द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्
Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months
अशोककलिकाश्चाष्टौ ये पिबंति पुनर्वसौ । चैत्रे मासि सिताष्टम्यां न ते शोकमवाप्नुयुः ॥ ३ ॥
aśokakalikāścāṣṭau ye pibaṃti punarvasau | caitre māsi sitāṣṭamyāṃ na te śokamavāpnuyuḥ || 3 ||
Ceux qui boivent huit bourgeons de l’arbre aśoka le jour de Punarvasu, au huitième jour lunaire de la quinzaine claire (Śukla Aṣṭamī) du mois de Caitra, ne tombent pas dans le chagrin.
Narada
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
It teaches a specific vrata-style remedy where a timed observance (Caitra Śukla Aṣṭamī with Punarvasu) and aśoka-bud intake is said to counteract śoka (grief), emphasizing dharmic living through calendrical discipline.
While not explicitly naming a deity here, it reflects the Purāṇic bhakti culture in which faith-filled, rule-based observances (vrata and śubha-kāla) are undertaken as sacred acts that purify the mind and reduce suffering.
Jyotiṣa (Vedāṅga astrology) is central: the result is linked to a precise combination of māsa (Caitra), tithi (Śukla Aṣṭamī), and nakṣatra (Punarvasu), showing how ritual timing is prescribed in Purāṇic practice.