Knowing this, O best of men, the one who bathes again and again in the sacred Ganga is freed from sin merely by the act of bathing, O king. Among the gods, Vishnu stands supreme; among sacrifices, the Ashvamedha excels; among all trees, the Ashvattha is foremost; and among rivers, Bhagirathi—the Ganga—is always the greatest. Thus concludes the eighty-first chapter, 'The Glory of Ganga,' from the revered Padma Mahāpurāṇa, in the Uttarakhaṇḍa, within the grand dialogue between Umāpati and Nārada. Then Mahadeva spoke: “In this very month of Chaitra, the festival of Damanaka should be performed. Especially, the proper rites must be observed on the twelfth day. Vaishnavas, with faith, celebrate this holy festival, which increases the joy of the people. The divine Damanaka blossom itself arose from the joy of the gods. Devoted Vaishnavas who desire the fruit of all worship should offer Damanaka on the twelfth day of the bright half of Chaitra, O Nagānandinī. With supreme devotion, the great festival must be arranged, with the mind intent upon the task. First, O sinless one, one should go to the garden. With the guru’s command, worship is performed together with Rati: ‘O Kāma, obeisance to you, enchanter of the universe.’ For the sake of Vishnu, one seeks blessings and mercy. With singing and musical instruments, the Damanaka is brought home. On Ekādaśī, O best of the gods, after the preliminary consecration, Vaishnavas worship at night with devotion. First, in front of the deity, a Sarvatobhadra maṇḍala is made, placing the Lord of gods together with Rati. The damana plant is covered with a white cloth, and the best of twice-born Vaishnavas perform worship there. Chanting ‘Klīṃ, obeisance to Kāma-deva; Hrīṃ, obeisance also to Rati,’ Kandarpa is worshipped in the directions beginning with the east. Fragrance, flowers, incense, lamps, and ārati are offered at night with devotion, according to the prescribed rule. In each direction, the gods are honored: ‘Obeisance to Madana’ in the east; ‘Obeisance to Manmatha’ in the southeast; ‘Obeisance to Kandarpa’ in the south; ‘Obeisance to Anaṅga’ in the southwest; ‘Obeisance to Bhasmaśarīra’ in the west; ‘Obeisance to Smara’ in the northwest; ‘Obeisance to Īśvara’ in the north; ‘Obeisance to Puṣpabāṇa’ in the northeast. In all directions, worship is performed. When Keśava is worshipped in this manner, all the gods are well worshipped. The damana plant is worshipped with unbroken rice, fragrance, incense, lamps, offerings, and betel leaves. Reciting, ‘We contemplate that Supreme Person, Kāma-deva; may Anaṅga inspire us,’ the Kāma-Gāyatrī is chanted one hundred and eight times over the damana plant, with bows: ‘Obeisance to Puṣpabāṇa, who brings joy to the world; to Manmatha, the eye of the world, and to him who brings delight to Rati.’ Further prayers are offered: ‘Obeisance to you, O God of gods; obeisance to you, Śrī Viśveśa; obeisance to the Lord of Rati; obeisance to you, O ornament of the universe. Obeisance to you, Lord of the universe, seed of all;’ using various mantras, especially those prescribed in the Āgamas. Janārdana, together with Lakṣmī, is worshipped with effort. After the prescribed acts, the wise keep vigil. Prayers continue: ‘O God of gods, Lord of the universe, bestower of desired objects, fill my heart, O Vishnu, with desires, beloved of Kāmeśvarī.’ Thus, with many mantras, Śrīnivāsa, Lord of the universe who desires the peace of devotees, is worshipped with care. Then, taking a handful of damana, with the root mantra, it is offered to Śrī, Śrī Viṣṇu, and the other gods. Afterwards, with fragrance and other offerings, a great festival is held with worship, singing, musical instruments, and dance. A pot of water is placed before the gods, and water play is performed at the feet of the deity that day. One’s own teacher is worshipped with garments, ornaments, and wealth, with faith. Then, together with Vaiṣṇava relatives, food is shared. Mahādeva declared: “Whoever worships Vishnu with a cluster of damana, when the Lord of the universe is worshipped, I am always worshipped as well. Even one who has committed grave sins, such as slaying a brāhmaṇa, stealing gold, drinking wine, or eating flesh, is freed from sin, O goddess, by merely seeing the damana festival. By those excellent Vaishnavas who worship damana, all holy places are accomplished by their worship of the cluster. The study of the Vedas and the śāstras is accomplished; the agnihotra is fulfilled by worshipping Hari with the cluster. That family, whether Brahmin, Kshatriya, Shudra, Vaishya, or any other, is truly great and blessed, and even more so if it is prosperous. In whichever family the festival of Damanaka is observed, that family is indeed blessed, and truly blessed is the one who worships Vishnu. O Goddess, when the festival of Damanaka arrives in the spring, one who worships with Damanaka attains the merit equal to giving a thousand cows. Whoever worships the Lord Garuda-bannered with jasmine flowers in spring, with supreme devotion, becomes eligible for liberation. Marukā and Damanaka flowers immediately bring satisfaction to Hari; therefore, the best of Vaishnavas should perform this worship. By worshiping Vishnu in this way, one achieves the merit of giving a thousand cows, of giving a maiden in marriage, and of giving the earth itself. Whoever, at the arrival of spring, takes even a single sprig of Damanaka and worships the Lord of the gods, O mountain-born one, I do not know the measure of that merit. Such a person, becoming four-armed, enjoys righteousness, wealth, and desires in this world and the next, and attains the Vaishnava abode. Thus ends the eighty-fourth chapter, 'The Great Festival of Damanaka,' in the Uttarakhaṇḍa of the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa. Then Sūta spoke: “Now the greatness of the month of Kārtika will be described. Once, a sage came to Dvārakā, desiring to see Krishna, bringing divine flowers that had arisen from the wish-fulfilling tree. Krishna welcomed Nārada with honor, offering him water for washing the feet and hands, and a seat, saying, ‘Here is arghya, here is water for your feet.’ Nārada presented those flowers to Krishna, and Krishna distributed them among his sixteen thousand wives. However, forgetting Satyabhāmā, the Lord gave those flowers to all the others. Satyabhāmā, angered by this, entered the chamber of wrath. Understanding her feelings, Krishna went there with a composed mind, honored Satyabhāmā, and remembered Garuḍa in his mind.