Skandapurana 2.2.39

The sages said:

"O sage, from you has been fully heard the māhātmya of the Lord of the Universe,

and properly, in sequence, [that] of the garland-remains and other items.

O brahmin, we wish to hear truly of the festivals and their fruits;

tell it to us who listen, just as was indicated earlier."

Jaimini said:

"In every way Puruṣottama acts for the welfare of the world,

through the manifestations of his various qualities and the deeds of his diverse forms.

Through the play of diverse forms, he has diverse selves, consisting of the whole universe; / O best of twice-born, without egoism there is no fruit of action.

By egoism people are bound in the prison called worldly existence.

When a man undertakes an action united with intellect and egoism,

he obtains the fruit of that, whether good or bad, endowed with the qualities.

Their intellect, however, is threefold, shaped by the difference of the qualities.

Among them, those who are sāttvika and virtuous, indifferent to obtaining fruits,

perform action for the pleasure of the Lord, desiring liberation.

Out of rivalry with another, or for the sake of fame, or aiming again at a reward,

they perform rājasa action with great expenditure of wealth and exertion.

And those who follow the crowd, devoted solely to visible aims,

desiring a fruit merely in passing, perform tāmasa action.

For the sāttvika, Jagannātha, the creator of all, is always

the giver of liberation when meditated upon, seen, or remembered; of this there is no doubt.

Those who are rājasa and tāmasa, foolish-minded and longing for fruits,

consider action done during festivals and the like to be what gives results.

Many brahmins gather together and undertake a minor ritual;

an action that involves great exertion and distress gives them fruit.

For their deliverance, and to instill faith in those of corrupt mind,

one should celebrate various festivals year after year, O brahmins.

The ritual ablution of birth on the great altar has been proclaimed a festival;

these two great festivals destroy sin for men simply by praise.

The darśana of Dakṣiṇāmūrti and the festival of [the Lord's] sleep—

this festival of theirs during the southern course of the sun removes all sins.

Hereafter I will describe the turning of the side

of the Lord of the universe who is asleep, who turns the ages.

When the day of Hari arrives in the bright fortnight of the month of Nabhasya,

one should go quietly to the door of Viṣṇu's bedchamber, enter,

bow down joyfully to Jagannātha lying on his couch,

cover him, approach softly, and worship him with articles of worship.

Having bowed with devotion at his feet, praising him with secret Upaniṣads,

and reciting this mantra, one should cause the God to lie facing north:

'O God of gods, O Jagannātha, O turner of world-ages,

by whom this whole universe, both stationary and moving, is turned,

merely by the movements of your will, through the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep,

protect me, O Lord of the universe, who am immersed in the ocean of worldly existence!'

"You have slept for the welfare of the world; turn over onto [your other] side.

This is the time to turn over for your protection of the universe.

By your command, even Śakra, standing eager upon his banner,

longing to see your lotus feet, releases water through the clouds,

and floods the surface of the earth in order to protect its creatures."

Having thus prayed to the Lord of gods, one should repeatedly please him,

and, performing this auxiliary ritual, fan him with fans and chowries.

One should smear his whole body with fragrant sandalwood paste,

and [offer] sweet preparations of sugarcane, modified milk-rice,

pleasant barley dishes, various kinds of fruits,

other sweet appetizers, cakes fried in ghee accompanied by milk-rice,

and ripe betel leaves with spices, O brahmins.

One should gently offer them with devotion at the doorway of the bedchamber of the Lord.

Whatever [worship of] the form of Hari takes place on that day bears great fruit;

whatever one performs dedicated to the god becomes imperishable.

Ritual ablution, gifting, silent recitation, fire-sacrifice, austerity, keeping vigil,

fasting, religious vows, and satisfying brahmins at the conclusion of the observance—

having performed this vow with all its parts, one attains the world of Viṣṇu.

Whatever one desires in the heart, one attains that without doubt.

This festival of turning onto the side has been related to you, O brahmins;

it effortlessly bestows imperishable happiness upon people.

Hear now the great festival of awakening [the Lord].

Having worshipped the Lord of the World during the great festival called Kaumudī

with games of dice and the like, with flowers, garments, garlands, and ointments,

then on that full-moon night, accompanied by festivities,

one should worship Hari with substances such as coconuts and cakes of flour.

Then, having made the solemn resolve at dawn for the excellent vow in Kārttika,

one should spend [the time] through that very vow until the bright eleventh day.

On that [day], one should awaken the god, the deeply sleeping Sovereign of the World.

Having worshipped the Teacher of the World at midnight as before,

one should awaken him, softly uttering this mantra with joy:

"Awake, O God of the lord of gods, mass of splendor, Master of the Universe!

Behold the whole [world], O God, which is fast asleep through your māyā!

With your eyes that captivate with the beauty of blooming white lotuses,

beholding this universe, it will attain supreme purity.

All rituals enjoined by Śruti and Smṛti will then certainly proceed!"

Having thus awakened the Lord of the World to the sounds of flutes, vīṇās, and other instruments,

with praises of panegyrists, bards, and chroniclers, and auspicious sounds,

with the playing of conches, kāhalā horns, and muraja drums, with dances and songs,

with shouts of victory and hymns of praise, leading him to the dance pavilion,

anointing him with fragrant oil, one should bathe Puruṣottama

with the five nectars, coconut water, and fruit juices.

Then one should smear him with fragrant myrobalan and barley paste;

one should rub him with tulasī powder and smear him with fragrant sandalwood paste.

With waters perfumed with flowers, and scented with camphor,

with kuśa-grass waters, jewel waters, and scented waters,

those who joyfully behold the god being thus bathed,

wash away the hardened impurity accumulated over many births.

Then, O brahmins, one should place [Śrī] on the lap of the glorious Sovereign of the World.

One should smear his entire body from feet to head

with saffron, agallochum, musk, and camphor mixed with sandalwood,

ground with trumpet-flower water and soaked in juice of black agallochum.

And offering a garland of mālatī jasmine sprinkled with camphor powder,

and worshipping Viṣṇu with grand articles of homage, one should then perform the light-waving rite for him.

Having joined one's hands in supplication, one should pray with supreme joy:

"All this moving and unmoving world has you alone as refuge, O Lord!

Purify it, O Teacher of the World, with glances full of the nectar of grace!"

One should pass the remainder of the night with dances, songs, and theatrical spectacles.

Those who behold the god, the mace-bearer, arisen from his sleep,

break through the sleep of delusion and attain the tranquil Light.

He attains all desires, whatever he longs for in his heart. (51)

Indeed, he will obtain the fruit of a thousand horse-sacrifices with an excess;

likewise, the fruit of the gift of ten million adorned brown cows; (52)

and he attains the supreme merit born of bathing in all sacred fords.

Indeed, on the full moon of Kārttika one should perform the conclusion of the four-month vow. (53)

An image of Dāmodara made of a niṣka of gold,

or fashioned according to one's means, or situated in a śālagrāma stone— (54)

having controlled oneself, one should worship that discus-bearing form of the Lord.

One should prepare an auspicious pavilion, or a part of the house, (55)

and decorate it with garlands of flowers, chowries, along with canopies,

the ground and walls with white lime plaster, and the pillars with variegated fine silks. (56)

One should perfume that auspicious house with incenses of black aloe,

and in its middle fashion a svastika diagram with auspicious powders. (57)

Inside it, one should place an auspicious couch made of elephant tusk;

upon it, on a silk mattress, one should install Puruṣottama— (58)

having the form of Dāmodara, holding a conch and a lotus in His hands, four-armed,

embracing with His left hand Lakṣmī, who is seated on a lotus, resting in His lap, (59)

and with His right hand ready to bestow a boon upon devotees;

having a beautiful nose, a beautiful forehead, beautiful eyes, and a pair of beautiful ears, (60)

the broad-chested God endowed with all beauty,

resplendent with all ornaments, clad in a divine yellow garment; (61)

and also Lakṣmī holding a lotus in her hand, offering betel.

Having bathed Him with the five nectars, one should clothe Him in a pair of garments. (62)

One should worship Him with services according to the extent of one's wealth,

and light copper or earthen lamps with cow's ghee (63)

or with oil, and offer a hundred lamp-trees.

There one should worship Brahmā, and the divine seers beginning with Nārada. (64)

One should also worship brahmins as embodiments of Dāmodara

with pairs of garments, garlands, perfumes, and also chewable foods, eatables, and fruits. (65)

The ritual act of worship being a part of the consecration of the king of sacred fords as appropriate,

by that very rite the worship of Dāmodara should take place here. (66)

With the mantra beginning with "tad viṣṇoḥ", one should also worship Brahmā and the others,

and with songs accompanied by flutes, lutes, and other instruments, and by reciting the Purāṇa, (67)

one should celebrate a great festival, and then hold a night vigil.

Then, at clear dawn, one should perform the fire-offering. (68)

With the eight-syllabled mantra, sacrificial wood, clarified butter, and caru offerings,

and parched grain mixed with honey, one should then sacrifice for the sake of Śrī. (69)

With the hymn, one hundred and eight [oblations], and at the end of that, to Brahmā and the others

one should offer eight oblations with sesame seeds, one by one in order: (70)

to Brahmā, Nārada, Dakṣa, Vasiṣṭha, and Gautama,

to Sanatkumāra, Atri, Bharadvāja, and Kaśyapa, (71)

to Durvāsas, Agastya, and after that to Mahādeva.

For these are renowned Vaiṣṇavas, forms of Viṣṇu without a doubt. (72)

Worshipping these brahmins, Viṣṇu is instantly pleased.

At the end of the fire oblation, having taken the sip of food, one should give the priest's fee to the preceptor: (73)

a cow adorned with gold, clothing, and grain, with devotion;

for the pleasure of Vāsudeva, one should feed the eminent brahmins. (74)

Then one should give the image of Dāmodara along with all articles of worship: (75)

"Oṃ. O Dāmodara, O Lord of the World, the universe is indeed full of You!

All this rests on You; You are Dharma, the creator of all beings.

By Your grace the vow has been observed; may it be completely fulfilled for me! (76)

Dāmodara is the giver, and the bull-bannered Lord is the receiver;

the Lord of the World is being given—may the Teacher of the World be pleased with me!" (77)

Chanting this mantra, he should give the foremost of gods to the preceptor.

Having concluded, one should worship with devotion, praise him, and propitiate him. (78)

For when the preceptor is completely pleased, Mādhava is pleased.

And then one should indeed give those respective items to the brahmins. (79)

Then one should oneself eat together with dear ones, cultured companions, and one's own kinsmen.

Having thus duly established this four-month vow, (80)

endowed with the fruit as described, he will attain the world of Viṣṇu.

In the Śrutis, Smṛtis, and Purāṇas, there is no observance superior to this,

by the mere performance of which a man becomes one who has achieved all his goals.

There is no other observance, O twice-born ones, that gives as much pleasure to Viṣṇu as this.

With thousands of vessels of sesame, and tens of thousands of cows,

with even a hundred black antelope skins, and ten thousand maidens,

the fruit that one obtains by giving [these], having performed this excellent observance,

as well as the fruit of bathing in thirty-five million sacred fords—

that fruit a man attains, O brahmins, whatever [fruit] he desires.

Thus ends the thirty-ninth chapter, entitled “The Rules of the Cāturmāsya Vow,” in the Puruṣottamakṣetramāhātmya of the second [section], the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, in the Skandapurāṇa, the great Purāṇa in eighty-one thousand verses.