O Nārada, listen with devotion as I recount the sacred procedure and the wondrous fruits of the Vibhūti Dvādaśī vow, as revealed in the ancient scriptures. First, the devotee worships Viṣṇu with reverence, invoking his many glorious names upon each part of his divine form. At the chest, one offers homage to Mādhava; at the throat, to the One with longing; at the face, to Śrīdhara; and at the hair, to Keśava. At the back, the name Śārṅgadhara is invoked, and at the ears, Varada. The devotee continues, worshipping the hands with the names of Viṣṇu’s weapons: Śaṅkha, Cakra, Asi, Gadā, and Padma. The head is venerated as “the All-Self,” with salutations offered in humility. As part of the observance, the wise practitioner, according to his means, fashions a golden fish together with a lotus, placing them before the Lord with a water pot. A vessel of jaggery mixed with sesame is wrapped in white cloth and set aside. Throughout the night, the devotee keeps vigil, listening to stories from the great epics and other sacred tales. At dawn, a golden lotus and a water pot are offered to a worthy brāhmaṇa who maintains a family, presenting them as the very embodiment of the deity. A heartfelt prayer is uttered: “Just as you, O Lord, are never separated from your powers, so too uplift me from the endless suffering of saṃsāra.” Each month, the devotee gives images of the ten incarnations, as well as Dattātreya and Vyāsa with a lotus, avoiding those who deny the Veda, for as many years as possible. When twelve observances of the twelfth day are complete, at the year’s end, the guru is honored with a bed, a mountain of salt, and a cow. If able, one should also give a village or a field with a house, adorning the guru with garments, ornaments, and decorations. After feeding other excellent brāhmaṇas according to one’s ability, the devotee further satisfies them with gifts—garments, cows, heaps of jewels, and wealth. Those of modest means perform as they are able, little by little, throughout the year. Even one who is destitute but devoted to Mādhava should perform this vow for two years, worshipping with flowers. Whoever observes the Vibhūti Dvādaśī vow in this manner becomes freed from sin and uplifts a hundred ancestors. For a hundred thousand births, sorrow does not touch him; nor does disease, poverty, or bondage, whether he be a devotee of Viṣṇu or Śiva. For one hundred and eight thousand ages, he dwells in heaven, and again is born as a king on earth. Now, O Nārada, hear a wondrous tale from the ancient Rāthantara kalpa. There was a king named Puṣpavāhana, his brilliance rivaling the sun, renowned throughout the worlds. By his austerities, he pleased the Four-faced Brahmā, who granted him a golden lotus that would carry him wherever he wished. With all his people and city-dwellers, the king journeyed freely across the islands and even to the world of the gods. At the dawn of the kalpa, he settled on the seventh island, which, honored by all, became known as Puṣkara Island. Because Brahmā had gifted him this lotus vehicle, gods and demons alike called him Puṣpavāhana. Seated on Brahmā’s lotus, there was nothing in the three worlds beyond his reach, thanks to the power of his austerity. His wife, Lāvaṇyavatī, was unrivaled in beauty, surrounded by thousands of women, most beloved of Bhava, like Pārvatī herself. He had ten thousand sons, all righteous and skilled in archery. Seeing all this, the king was repeatedly amazed. One day, the eminent sage, son of Pracetas, arrived, and the king addressed him: “O sage, why has such pure glory arisen—honored by gods and mortals, victorious over all? Why do I, with little austerity, possess as wife the most beautiful woman, and this lotus-palace given by the Creator? Even if a hundred million kings with their ministers, elephants, chariots, and hosts of people enter it, none know where they have gone, just as the moon disappears among the stars. Tell me, what is the cause of all this? Is it my actions, those of my sons, or of my wife? What is the auspicious reason for these complete blessings?” The sage, reflecting on the extraordinary events, replied: “In a former birth, O king, you were born into a family of hunters, exceedingly harsh, committing sinful acts daily. Your body was human, but joined with the limbs of animals, and you lived among foul-smelling serpents. You had no friends, sons, relatives, or family—thus you were cursed. The woman you loved became hostile, like a terrible drought. Sometimes, tormented by hunger, you found neither grain, fruit, nor meat. One day, you saw a great lake filled with lotuses, though its banks were muddy. Gathering many lotuses, you went to the city of Vaidiśa to sell them, but none would buy. Exhausted and hungry, you sat with your wife in the courtyard of a house. That night, you heard a great auspicious sound. With your wife, you followed the sound and beheld in the center of a pavilion the image of Viṣṇu. There, a courtesan named Anangavati had completed the Vibhūti Dvādaśī vow at the end of the month of Māgha, at the excellent Lavana mountain. She informed her teacher, adorned a bed with its furnishings, and decorated Hari with a golden wish-fulfilling tree. Seeing her, you and your wife thought, ‘What use are these lotuses? Better that Viṣṇu is adorned.’ Thus, devotion arose in you both. You worshipped Keśava at Lavana mountain, honoring the bed with heaps of flowers, and covering the ground as well. Pleased, Anangavati ordered that three hundred coins and three hundred garments be given to you, but you did not accept, relying on virtue. She then offered four kinds of food, but you declined, saying, ‘Because of this observance and fasting, today happiness is ours. From birth we have been most sinful, yet because of this observance, a trace of righteousness has arisen between us.’ Thus, you kept vigil through the night, and in the morning, the bed with Lavana mountain was given. Because of this merit, O king, you now enjoy such glory, prosperity, and happiness in this birth.” Such is the greatness of the Vibhūti Dvādaśī vow, O Nārada, which uplifts even the most fallen and brings blessings beyond measure.