Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 13
द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्
Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months
नभःशुक्लेतथाष्टम्यां देवीमिष्ट्वा विधानतः । क्षीरेण स्नापयित्वा च मिष्टान्नं विनिवेदयेत् ॥ १३ ॥
nabhaḥśukletathāṣṭamyāṃ devīmiṣṭvā vidhānataḥ | kṣīreṇa snāpayitvā ca miṣṭānnaṃ vinivedayet || 13 ||
Pada hari Aṣṭamī (hari kelapan) dalam paruh terang bulan Nabhas, setelah memuja Dewi menurut tatacara yang ditetapkan, hendaklah memandikan-Nya dengan susu, lalu mempersembahkan miṣṭānna, hidangan manis yang dimasak, sebagai naivedya.
Narada (instructional narration within the ritual context; traditional dialogue framework with Sanatkumara lineage assumed for this section)
Vrata: none (vrata context implied; specific name appears later)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It teaches that devotion is strengthened through vidhi—worship done with scriptural order—where purity (milk abhiṣeka) and gratitude (offering miṣṭānna) become concrete acts of reverence to Devī.
Bhakti here is expressed as personal service (upacāra): worshipping, bathing the deity, and offering food—actions that cultivate surrender, care, and remembrance through ritual intimacy.
Kalpa (ritual procedure) and Jyotiṣa (tithi/month timing): the verse specifies Shukla Paksha Aṣṭamī in Nabhas and prescribes concrete offerings and abhiṣeka as the correct vidhi.