Shloka 14
The Greatness of the Month of Māgha
Māgha-snāna, Harivāsara, and the Kāṣṭhīlā-Upākhyāna
यावन्नोदयते सूर्यस्तावत्स्नानं विधीयते । आच्छादिते घनैर्व्योम्नि ह्युद्गमिष्यन्तमर्थयेत् ॥ १४ ॥
yāvannodayate sūryastāvatsnānaṃ vidhīyate | ācchādite ghanairvyomni hyudgamiṣyantamarthayet || 14 ||
यावत्सूर्यो न उदेति तावत्स्नानविधिः। घनैर्व्योम्न्याच्छादिते उद्गमिष्यन्तं सूर्यं श्रद्धया प्रार्थयेत्॥
Suta (narrating Narada Purana teachings in a dharma/ritual context)
Vrata: none
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: bhakti
FAQs
It emphasizes discipline in nitya-karma: performing snāna at the proper sacred time (before sunrise) to align the body-mind with purity and dharmic order (ṛta).
Even in a rule about timing, it directs the practitioner to remember and pray to Sūrya when visibility is blocked—turning routine ritual into mindful reverence, a basic form of bhakti expressed through daily practice.
It reflects Jyotiṣa-style time reckoning for rites: the injunction hinges on sunrise as a key marker, and provides a practical rule for cloudy conditions when the sun’s appearance is obscured.