With a heart full of reverence, one begins by offering salutations to the divine in His many forms. To Sridhara, obeisance is given to the face; to Keshava, to the hair; to Sharngadhara, to the back; and to Varada, to the feet. With each of His sacred names—holder of the conch, discus, sword, mace, and axe—one bows to Him, the soul of all, especially at the head. The worshipper then pays homage to the ten great incarnations: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Rama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Kalki, each a beacon of divine intervention. With these salutations and mantras, one meditates upon and worships Vishnu in every way, seeking the destruction of all accumulated sins. Turning next to the Lord of Dharma, the devotee bows repeatedly, recognizing Him as the ruler of the southern realm, the mighty rider of the buffalo. Salutations are also offered to Citragupta, the wondrous scribe, with earnest prayers that suffering in hell may be soothed and cherished desires granted. The worship continues with invocations to Yama, the Lord of Dharma, Death, the Ender, Vaivasvata, Time itself, and the destroyer of all beings. Vṛkodara, Citrā, Citragupta, Nīla, and Dadhna are also honored with repeated salutations. In this way, the Lord Dharmarāja is worshipped through twelve sacred names. Attention then turns to the famed river Vaitaraṇī, formidable and difficult to cross, yet a destroyer of sin and fulfiller of wishes. The devotee calls upon her to accept the humble offering, for at the dreadful threshold of Yama’s domain, the Vaitaraṇī flows, renowned and feared. For deliverance from the endless cycle of birth, death, and old age, prayers are offered to this river, so hard to cross for sinners but a remover of fear for all creatures. The suffering of beings, sinking in her waters out of fear, is recalled, and the goddess is entreated for safe passage across her dreadful current. The gods themselves dwell within this river, and when Vaitaraṇī is worshipped with devotion, it brings pleasure even to Keśava. On her banks, sages and ancestors find entry, and she is revered in her river form as the remover of all sin. For the sake of liberation, the devotee vows to make offerings, explaining the merit and glory of the Vaitaraṇī river. With devotion, the worshipper seeks the pleasure of Keśava, imploring Krishna, the Lord of the Universe, to lift them from worldly bondage. By merely uttering His name, all sins are removed, and the sacred thread—supreme and woven with ninety strands—is offered. The devotee presents betel, beautiful and given with the utmost ability, beseeching the Lord of the gods to grant their desires with pleasure. The worship continues with a five-wicked lamp, offered as a symbol of devotion, and a prayer for deliverance from the ocean of worldly existence. The Lord is praised as the sun who dispels the darkness of delusion, the remover of suffering, and is offered supreme food, well-cooked and rich in all flavors. With devotion, the offering is made, accompanied by the twelve-syllable mantra, recited the prescribed number of times. Prayers are made for Śriyaḥkānta’s pleasure and for the granting of wishes. The five cows that emerged from the churning of the great ocean are remembered, and among them, the cow Nandā is especially honored with repeated salutations. After duly worshipping the cow, the devotee offers arghya with focused mind. The goddess Nandinī is invoked as the wish-fulfilling remover of death, asked to grant health and long progeny. Kapilā, worshipped by Vasiṣṭha and the wise Viśvāmitra, is called upon to remove the sins of the past. The devotee longs for the presence of cows before and behind, and for golden-horned, milk-giving cows to attend in heaven. Surabhi and her descendants are revered, likened to rivers and oceans, embodiments of all the gods, auspicious and beloved by devotees. Having performed the worship properly, the daily offering is given to the cows, for the descendants of Surabhi are pure, beneficial to all, and destroy sin. The cows, mothers of the three worlds, are entreated to accept the offering, and salutations are given to Gaṅgā, to prosperity, and to the destruction of all sins. With the recitation of mantras, the wise ward off disease: “Paṃ, salutations to Padmanābha,” bearing the lotus; “Caṃ,” to Vishnu in the form of the discus; “Śaṃ,” to the bringer of happiness in the form of the conch. Thus, the bearing of all four weapons is remembered by the sages, just as the daily agnihotra and Vedic study are essential duties for a brāhmaṇa, so too is the bearing of heated marks and the like. With fragrant sandalwood, especially the gopikā-sandal, the marks are to be borne by brāhmaṇas learned in the Veda. Even a caṇḍāla becomes pure by bearing the upright, gentle ūrdhva-puṇḍra; such a pure soul is to be honored by the twice-born. In the homes of caṇḍālas where tulasī grows, the messengers of the Lord dwell. The tulasī found there should be accepted with heartfelt devotion. At this point, Mahādeva speaks, sharing his inquiry to the Lord of the Universe about the supreme vow, the greatest among vows, which brings increase of sons and grandsons, and bestows happiness and good fortune. He promises to declare this divine story, the supreme vow cherished by the sages. Even a woman, considered suddenly sinful during her time of menstruation, by performing this vow is freed from great sins. This vow should unfailingly be offered to the ancestors, for it accomplishes righteousness, fulfills desires, and brings prosperity. Thus, the story unfolds as a sacred journey of worship, devotion, and the pursuit of liberation, guided by the manifold forms of the divine, the sanctity of the river, the holiness of cows, the power of sacred marks, and the supreme vow that leads to happiness and well-being for all.