वस्त्रालंकारवाद्यैश्च तोषयेदच्युतं नरः । संस्नापयेद्धरिं भक्त्या तीर्थचंदनवारिभिः
With garments, ornaments, and musical instruments, one should please Acyuta; one should bathe Hari with devotion, using sacred sandalwood water.
चंदनेनानुलिप्तांगं धूपपुष्पैरलंकृतम् । वस्त्रदानादिभिश्चैव भोजयित्वा द्विजोत्तमान्
Having anointed the limbs with sandalwood, adorned with incense and flowers, after giving garments and other gifts, one should feed the foremost Brahmins.
दद्याच्च दक्षिणां तेभ्यः प्रणिपत्य क्षमापयेत् । एवं मासोपवासाद्धि कृत्वाभ्यर्च्य जनार्दनम्
One should give them a donation, bowing down and asking forgiveness; thus, having worshipped Janārdana after the month-long fast,
भोजयित्वा द्विजांश्चैव विष्णुलोके महीयते । एवं मासोपवासांते कृत्वा विप्रान्त्रयोदश
And having fed the Brahmins, one is honored in the realm of Viṣṇu; thus, at the end of the month-long fast, having honored thirteen Brahmins.
निर्यापयेत्ततस्तान्वै विधिना येन तच्छृणु । कारयेद्वैष्णवं यज्ञमेकादश्यामुपोषितः
Then, listen to the proper method by which he should conduct them forth; having fasted on the eleventh day, he should perform a Vaiṣṇava sacrifice.
पूजयित्वा तु देवेशमाचार्यानुज्ञया हरिम् । अर्चयित्वा यथाशक्त्या ह्यभिवाद्य गुरुं तथा
Having worshipped the Lord of the gods, Hari, with the permission of the teacher, and having offered worship to the best of his ability, he should also bow to the guru.
ततोनुभोजयेद्विप्रान्नमस्कारपुरःसरम् । विशुद्धकुलचारित्र विष्णुपूजनतत्परान्
Then, with reverence, he should feed the brāhmaṇas who are of pure lineage and conduct, devoted to the worship of Viṣṇu.
पूजयित्वा तथा सर्वान्भोजयित्वा त्रयोदश । तांबूलवस्त्रयुग्मानि भोजनाच्छादनानि च
Having worshipped all of them in this way and fed thirteen, he should give betel, pairs of garments, food, and coverings.
योगपट्टानि सूत्राणि ब्रह्मसूत्राणि चैव हि । दद्याच्चैव द्विजाग्र्येभ्यः पूजयित्वा प्रणम्य च
He should also give yoga-belts, sacred threads, and brahma-threads to the foremost twice-born, after worshipping and bowing to them.
ततोनुपूजयेच्छक्त्या शय्यां स्तरणसंस्कृताम् । साच्छादनां शुभां श्रेष्ठां सोपधानामलंकृताम्
Then, according to his ability, he should further honor them with a bed, well-prepared with bedding, auspicious, excellent, complete with pillows and adorned.
कारयित्वात्मनोमूर्तिं कांचनीं तु स्वशक्तितः । न्यसेत्तस्यां तु शय्यायामर्चयित्वा स्रगादिभिः
Having a golden image of himself made according to his means, he should place it on that bed and worship it with garlands and the like.
आसनं पादुकां छत्रं वस्त्रयुग्ममुपानहौ । पवित्राणि च पुष्पाणि शयाय्यामुपकल्पयेत् 6.119.
He should arrange on the bed a seat, sandals, an umbrella, a pair of garments, shoes, sacred threads, flowers, and other offerings.
एवं शय्यां तु संकल्प्य प्रणिपत्य च तान्द्विजान् । प्रार्थयेच्चानुमोदार्थं विष्णुलोकं व्रजाम्यहम्
Thus having resolved regarding the bed and bowed to those brāhmaṇas, he should request their approval, saying, 'I am going to Viṣṇu's world.'
ततो व्रजेन्नरश्रेष्ठो विष्णोः स्थानमनामयम् । मंडपस्थां स्तुतान्विप्रानिति वाच्यं मुहुर्मुहुः
Then that best of men attains the flawless abode of Viṣṇu; it should be repeatedly declared that the brāhmaṇas in the pavilion are praised.
मंत्रहीनं क्रियाहीनं सर्वहीनं द्विजोत्तमाः । सर्वंसंपूर्णतां यातु भवद्वाक्यप्रसादतः । विधिर्मासोपवासस्य यथावत्परिकीर्तितः
O best of twice-born, even if there is a lack of mantras, rites, or anything else, may everything become complete by the grace of your words; thus the procedure for the monthly fast has been properly described.
इति श्रीपाद्मे महापुराणे पंचपंचाशत्सहस्रसंहिताया। मुत्तरखंडे कार्तिकमाहात्म्ये श्रीकृष्णसत्यभामासंवादे मासो। पवासकथनंनामैकोनविंशत्यधिकशततमोऽध्यायः
Thus, in the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, in the Uttarakhaṇḍa, in the section on the greatness of Kārtika, in the dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Satyabhāmā, this is the one hundred and nineteenth chapter, named 'The Account of the Month's Fast.'
सूत उवाच। इति वाक्यं समाकर्ण्य पुनः पप्रच्छ पावकिः । शालग्रामार्चनं भूयस्तच्छृणुध्वं तपोधनाः
Sūta said: Having heard these words, Pāvaka again asked; now hear, O ascetics, about the worship of Śālagrāma in detail.
कार्तिकेय उवाच। भगवन्योगिनां श्रेष्ठ सर्वेधर्माः श्रुता मया । शालग्रामार्चनं ब्रूहि विस्तरेण मम प्रभो
Kārtikeya said: O Lord, best of yogins, I have heard all the dharmas; please tell me in detail about the worship of Śālagrāma, O master.
ईश्वर उवाच। साधुसाधु महाप्राज्ञ यन्मां हि परिपृच्छसि । तदहं संप्रवक्ष्यामि श्रूयतां मम वत्सल
Īśvara said: Excellent, excellent, O great wise one, that you ask me; therefore I shall explain it—listen to me, O affectionate one.
शालग्रामशिलायां तु त्रैलोक्यं सचराचरम् । महाशय महासेन नित्यं तिष्ठति संहितम्
In the Śālagrāma stone, O great-hearted Mahāsena, the entire universe, with all that moves and does not move, always abides together.
दृष्टं प्रणमितं येन स्नापितं पूजितं तथा । यज्ञकोटिगुणं पुण्यं गवां कोटिफलं लभेत्
Whoever sees, bows to, bathes, or worships it, obtains merit a crore times that of sacrifices, and the fruit of giving a crore cows.
छिन्नस्तेन तथा वत्स गर्भवासः सुदारुणः । पीतं येन सदा विष्णोः शालग्रामशिलाजलम्
O child, for one who neglects this, the womb-existence is very dreadful; but whoever always drinks the water from the Śālagrāma stone of Viṣṇu—
कामासक्तोऽपि यो नित्यं भक्तिभावविवर्जितः । शालग्रामशिला पुत्र पूजयित्वाच्युतो भवेत्
Even one who is always attached to desires, but devoid of devotion, O son, by worshipping the Śālagrāma stone, attains to the Imperishable.
शालग्रामशिला बिंबं हत्वा कोटिविनाशनम् । स्मृतं संकीर्तितं ध्यातं पूजितं च नमस्कृतम्
Destroying the image of the Śālagrāma stone brings ruin by the crore; but remembering, reciting, meditating upon, worshipping, or bowing to it—
शालग्रामशिलां दृष्ट्वा यांति पापान्यनेकशः । सिंहं दृष्ट्वा यथा यांति वने मृगगणा भयात्
By seeing the Śālagrāma stone, many sins depart, just as herds of deer flee in fear upon seeing a lion in the forest.
नमस्कारं तु मनुजः शालग्रामशिलार्चने । भक्त्या वा यदि वाऽभक्त्या कृत्वा मुक्तिमवाप्नुयात्
If a person bows in worship to the Śālagrāma stone, whether with devotion or without devotion, he attains liberation.
वैवस्वतभयं नास्ति तथा मरणजन्मनोः । यः करोति नरो नित्यं शालग्रामशिलार्चनम्
There is no fear of Yama, nor of death and birth, for the man who always worships the Śālagrāma stone.
गंधपाद्यार्घनैवेद्यैर्दीपैर्धूपैर्विलेपनैः । गीतैर्वाद्यैस्तथा स्तोत्रैः शालग्रामशिलार्चनम्
With fragrances, water for the feet, offerings, lamps, incense, ointments, songs, instruments, and hymns—thus is the worship of the Śālagrāma stone performed.
कुरुते मानवो यस्तु कलौ भक्तिपरायणः । कल्पकोटिसहस्राणि रमते विष्णुसद्मनि
Whoever, devoted to devotion, worships the Śālagrāma stone in the Kali age, dwells in Viṣṇu’s abode for thousands of millions of aeons.
शालग्रामनमस्कारो भावेनापि नरैः कृतः । मानुषत्वं कथं तेषां मद्भक्ता ये नरा भुवि
Even if performed with mere feeling, the bowing to the Śālagrāma stone by men—how can those men, my devotees on earth, remain in human birth?