Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 75
Prāyaścitta for Mahāpātakas and the Sin-destroying Power of Viṣṇu-smaraṇa
किंचिन्न्यूनाब्दसंगे तु षण्मासव्रतमाचरेत् । एतच्च त्रिगुणं प्रोक्तं ज्ञानात्संगे यथाक्रमम् ॥ ७५ ॥
kiṃcinnyūnābdasaṃge tu ṣaṇmāsavratamācaret | etacca triguṇaṃ proktaṃ jñānātsaṃge yathākramam || 75 ||
ഒരു വർഷത്തേക്കാൾ അല്പം കുറവായി (നിയമാനുഷ്ഠാന) സംഗമം ഉണ്ടായാൽ ആറുമാസ വ്രതം അനുഷ്ഠിക്കണം. ജ്ഞാനവും സംഗവും അനുസരിച്ച് ഇത് ക്രമമായി ത്രിവിധമെന്ന് പ്രസ്താവിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു॥७५॥
Sanatkumara (teaching Narada in a didactic sequence on observances)
Vrata: Ṣaṇmāsa-vrata (six-month vow)
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: none
FAQs
It teaches a practical, graded discipline: if a full-year commitment cannot be maintained, a six-month vrata is prescribed, emphasizing steady practice aligned with one’s capacity and maturity.
By stressing sustained saṅga (continued engagement and supportive association), it frames bhakti as a disciplined, time-bound practice that can be adapted without abandoning the vow entirely.
The verse reflects ritual pragmatics (kalpa-oriented thinking): adapting the duration and tier of an observance based on eligibility and continuity, rather than insisting on a single rigid standard.