Varāha Mahā Purana
64 - Shauryavrata
Agastya said:
1. I shall now tell you about another vrata called Shauryavrata (the vow for valour) by which even a timid man becomes valiant all of a sudden.
2. On the Navami day in the month of Äšhvayuja one should undertake absolute fasting. Taking the sankalpa on the Saptami day and remaining without food on Ashtamï, on the Navami day flour should be taken first in all reverence.
3. Feeding the Brahmins, goddess Durgä who is Mahämäyä, Mahäbhägä and Mahäprabhä should be worshipped.
4-5. Observing in this way for one whole year, at the end of the vrata, young girls should be fed, and, according to means, given golden garments. The goddess should then be implored saying, “May the goddess be pleased with me”.
6. By performing thus, a deposed king gets back his kingdom, the ignorant man gets knowledge and the fear-stricken man gets valour.
Summary of chapter 64 of the Varāha Mahā Purana is as follows:
The narrative of Prahlāda's pilgrimage continues as he travels to the southern lands, western oceans, and holy mountain peaks, performing ancestral libations and charity at every sacred tīrtha. At each holy site, Prahlāda experiences divine visions of Bhagavān Vishṇu in various forms, singing spontaneous hymns that glorify the omnipresence, infinite mercy, and cosmic majesty of Nārāyaṇa. His exemplary yātrā serves as a timeless guide for all seekers of Sanātana Dharma, illustrating how pilgrimage done with devotion purifies all past karmas and awakens pure divine love within the heart.