To attain the fruits of dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation, one should listen attentively to the sacred story, setting aside the heavy concerns of home, children, and spouse. The wise begin this listening at sunrise and continue until the sun is nearly set, pausing only briefly to rest, and ensuring that the recitation is performed at midday. For mastery over bodily urges, it is advised to partake only in light food. Those who desire to hear the story should eat simple havis food just once a day, or alternatively, subsist on fruits, milk, or clarified butter—whatever ensures there is no hindrance to the ongoing recitation. O twice-born, hear now the discipline for those devoted to this story. Those who perceive divisions among Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheshvara, who lack devotion to the Goddess, who are heretics, violent, or wicked, who are hostile to Brahmins or atheists—such people are not fit to hear this tale. Nor are those greedy for the wealth of Brahmins, for others’ wives or property, or for divine riches. The ideal listener is celibate, sleeps on the ground, speaks truthfully, controls the senses, and eats only after the story concludes, taking food with self-restraint from a simple leaf plate. During this period, one should avoid eggplant, bottle gourd, oil, split pulses, honey, burnt or stale food, and food prepared with ill intent. Meat, lentils, food seen by a menstruating woman, garlic, radish, asafoetida, onion, and coriander are also to be avoided. Pumpkin, leafy greens, and similar foods are likewise forbidden. Above all, the listener should renounce desire, anger, pride, greed, hypocrisy, and arrogance. One observing this vow should not converse with those who hate Brahmins, outcastes, dog-eaters, Yavanas, Chandalas, menstruating women, or those outside the Vedic fold. Nor should he listen to slander against the Vedas, cows, teachers, Brahmins, women, kings, the great, gods, or devotees of the gods. Instead, he should practice humility, straightforwardness, purity, compassion, measured speech, and maintain a noble mind. Even those burdened by misfortune—be they barren, with only one child, unfortunate, bereaved of children, poor, or women whose pregnancies have ended—should listen to this story with devotion. Whoever desires dharma, wealth, pleasure, or liberation without great effort should diligently listen to the Bhāgavata of the Goddess. The days spent hearing this sacred story are as meritorious as days spent performing great sacrifices; whatever is given, offered, or recited during this period yields infinite rewards. Therefore, one should observe this vow for nine days, concluding it as is done in the great aṣṭamī vow by those seeking its fruits. Even those without personal desire are purified and attain liberation simply by hearing, for the supreme Goddess grants both enjoyment and liberation to all. The sacred book and the speaker should be worshipped daily, and one should accept the offering given by the speaker with devotion. Whoever daily worships, feeds, and prays to young girls, married women, and Brahmins will certainly attain success. At the conclusion, the thousand names of Gāyatrī or the thousand names of Viṣṇu may be recited to remove all faults. By remembering and uttering the name of Viṣṇu, any deficiency in austerities, sacrifices, or rites is made complete; therefore, one should praise Viṣṇu. At the end of the observance, a fire offering should be performed with the seven hundred mantras of the Goddess, or with the root mantra of the Devī Māhātmya, or with the nine-letter mantra. Alternatively, the fire offering may be performed with the Gāyatrī mantra, using rice pudding with ghee, for this Bhāgavata is said to be permeated by Gāyatrī. The speaker should be properly honored with garments, ornaments, and wealth; when the speaker is pleased, all the deities are pleased. Brahmins should be fed with devotion and satisfied with gifts, for they are embodiments of the gods on earth, and when they are pleased, one’s wishes are fulfilled. Married women and young girls should also be fed with devotion to the Goddess, and after giving them gifts, one should pray for success. Other gifts—gold, milk-giving cows, horses, elephants, and land—may also be given, bringing inexhaustible rewards. The Devī Bhāgavata, written in beautiful script, should be placed on a golden throne and wrapped in silk cloth. On the eighth or ninth day, after worshipping the speaker, one should offer him enjoyment; after enjoying the fruits here, liberation is attained. Whether poor, weak, young, youthful, or even aged, whether a knower of the Purāṇas or a physician, such a person should always be respected and honored. Among the many teachers in the world, the one versed in the Purāṇas is the supreme teacher. A Brāhmaṇa well-versed in the Purāṇas, seated on Vyāsa’s seat, should not bow to anyone during the discourse until it is completed. Those who listen to the divine Purāṇic story without devotion gain no merit and remain subject to suffering and poverty. Those who listen to the Goddess’s story without first honoring the Purāṇa with offerings like betel or flowers truly become poor. Those who abandon the recitation and go elsewhere lose their enjoyments, and their spouses and wealth perish. The arrogant who sit on high seats while listening to the story suffer the torments of hell and are reborn as crows. Those who sit on low or heroic seats and listen become birds dwelling on arjuna trees. Thus are the sacred disciplines, rewards, and cautions regarding the listening of the Devī Bhāgavata, as revealed for the sincere devotee’s upliftment.