Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 1

द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्

Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months

Devanagari script

सनातन उवाच । शुक्लाष्टम्यां चैत्रमासे भवान्याः प्रोच्यते जनिः । प्रदक्षिणशतं कृत्वा कार्यो यात्रामहोत्सवः ॥ १ ॥

Transliteration

sanātana uvāca | śuklāṣṭamyāṃ caitramāse bhavānyāḥ procyate janiḥ | pradakṣiṇaśataṃ kṛtvā kāryo yātrāmahotsavaḥ || 1 ||

Translation

Sanātana disse: «No mês de Caitra, no dia de Śuklāṣṭamī (o oitavo da quinzena clara), proclama-se o nascimento de Bhavānī. Tendo feito cem pradakṣiṇā (circunvoluções), deve-se realizar o grande festival da yātrā, a procissão da Deusa».

Word by Word

• सनातनः: Sanātana
• सनातनः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सनातन (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• उवाच: said
• उवाच: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• शुक्लाष्टम्याम्: on the bright (fortnight) eighth (tithi)
• शुक्लाष्टम्याम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: शुक्ल + अष्टमी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—शुक्ला अष्टमी (कर्मधारय)

• चैत्रमासे: in the month of Caitra
• चैत्रमासे: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: चैत्र + मास (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी (7th/Locative), एकवचन; समासः—चैत्रस्य मासः (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• भवान्याः: of Bhavānī (Pārvatī)
• भवान्याः: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भवानी (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), एकवचन

• प्रोच्यते: is proclaimed/celebrated
• प्रोच्यते: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र + वच् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), एकवचन; आत्मनेपद; कर्मणि प्रयोग (passive)

• जनिः: birth (anniversary)
• जनिः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: जनि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन

• प्रदक्षिणशतम्: a hundred circumambulations
• प्रदक्षिणशतम्: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रदक्षिण + शत (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन; समासः—प्रदक्षिणानां शतम् (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष)

• कृत्वा: having done
• कृत्वा: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कृत्वा (क्त्वान्त)
• Form: अव्ययकृदन्त (gerund/क्त्वा), पूर्वकालिक क्रिया (having done)

• कार्यः: should be performed
• कार्यः: Vidhi (विधि)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कृ (धातु) → कार्य (कृदन्त)
• Form: भविष्यत्कृदन्त/कर्तव्यतार्थक (gerundive), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विधेय-विशेषण (to be done)

• यात्रामहोत्सवः: a grand procession-festival
• यात्रामहोत्सवः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: यात्रा + महोत्सव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः—यात्रा एव महोत्सवः (कर्मधारय)

Speaker

Sanātana (one of the Sanatkumāra brothers)

Vrata Kalpa

Vrata: Bhavānī-janma/Śuklāṣṭamī observance (festival-vrata context)

Verse Rasa

Primary Rasa: bhakti

Secondary Rasa: adbhuta

Characters & Entities

• Sanātana
• Bhavānī

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in Narada Purana?

It sanctifies a specific sacred time—Caitra Śuklāṣṭamī—as auspicious for honoring Bhavānī’s manifestation, linking devotion to disciplined ritual acts (pradakṣiṇā) and communal celebration (yātrā-mahotsava).

How does this verse explain the path of devotion (Bhakti)?

Bhakti is expressed through embodied reverence—circumambulating (pradakṣiṇā) as an act of surrender and then celebrating the deity publicly via yātrā, turning personal devotion into a shared dhārmic festival.

What practical Vedic knowledge (Vedanga) is highlighted here?

It uses calendrical ritual precision—identifying the lunar tithi (Śuklāṣṭamī) in the month of Caitra—reflecting Jyotiṣa-based timing applied to vrata and utsava observances.