|| om namo bhagavate vAsudevAya ||

Hare KRshNa
praNAm

The following applies only for those observing JanmAshTami fast.

I was reading the KRshNa janma chapter from BrahmaVaivarta PurAN, and it says that the JanmAsTami fast should not be broken at mid-night, but during the day with some tithi-overlap exceptions. I have highlighted the relevant verses in blue.

Following the Gauda VaishNav calendar, and guidance from ISKCON members, was always told that we break the (nirjal) fast at mid-night with the janmAshTami feast. Then some say if you are fasting nirjal all day, break with ekadashi-like food (fruit, potato etc.) so as to not shock the system, which is fine.

However, the purAN says we wait till the next day i.e. sunrise ? This is fine too as one nirjal day is nothing, and many fast nirjal on ekadashis.
However, we need to know.

Is today's rule made milder by Gurus? e.g. Shrila PrabhupAd made a simple rule for his disciples - "no grains no beans on ekAdashi" whereas, in India we do not eat broccoli, tomatoes and such things for upavAs.

Is something missing or is the rule just tailored for today's sAdhak?

Also, it seems Gaurabdha (VaishNav) calendar and other denominations have differences in when JanmAshTami is celebrated - Rohini nakshatra in, not in, and this makes them a couple of days apart.
Does this have anything to do with the mid-night feast? Or is it just for children and non-followers of fast?

Thank you. _/\_

From Brahmavaivarta PurAN, KRshNa's appearance:
56 When the tithi of Janmastami is over, one should remember Lord Krishna, worship the devas and asuras, and break his fast. Breaking the fast in this way is very purifying and destroys all sins.
57 Breaking the fast in this way, an essential part of the fast, brings purification and the attainment of other results. The breaking of the fast should be performed during daytime.
58 Otherwise, if the fast is not broken during the daytime, the results of fasting, following the Janmastami vow, and breaking the fast are all destroyed.
59 One should not break the fast at night. The only exception is the Rohini-vrata, when the fast may be broken at night, but not at midnight.
60 In the morning one should worship the brahmanas and demigods and then break the fast. All the saintly persons agree this is the best time to break the fast. Only in the Rohini-vrata is it not the best time.
61 If follows the Janmastami vow on a Janmastami when Mercury is conjoined with the moon, he will never again enter a mother’s womb.
62-63 If one a certain Janmastami the navami begins at sunrise and the moon is conjoined with Mercury or the star Rohini, that Janmastami is very auspicious. Such a Janmastami occurs perhaps in a hundred years. One who follows the Janmastami vow on that day delivers ten million of his relatives.
64 Lord Krishna is pleased with His devotees that observe the fast of Janmastami, even though, because of not having sufficient wealth, they cannot perform the Janmastami vow.
65 To one who follows the vow, worshipping the Lord with various articles and keeping an all-night vigil, Lord Krishna, the enemy of the demons, gives the result of following the Janmastami vow.
66 A person who observes Janmastami in a way appropriate to his financial means attains the proper result, but a wealth person who does not observe Janmastami in a way appropriate to his wealth does not attain the same result.
67 A wise person should not break his fast during Janmastami or while the star Rohini is still conjoined with the moon. To do that is to destroy his past pious deeds and the transcendental result earned by fasting.
68 Breaking the fast during the tithi of Janmastami destroys one’s pious deeds eight times over, and breaking the fast while the star Rohini is conjoined with the moon destroys one’s pious deeds four times over. Therefore one should be careful to break his fast when Janmastami and the star Rohini have passed.
69 O best of sages, when the tithi of Janmastami and the star Rohini both end at midnight, a person following the Janmastami vow should break his fat on the third day from Janmastami.
70 O Narada, one who eats during the midnight of Janmastami attains the sinful reaction of killing a brahmana.
71 On a pure Janmastami (not mixed with the saptami) one should not eat even fruit or betel nuts, or even drink water. ...
72 The wise say that night lasts for 9 hours and is bounded, at its beginning and end, by sunrise and sunset, which last for 48 minutes each.

Jai Shri KRshNa ~