On the fifth day of the bright half of the month Māgha, a devoted householder should partake of a light meal. The following day—the sixth—after preparing a tooth-stick for purification, the wise should undertake a fast. That night, after honoring the Brāhmaṇas, he should offer prayers to Maṇḍāra. At dawn, having bathed in purity, he should again show reverence to the twice-born. With sincerity, he should feed the Brāhmaṇas as best as he is able, and prepare eight Maṇḍāra flowers, as well as a beautiful golden figure of a man holding a lotus. In a copper vessel lined with a leaf, he should fashion a lotus from black sesame seeds; with golden Maṇḍāra flowers, he must worship Bhāskara—the Sun—in the east. In the same way, with a spotless petal, he should worship Sūrya, and then turn south to honor Arka, and to the southwest, Aryaman. In the west, he should worship Vedadhāmā, in the northwest Caṇḍabhānu, in the north Pūṣan, and in the highest place, Ānanda. At the center of the sesame lotus, he should place the golden figure, symbolizing the Supreme Soul, wrapping it in white cloths and making offerings of food, garlands, fruits, and other auspicious items. Once all these deities have been worshipped, he should give the offerings to a learned Brāhmaṇa versed in the Veda. Then, facing east and keeping a vow of silence, the householder may take a simple meal, seasoned only with oil and salt. This entire observance should be performed on every seventh day of the month, for a whole year, without miserliness or regret over wealth. At the conclusion of the vow, all the ritual objects should be placed in a pot and, desiring prosperity, the devotee should give them away, along with cows as he is able. With reverence, he should offer salutations: “Salutations to the Lord of Maṇḍāra, to the Dweller in Maṇḍāra. O Sun, deliver us from this ocean of worldly existence.” One who performs the Maṇḍāra Saptamī with this procedure is freed from sin, finds happiness, and enjoys heavenly pleasures for an age. This observance is like a lamp that dispels the terrible darkness of accumulated sins—one who holds to it does not stumble in the night of worldly existence. Even those who recite or hear the Maṇḍāra Saptamī, which grants all desired fruits, are freed from sin. Now, another sacred observance is described—the auspicious Śubha Saptamī—which, when followed, frees a man from countless diseases and sorrows. In the holy month of Āśvayuja, after bathing and reciting prayers in purity, and having Brāhmaṇas recite sacred texts, one should begin the Śubha Saptamī. With devotion, he should worship a tawny cow, anointing her with fragrances, garlands, and ointments, saying, “I bow to her who was born from the Sun, the abode of all worlds. O auspicious and blessed one, I honor you for the purification of my own body.” He should then prepare a measure of sesame seeds in a copper vessel, and a golden bull adorned with cloth, garlands, and jaggery, along with a cushion, a resting vessel, and a seat. With various fruits, sweet dishes, and offerings mixed with ghee and sweet rice, he should make offerings at dawn and dusk, saying, “May Aryaman be pleased.” At dawn, Brāhmaṇas should be respectfully satisfied. Each month, he should give garments, a golden bull, and a golden cow. At the year’s end, he should present a bed furnished with a sugarcane staff and jaggery, a copper vessel with a prastha of sesame seeds, and a golden bull. All these are to be given to a knower of the Veda, with the prayer, “May the Soul of the Universe be pleased.” Thus should the learned perform the auspicious Saptamī. For such a devotee, pure fortune and fame arise in every birth. He is honored by hosts of Apsarases and Gandharvas in the celestial realms. He dwells as a lord among hosts until the dissolution of beings, and at the beginning of the next kalpa, is born as the sovereign of the seven continents. This auspicious Saptamī destroys the weight of a thousand acts of abortion and a hundred acts of Brahmin-killing. Whoever reads, hears, or even witnesses the giving of this observance, even for a moment, is freed from all sins and attains the lordship of the Vidyādharas. If a man performs the Saptamī for seven years with all its sevenfold observances, he becomes lord of the seven worlds in succession and finally attains the supreme abode of Murāri. At this point, Bhīṣma, ever eager for righteousness, inquired, “O foremost of Brahmins, tell me about those Vaiṣṇava dharmas which Rudra has spoken here—what are they like, and what is their fruit?” Pulastya replied: “Long ago, in the Rathantara kalpa, the great-souled Brahmā himself questioned Mahādeva, the wielder of the Pināka bow, as he sat upon Mandara. ‘O Lord of Immortals,’ Brahmā asked, ‘how can men, even with little austerity, always attain health, prosperity, and endless liberation? O Mahādeva, what is that knowledge, O Adhokṣaja, that by your grace yields great fruit even from small efforts?’ Thus questioned by Brahmā, the creator of the worlds, the Soul of the Universe, the husband of Umā, Mahādeva spoke these words, pleasing to the mind: ‘From that Rathantara kalpa, when the twentieth kalpa comes again, the Varāha kalpa will arise. In that auspicious Manvantara, when the seventh Manvantara called Vaivasvata arrives, sustaining the seven worlds, in the Dvāpara yuga, which is the twenty-seventh, then, in that age, the greatly radiant Vāsudeva Janārdana—Viṣṇu himself—will be born in three forms for the purpose of relieving the burden of the earth. There will be present the sage Dvaipayana, the son of Rohini, and Keśava—the slayer of Kaṃsa, destroyer of Keśi, remover of affliction—who dwells in the city called Dvāravatī, formerly known as Kuśasthalī, endowed with divine splendor and the abode of the wielder of the Śārṅga bow. By his command, O Brahman, Tvaṣṭā will construct that city for the Lord of the world; and there, at some time, that one of immeasurable radiance will be seated in the assembly hall. He will be surrounded by his wives, the learned Vṛṣṇis, many generous ones, Kurus, gods, and Gandharvas. The slayer of Kaitabha will be present. When ancient tales and stories relating to dharma are being recounted, Bhīmasena, full of prowess, will ask questions.’ Thus, the sacred observances and stories unfold, sanctifying the listener and guiding the devotee toward the highest good.