After offering his words to the king, the Lord Janardana, compassionate and all-powerful, gently touched the king with the tip of his sacred conch. In that very moment, as the divine touch reached him, the king attained the highest liberation—freedom from all bondage. Therefore, O king of kings, you too are urged to take refuge in that supreme Lord. Whoever seeks shelter in him will never again tread the sorrowful path of worldly suffering. Indeed, anyone who rises in the morning and listens to or recites the deeds of those two—Vishnu and his devotee—will receive the rewards of liberation, righteousness, and prosperity. Furthermore, O lord of men, whoever undertakes this auspicious and virtuous vow will enjoy every prosperity on earth, and after having enjoyed these blessings, will ultimately attain dissolution, merging with the Supreme. At this point, the sage Agastya spoke: “Now, I shall declare to you the supreme vow of fortune, by which even the most unfortunate person becomes fortunate at once. This vow is to be observed on the first day of the bright fortnight in the month of Mārgashīrsha. On that day, one should fast through the night and worship both Vishnu and Agni with devotion. During the worship, one should offer the feet to Vaiśvānara, the abdomen to Agni, the chest to Havirbhuj, and the arms to Dravinoda. The head should be offered to Samvartta, and all around to Jvalana. In this way, the Lord of Lords, Janardana, is to be worshipped according to the prescribed method. With care, a fire pit should be constructed before the deity, and a fire offering performed with the appropriate mantras. Afterwards, the devotee should partake of barley mixed with ghee. This practice, during the dark fortnight as well, is to be maintained for four months. During the months beginning with Chaitra, the wise should eat rice pudding with ghee; during the months beginning with Shrāvaṇa, saktu flour is to be consumed, and then the observance concludes. When the vow is completed, the devotee should fashion a fire symbol out of gold, cover it with two red garments, and adorn it with red flowers. The symbol and a worthy Brahmin should be anointed with saffron, and the Brahmin, pleasing in appearance and complete in all limbs, should be honored. After worshipping them according to the proper rites, the devotee should present the offering to the Brahmin while reciting this mantra: ‘I am fortunate, my actions are fortunate, my deeds are fortunate, I am fortunate; by this vow performed, may I always be happy.’ Having uttered these words and placing the treasure before the noble Brahmin, even one who was previously bereft of luck immediately attains fortune. Through this observance, abundant good fortune, wealth, and grain arise in this very life—there is no doubt. The fire of the rite burns away sins accumulated from previous births; when these are burned away, the soul is freed, and liberation is attained in this very life. Whoever listens to this daily, or recites it with devotion, will become blessed in this world. It is said that, in ancient times, the great-souled Kubera himself performed this vow while born in a śūdra family, and through it, he attained supreme fortune. Agastya then continued: “Now I shall declare the supreme Kānti vow, by which even the moon, Soma, regained his lost radiance. Long ago, the moon was afflicted by consumption as a result of Dakṣa’s curse. By performing this vow, Soma immediately regained his brilliance. This vow is to be observed on the bright second day of Kārttika. On that day, one should fast at night and worship Balakeśava with effort. The feet of Baladeva and the head of Keśava are to be worshipped, thus honoring the supreme Vaiṣṇava form. On that day, the devotee should offer arghya to the supreme Lord with the mantra, worshipping the twofold form called Soma, the highest manifestation: ‘Obeisance to you, who are of the form of nectar, lord of all herbs, ruler of the world of sacrifice, Soma, the supreme self.’ After making this offering, at night, the devotee, together with a Brahmin, should eat barley food with ghee. In the four months beginning with Phālguna, one should serve rice pudding; in Kārttika, a rice offering with barley is prescribed. In the four months beginning with Āṣāḍha, a sesame offering and sesame food are to be observed. At the completion of a year, the devotee should worship a silver image of the moon, covered with a pair of white garments and adorned with white flowers, and then present it to a Brahmin. By doing so, he becomes radiant, all-knowing, and pleasing to behold in this world. With self-control, giving this gift to a Brahmin with the prescribed mantra, the devotee immediately attains radiance. This vow was performed in ancient times by Soma, son of Atri. At the end of his observance, Lord Janārdana himself was pleased and quickly removed Soma’s consumption, granting him the portion called nectar. Through his austerity, King Soma obtained this portion and became the lord of all herbs. On the second day, the Aśvins, renowned as Śeṣa and Viṣṇu—the chief wings—are celebrated, for they partake of Soma. There is truly no deity apart from Viṣṇu; the supreme Lord exists everywhere under many names. Agastya then spoke again: “Now, O King, listen to the vow that brings good fortune, by which prosperity quickly arises for both women and men. On the third day of the bright fortnight in Phalguna, one should observe this vow, fasting at night with purity and truthfulness. Having worshipped Hari with Lakshmi, or Rudra together with Uma—remembering that Shri is Girija and Hari is the three-eyed one—the devotee fulfills the teaching of all scriptures and Puranas. Whoever explains the scriptures differently, separating them, speaks in error. Thus, through these sacred vows and observances, as taught by the sages and the Lord himself, one attains fortune, radiance, and liberation, and the unity of the divine is revealed in all its glory.