Those who bathe in the sacred waters of the Sarasvatī, offer worship to Mādhava, and bow before the Lord of the universe, surely attain the highest state of existence. Inspired by this, the goddess Jāhnavī approached with devotion and spoke: “O Brahman, please instruct me in the proper procedure. I wish to perform it in its entirety, for I seek the favor of Damodara, the flawless Lord of gods.” Prācīmādhava replied with compassion, “Listen attentively, O goddess. I shall explain the procedure for the Trispṛśā vow. Hearing this, O best of rivers, one is freed from all sins. According to one’s means, a golden image of me should be fashioned—whether of a full weight, half, or even a quarter. A copper vessel filled with sesame seeds should be prepared, along with a pure water pot adorned with five kinds of precious gems. This should be wrapped with garlands of fragrant flowers and scented with camphor and aguru. After bathing Damodara and anointing him, the image should be placed reverently. “Clothing in the form of a pair of garments should be offered, and worship performed with mantras from the Purāṇas, using fresh, white seasonal flowers and tender tulasī leaves. An umbrella and sandals should be presented to Viṣṇu, along with many delightful fruits. A sacred thread is to be offered, together with a new, strong upper garment and a beautiful, tall, sturdy Vaiṣṇava staff. The feet are to be offered to Damodara, the knees to Mādhava, the waist to the form of Vāmana, who fulfills desires. “To Padmanābha, one should offer at the navel; to Viśvayoni, at the abdomen; to the one attainable by knowledge, at the heart; and to the one who goes to Vaikuṇṭha, at the throat. To the thousand-armed, offerings are made at the arms; to the yogic form, at the eyes. With proper devotion, arghya should be offered according to the prescribed rite, using a pure coconut placed upon a conch, wrapped with sacred threads, and offered with both hands. “One should pray: ‘O Janārdana, if you are remembered always, you destroy sins, bad dreams, evil omens, and troubling thoughts. O Lord, whatever fear of hell, misfortune, or calamity may arise for me, whether in this world or the next—therefore, Lord of gods, protect me; accept this arghya; I bow to you. May your compassionate gaze always rest upon me, O Damodara.’ “Incense, a lamp, and food should be offered, and the waving of lights performed. Over the head, a lotus should be circled for Hari, O best of rivers. After completing this rite, one should worship one’s own guru, offering gold, garments, a turban, and a tunic. Sandals, an umbrella, a ring, a water pot, food, betel, seven kinds of grains, and other gifts should also be given. “After worshipping both the guru and the Lord of gods, one should keep vigil for Hari throughout the night, accompanied by singing, dancing, and recitation of sacred scriptures. At the end of the night, arghya is again offered to the deity as prescribed, followed by bathing and other acts of purity, and then one should eat together with the Brahmins.” Shiva then declared, “O twice-born, this account of the Trispṛśā vow is truly wonderful and hair-raising. By hearing it, one obtains merit equal to that of bathing in the Gaṅgā. Observing the Trispṛśā fast even once bestows the merit of a thousand Aśvamedha sacrifices and a hundred Vājapeya sacrifices. One is freed, along with one’s paternal and maternal lineages and descendants, and honored in the realm of Viṣṇu. The merit gained at ten million holy places and the fruits of ten million sacred fields are all attained by observing the Trispṛśā fast. “Brahmins, Kṣatriyas with pure minds, Vaiśyas, Śūdras, and people of other castes—all attain liberation, O best of the twice-born, just as the twelve-syllabled mantra is the king of mantras. This is the foremost of vows, established first by Brahmā and later by royal sages. “What need is there to speak of others, my child? The Trispṛśā grants liberation. By this method, O Brahmin, is the vow of Trispṛśā established. Whoever performs it with devotion—listen now to the fruits I will declare: the merit of bathing in the Gaṅgā or at Vārāṇasī, the merit of performing Trispṛśā for thousands of aeons, or bathing in the eastern Yamunā for millions of years—all these are attained by one who observes the Trispṛśā vow, as is the fruit gained at Kurukṣetra during millions of solar eclipses. “By performing Trispṛśā, one gains the merit of giving away hundreds of loads of gold, and destroys countless sins and acts of violence. With a single fast, all is quickly reduced to ashes; the Trispṛśā vow grants a path to those who have none. Those who desire a path, even burdened with hundreds of great sins—this was spoken by Kṛṣṇa himself before Vyāsa. “Whoever writes down and reveals this Vaiṣṇava vow to a twice-born, even if bound by heaps of sins, will attain liberation. Even with hundreds of aeons of merit, O wise one, Trispṛśā is rare in this world and not easily attained by men. Those base men who, having obtained Trispṛśā in the Kali age, do not perform it—their birth and life are fruitless. Those who have performed Trispṛśā even once in the Kali age, O wise one, cross over the state of being a ghost, even without śrāddha rites or sons.” After narrating these sacred instructions, Mahādeva continued: “Once, my son, I went into the presence of Viṣṇu. There, I previously inquired about the greatness of Dvādaśī.