On the pure Seventh day of Spring, a sacred ritual unfolds. After bathing, one gathers white mustard seeds and sesame, and prepares a beautiful lotus in a golden vessel. The lotus is carefully covered with a pair of cloths, and worshipped with fragrant offerings and flowers, while heartfelt salutations are uttered: “Salutations to the lotus-handed, salutations to the sustainer of the universe. O Sun, salutations to you; O radiant one, salutations to you.” At both dawn and dusk, the lotus is offered together with a water-pot. Next, a Brahmin is honored with cloth, garlands, and ornaments. According to one’s means, a decorated brown cow is given as prescribed. After a day and night have passed, on the Eighth, Brahmins are fed, and only then does the devotee partake of food, avoiding meat and oil. This ritual of the bright Seventh is to be performed every month, with devotion and honesty regarding wealth. At the end of the vow, a bed adorned with a golden lotus is given, along with a cow rich in gold and yielding milk, according to one’s ability. Desired utensils such as vessels, seats, lamps, and other implements are also offered. Whoever performs the Lotus Seventh in this manner attains endless prosperity and is honored in the realm of the sun. In every cycle, after passing through seven worlds, surrounded by apsaras, one attains the highest state. Even those who see, hear, or recite this with devotion and attention gain unwavering prosperity here and enjoy the realms of Gandharvas and Vidyadharas. Now, another sacred rite is revealed: the Mandāra Saptamī, which destroys all sins, grants all desires, and brings delight. On the fifth day of the bright half of Māgha, one eats lightly, prepares a tooth-stick, and fasts on the sixth day. After duly honoring the Brahmins, mandāra is partaken at night; then, rising at dawn and bathing, the twice-born are again honored. Having fed them to the best of one’s ability, eight mandāra flowers and a golden figure holding a lotus and beautiful are made. A lotus with black sesame seeds is fashioned in a copper vessel with eight petals, and with golden mandāra flowers, the Sun is worshipped in the east. With reverence, Sūrya is worshipped on the southern petal as “to Sūrya,” on the southwestern as “to Arka,” and on the western as “to Aryaman.” On the western petal, Vedadhāmā is worshipped; on the northwestern, Caṇḍabhānu; on the northern, Pūṣan; and next, Ānanda. In the center, the figure is placed as the universal self, wrapped in white cloths, and adorned with offerings such as food, garlands, and fruits. After worshipping all these, the offering is given to a knower of the Veda, and then, facing east and observing silence, the householder may eat food with oil and salt. This rite is performed on every Saptamī each month for a year, free from miserliness regarding wealth. At the conclusion of the vow, the offering is placed atop a pot and, along with cows according to one’s means, given by one desiring prosperity. Salutations are offered to the Lord of Mandāra, to the Dweller in Mandāra: “O Sun, deliver us from the ocean of worldly fear.” Whoever performs the Mandāra Saptamī in this manner, being free from sin, enjoys happiness in this world and rejoices in heaven for an age. This lamp dispels the dreadful darkness of accumulated sin and grants all objects of desire in the world. Whoever recites or hears this Mandāra Saptamī, which bestows the fruits of desired aims, is freed from all sins. Now, another auspicious vow is described: the Śubha Saptamī, by which one is freed from disease, sorrow, and suffering. In the holy month of Āśvayuja, after bathing and reciting prayers, remaining pure, and after Brahmins recite, the Śubha Saptamī is begun. With devotion, a tawny cow is worshipped with fragrant substances, garlands, and ointments, while prayers are offered: “I bow to you, born of the Sun, abode of all worlds; I honor you, whose body is auspicious and beneficent, for the attainment of all perfections.” A prastha of sesame seeds is prepared with a copper vessel, and a golden bull adorned with fragrances, garlands, and jaggery. With various kinds of fruits and foods, ghee, and sweet rice, these are offered at the two prescribed times, saying, “May Aryaman be pleased.” After consuming pañcagavya, one sleeps on the ground without envy; then, at dawn, the twice-born are devoutly honored. Every month, a garment, a golden bull, and a cow made of gold are given. At the end of the year, a bed furnished with a sugarcane staff and jaggery, complete with bedding for rest, and accompanied by vessels and a seat, is offered. To a knower of the Veda, a prastha of sesame seeds in a copper vessel and a golden bull are given, saying, “May the Soul of the Universe be pleased by all this.” Whoever performs the auspicious Saptamī in this manner attains great prosperity and fame in every birth. Honored by hosts of Apsarases and Gandharvas, he dwells in the abode of the gods as a lord of hosts until the cosmic dissolution; at the beginning of the next cycle, he becomes ruler of the seven islands. This Saptamī is recited as sufficient for the destruction of a thousand Brahmin-murders and a hundred embryo-murders. Whoever reads, hears, or even sees this being given for a moment, is freed from all sins in this very body and attains lordship among the Vidyādharas. As long as one performs the Saptamī, endowed with the sevenfold observance, for seven years, one becomes lord of the seven worlds in succession and attains the supreme abode of Murāri. Finally, a question is raised: what vow or fast on earth, O destroyer of sorrow, can lift a man from the mass of grief caused by separation from what is dear, or by fear of existence, and also bring forth prosperity? The answer lies in these sacred Saptamī observances, which grant liberation from suffering and bestow all blessings.