As the oil vessel was gently tipped, a radiant light filled the room, dispelling the darkness. At that very moment, the Brahmin awoke, casting off the heavy sleep that so often clouds the mind. The cat, too, remained alert through the night, intent on catching mice. When dawn broke, clear and bright, the twice-born Brahmin rose to perform his daily rites. Afterward, the Brahmin broke his fast with his relatives. Thus, the great-souled Kapila continued his life in this way—his days marked by devotion and discipline. He was blessed with sons and grandsons, unsurpassed wealth and grain, perfect health, supreme prosperity, and great fortune. Through the power of his lamp vow, Kapila attained liberation, traversing the sacred paths of the sun and the moon. The Supreme Self, manifesting as the lamp’s light, appointed Kapila, and in due time, the mouse too passed away in its hole. Kapila ascended a splendid celestial chariot, attended by gods and gandharvas, surrounded by apsarases and accompanied by hosts of vidyadharas. He was praised with auspicious cries of victory and blessings, honored by nagas, and journeyed to the world of Vishnu. For thousands of millions of aeons, and hundreds of millions more, Kapila enjoyed abundant pleasures in that divine realm. Eventually, he was reborn as a king on earth, named Sudharma—a righteous soul, worshipper of gods and Brahmins, handsome, fortunate, and endowed with great strength and valor. Sudharma’s dearest wife was Rūpasundarī, a woman possessing all auspicious marks, devoted to her husband and virtuous. Among all women, she was the most fortunate, and together they had many sons and noble daughters. As Sudharma and Rūpasundarī joyfully spent their days together, the sacred month of Kārttika arrived—a time said to awaken the eyes of Hari. In this month, lamps are kindled by those devoted to Nārāyaṇa, and vows such as Kṛcchra and Cāndrāyaṇa, along with other disciplines, are observed. These practices are performed by devotees of Viṣṇu and by those who fear the dangers of worldly existence. When Prabodhinī arrived, the king spoke to his queen: “O fortunate one, today is the holy Prabodhinī, arising from the lotus-navel of Viṣṇu. I will perform worship today, fasting and with my senses restrained. After bathing at the sacred Puṣkara, I will worship the lotus-eyed, imperishable Lord, Janārdana, together with Lakṣmī.” Hearing her husband’s cherished wish, Rūpasundarī, who delighted in his happiness, spoke secret words to him, her face adorned with a lovely smile: “A desire has also arisen in my heart, O king, and a longing for beauty and charm abides within me. I wish to go with you to the foremost holy place, Puṣkara.” The king, together with his beloved, set out for Puṣkara, accompanied by entourages of elephants, horses, chariots, and priests. After bathing, they meditated and offered oblations to ancestors and deities. They worshipped the Lord of gods, the lotus-eyed, imperishable one, in that place adorned everywhere with beautiful rows of lamps. In the temple, the king saw a depiction of a cat. Seeing it, he remembered his previous, ordinary birth. Looking at his beloved’s lotus-like face, he laughed. Rūpasundarī asked, “Husband, seeing my face, what is the reason for your smile?” His heart gladdened, the king began to recount the results of his previous actions: “Once, O goddess, I was a cat in the house of a brāhmaṇa. There, I ate hundreds of thousands of mice. Then, because I protected a lamp before Nārāyaṇa—even if only by pretense, O goddess—I have received the fruit of that act: I attained Viṣṇu’s world and now have obtained a kingdom.” Rūpasundarī replied, “I too remember my previous ordinary birth; I was a small mouse in the house of a brāhmaṇa. During Kārttika, on Prabodhinī, when the lamp had grown dim, I came out of my hole to take the tip of the wick. Seeing the god Nārāyaṇa being worshipped with flowers, and the brāhmaṇa overcome by sleep, I then pulled the wick. When you rose there, ready to seize me at that moment, I vanished and entered into the middle of the hole. As I entered, my foot touched the lamp’s wick, which flared up, and the oil vessel was tipped—thus I became fortunate.” She continued, “By me, O king of kings, the lamp was thus kindled, and now I have attained supreme beauty and charm. You are my husband, and likewise the kingdom, sons, and such happiness—all this, and the exceedingly rare knowledge, arose from the observance of the lamp vow. Therefore, with all effort, the unsurpassed lamp vow should be performed, especially by us with supreme devotion. From this act, the fruits of kingdom and other prosperity have been obtained, as well as remembrance of past births and the destruction of all sins. Therefore, with all effort, and preceded by proper rites and mantras, the lamp vow should be performed by men; its merit is as enduring as the moon, sun, and stars.” Hearing these words, the king then performed the lamp vow together with his beloved, with full faith and devotion. There, at the holy place of Pushkara, the two performed the lamp vow and attained the supreme liberation, difficult for gods and demons to obtain. Those men on earth who hear this greatness of the lamp are freed from all sins and go to the abode of Hari.