Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 86
द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्
Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months
मार्गाशीर्षसिताष्टम्यां कालभैरवसन्निधौ । उपोष्य जागरं कृत्वा महापापैः प्रमुच्यते ॥ ८६ ॥
mārgāśīrṣasitāṣṭamyāṃ kālabhairavasannidhau | upoṣya jāgaraṃ kṛtvā mahāpāpaiḥ pramucyate || 86 ||
Au huitième jour de la quinzaine claire (Śuklāṣṭamī) du mois de Mārgaśīrṣa, en présence de Kālabhairava, celui qui jeûne et veille durant la nuit est délivré des grands péchés.
Narada (in dialogue context with the Sanatkumara tradition; instructional narration)
Vrata: Kālabhairava-vrata (as described here; specific name not stated in the verse)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: bhayanaka
FAQs
It presents a specific vrata-practice—fasting (upavāsa) and night vigil (jāgaraṇa) on Mārgaśīrṣa Śuklāṣṭamī at Kālabhairava’s presence—as a prāyaścitta that purifies and frees one from major sins.
Bhakti is shown through disciplined observance: approaching the deity’s sannidhi with reverence, restraining the senses by fasting, and sustaining remembrance through vigil—devotional acts that are said to transform karmic burden.
It relies on calendrical discipline tied to Jyotiṣa (tithi and lunar month): observing Śuklāṣṭamī in Mārgaśīrṣa and performing the prescribed vrata components (upavāsa and jāgaraṇa).