Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 52
The Exposition of the Ṣaṣṭhī-vrata Observed Through the Twelve Months
गन्धैरालिप्य सुश्वेतैरक्षतैः श्वेतपुष्पकैः । बिल्वपत्रैश्च धत्तूरकुसुमैश्च फलैस्तथा ॥ ५२ ॥
gandhairālipya suśvetairakṣataiḥ śvetapuṣpakaiḥ | bilvapatraiśca dhattūrakusumaiśca phalaistathā || 52 ||
เมื่อชโลมด้วยของหอมแล้ว พึงถวายข้าวสารไม่หักสีขาวบริสุทธิ์และดอกไม้สีขาว พร้อมทั้งใบมะตูม (บิลวะ) ดอกธาตุรา และผลไม้
Narada (teaching ritual procedure in the Narada Purana’s instructional dialogue tradition)
Vrata: Ṣaṣṭhī-vrata (contextual; chapter-level)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It emphasizes bhakti expressed through orderly upacāras (offerings): purity (white flowers/akṣata), auspiciousness (bilva), fragrance (gandha), and completeness (fruits), showing devotion made tangible through sacred materials.
Bhakti here is practical and reverential—serving the Lord through careful, sattvic offerings and a respectful sequence of worship, indicating that devotion is cultivated by disciplined, heartfelt ritual action.
It reflects kalpa (ritual procedure) in practice: specifying dravyas (worship substances) and their proper use as part of pūjā-vidhi, a core feature of Vedic and Purāṇic ritual science.