Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 36
पुत्रहीना च या नारी काकवन्ध्या च या भवेत् । विधवा या करोत्येतद्व्रतमेवं समाहिता । तस्यास्तुष्टो जगन्नाथः कायशुद्धिं प्रयच्छति
putrahīnā ca yā nārī kākavandhyā ca yā bhavet | vidhavā yā karotyetadvratamevaṃ samāhitā | tasyāstuṣṭo jagannāthaḥ kāyaśuddhiṃ prayacchati
La femme sans fils, ou celle dite « kāka-vandhyā » (privée d’une descendance vivante), ou la veuve—si elle accomplit ce vœu avec une résolution attentive—alors Jagannātha, Seigneur du monde, satisfait d’elle, lui accorde la pureté du corps (et de la vie incarnée).
Narrator (contextual Purāṇic voice within the Jalaśāyī-upākhyāna)
Type: kshetra
Scene: A widowed or grieving woman, modestly dressed, performs the vow with focused devotion before Jagannātha/Nārāyaṇa; a soft aura of purification surrounds her body, signifying kāya-śuddhi.
FAQs
No social condition blocks grace: sincere vrata-observance invites the Lord’s compassion and purification.
The vow is praised within the Hāṭakeśvara-kṣetra-māhātmya (Nāgara Khaṇḍa) setting.
Women in various life circumstances are explicitly included as eligible to perform the Aśūnyaśayana-vrata with samādhāna (focused intent).