Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 39
ततःप्रभृति लोकानां हिताय परमेश्वरी । अष्टम्यां च चतुर्दश्यामुपवासपरायणः
tataḥprabhṛti lokānāṃ hitāya parameśvarī | aṣṭamyāṃ ca caturdaśyāmupavāsaparāyaṇaḥ
Dès lors, pour le bien des mondes, la Déesse Suprême institua cette observance : aux huitième et quatorzième jours lunaires, qu’on soit voué au jeûne.
Unspecified in snippet (continuation of narrative in Tīrthamāhātmya; likely Sūta’s narration around Sarasvatī’s observance)
Type: kshetra
Listener: The listening assembly (śaunaka-ādi or general ṛṣi-sabhā implied by Sūta frame)
Scene: Devotees on aṣṭamī/caturdaśī keep a quiet fast: simple white garments, lamps lit, offerings arranged; the ghat is calm; the shrine glows as the vow is observed for universal welfare.
FAQs
Vrata-discipline (fasting on sacred tithis) is presented as a compassionate, world-benefiting dharma that amplifies spiritual merit.
The Sarasvatī tīrtha context of Nāgarakhaṇḍa, where the vrata is linked to the goddess’s presence and the site’s sanctity.
Upavāsa (fasting) specifically on aṣṭamī and caturdaśī.