Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 53
The Explanation of the Twelve-Month Caturthī Vrata
शेषं चाह्वामपूर्वैस्तु पूजयेदुपचारकैः । क्षीरेणाप्यायनं कुर्यादेतन्नागव्रतं स्मृतम् ॥ ५३ ॥
śeṣaṃ cāhvāmapūrvaistu pūjayedupacārakaiḥ | kṣīreṇāpyāyanaṃ kuryādetannāgavrataṃ smṛtam || 53 ||
ആദ്യം ശേഷനാഗനെ ആവാഹനം ചെയ്ത് ഉപചാരങ്ങളോടെ പൂജിക്കണം; പിന്നെ പാലാൽ അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് ആപ്യായനം (പോഷണ-സേവ) നടത്തണം—ഇതുതന്നെയാണ് ‘നാഗവ്രതം’ എന്നു സ്മരിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത്।
Narada (teaching the rite as part of the vrata instructions)
Vrata: Nāga-vrata
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It frames Nāga-vrata as a disciplined act of reverence: first invoke Śeṣa with proper intention, then honor him through prescribed services, emphasizing orderly ritual devotion (vidhi) and sanctified offering.
Bhakti here is expressed as personal worship—invocation, attentive upacāras, and a simple, sattvic offering (milk)—directing the devotee’s care and reverence toward Śeṣa as a sacred, worthy recipient.
Ritual procedure (kalpa-style practice) is implied: āhvāna (invocation), upacāra-pūjā (standard services), and the specific dravya (milk) for āpyāyana—showing applied ritual know-how rather than grammar or astrology.