Skandapurana 2.5.14: adhyāyaḥ 14

The Blessed Lord said:

Then, at dawn on the twelfth day, the Matsyotsava should be celebrated by the wise

in the bright fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa, with worship according to rule.

Now, on the tenth day in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, having controlled his self,

the wise man, having performed the worship of the gods and the fire ritual according to rule,

wearing clean garments, with a cheerful mind, having cooked sacrificial food

well-prepared, and having walked five paces, [should perform] once more the purification of his feet.

Having prepared [a tooth-stick] measuring eight finger-widths, born of a milky tree,

one should chew the tooth-stick, and then carefully rinse one's mouth.

Looking at the whole sky and meditating upon me, the wielder of the mace,

with conch, discus, and mace in hand, wearing a diadem and yellow garments,

with a gracious lotus-face, adorned with all auspicious marks—

having meditated [thus], taking water in the hand again, [meditating on me] residing in the center of the sun,

having meditated, a person should offer an arghya-offering there with water from the hands.

At that time, O four-faced one [Brahmā], he should utter these words:

"Having abstained from food on the Ekādaśī, on the next day indeed I

shall eat, O lotus-eyed one; be my refuge, O Acyuta!"

Having spoken thus, then at night, in the presence of my image,

he himself should chant there according to the rule: "To Nārāyaṇa."

Then at dawn, going to a pure river that flows to the ocean,

or to another [stream], or to a pond, or [remaining] at home, with self-restraint,

having fetched pure earth, with this mantra a man

should praise the Lord of gods; then a man becomes purified:

"The bearing and nourishing of beings is always from you, O goddess;

by that truth, release my sin, O you of noble vows!

The sacred fords within the cosmos were touched by the deities with their hands;

therefore I touch and apply this earth that was lifted up by you."

"All saps and waters reside eternally in you, O Varuṇa, at all times;

therefore, having washed this earth, make it purified without delay!"

Having thus propitiated the earth and the water, he should smear himself;

having fashioned a lump of all the clay three times, smearing it in the water,

a man should always bathe properly in that [water], far from crocodiles and turtles,

and having performed obligatory duties, he should return to my house.

Worshiping there the God Nārāyaṇa, Hari, the Great Yogin:

"Homage to Keśava," [worshiping] the feet; and the waist "to Dāmodara";

the pair of knees "to Nṛsiṃha"; the chest "to the bearer of the Śrīvatsa";

the neck "to the Kaustubha-gem and navel"; and the breast "to the Lord of Śrī";

the arms with "To the Conqueror of the Three Worlds"; the head "to the Universal Self";

the mouth "to the wielder of the chariot-wheel [discus]"; the lotus [in hand] with "to the maker of auspiciousness";

the mace with "To the profound one"; the lotus with "to the peaceful form."

Having thus worshiped the Lord of gods, the God Nārāyaṇa, the sovereign lord,

the wise man should then place four jars in front of him,

filled with water, accompanied by garlands, and smeared with white sandalwood paste,

furnished with mango sprouts, enveloped with white cloths,

and covered with copper vessels filled with sesame seeds along with gold.

The jars are proclaimed to be the four oceans.

In the middle of them, one should set up an auspicious seat lined with cloth.

Upon that, [a vessel] of gold, silver, copper, or wood [is placed];

if none of these vessels are obtained, a palāśa-wood vessel is recommended.

Having filled it with water, he should then place in that vessel

God Janārdana fashioned in the form of a golden fish,

possessing the limbs of the God of gods, adorned with the Śruti and Smṛti,

adorned there with various kinds of food, fruits, and flowers.

Having worshiped him according to rule with perfumes, incenses, and garments:

"Just as the Vedas that had sunk into the netherworld were rescued by you, O God,

in the form of a fish, even so deliver me from worldly existence, O Keśava!"

Uttering this, he should keep a night vigil there in front of him.

According to the measure of one's wealth, at clear dawn,

he should have four jars given to four brahmins.

He should give the eastern [jar] to a Ṛgvedic priest, and likewise the southern to a Chāndogya [Sāmavedic priest];

he should give the excellent western jar to one belonging to the Yajurveda branch;

the northern jar he should give as desired; this indeed is the recorded rule.

"May the Ṛgveda be pleased!" [for] the east; and "May the Sāmaveda [be pleased]!" for the south;

"May the Yajurveda [be pleased]!" for the west, and "the Atharva[veda]!" for the north—

in this systematic order, he should have them say, "May it be pleased!"

The golden fish-form he should present to the preceptor,

having worshiped in proper sequence according to rule with perfumes, incense, garments, and other offerings.

Moreover, whoever performs this together with its esoteric ritual merely with the mantra,

having bestowed the rite according to rule, the donor [gains a reward] multiplied ten millionfold.

Indeed, whoever accepts a guru and then, out of delusion, turns against him,

that lowest of men is roasted in hell for ten million births.

He who imparts the sacred rite is called a guru by the wise.

Having thus given [the gift] according to rule, he should worship me on the twelfth lunar day.

He should give a feast to brahmins and a sacrificial fee according to his capacity.

Thereafter, the man himself, with an abundance of sacred food,

should eat together with the brahmins, restraining his speech and controlling his senses.

The man who celebrates the Matsya festival according to this procedure—

listen now to the fruit of his merit, O best of the truthful!

If indeed there were thousands of thousands of mouths,

and if one were to obtain a lifespan equal to Brahmā's, O you of great vows,

only then could the reward of this religious practice be told.

Whoever recites with devotion this supreme ordinance of the twelfth day,

or hears it, is liberated from all sins whatsoever.

Thus ends the fourteenth chapter, named 'The Account of the Matsya Festival,' in the Praise of the Month of Mārgaśīrṣa, in the dialogue between Brahmā and Viṣṇu, in the second part, the Vaiṣṇavakhaṇḍa, of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa comprising eighty-one thousand verses.