa-based practice: a rule determined by tithi (Caturthī) and a corresponding remedial measure, reflecting how calendrical/astrological timing guides ritual conduct in Purāṇic tradition.