At the sacred moment of the sun’s transition, it is prescribed that one should draw an eight-petaled lotus upon the ground using fragrant sandalwood paste, carefully shaping a central pericarp. In this heart of the lotus, the worshipper should invoke the radiant Sun, placing Sūrya himself in the center. To the east of the pericarp, Āditya is honored, and salutations are offered to the hot-rayed one, to Yāmya, and to the encompassing circle of the Ṛg Veda. Turning to the southwest, Savitṛ is worshipped, alongside Varuṇa and again Tapana. In the northwest, Bhaga is placed and venerated repeatedly. In the north, one should install Mārtaṇḍa, and in the northeast, Viṣṇu is always to be placed. Worship is then performed on this altar with fragrant offerings, garlands, fruits, and other gifts. According to one’s means, offerings should be made to a worthy Brāhmaṇa: a water pot, a vessel of ghee made of gold, and a lotus. With sandalwood, water, and flowers, arghya is presented to the deity upon the ground, accompanied by the invocation: “Salutation to the All, to the One of all forms, to the Abode of all, to the Self-born, to the Infinite, to the Creator, to the Lord of Ṛk, Sāman, and Yajus.” This entire rite should be performed each month, or at the end of the year, or, for greater merit, all twelve times in the course of a year. At the year’s end, having satisfied the sacred fire and foremost Brāhmaṇas with offerings of ghee and milk, twelve water pots—each with a cow adorned with jewels and golden lotuses—are to be presented. The cows given should be of gentle nature, yielding milk, with righteous horns and silver hooves—eight or seven in number, with bronze vessels for milking, adorned in garlands and cloth. If one cannot afford this, at least four should be given; and if stricken by poverty, then one tawny cow should be offered to a foremost Brāhmaṇa. The earth itself, adorned with gold, is to be given; or, if unable, with silver or copper. If this too is not possible, one should make an image and present it with a golden sun. No one should act with deceit regarding these offerings, for those who do so fall from grace without doubt. For as long as the earth endures, along with the seven oceans and the great mountains led by Mahendra, so long, O Nārada, will the performer of these rites be honored by all the hosts of Gandharvas on the summit of heaven. When his karma is exhausted, he becomes lord of the seven continents, born into a noble family, possessed of good conduct and a flawless body at the dawn of creation, surrounded by his wife, many sons, and descendants, all honoring him at his feet. Thus, whoever recites, hears with devotion, or even contemplates the entire procedure and merit of the Sun’s transition, is honored by the gods in the house of the lord of immortals. Now, O Nārada, hear of the supreme vow of Viṣṇu, known as the Vibhūti Dvādaśī, cherished by all the gods. In the auspicious months of Kārttika, Caitra, Vaiśākha, Mārgaśīrṣa, Phālguna, or Āṣāḍha, on the bright tenth day, one should eat lightly, perform the evening twilight worship, and then, with wisdom, undertake the vow. On the eleventh day, one remains fasting, duly worships Janārdana, and resolves to break the fast on the twelfth day, together with Brāhmaṇas, praying: “May this proceed without obstacle and be fruitful for me, O Keśava.” Before sleeping, one should say, “Salutations to Nārāyaṇa.” At dawn, after bathing and reciting prayers in purity, Puṇḍarīkākṣa is worshipped with white garlands and ointments. The worship proceeds with salutations: “To Vibhūti” at the feet, “To Aśoka” at the knees, “To Śiva” at the thighs, “To the Universal Form” at the hips, “To Kandarpa” at the genitals, “To Āditya” at the hands, “To Dāmodara” at the abdomen, “To Vāsudeva” at the breasts, “To Mādhava” at the chest, “To the One with longing” at the throat, “To Śrīdhara” at the face, and “To Keśava” at the hair. The worship continues: “To Śārṅgadhara” at the back, “To Varada” at the ears, and with each of Viṣṇu’s divine weapons—Śaṅkha, Cakra, Asi, Gadā, and Padma—at the hands. The head is honored as “To the All-Self,” with repeated salutations. As able, a golden fish and a lotus are fashioned and placed with a water pot before the deity. A vessel of jaggery mixed with sesame, wrapped in white cloth, is kept nearby. Throughout the night, one remains awake, recounting stories from the epics and sacred lore. At dawn, a golden lotus and water pot are presented to a Brāhmaṇa with a family, offering it as the deity, praying: “Just as you, O Lord, are never separated from all your powers, so too, uplift me from the mire of endless suffering in saṃsāra.” Each month, the images of the ten incarnations, as well as Dattātreya and Vyāsa with a lotus, are to be given in order, avoiding heretics, for as many years as possible. Having thus completed twelve observances of the twelfth day, at year’s end, one should give to the guru a bed, a mountain of salt, and a cow. Those who are able should give a village or field with a house, honoring the guru with garments, ornaments, and decorations. After feeding other excellent Brāhmaṇas according to one’s capacity, they should be satisfied with gifts of garments, cows, heaps of jewels, and wealth. Those of lesser means should perform as able, little by little, throughout the year. Even one who is utterly destitute but devoted to Mādhava should perform this vow for two years by worshipping with flowers. Whoever observes the Vibhūti Dvādaśī vow in this manner becomes free from sin and delivers a hundred ancestors. For a hundred thousand births, one does not become subject to the fruits of sorrow; neither disease nor poverty nor bondage afflicts him, whether he is a devotee of Viṣṇu or Śiva, in every birth. For as many as one hundred and eight thousand ages, he dwells in heaven, and again becomes a king on earth. In the ancient Rāthantara kalpa, there was a king named Puṣpavāhana, renowned among the worlds, his brilliance like the sun. By his austerity, O Nārada, he pleased the Four-faced Brahmā, who granted him a golden lotus that could travel wherever he wished. Accompanied by his people and city-dwellers, the king freely journeyed across the islands and even the world of the gods as he desired. At the beginning of the kalpa, he settled upon the seventh island, which, being honored in the world, came to be known as Puṣkara Island. Because Brahmā had given him a lotus as his vehicle, the gods and demons called him Puṣpavāhana. Seated upon Brahmā’s lotus, there was nothing in the three worlds inaccessible to him, so great was the power of his austerity. His wife, Lāvaṇyavatī, unrivaled among women and most beloved of Bhava, was surrounded by thousands of attendants and shone with beauty like Pārvatī herself.