Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 48
The Exposition of the Ṣaṣṭhī-vrata Observed Through the Twelve Months
माघमासे सिता षष्ठी वरुणाह्वा स्मृता तु सा । तस्यां वरुणमभ्यर्च्येद्विष्णुरूपं सनातनम् ॥ ४८ ॥
māghamāse sitā ṣaṣṭhī varuṇāhvā smṛtā tu sā | tasyāṃ varuṇamabhyarcyedviṣṇurūpaṃ sanātanam || 48 ||
Dalam bulan Māgha, hari keenam paruh terang diingati sebagai ‘Varuṇā’. Pada hari itu hendaklah dipuja Varuṇa—rupa Viṣṇu yang kekal.
Narada (teaching in a ritual-calendar context, within the Narada–Sanatkumara dialogue frame)
Vrata: Varuṇā (ṣaṣṭhī observance)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
FAQs
It sacralizes a specific lunar observance: Māgha Śukla Ṣaṣṭhī is named Varuṇā, and worship of Varuṇa on that tithi is elevated by identifying him as an eternal manifestation of Viṣṇu—turning a calendrical rite into Viṣṇu-centered devotion.
By instructing worship (abhyarcana) of Varuṇa as viṣṇurūpa, it channels devotion toward the Supreme through a deity-form, reflecting Purāṇic bhakti where many divine functions are honored as expressions of Viṣṇu.
It uses pañcāṅga-style time-reckoning—month (Māgha), pakṣa (Śukla), and tithi (Ṣaṣṭhī)—a practical application aligned with Jyotiṣa/Vedāṅga calendrics for determining when a vrata or worship should be performed.