Skandapurana 2.4.10

Brahmā said:

Then, having performed an oil-massage on the first lunar day, followed by the waving of lamps,

well-dressed, one should spend the day with noble stories, songs, and gifts. 1.

Formerly, Śaṃkara initiated a delightful game of dice,

truly on the first day in the bright fortnight of Kārttika. 2.

Listen also to the māhātmya of the day of Bali's reign, in truth:

a bath with sesame oil must be taken by both men and women. 3.

If out of delusion one does not do so, he goes to the abode of Yama.

Formerly, at the beginning of the Kṛta age, the great Daitya king Bali— 4.

by him the earth along with his own head was given to Vāmana.

Then the Lord, appearing visibly and pleased, spoke to Bali: 5.

"Since you, on the first day of the bright fortnight in the month of Kārttika,

gave the earth to me with devotion, I am pleased with you because of that, O sinless one! 6.

I grant you a boon, O king!" Having spoken thus, he then gave a boon:

"O king, the first tithi of Kārttika shall be known by your name alone. 7.

Whatever worship beginning with an oil-bath they perform on this day,

that shall become imperishable, O king; there should be no doubt in this regard." 8.

From then on, this first tithi has been celebrated in this world.

However, a first tithi that is overlapped by the previous day must never be observed. 9.

One should not perform an oil-massage on that day; otherwise, one might meet with death.

When the new moon extends for the measure of a muhūrta into the first tithi, 2.4.10.10

if an auspicious rite is performed on that day, one's wealth and so forth is destroyed.

If Bali's first tithi happens to be overlapped by the new moon, 11.

and if on it a woman should perform the waving of lamps out of delusion,

widowhood of women and certain death of the subjects occurs there. 12.

If the un-overlapped first tithi should last even for a muhūrta on the following day,

it alone has been prescribed by the wise for festivities and similar observances. 13.

If the first tithi does not exist even for a slight measure on the next day,

then the one overlapped by the previous day should be observed; when so performed, it incurs no fault. 14.

On that day, inside the house or in its courtyard,

one should make an image with cow dung, and also place curd in front of it. 15.

Placing a lamp for waving there, one should perform [the rite] thus according to rule.

Those who do not perform an oil-massage on that day, O foremost of sages, 16.

auspiciousness will surely not be theirs for the duration of a year.

In whatever condition one remains on that auspicious day, 17.

that will be his state for the whole year; therefore, one should practice what is auspicious.

If one desires to enjoy divine, charming, and self-auspicious pleasures, 18.

celebrate the delightful festival of lights on the thirteenth and following days.

Śaṃkara and Bhavānī engaged in a game of dice for sport. 19.

Formerly, having been defeated in dice by Gaurī, Śambhu was stripped naked.

For this reason, Śaṃkara became unhappy, while Gaurī has always remained happy. 2.4.10.20.

Wise men know that gambling is forbidden everywhere, except on the first tithi.

Whoever achieves initial victory will have happiness for an entire year. 21.

Lakṣmī, propitiated by Bhavānī, took the form of a cow.

Govardhana is to be worshipped in the morning, and one should practice gambling at night. 22.

Cows should then be adorned and spared from carrying burdens and milking. 23.

"O Govardhana, support of the earth, protector of Gokula,

uplifted by Viṣṇu's arm, grant me ten million cows!

May that Lakṣmī who abides in the form of a cow among the world-protectors,

bearing clarified butter for the sacrifice, remove my sin! 25.

May cows be in front of me; may cows be behind me;

May cows be in my heart; may I dwell in the midst of cows.

Thus ends the worship of Govardhana.

Having satisfied the gods, noble men, and humans with true sincerity,

others with food and drink, and the learned with gifts of speech;

the dwellers of the inner apartments with garments, betel, and incense, / with flowers, camphor, and saffron,

and with diverse delicacies and foods;

the villagers with gifts of bulls, and feudatories with wealth;

and the troops of infantry with necklets and auspicious bracelets,

inscribed with his own name—the king should individually please the good people.

Having appropriately gratified [them], then [he should watch] wrestlers, men,

and bulls and buffaloes fighting with others;

and likewise the king’s warriors and well-adorned foot soldiers;

mounted upon a dais, he should himself watch actors, dancers, and bards.

He should cause cows, female buffaloes, and other [beasts] to fight and to dwell [together];

he should draw calves towards cows by calling out and answering them.

Then, in the afternoon, in the eastern direction, O you of noble vows,

he fastens the Mārgapālī either to a pillar of a fortress or to a tree,

divine, made of Kuśa and Kāśa grass, with many pendents, O dear one;

having had them inspected, he should lead elephants and horses beneath the Mārgapālī,

as well as cows, bulls, buffaloes, female buffaloes, and strong horses.

He should tie the Mārgapālikā through eminent brahmins who have performed the fire offering.

Then he should make salutation with this mantra, O you of noble vows:

‘O Mārgapāli, salutations to you, who bestow happiness on all the world!

May my horses, elephants, and cows be in happiness beneath you.’

Beneath the Mārgapālī, O son, go cows, great bulls,

kings, princes, and especially brahmins;

having passed under the Mārgapālī, they indeed become free from disease and happy.

Having performed all this in this world, then at night, for Bali, lord of the Daityas,

he should perform worship visibly, when a mandala has been made upon the ground,

drawing Bali, the Indra of the Daityas, with pigments of five colors:

complete with all ornaments, accompanied by Vindhyāvali,

surrounded by the Dānavas Kūṣmāṇḍa, Maya, Jambha, Ūrumadhu;

full-limbed, with an attractive face, wearing a diadem and prominent earrings;

having thus had the two-armed king of the Daityas depicted, then in his own

spacious hall in the middle of the house, he should worship [him],

together with his mother and brothers, and satisfied along with his kinsmen;

with lotuses, water lilies, flowers, kahlāra and red utpala flowers,

with perfume, flowers, food offerings, together with milk, jaggery, and milk-rice,

with offerings of liquor, meat, spirituous drinks, lickables, suckables, and eatables.

With this mantra, O lord of kings, accompanied by his ministers and royal priest,

whoever performs the worship, to him will belong happiness for a year:

‘O King Bali, salutations to you, son of Virocana, O lord!

O future Indra, O enemy of the gods, may this worship be accepted!’

Having thus observed the rites of worship, then keeping awake at night,

he should spend some time in the night with actors, dances, and storytellings.

And the people also, at the boundary of the house, [make] an offering with white grains of rice;

having installed King Bali, one should worship [him] with fruits and flowers.

Dedicated to Bali, all must be performed there, O you of noble vows,

whatever the truth-seeing sages have declared to be imperishable.

Whatever gift is given here, whether little or much,

all that becomes imperishable, auspicious, and pleasing to Viṣṇu.

The men who do not perform your worship at night, O Bali,

may all their Vedic religious merit accrue unto you.

And by Viṣṇu himself, O dear child, being pleased, once more to Bali

was granted this great festival of the Asuras that confers benefit:

just this one single day and night, year after year in the month of Kārtika,

was granted to the king of the Dānavas on the earth, like a mirror.

The king who performs [this] in his realm, whence could there be fear of disease for him?

Abundance of food, security, health, and matchless prosperity are his;

and all the people remain free from disease, rid of all calamities.”

Because the Kaumudī [festival] is performed to set one's state of mind upon the earth,

whatever state of mind a person maintains on this [day], O you of good vows,

whether of joy, sorrow, or the like, in that very manner his year passes.

If weeping occurs, the year is weeping; but if joyful, it is joyful;

if enjoying pleasures, the year will be prosperous; if sound and well, it will remain sound and well.

And this lunar day in Kārtika is declared to belong to Viṣṇu and to the Dānavas.

Those who observe the festival of lamps, bringing delight to all people, and auspiciously worship King Bali,

for their families endowed with discernment for giving and enjoying happiness, the entire year passes in joy and gladness.

Having thus performed the worship of Bali, one should then hold the sport of cattle.

If the moon is seen at night on the day of the sport of cattle,

King Soma destroys the beasts as well as the worshippers of the cows.

The sport of cattle is deemed [proper] when the first lunar day coincides with the new moon;

whoever performs it when overlapping the following [tithi] suffers the loss of sons, wife, and wealth.

Then the cows should be adorned and honoured with mouthfuls of grass and the like;

amidst the sound of songs and musical instruments, one should lead them outside the city,

and having brought them back, one should afterwards perform the ritual waving of lamps.

If, however, the first lunar day is very brief, a woman should perform the waving of lamps,

and then on the second [lunar day], in the evening, one should offer auspicious rows of lights.

Having thus performed the waving of lamps, one is freed from all sins;

and for the pulling of the pole, the first lunar day must be overlapping the previous [tithi].

One should make a very sturdy, new pole fashioned from kuśa and kāśa grass;

it should be brought to the doorway of a temple, a royal palace, or a crossroads.

Princes on one side, and men of lower castes on the other,

taking hold of it, should pull it again and again according to their strength.

The number on both sides should be equal, and all of them very strong;

here the victory of the lower castes means victory for the king for the year.

Behind both groups, beyond those pulling, a line should be drawn;

whichever side pulls past the end of the line attains victory, not otherwise.

The king should carefully preserve this emblem of victory.

Thus ends the tenth chapter, titled “Description of the Greatness of the Bright Pratipad of Kārtika,” in the Praise of the Month of Kārtika in the second section, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the glorious Skanda Mahāpurāṇa consisting of eighty-one thousand verses.