The king was blessed with ten thousand sons, all of them righteous and foremost among archers. Witnessing such marvels in his life, the king was filled with wonder again and again. When the eminent sage, the son of Pracetas, arrived, the king approached him with reverence and spoke: “O chief of sages, why has such pure glory arisen in my life—glory honored by both gods and mortals, victorious over all? Why have I, who have performed so little austerity, gained as my wife the most beautiful among women, and this wondrous lotus-palace given to me by the Creator? Even if a hundred million kings, with their ministers, elephants, chariots, and endless retinues, were to enter this palace, none would know where they had gone—just as the moon disappears among the stars in the sky. What is the cause of all this, O Pracetas? Is it due to my own actions, or those of my sons, or perhaps of my wife? Please tell me, O sage, what is the auspicious reason for these complete blessings?” The sage, having observed the extraordinary and wondrous events that had befallen the king, replied: “O king, in a former birth, you were born into a family of hunters. You were exceedingly harsh, committing sinful acts daily. Your body was human, yet mingled with the limbs of animals, and you were surrounded by foul-smelling serpents. You had no friends, no sons, no relatives—no father, no sister, nor mother. You were cursed to live in such misery. The woman you loved most turned away from you, becoming hostile, like a terrible drought. Sometimes, tormented by hunger, you found nothing to eat—not a grain, not a fruit, not even meat. One day, you came upon a great lake filled with lotuses, though its banks were muddy. Gathering many lotuses, you journeyed to the city of Vaidiśa, hoping to sell them. Yet, as you wandered through the city, no one would buy your lotuses. Exhausted and afflicted by hunger, you sat down with your wife in the courtyard of a house. That night, you heard a great and auspicious sound. Together with your wife, you followed the sound and found, at the center of a pavilion, an image of Vishnu. There, a courtesan named Anangavati had just completed the Vibhuti Dvadashi vow at the end of the month of Magha, upon the excellent Lavana mountain. She informed her teacher and, having adorned a bed with fine furnishings, decorated Hrishikesha—Vishnu—with a golden wish-fulfilling tree. Seeing her devotion, you and your wife reflected, ‘What use are these lotuses to us? It is better that Vishnu be adorned with them.’ In that moment, devotion arose in your hearts. You worshipped Keshava at Lavana mountain, honoring the bed with heaps of flowers and covering the ground everywhere with blossoms. Pleased by your devotion, Anangavati ordered that three hundred coins and three hundred garments be given to you. But relying on your newfound virtue, you both refused the gifts. Anangavati then brought four kinds of food and invited you to eat, but again you declined, saying, ‘O beautiful one, because of this observance and fasting, today happiness is ours. From birth, we have been most sinful, engaged in evil deeds. Yet, because of this observance, a trace of righteousness has arisen between us, O sinless one.’ Thus, you kept vigil through the night. In the morning, the bed and Lavana mountain were given in charity. Twelve villages, with devotion to the teacher, and cows with calves, adorned with garments and ornaments, were also given to the Brahmins. Food was shared equally with friends, companions, the poor, the blind, and the miserable. After completing the worship, you and your wife—the greedy couple—were dismissed. O king of kings, you were that hunter with your wife. Because Keshava was not worshipped with heaps of lotuses, your lotus pavilion in this life has destroyed all your past sins. By the greatness of that single virtuous act, and with little austerity, as you wished, the Lord of the worlds, the four-faced one, manifested before you. Janardana, in the form of Brahma, was satisfied with you. That courtesan Anangavati has now become the wife and co-wife of Kamadeva. It is said in the world that she is the beloved of Rati, the bringer of joy, worshipped by all the gods. Therefore, O king, abandon that lotus pavilion on earth. Go to the bank of the Ganga and perform the Vibhuti Dvadashi vow. By doing so, you will surely attain liberation.” Having spoken thus, the sage vanished then and there. The king, following the sage’s instruction, again performed the worship of Pushpavahana. O Brahmin, one should observe this unbroken vow, practicing it as best as one can, offering lotuses for twelve consecutive Dvadashi days. One should give gifts to Brahmins according to one’s ability, and never act with deceit regarding wealth. Keshava is pleased by devotion. Now, let me explain the excellent Shashthi vow, divine and declared by Rudra, which destroys great sins. Having fasted at night for a year, together with a cow and his family, one should give a golden discus, a trident, and garments to a Brahmin. Then, taking the form of Shiva, one rejoices in the world of Shiva. This is called the divine vow, destroyer of great sins. Whoever, with single-minded devotion, gives a golden cow with a golden bull and a sesame cow, attains the abode of Shiva. This is called the Rudra vow, destroyer of sin and sorrow. Whoever gives a blue lotus made of gold, together with a vessel of sugar, and at the end of the year, after fasting every other night with a bull, attains the abode of Vishnu. This is known as the playful vow. For the four months beginning with Ashadha, a man should avoid anointing the body. He should give utensils for food, and he attains the abode of Hari. This is called the vow of pleasing, which brings joy to people. Whoever, avoiding curds, milk, ghee, and sugarcane during spring, gives fine garments together with vessels for liquids, and, having duly worshipped a pair of Brahmins, says, ‘May Gauri be pleased with me’—this is called the Gauri vow, bestower of Bhavani’s world. Whoever, at the beginning of Pushya, on the thirteenth day, having fasted at night, and again in spring, gives a golden ashoka tree, ten fingers in length, with sugarcane to a Brahmin, together with garments, saying, ‘May Pradyumna be pleased,’ and performs the rite, standing at Vishnu’s feet, becomes free from sorrow. This is called the Kama vow, always destroyer of grief.