Rules for the Vow of Kartika

1. O sage, you told me thegreat fruit of the vows of Kartika and Magha. O Narada, you also (told me) properly about the rite of bathing and about the restraints. (Now) please tell me in due order the bringing to completion (of that rite). Narada said:

2-15. You are born from a portion of Vishnu. (Therefore) nothing is unknown to you. Yet, O son of Vena, listen properly to the importance from me who am telling it. A man, being careful, should observe the rule about the vow of Kartika, when it would be the Ekadashi of the bright half of the month of Asvina. When a quarter of the night is left, he, the observer of the vow, with a vessel containing water should go out of his house in the south-west direction. By the day and in the evening after having placed his sacred thread on his ear, after having covered the ground with grass, after having covered his head with a garment, having carefully controlled his mouth, without spitting or panting, he should pass urine or feces after facing the north. If it is night he should face the south. Having held his organ of generation he should get up. Taking pure clay, he should carefully make purification (i.e. wash) by which the smearing and odour will vanish. He should apply (clay) to his organ of generation once, to the anus five times, to the left hand ten times, to both the hands seven times, and to the feet thrice (and then wash them with water). Twice this (number) is told for a celibate, and thrice for a hermit, four times for an ascetic. Half (the number should be used for) purification at night. Half of it (should be employed when he is) travelling. Half of it is (recommended) for women and shudras. All the acts of him who does not go through the act of purification, are useless. The hymns of one not having his mouth pure, are said not to give the (desired) fruit. After that he should carefully cleanse his teeth and tongue, 'O tree, give us (long) life, power, success, vigour, progeny, animals and wealth.' Uttering this hymn, (he should take a piece of) wood of the length of twelve fingers of the ksiratree1 without fasting on the diminutive day (obscure) (and he should cleanse his teeth). He should not cleansehis teeth on the first day, the new-moon day, the ninth day, the sixth day, a Sunday and at the time of the lunar or solar eclipse. He should avoid cleansing his teeth with (a stick of) the kantaki tree, cotton tree, nirgunda tree, palasa tree, bilva tree, castor oil plant, and ingudi tree.

16-30. Then he, with a pleased mind and devoted, should go, taking with him sandal, flowers, good tambiilas to the temple of Vishnu and Shiva. Then having separately offered articles (and modes) of worship like water for washing the feet, respectful oblation etc., and bowed again, he should do auspicious things like singing. He should also honour the good dancers having musical instruments made of bell-metal, lutes, tabors etc., so also he should honour the singers with fragrant flowers and tambulas, since they are the forms of Vishnu. In the Kali age penance, sacrifice, gifts made with devotion to the good lord of the world, always give delight. O king, I asked, "O lord of gods, where do you live?" Vishnu, pleased with my devotion then spoke to me thus: "I do not live in Vaikuntha, nor in the heart of the yogins. O Narada, I stay there where my devotees sing (my praise). Those foolish men who, after hearing a good narrative from a Purana or the singing of my devotees, do not long for me, are hated by me. Men (should) worship them (devotees) with sandal, flowers etc. By that I am so much pleased as I am not pleased with my worship," Vishnu should not be worshipped with the flowers of sirisa, dhattura, hillplantain, jasmine, salmali, sun-plant, karnikara and with sacred rice grains. So also Shiva should not be worshipped with the flowers of japa, kunda, sirisa, jasmine, white jasmine, ketaki. One should not worship Ganesha with Tulasi-leaves and Parvati with durvas. A man desiring wealth should not, in the same way, worship the Sun with damanaka flowers. Always he should use fragrant and best flowers for worship. Having thus offered the worship, he should apologise to the god of gods: 'O lord of gods, may whatever I have offered as worship without hymns, rites and without devotion, be complete. Then having gone round (the deity by keeping the deity) to his right, he should salute (i.e. prostrate himself) like a staff. He should again apologise to the deity and the singers etc. Those men who, on a night in Kartika, properly worship Vishnu or Shiva, have their sins completely destroyed, and their ancestors go to Vishnu's abode.

1. Ksiravrksa — Name of the four trees, viz. Nyagrodha, Udumbara, Asvatthaand Madhuka.

1-10. When the night is left as much as two nadikas (i.e. fortyeight minutes), he, being pure (i.e. having purified himself), should (taking) with (him) Sheshamum-seeds, sandal, sacred rice grains, flowers, lights etc., go to a pond. The bath in an artificial pond, a natural pond, in a river or at a confluence of two rivers, is said to be giving tenfold merit in (the succeeding) order. (A bath taken) at a holy place is said to give unending fruit. Having remembered Vishnu, he should take the solemn vow of bathing. He should offer respectful oblations to the holy places, deities etc. in (proper) order. (He should say): "Om, salutation to Kamalanabha. Salutation to him lying in water. Accept (this) respectful offering. Salutation to you. Since Vishnu moved in Vaikuntha, Prayaga and Badarikashrama, he planted his foot in three ways. With all those sages and deities, may gods protect me for this reason that from here Vishnu moved on. In Kartika, to please (you), O best god, Damodara, lord of the god of gods, I shall bathe in the morning (everyday). (Be) with me. Olord of gods, O Damodara, I am eager to bathe in this water after having reflected on you. May my sin perish due to your grace. O Hari, with Radha accept the respectful offering made by me at (the time of) an obligatory or occasional (rite) in the sin-destroying Kartika in the Kali age. O Hari, with Radha accept the respectful offeringgiven by me who observe a vow in the month of Kartika, of me who have bathed duly."

11-19. After having remembered Ganga, Vishnu, Shiva, the Sun, he should enter the water. He who observes the vow, should, standing in water deep up to the navel, bathe duly. A householder should bathe with (i.e. after applying) the powder of Sheshamum-seeds and amalaka. For the hermits and ascetics the clay at the root of TulasI (is recommended). He should not bathe with (i.e. after applying) amalaka fruits and Sheshamum-seeds on the seventh, the new-moon day, the ninth of both (fortnights) and on the tenth day. First he should bathe with dust (i.e. applying clay etc.). Then he should bathe with the (recital of) hymns. For women and siidras (the bath is) not (recommended) with (the recital of) Vedic hymns, (but only) with the Puranic ones. (Now follow) the hymns at the time of bathing: "May Vishnu, the destroyer of all sins, who formerly for the mission of the gods divided himself into three due to devotion for them, now protect me compassionately. For this Kartika vow may all gods having received Vishnu's order, always protect and purify me. May all the Vedic hymns along with their seeds, secrets and power, so also sages like Kasyapa, always purify me. May all rivers like Ganga, the big rivers giving water, all tanks with the seven seas, purify me. May chaste women like Aditi, yaksas, siddhas with serpents, herbs, mountains, beings in the three worlds quickly purify me."

20-32. Having bathed with (the recital of) these hymns, the observer of the vow, putting a ring of Kusha grass on (the fourth finger of) his hand, should properly offer libations of water to gods, sages, human beings and (his) dead ancestors. Then the observer of the vow, having come out of the water and having covered himself with a pure garment, should, after having finished rites proper for the morning, again worship Vishnu. Being diligent and with his mind fixed on him (i.e. Vishnu), he should, after remembering the holy places etc. and deities, again offer worship with sandal, flowers and fruits. The prayer at (the time of making) the respectful offering is: "O destroyer of the lord of demons, accept the respectful oblation given by me — (oblation) of me who have properly bathed (in the morning) in the month of Kartika." Then devoutly (honouring) the brahmanas who have mastered the Vedas with sandal, flowers and fruits, he should feed them and salute them again and again. By worshipping the brahmanas, the holy places residing in the right foot, the Vedas residing in the mouth, and the deities residing in the entire body, would be worshipped. The brahmanas are the forms of the unmanifest Vishnu on the earth. By one desiring (one's) good they should never be humiliated; they should never be opposed. The observer of the vow should worship Tulasi, dear to Vishnu. With a concentrated mind he should go round and salute Tulasi. "O Tulasi, you have been formerly created by gods. You have been worshipped by the best sages. Salutation, obeisance to you, O Tulasi. O you dear to Vishnu, remove my sin." Then the devout observer of the vow, of an affectionate mind, should listen to Vishnu's account (as told) in the Purana, and should honour that brahmana, the brahmana sage (who reads or tells the account). A devout man who properly performs the complete rite which is told before, obtains the same world as of Vishnu. On the earth there is no vow other than that of Kartika and dear to Vishnu, which removes diseases, which destroys sins, which is great, which gives good thoughts, which is the means of sons, wealth etc., and which is the cause of salvation.

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