In a moment within the assembly, I beheld Yama, the Lord of Dharma, his tawny eyes blazing, his dark face exceedingly terrible, surrounded by hundreds of diseases and by Death itself. He was attended by dreadful forms embodying the faults of wind, bile, and phlegm—emaciation, fever, afflictions, eruptions, and wasting diseases clustered around him. There were torments of burning, body pain, agonies of the head, fistulas, loss of strength, throat tumors, eye diseases, painful urination, fever, and ulcers. Even more horrors were present: fainting fits, constricted throats, heart diseases, malevolent spirits and thieves, all manifesting in fierce and terrifying forms of every kind. Skulls, severed heads, and hands littered the hellish battlefield, with dreadful demons and rākṣasas seated and standing before me. Officers of justice and scribes like Citragupta were stationed there, alongside tigers, lions, boars, and serpents with hair-tufts, all extremely difficult to overcome. The assembly was filled with scorpions, fanged spirits, insects, beetles, wolves, strange dogs, herons, vultures, and jackals. Thieves mingled with spirits of poverty, Māras, witches wild-haired, afflicted by asthma and cough, frowning, their faces twisted and crooked. Amidst this formidable gathering, Yama shone, attended by fearless enforcers, rulers over those who commit evil deeds, surrounded by their retinues. The assembly was as fierce as wild forest-dwellers, like a mountain encircled by venomous creatures. Then, the Lord of all addressed his servants: “How did you bring here, under mistaken identity, the sage named Mudgala, son of Bhima, a Kshatriya from the village of Kaundinya? He is a Kshatriya whose lifespan is diminished; he was to be brought, but now release him.” Hearing this, the servants departed and then returned again. They spoke to Yama, saying, “When we went there, we did not find the embodied one whose life was exhausted.” Yama replied, “Why is it that such people are mostly unseen by you? The river Vaitarani is renowned for those who have performed meritorious acts on the twelfth lunar day. Those who die at Ujjayini, Prayaga, or on the Yamuna; who have given sesame, gold, and other gifts; or who have performed the daily cow-offering—” The messengers then asked, “O Brahman, tell us fully, what is that vow? What must men do there, O god, to please you? By which vow, O best of men, performed on the dark fortnight’s twelfth day and by fasting, is one freed from sin? By what procedure should that vow be performed? Speak with a gracious mind, O ocean of compassion, kindly tell us.” Sri Mudgala spoke sweetly, “O messengers, I will tell you everything as I have seen and heard.” Yama then explained, “In the months beginning with Margashirsha, on the dark fortnights, the Vaitarani vow should be properly observed on the earlier days, O messengers. It must be performed every month, steadily, for a year. By performing it, one is surely liberated—there is no doubt. The observance of fasting must be maintained, which brings satisfaction to Vishnu. ‘Today, O Lord of gods, my fast will take place.’ On the twelfth day, Govinda should be worshipped with devotion. If, due to dream or disturbance of the senses, there is eating or intercourse—O god, forgive all that, showing mercy upon me.” Thus, having observed the rule, one should go to a sacred place at midday. Taking clay, cow dung, and sesame, one should proceed according to the prescribed method. There, one should bathe for the completion of the vow. With the mantra ‘aśvakrānta,’ one should especially bathe: ‘O earth trodden by horses, by chariots, by Vishnu, O Vasundhara—O earth, remove the sin that I have accumulated in the past; by destroying that sin with you, one is freed from all sins.’ The sesame seeds that arise in Kashi are indeed of the form of Vishnu; by bathing with sesame, Govinda removes all sin. “O goddess, born from the body of Vishnu, remover of great sins, take away all sin, I bow to you on behalf of all.” Holding a leaf of tulasi and reciting the names beforehand, the bath should be performed with proper procedure as taught by the virtuous. Having thus bathed, emerging and putting on clean garments, having offered libations to the ancestors and gods, then one should worship Vishnu. One should place a flawless pot adorned with five kinds of leaves, set with five gems, and scented with divine garlands and fragrances. Filled with water and proper substances, equipped with a copper vessel, the god Sridhara, lord of gods and treasury of austerity, is established there. With full procedure, one should perform the most excellent worship; a sacred mandala made of clay, cow dung, and the like should be prepared. It should be made with rice grains washed white and ground on stone; the image of Dharmaraja should be fashioned, with barley placed in the hand and elsewhere. Having placed the copper-colored river Vaitarani in front of that, one should worship separately and properly, after inviting them. “I invoke the lord of gods, Yama, of universal form; come here, O greatly fortunate one, make your presence, O Keshava. This water for washing the feet, O beloved of Shri, is offered to you, O Hari, lord, ever engaged in the garden of the universe; show mercy upon me. Obeisance to the giver of prosperity, to the feet; to the remover of sorrow, to the knees; obeisance to Shiva, to the thighs; obeisance to the universal form, to the waist. Obeisance to Kamadeva, to the genitals; to Aditya, to the testicles; to Damodara, to the abdomen; to Vasudeva, to the breasts.” Thus, the procedure of the Vaitarani vow was revealed, a path to liberation from sin and the terrors of Yama’s realm, through devotion, ritual, and the grace of the divine.