The Glory of the month of Magha

1-4. On hearing the words of that Kasthila, the lady of pure smiles named Sandhyavali became extremely surprised and addressed her with respect. “O Kasthila, by your words I am much surprised now. Why at all did I happen to see you attaining the base mode of existence? By what Karman can your liberation be effected from this base birth? O, one of large limbs, please tell this to me. On seeing you I have become miserable. О excellent one, pity is roused in my heart, on seeing your body resembling a lump of meat that is smooth and comparable to a lump of butter.

5. О lady of charming eyebrows, even if you are going to give the entire earth for my sake, I cannot all of a sudden extricate myself from this base birth.

6. О blessed lady, listen, I shall point out that holy rite (from which accrues merit) that bestows the great goal, whereby I can liberate myself from the bondage of Karmas.

7. What is called the month of Magha is remembered as the most excellent of all months. In it, Brahman-slaughter and other sins cry out in distress (as they are annihilated therein).

8. Rare indeed is the month of Magha; rare indeed is the human birth; rare indeed is the ablution early in the morning and rare indeed is the opportunity to serve Kfsna.

9-12. Rare still is the day of Vishnu (ie. the EkadashI Tithi) that is duly observed as the day of fast. Their own splendour has been cast off into the water by gods during the month of Magha. Here water is very particularly sacred during this month. The goal that is obtained by persons who maintain regular observances by means of bathing into the water early in the morning, is the bestower of happiness, and is never attained by even heroic warriors (after death) in the battle. If one takes one’s bath in the waters of rivers, lakes or tanks it is called the most excellent. If the bath is taken in the well water kept in a vessel, it is of mediocre benefit. If water that is warmed in fire is taken for bath, it is of the least benefit. Merit cannot be attained through pleasures. It is obtained only through distress and exertion.

13. Bath is taken for the purpose of observing holy and virtuous rites and not merely for the sake of purity and cleanliness of the limbs. Fire is resorted to for the purpose of performing Homas and not for removing chillness.

14. Bath should be taken before the sunrise. If the sky is overcast with clouds, one should pray and request the sun who is going to rise.

15. If rivers etc. are not available, water should be kept over-night in a fresh mud-pot. Wind must blow over it during the night. People know such water to be equal to the Ganga for the purpose of holy ablution.

16. О fair lady, a person who regularly takes bath in the month of Magha, never sees misery and misfortune. There exists no such sin as cannot be wiped off by the holy bath during the month of Magha.

17-18. Taking the holy dip into water in the morning during the month of Magha is better than entering fire (?) Misery is experienced if one survives (after entering fire) but if one dies one enjoys happiness. For this reason, О gentle lady the bath during the month of Magha is of special significance Everyday gingelly seeds along (or coated?) with sugar must be given as charitable gifts.

19. О lady of slender waist, Нота should be performed with cooked rice as white as hail or with barley grains foil wed by the oblation of cow’s ghee on the full-moon day in the month of Magha.

20. At the end of the holy observance of (pre-sunrise) bath in the month of Magha one shall give food consisting of the six tastes (such as sweet, sour and others) and say “May the lord, the sun-god be pleased with me — Lord sun who is unsullied and the embodiment of Vishnu.

21. To a Brahmana couple, clothes should be given along with seven kinds of food. Thirty sweet-meats too must be given as well as gingelly seeds and cooked rice along with sugar.

22. The gingelly seeds and sugar must be in the ratio of three to one. The devotee who knows the procedure must give Tambula (betel leaves) and other sources of enjoyment with devotion.

23. One should face the current when one bathes in a river, if it be in any other place (tank etc.), one should face the sun. There he must invoke Ganga and other holy rivers from the disc of the sun (and then take bath).

24-25. “There are thousands of sins originating in the course of many births, some knowingly committed, some unknowingly committed. But may all those be dispelled by your brilliance, О sun, О Lord of the worlds, О Prabhakara (cause of lustre), obeisance be to you. О Acyuta, make my (observance of) holy dip in the month of Magha well accomplished and complete.”

26. О fair lady, the devotee who takes bath in the holy centres gets lesser benefit than the devotee who takes holy dip in the month of Magha. One may go to heaven by means of baths in the holy centres. One goes to the highest region (Moksha) through the bath in the month of Magha.

27. The eleventh day in the bright half of the month of Magha is the destroyer of great sins, if it coincides with a Sunday.

28-36. Even without the conjunction of the constellation Pleiades, the eleventh day in the bright half of Magha burns the sins of men in the same manner as a base king spoils the kingdom, or as a bad son the family, or as a vicious wife the husband, or as sin the virtue, or as the wicked minister ruins the king, or as ignorance dispels (i.e. vitiates) knowledge, or as complete uncleanliness mars purity, or as untruth dispels truth, or as a controversy spoils a conversation or as heat dispels snow or as misfortune spoils fortune, or as a sin mars fame or arrogance vitiates austerity. Just as Rasas (medicinal potions) destroy great ailments, just as Sankara (fixing of rendezvous) spoils sraddha (?), so also the Dvadasi, if properly observed, destroys heaps of sins. The day of Hari (Ekadashi) quickly destroys the great sins such as Brahmana-slaughter, imbibing of liquor, stealing, and outraging the modesty of the preceptor’s wife. The collections of these sins are not quelled by bath in Puskara. Neither the holy centre of the Naimisa forest nor Kurukshetra nor Prabhasa, Gaya, Reva, Sarasvatl, Ganga, Yamuna, Prayaga nor the river Devika nor the lakes nor rivers nor Homas, gifts and austerities (can dispel these sins). Excepting the only (auspicious) day of Hari i.e. Ekadashi no other day can destroy the multitude of sins; no other merit is clearly mentioned in the Purana О lady of charming eyebrows, for the purpose of destroying aggregates of sins.

37-40. О gentle lady, by observing fast even for once, heaps of sins do perish. On one side of the balance the gift of the whole Earth and on another side the day of Hari, it is declared by Brahma that they are not equal. The day of Hari is superior. On that day, the devotee should make a gold image of the Lord in the form of a Boar. An auspicious new copper vessel shall be kept over a jar. Into that vessel the image of the lord should be placed, so also all the seeds. It must be covered with a white cloth. Gold pieces, bright lamp etc. should be placed, and the vessel be decorated with flowers. The observer of the holy rite should worship the Lord in accordance with the injunctions and keep himself awake.

41. In the morning, the devotee should gift away the jar alongwith the Boar image and all the things within it and also the Naivedyas and other ancillary articles to a firahmana householder who is a devotee of Vishnu.

42. After feeding Brahmanas, he should break his fast surrounded by his friends. О fair lady, if this observance is performed, he is never born again anywhere.

43. The sin accumulated in the course of many births whether knowingly or unknowingly committed, is wholly destroyed like the darkness at sunrise.

44. О splendid lady, the holy rite of Ekadashl has been recounted to you by me in accordance with the (description of the same in the) scriptural texts. О gentle lady, this is the same as had been performed formerly by you in the course of another birth.

45-46. As a result of this holy rite, you have derived incomparable nourishment. It will be enhanced further later on. It is the bestower of happiness on your husband and son always. If, out of that merit a fourth part is willingly and respectfully given to me, I will become delighted and will go to the greatest region of Vishnu.

47. О beautiful woman, I had incurred a sin due to the denial and concealment of the wealth. In order to sanctify it (i.e. in order to dispel it and sanctify me) kindly give me one fourth part of your merit as I just now requested for.

48. The woman who deceives her husband with regard to the life or wealth undergoes hundred births in the wombs of germs and is reborn ultimately as a PulkasI (Candala woman).

49. О honourable lady, the woman of perverted mind who does not yield herself up for sexual intercourse when the husband requests for the same or does not give him wealth (when he needs it) certainly is reborn as Kasthila (a worm?).

50. If you have any mercy on me, give me a fourth part of your merit accruing from the observance of the holy rite of Ekadashi for the purpose of dispelling the sin, which I had incurred.

51. О lady of good eyes, on hearing the words of that Kasthila, I took water in my hand and gave the (required) merit to her.

52. “By one-fourth of the merit accrued to me formerly by observing a fast on the Ekadashi day, may this Kasthila be liberated from the sins committed by her in the previous birth. What I have averred is truth and nothing but the truth.”

53b-54a. When those words were uttered by me, she was seen going to the region of Vishnu seated in a divine aerial chariot. Her lustre was like that of lightning.

54b-55. The husband is a deity in the visible world. He should not be deceived by the wife either through her body or through her wealth, if she wishes for splendid existence (in the next birth). Hence, you speak out. I shall give you what is desired by you for the sake of our husband.

56-57. О fair-faced lady, I shall give up wealth, body, my own son or anything else (if you desire it). Who else is a deity unto the women in this world except her own husband? О lady of beautiful eyes, the woman who sacrifices her wealth or life for his sake, is honoured in the world of Vishnu for the duration of a hundred crores of Kalpas and more.

58. The wife of the Brahmana saw her husband, who had wooed her with fire etc. as witness, indulging in terrible vices. So she became ruthless. Although she was requested, she did not give him wealth, as a result of that sin she became a worm.

59. During my girlhood days this flag-staff of Kama was seen by me when I was at my father’s place. After knowing that it is beneficial to the husband, I give up every thing. О lady of beautiful eyebrows, take it.

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