Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 76
द्वादशमासेषु अष्टमी-व्रत-कथनम्
Account of the Aṣṭamī Vow Across the Twelve Months
यत्र कुत्रापि संजाता नात्र कार्या विचारणा । आश्विने शुक्लपक्षे तु प्रोक्ता विप्र महाष्टमी ॥ ७६ ॥
yatra kutrāpi saṃjātā nātra kāryā vicāraṇā | āśvine śuklapakṣe tu proktā vipra mahāṣṭamī || 76 ||
Onde quer que isso ocorra, não há necessidade de mais ponderação. Ó brāhmana, na quinzena clara de Āśvina, esse dia é declarado a grande Aṣṭamī, a Mahāṣṭamī.
Narada
Vrata: Mahāṣṭamī (as vrata/observance day marker)
Primary Rasa: shanta (peace)
Secondary Rasa: bhakti (devotion)
FAQs
It establishes a clear dharma-rule for Mahāṣṭamī: once the qualifying Aṣṭamī in Āśvina’s bright fortnight is present, one should accept it without over-analysis, emphasizing certainty and steadiness in vrata observance.
By removing excessive doubt about timing, it protects the devotee’s single-pointed practice—encouraging faithful performance of the sacred day rather than getting lost in endless calculation, which supports consistent bhakti-oriented vrata.
It reflects Jyotiṣa/Vedāṅga calendar practice—tithi-based observance (Aṣṭamī) within a specified lunar month and pakṣa—showing how ritual timing is fixed for a vrata.