O sage Nārada, listen as the story unfolds, revealing the fruits of devotion and the power of sacred vows. For as long as the earth endures, with its seven oceans and mighty mountains led by Mahendra, so long is one honored by the hosts of Gandharvas on the summit of heaven. When his karma is spent, he becomes lord of the seven continents, blessed with noble lineage, flawless form, and a virtuous family. Surrounded by sons and descendants, he is honored at the dawn of creation. Whoever recites or hears, with devotion, the entire procedure and merit of the Sun’s transition—even contemplating it—is honored by the gods in the house of the lord of immortals. Now, Nārada, hear of the supreme vow of Viṣṇu, called the Vibhūti Dvādaśī, revered by all the gods. In the months of Kārttika, Caitra, Vaiśākha, Mārgaśīrṣa, Phālguna, or Āṣāḍha, on the bright tenth day, a person should eat lightly, perform the evening worship, and then, with wisdom, undertake the vow. On the eleventh day, one remains fasting, worships Janārdana, and then, on the twelfth day, takes food with brāhmaṇas. With a prayer for the vow to proceed without obstacle and bear fruit, the devotee offers salutations to Nārāyaṇa before sleeping. At dawn, after bathing and reciting prayers, being pure, one worships Puṇḍarīkākṣa with white garlands and ointments. Each part of Viṣṇu’s form is honored with salutations: 'To Vibhūti' at the feet, 'To Aśoka' at the knees, 'To Śiva' at the thighs, and 'To the Universal Form' at the hips; 'To Kandarpa' at the genitals, 'To Āditya' at the hands, 'To Dāmodara' at the abdomen, and '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; 'To Śārṅgadhara' at the back, 'To Varada' at the ears, and with his own names—Śaṅkha, Cakra, Asi, Gadā, and Padma—at the hands, the head is worshiped as 'To the All-Self,' with salutations. As able, one fashions a golden fish and lotus, placing them with a water pot before the deity. A vessel of jaggery mixed with sesame, wrapped in white cloth, is kept. At night, one keeps vigil, listening to stories from the epics. At dawn, a golden lotus and water pot are offered to a brāhmaṇa with a family, presenting them as the deity. The devotee prays: "Just as you, O Lord, are never separated from your powers, 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 given in order, avoiding heretics, for as many years as possible. Having completed twelve observances of the twelfth day, one gives to the guru a bed with a salt mountain and a cow. Those able may give a village or a field with a house, honoring the guru with garments, ornaments, and decorations. After feeding other excellent brāhmaṇas, one satisfies them with gifts of garments, cows, jewels, and wealth. Those with less means perform as able, little by little, throughout the year. Even one utterly destitute but devoted to Mādhava should worship with flowers for two years. Whoever observes the Vibhūti Dvādaśī vow by this method becomes free from sin and delivers a hundred ancestors. For a hundred thousand births, one does not suffer sorrow, nor disease, poverty, or bondage—whether a devotee of Viṣṇu or Śiva. For 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, radiant like the sun. Through his austerity, he pleased the Four-faced One, Brahmā, who gifted him a golden lotus that could travel wherever he wished. With his people and city-dwellers, the king roamed freely across the islands and the world of the gods. At the beginning of the kalpa, he inhabited the seventh island, which became known as Puṣkara Island, honored in the world. Because Brahmā gave him a lotus vehicle, gods and demons called him Puṣpavāhana. Nothing was inaccessible to him in the three worlds, thanks to the power of his austerity while seated on Brahmā’s lotus. His wife, Lāvaṇyavatī, was unrivaled, surrounded by thousands of women, beloved of Bhava, like Pārvatī. He had ten thousand sons, all righteous and foremost among archers. Observing all this, the king was continually amazed. Upon seeing the eminent sage, the son of Pracetas, who had arrived, the king asked: "Why has this pure glory arisen, honored by gods and mortals, victorious over all? Why do I, with little austerity, possess the most beautiful wife and this lotus-palace given by the Creator? Even if a hundred million kings with their ministers and hosts enter it, none knows where they have gone, just as the moon disappears among the stars. What is the cause of all this—my actions, those of my sons, or this lady? Tell me, O Pracetas, what is the auspicious reason for these complete results?" The sage, observing the extraordinary and wondrous events, spoke: "In a former birth, you were born in a family of hunters, exceedingly harsh, committing sinful acts daily. Your body was human, but joined with the limbs of animals, surrounded by foul-smelling serpents. You had no friends, sons, relatives, father, sister, nor mother—thus you were cursed. The woman you loved most turned away from you, becoming extremely hostile, like a terrible drought. Sometimes, tormented by hunger, you found nothing—no grain, fruit, or meat. Then you saw a great lake filled with lotuses, though its banks were muddy. Taking many lotuses, you went to the city called Vaidiśa. Seeking to sell them, you wandered throughout the city, but that day, no one would buy. Exhausted and afflicted by hunger, you sat down with your wife in the courtyard of a house. During the night, you heard a great, auspicious sound." Thus, the story reveals the mysterious workings of karma, the transformative power of sacred vows, and the grace that uplifts even those who have fallen, through devotion and perseverance.