To the twice-born, it is prescribed that one should give gifts of water pots adorned with five jewels, black cows, gold, and various garments; yet, if one’s means do not permit such generosity, even the offering of a single cow, given sincerely, is considered meritorious. It is important always to act with honesty regarding wealth, for deceit in giving brings fault. One who observes the sacred Krishna Ashtami and the seven hundred and three kalpas, performing the rites with devotion, becomes worthy of worship by the gods and is honored in the realm of Shiva. A question then arose: by what vow does a man, blessed with long life, health, and the flourishing of his lineage, accompanied by royal fortune, find such auspicious births again and again? The answer, addressed to the moon-crested one, was given with reverence: this inquiry is most fitting, for the vow in question bestows inexhaustible merit. Listen, then, to the secret known to the wise and learned in the Puranas. There is an excellent vow called the Rohini-Chandra-Shayana. In this vow, one should worship Narayana with names and forms of the moon. When a Monday coincides with the fifteenth day of the bright fortnight, or when the full moon falls under a Brahman or Kshatra nakshatra, this is the auspicious time. On such a day, one should bathe with pancagavya and mustard seeds, and the wise should recite the ‘Apyayasva’ hymn eight hundred times. Even a Shudra, if he has the highest devotion and avoids heretical speech, should offer repeated salutations to Soma, the bestower of boons, and to Vishnu. After completing his recitations, he should return home and worship Madhusudana with fruits and flowers, chanting the names of Soma with devotion. In this worship, one bows to Soma, the peaceful one, honoring his feet as the abode of infinity, his knees and shanks, his two thighs as Jalodara, and his loins as Anantabahava. Again and again, salutations are offered to the giver of desire and happiness; the waist of Shashanka is always to be venerated, the belly as Amritodara, and the navel of Shashanka is to be especially honored. Salutations are offered to Chandra; his face is to be worshipped, his teeth honored as lords of the twice-born, his smile especially revered as Chandra, and his lips as beloved of the night-lotuses. The nose is worshipped as lord of forest herbs, the brows and lotus-like eyes as Indu, and the hands of Shouri as dark as blue lotuses. Salutations are due to him who is honored in all sacrifices; his two ears are worshipped as destroyers of demons, his forehead as beloved of the ocean, and his hair as worthy of worship for the lord of Sushumna. With reverence, salutations are made to the moon-headed one, to Murāri, to the Lord of all; to the crowned one, beloved of the lotus, to Rohiṇī—named Lakṣmī—whose beautiful form is the nectar of fortune and happiness. Having worshipped the goddess with fragrant flowers, offerings, incense, and other suitable items, and honoring the moon’s consort, one should then sleep upon the ground. Upon rising, one should bathe and, with sacrificial food, offer it to a worthy brāhmaṇa. In the morning, one should make an offering along with a golden water-pot, and salutations to the destroyer of sin. Having tasted cow’s urine and eaten food without meat or salt—eight or twenty morsels mixed with milk and ghee—after fasting, and upon eating, one should listen to a sacred history for a while. For worship, the following flowers are to be offered: kadamba, blue lotus, ketaka, jasmine, water-lily, hundred-petaled lotus, amlāna, kubjā, sinduvāra, white mallikā, karavīra for Viṣṇu, campaka for Śrī, and moonflowers. In the months beginning with Śrāvaṇa, these flowers should be offered in order; whichever month the vow is observed, Hari should be worshipped with the flowers appropriate to that season. Thus, for a full year, one should worship faithfully according to the prescribed method. At the end of the vow, a bed furnished with a mirror and other items should be given as a gift. An image of Rohiṇī and the moon should be made in gold—the moon six fingers in size, Rohiṇī four fingers—adorned with eight pearls and covered with a white cloth for the eyes, placed upon a pot of milk, with a bronze vessel and rice grains. This is to be given in the morning with a mantra, accompanied by rice and sugarcane fruit. A white cow with a golden face, fitted with silver hooves, along with cloth and a vessel, and a beautiful conch, should also be given. A brāhmaṇa couple, adorned with ornaments and virtues, should be designated as the moon and his wife. The devotee prays: just as Rohiṇī never leaves the bed of Kṛṣṇa in the form of the moon, so may my union with prosperity be unbroken. Just as you alone grant supreme bliss and liberation to all, may enjoyment, liberation, and devotion to you, O moon, always be mine. For one who fears worldly existence and desires liberation, this is the supreme rite for beauty, health, and longevity. This alone is always dear to the ancestors; having become lord of the three worlds for seven hundred cycles, one attains the lunar realm and, becoming like lightning, is freed. A woman, or Rohiṇī, who performs the moon-bed rite also attains its fruit, and rebirth becomes difficult for her. Whoever recites or hears the worship of Madhumathana with praise of the moon, and offers even the mind in devotion, is honored by hosts of immortals in the abode of Śauri. Thereafter, Ravi’s descendant spoke to Viṣṇu, who dwells in water, asking: “In ponds, gardens, wells, reservoirs, and lotus pools, and in temples of the gods, who are the officiating priests, O master, and what kind of altar should there be? Tell me in detail—the proper time, direction, place, the teacher, and the best materials for the rite—explain everything truly.” Viṣṇu replied: “Hear, O king of mighty arms, the procedure regarding tanks and the like, as related in the Purāṇas and recited by those learned in the Vedas. Having obtained an auspicious bright fortnight, after the sun has entered its northern course, on a holy day declared by the Brāhmaṇas, one should perform the rite. In a land sloping to the east or north, near the tank, one should make a pure altar, four cubits in size, square and with four sides. The pavilion should be sixteen cubits, square and four-sided; around the altar, three trenches, each a cubit wide, should be made. Let there be nine, seven, or five trenches—no more—each a span in width, and the yoni (pit) should be six or seven fingers broad. There should be seven trenches, each with three raised embankments, all of the same color everywhere, adorned with banners and flags. The doors of the pavilion should be made in each direction, fashioned from branches of the aśvattha, udumbara, plakṣa, and vaṭa trees.” Thus, the sacred procedures and vows were revealed, each step a path to merit, prosperity, and liberation, as taught by the wise and preserved in the ancient tradition.