8 - The fasting of Janmashtami and the merit of the same 

Narada said-In all the vratas Janmashtami-vrata is considered to be the best of all. You kindly let me know the result of the combination of Jayanti with the same. 

О great sage, you kindly let me know the sin earned by not performing the vrata or by eating something on that day. What is the reward for fasting at the time of Jayanti? 

О lord, your kindly enlighten me on the vrata, the method of adoration, the discipline the fasting and ending of the fast quite carefully.

Narayana said- On the Seventh day of the moon one should consume the left-over of the yajna and with a disciplined mind and on the next day, the eighth day of the moon, one should get up early in the morning and take a bath. Therefore, he should take a vow for performing the vrata by fasting, he should take samkalpa, "I am performing the vrata and fasting for the pleasure of lord Krishna". 

О Brahamana, by performing the vrata on the eight day of the black fortnight, one gets the merit of crores of times more than one could ordinarily get for performing ordinary vratas. 

On that particular day whosoever offers simple water to a man is equated with performing of the shraddha at Gaya for a hundred years. There is no doubt about it. 

After taking the bath and getting free from the daily routine, one should build up a labour-room in which the iron, the sword, fire, the attendant and various types of materials should be kept, besides the scissors, and a mid-wife. О Neared, after performing sixteen type of puja one should provide eight types of beautiful fruits, seeds, beverages, nutmeg, kamkola, pomegranate, wood apple. Coconut, lemon, melon, best of costumes, ashana, clothes, water madhuparka, arghya, water for sipping, water for bathing, the bed, fragrance, flowers, naivedya, betel, fragrant paste, incense and ornament. These are the items meant for use in the sixteen type of adoration. 

Thereafter washing the feet, wearing clean costumes, one should be seated on the ashana, sipping the water at the same time. Thereafter reciting svastivachana, the pitcher should be consecrated adoring other gods at the same time. 

Lord Krishna should be invoked in the pitcher water. Thereafter all the gods including Vasudeva, Devaki, Yashoda, Nanda, Rohini, Baladeva, goddess Shashti, earth goddess, a Brahmana lady, Ashtami, local god, Ashvatthama, Bali, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Krupacharya, Parashurama, Vedavyasa and Markandeya should also be invoked. Placing the flowers on the head, the devotees should perform dhyanam. 

O Narada, I am going to enlighten you about the dhyanam which has been prescribed in the Samaveda. You listen to it. In the earlier time the same was told by Brahma to the great sage Kumara. 

I adore Balamukunda who had the complexion of blue lotus flower and is extremely beautiful and who bears a serene smile always over his face. Brahma, Shiva, Sesha and Dharma always adore him, he cannot be achieved by dhyanam alone. And is also beyond the reach of the best of Rsis, sages, the siddhas and the human being. He is beyond the comprehension even of the great yogis. He happens to be best of all and is the witness of everyone.

О sage, thus meditating upon, one should offer the flowers to him. Thus, the devotee should perform the vrata. Now I am going to recite the mantra of same, you please listen to me. О lord Hari, you possess all the glory. You kindly accept the asana which is studded with the best of gems, jewels and decorated the flowers and creepers. 

O Hari, I offer the costumes which are pure like the fire, created by Vishvakarma and are beautifully woven like the gold. 

O Hari, you kindly accept the pure water contained in the vase of gold with the spotless water for the sake of cleaning of the feet. 

O Hari, I offer you the honey, the curd, milk and sugar combined in a vase for the purpose, you are taking the bath. 

О Hari, I offer Durva-grass, rice, white flower, sandal-paste, aguru, kasthuri mixed in the water and arghya. 

О Parameshvara, I offer the tasteful and fragrant water for sipping. 

О Vishnu, you kindly accept the fragrant material besides the fragrant oil mixed with the juice of myrobalan for taking bath. 

О Hari, you kindly accept this bed which has been built with the best of gems and covered with fine silken cloth. 

О Hari, you accept this fragrance which is mixed with the powder of many trees and their roots besides kasthuri. 

О Hari, I offer you the fragrant flowers together with saffron which are liked by all the gods. 

О Hari, I offer you the sweets and the naivedya together with the beautiful ripe fruits. 

О Hari, I offer you the sweet balls, modakas, and ghee, milk raw-sugar (guda), honey, fresh curd and butter milk as naivedya. 

О great lord, I offer you the tasteful milk in which the sugar has been mixed and is quite cold. I also offer the betel with devotion which contains camphor and other fragrant materials. 

О Parameshvara, you kindly accept the paste consisting of sandal-paste, aguru, kasthuri, saffron for apparition on the body. 

O Hari, I offer the gum which has been extracted from various types of trees mixed with many fragrant materials and is liked by all the gods as incense. 

I offer you the lamp which is the form of light and removes all the darkness from the world you kindly accept it. 

О Hari, you accept this water for drinking which is quite pure, spotless, sanctified by camphor and happens to be the life of all the creatures. You kindly accept it.

You kindly accept this garland of flowers which has been made from various flowers and has been sewed in the fine cord and serves as an ornament over the body. All other material be offered and all the materials collected for the lord should for adoration should also be offered to him. 

О best of the lords, you kindly accept these fruits which are quite tasteful, beautiful and increase the progeny.

Similarly, all the gods who are invoked should also be adored. All the gods should be adored with devotion and thereafter three hand-cups filled with flower should be offered. 

Thereafter the cowherds named Sunanda, Nanda, Kumuda and the cowherdesses named Radhika should also be adored together with Ganesha, Karttikeya, Brahma, Shiva, Parvati, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Dikpalas, nine planets and Sesha, Sudarshana and the attendants of the gods. One should offer reverence to them prostrating before them. Thereafter, Brahmana should be served with naivedya and dakshina. 

Thereafter one should listen to the story narrated in the chapter of birth. On that very night, the devotee should remain seated on the seat of kusha remaining awake for the night. 

Early in the morning getting free from the daily routine, one should adore the lord with a pleasant mind and serve food to the Brahmanas reciting the name of Hari. 

Narada said- О sage, you are the best among those well versed in the Vedas. You kindly let me know the merit one achieves after performing the vrata as prescribed in the Vedas, remaining awake and by serving food to the Brahmanas. You kindly tell me the same. 

Narayana said- At the dead of night, the eighth day of the moon, in the Rohini constellation is considered to be the time for the birth of lord Krishna. 

The one who performs vrata at that time, becomes victorious besides achieving merit. That is why it has been termed as Jayanti also, the intellectual should perform vrata keeping himself awake. This is the time without controversy and is agreed to by all. This is prescribed by those well versed in the Vedas. In the earlier times, it was so proclaimed by Brahma. 

The one who keeps himself awake performing the vrata, he is relieved of all the sins earned by him during crores of births and achieves salvation. There is no doubt it. 

When Saptami and Ashtami are combined one should not perform the vrata during that time even when the Rohini constellation is there. Because lord Krishna the son of Devaki appeared in the unimpaired Rohini constellation. 

This particular knowledge is not available in the Vedas and the post-vedic literature in spite of its being quite of welfare nature and is quite secret. One should break the fast after the Rohini constellation is over at the end of the Ashtami-tithi. One should adore the lord with devotion and thereafter should break the fast which removes all the sins of the humans and is the part of the vrata and fasting it results in welfare and provides success. 

In all types of fasting, one should end the fast during the day alone because if one does it otherwise, the merit of the vrata is lost. 

Except the Rohini vrata, the fast should not be broken during the night, even if someone breaks the fast in the night but he should never do it on Mahanisha (moonless night). 

After adoring the Brahmanas and the gods, one should break the fast in the forenoon. The fast should be broken after consulting all except the vrata of Rohini. 

When the Jayanti falls on Monday or Wednesday and if one performs vrata on that day he was never to be born again. 

When Ashtami is there at the time of day break and during rest of the period, the Navami-Tithis is there and Rohini Nakshatra also is combined with Monday of Wednesday, such a type of combination is achieved after hundreds of years but the one who performs vrata during that period crores of his generations are redeemed.  Such of the people who are poor can achieve all the merits by observing the fast alone and the lord get pleased with them. One should adore the lord with a mind filled with devotion remaining awake during the night and the lord bestows the reward of performing Jayanti-vrata to them. At that point of time, whosoever gives away in charity-without getting miser, he gets the best of the reward. The one who behaves miserly he achieves the reward only in fraction. 

If an intellectual is unable to break the fast on the day of Ashtami in Rohini constellation, he loses the merit of the fasting performed by him even in earlier births. 

The tithis destroy the merit to eight times and the constellation deprive a person of the merit four times. Therefore, one should try to end the fast by the close of the tithis or the constellation.

О best of the sage, in the case the tithis end at Mahanisha beside the constellation, in that case the intellectual should break the fast on the third day. 

О Narada, after the passing of six muhurtas, the time of Mahanisha arrives in the night. The one who takes food during that period earns the sin of Brahmahatya. 

The betel, fruits and water offered by him turn into the flesh of cow, refuse and the urine. At that point of time even the best of the food for the humans becomes unfit for consumption, then what to speak of the boiled rice. 

Leaving aside the four dandas of the beginning and the end, the period of night in between them is called Triyama, before and end of the night there are two sandhyas (day break and evening). Out of these, one is called the day break and the other the evening. By performing the auspicious Janmashtami-vrata and remaining awake, a person is relieved of the sin of a hundred births. There is no doubt about it. 

At the time of fasting during the auspicious Janmashtami, one achieves the merit of performing the Ashvamedha sacrifice. Without remaining awake and by performing only the vrata, one is relieved of the sins performed by him during childhood, teen-age, young age, and old age. There is no doubt about it. 

Those who consume food during the birthday of Krishna earn the sin of enjoying the company of their mothers and besides earning the sin of Brahmahatya. Besides destroying the merits of crores of their earlier births, they are considered to be unfit for performing religious ceremony for the gods and the manes and have to remain in the kalasutra hell, till the sun and the moon last. The insect with sharp teeth bites them daily in hell.  Thereafter getting redeemed they are reborn in  the land of Bharata and serve as a cowherds for  sixty thousands crores of years, a pig for hundred  births, wild animal for hundred births, a jackal  for seven births, a snake for seven births, a crow  for seven births, and a deaf and dumb person  suffering from leprosy. He always remains anxious thereafter. He is there born as an animal, a wild animal, a snake charmer, a thief, a vulture, a washer man and blacksmith and thereafter he is born as a temple priest.

If anyone is unable to perform the fasting, one should serve food to a Brahmana, besides giving him the money, which should suffice for him to take food twice. 

Thereafter, he should recite the Gayatri mantra a thousand times performing Pranayama, in this vrata one should recite the mantra twelve thousand times.

I had heard this from the mouth of Dharma and the same has been narrated by me to you and I have also told you the fault one earns for not observing the same.