Mudgalapurana 3.33: kṛtavīryavrataprāptivarṇanaṃ nāma trayastriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Homage to the glorious Gaṇeśa.

Mudgala said: / Having obtained the observance, written the book, and held it through divine power, / Dhanaka immediately went into Kṛtavīrya's dream.

Seeing his father Dhanaka, Kṛtavīrya bowed to him; / taking his son upon his lap, the king said to him:

Dhanaka said: / "O son, many diverse efforts were especially made by you / for the sake of a son; now by my command perform one observance.

By that merit your son will be born, there is no doubt here; / that book which Brahmā explained to me, take it!"

Having spoken thus and reverently placed that book in his son's hand, / the king vanished, and the prince awoke.

Seeing the book in his hand, he was astonished and overjoyed; / becoming sorrowful, he remembered his father and wept.

Then along with his wife, King Kṛtavīrya went / to his own city, and was reverently honored there by his chief ministers and others.

Then the king summoned the Brahmins and bowed to them; / he showed them the book, and the Brahmins explained its meaning:

"O King, highly fortunate one, in this book an excellent observance / is written, which removes all afflictions, bestows everything, and is supreme.

On the fourth day of the dark fortnight, at moonrise, / Gaṇeśa, the bestower of perfections, should be specially worshipped.

Having worshipped the Gaṇādhyakṣa, an oblation should then be given to the lunar day, O King, / and to Gaṇeśa, and to the moon, by the performer of the observance.

Beginning from sunrise, O King, remembrance of Gaṇeśa / should be done, and one should abstain therein from drinking water and the like.

Having thus offered an oblation to the moon seven times, O best of kings, / and then having worshipped the Brahmins along with their wives, he should bow to them.

He should feed them respectfully with the finest food, modakas and other [sweets], / and also with sweet pāyasa combined with white sugar.

Then he himself along with his friends should partake of food; / he should give gifts to the Brahmins, and blouses and the like to women.

Then a vigil should be kept with praise of Gaṇeśa; / having bathed at pure daybreak, he should worship the Lord as before.

And Gaṇeśa, and then, O King, he should feed the Brahmins as before; / he should cause abundant fees to be given to them, and then bow to them.

Month after month you should perform this observance dedicated to Gaṇeśa; / freed from all afflictions, in the end you will go to Svānanda.

An observance possessing boundless glory has been obtained by you, O King; / through association with you, it will bestow perfection upon people.

This observance was neither heard nor seen by anyone, O ruler of the earth; / it will especially exist for the benefit of all people.

The entire fourfold world is said to cause distress; / therefore, this observance will exist for the destruction of bondage.

Having enjoyed all pleasures here, rare and enjoyable even to gods, / in the end one attains liberation through the power of this observance."

Having spoken thus, all the twice-born then went to their respective hermitages; / and King Kṛtavīrya performed that excellent observance.

Sūta said: / Hearing Mudgala's words, his hair bristling with joy, the Prajāpati / spoke this speech again to him in order to dispel his doubt.

Dakṣa said: / "Beginning from Kṛtavīrya, this observance came to earth; / O great sage, how was it performed by the outcast named Bhīma?

By the merit of the Caturthī observance, that very person became Kṛtavīrya— / (

Section 3, Chapter 34, Page 74) this, which causes doubt, has been described by you, O Brahmin.

Therefore, Mudgala, speak words to me for dispelling this doubt; / you are omniscient, there is no doubt, you are a great and manifest lord of yogins."

Mudgala said: / "O Prajāpati, listen here to my words, O great-minded one, / by which your doubt will go to destruction, of this there is no doubt.

The supreme observance of Gaṇeśa known as Caturthī, O Dakṣa, / which is proclaimed as the remover of afflictions—know that to be ancient.

On earth, in the heavenly world, and in Pātāla, it is agreed upon by all; / when Caturthī originated, from that time onward it was established.

People did not know it anywhere on earth, O lord; / and from Kṛtavīrya the observance went everywhere into manifestation.

All this has been told to you; listen to his narrative, / of King Kṛtavīrya, which bestows merit upon the listener."

Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the glorious final Upaniṣad of the Purāṇas, in the glorious Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa, in the third section, in the exploits of Mahodara, the thirty-third chapter, named "Description of the Attainment of the Observance by Kṛtavīrya."