In the sacred month of Mārgaśīrṣa, on the bright thirteenth day, a devoted seeker is to eat only once and, with a heart full of faith, offer prayers to the Lord of gods, saying, “I have taken refuge in you.” On the following day, the fourteenth, the devotee observes a fast, and after duly worshipping Śaṅkara, gives a golden bull in charity, partaking of food only on the next day. Thus, maintaining this sacred vow, the aspirant rises early after sleep, bathes, recites prayers, and, together with Umā, worships Śaṅkara with pure lotuses, fragrant garlands, and ointments. With reverence, the devotee bows at the feet of the Lord, saying, “Obeisance to Śiva”; at the head, “Obeisance to the all-pervading one”; at the eyes, “Obeisance to the three-eyed one”; and at the forehead, “Obeisance to Hara.” The worship continues: the face is honored as “whose face is like the moon,” the throat as “to Śrīkaṇṭha,” the ears as “to Sadyojāta,” and the arms as “to Vāmadeva.” The heart is worshipped as “to Aghora’s heart,” the breasts as “to Tatpuruṣa,” and the abdomen as “to Īśāna.” The sides are addressed as “to Anantadharma,” the waist as “to the embodiment of knowledge,” and the thighs as “to the lion of endless detachment.” The knees are venerated as “to the lord of infinite sovereignty,” the shanks as “to the chief,” and the ankles as “to the one whose essence is space.” The hair and back are honored as “to the one whose form is the essence of space.” Salutations are also offered to Puṣṭi and Tuṣṭi, and Pārvatī is worshipped with devotion. After this worship, a golden bull, furnished with a water pot, adorned with white garlands and garments, embellished with five jewels, and accompanied by various kinds of food, is offered to a brāhmaṇa. May Sadyojāta, the god of gods and wielder of the Pināka bow, be pleased with this offering. Pure brāhmaṇas are then invited and satisfied with devotion; the devotee partakes of clarified butter and sleeps on the ground facing north. On the fifteenth day, after worshipping the brāhmaṇas, the devotee eats in silence. This same procedure is followed on the Kṛṣṇa Caturdaśī as well. On each fourteenth day, the worship is performed as before, but there are special observances for each month. Beginning with Mārgaśīrṣa, the devotee recites in order: “Salutations to Śaṃkara, salutations to Karavīraka, salutations to Tryambaka, salutations to the supreme Maheśvara, salutations to Mahādeva, and then to Sthāṇu, salutations to Paśupati, O Lord, salutations again to Śambhu, salutations to the supreme blissful one, salutations to the bearer of the crescent moon, salutations to Bhīma.” Thus, the devotee takes refuge in the Lord. On each Caturdaśī, one of the following is ritually consumed in order: the five products of the cow—cow urine, cow dung, milk, curd, and ghee—along with water with kuśa grass, then bilva leaves, camphor, aguru, barley, and black sesame. With flowers such as mandāra, mālatī, dhattūra, sinduvāra, aśoka, mallikā, pāṭala, arka, kadamba, śatapatra, and lotus, the Lord of Pārvatī is worshipped, with one flower of each on every Caturdaśī. When the month of Kārttika arrives, brāhmaṇas are satisfied with various foods, delicacies, garments, garlands, and ornaments. A blue bull is offered according to scriptural injunctions, and a golden bull with cows is presented to Umā and Maheśvara. Additionally, a bed adorned with eight pearls, covered with a white cloth for the eyes, furnished with all accessories, and accompanied by a water jar, is given. A vessel of copper is filled with rice grains and offered to a peaceful Brahmin devoted to Vedic vows. This offering is made to one who knows the Jyeṣṭha Sāma, or to one newly initiated in vows, or to one skilled in virtues, to a Śrotriya, or to a teacher who knows the truth—always to one whose limbs are whole, gentle, and engaged in ritual, along with his wife, after honoring him with garments, garlands, and ornaments. If the teacher is present, the gift is made to him; if not, to a twice-born. One must never act with deceit regarding wealth, for wrong actions lead to downfall. Whoever performs the Śiva Caturdaśī in this manner attains the merit of a thousand horse sacrifices. Any sin, even the gravest such as killing a Brahmin, committed by oneself or one’s ancestors or brothers, is destroyed. The devotee gains long life, health, family prosperity, inexhaustible food, and after this life, a four-armed form and lordship over Gaṇas. After dwelling in heaven for hundreds of kalpa cycles, the devotee attains the abode of Śambhu. The fruits of this observance are truly beyond description—even Bṛhaspati, Indra, Pitāmaha, the hosts of Siddhas, or even the narrator himself, with millions of tongues, could not exhaust them. Whoever, beloved of the immortals, recites, remembers, or listens without envy to this liberating Śiva Caturdaśī—praised even by countless celestial maidens—remains untouched by blame. Any woman who performs it with devotion, after seeking the consent of her husband, children, or teachers, also attains by the Supreme Lord’s grace the highest abode of Pinākapāṇi. Now, O Nārada, listen to the greatness of the fruit of renunciation, which is imperishable, supreme in this world, and grants all that is desired. In the auspicious month of Mārgaśīrṣa, on the third, twelfth, eighth, or fourteenth day of the bright fortnight, one should begin this vow after having a Brahmin recite the appropriate rites. In other auspicious months, too, Brahmins are to be fed with sweet rice and proper gifts, according to one’s ability. For one year, except for medicinal purposes, the devotee avoids the eighteen kinds of grains and other fruits and roots, and fashions images of Rudra and Dharmarāja with a bull and gold. The devotee gathers fruits such as gourd, citron, eggplant, jackfruit, amrataka, wood apple, and the fruit called kaliṅga or vālukam; coconut, sacred fig, jujube, lemon, banana, kashmara, pomegranate—sixteen fruits in all, cleansed according to one’s ability. To this, add radish, Indian gooseberry, jambū, tamarind, amardaka, kaṅkola, cardamom, tuṇḍīra, karīra, kuṭaja, and śamī. Thus, by following these sacred observances with devotion and purity, the devotee is blessed with worldly and spiritual prosperity, and ultimately attains the supreme abode of the Lord.