Mudgalapurana 4.10: mārgaśīrṣaśuklacaturthīvarṇanaṃ nāma daśamo'dhyāyaḥ

Homage to the holy Gaṇeśa.

Daśaratha said: / Hearing the narrative of Gaṇeśa, joy arises in my heart; / therefore tell me, O sage, about that [fourth day] which falls in the bright fortnight of Mārgaśīrṣa.

Vasiṣṭha said: / Here I shall describe to you an ancient historical account / that took place on the bright fourth day in Mārgaśīrṣa, O king.

In ancient times there was a king, the lord of Kāśī, of virtuous fame, / named Ajātaśatru, well versed in all the scriptures,

devoted to gods, brahmins, and guests, intent upon diverse dharmas, / dedicated to protecting his subjects in accordance with scripture, giving honor [to all].

There Nārada unexpectedly arrived to see the king; / bowing to that great-souled one, he worshipped him with devotion.

The best of kings personally massaged his feet / and, with great joy, spoke to that supreme, all-traversing Nārada.

Ajātaśatru said: / Blessed is my birth, my sons and family, my thornless kingdom; / blessed are both my parents and my knowledge, from beholding your pair of feet!

Tell me the essence of all, which bestows yoga and peace, / by which a human being is instantly freed from the sorrows of worldly existence.

Then the yogin Nārada, foremost among the Gāṇapatyas, O king, / filled with delight, spoke smilingly words full of essence.

Nārada said: / Well asked by you, O king! It is supreme, bestowing Brahman on all. / Listen, I will tell you the yoga that bestows peace.

Brahman is described in various ways in the Veda according to the difference of recipients; / mere becoming Brahman is not supreme; that very one is, O lord.

Worship with heartfelt devotion Gaṇeśa named Brahmaṇaspati; / through the restraint of mental fluctuations, you will become Cintāmaṇi.

‘I am Gaṇeśa, there is no doubt’—how could [doubt] exist for me in that? / [He is] union and disunion, O king; through him you will attain peace.

His great vow is known as the Fourth; / if your kingdom is lost, through it you will not become a dweller in hell.

It is proclaimed to fully grant dharma, wealth, pleasure, and liberation; / known as the Fourth, O king, boon-giving, it is considered [a remover of] distress.

Men perform various rites for the attainment of all ends; / but if they are devoid of the vow of the fourth day, those rites become fruitless.

Having spoken thus, the great yogin Nārada, filled with compassion, / related the greatness arising from the fourth day, O king.

Then that best of kings, bowing with feeling, / asked him who knows all paths once again about the worship of Gaṇeśa.

Ajātaśatru said: / The greatness of Brahmaṇaspati has been heard by me, O great-minded one; / tell me the path of his worship, O all-knowing one; homage to you!

Nārada said: / Worship Vināyaka Ḍhuṇḍhi according to the rule of the single-syllable [mantra]; / by that, Gaṇeśa will become achievable for you and directly perceptible.

He imparted to him according to rule the entire worship of Gaṇeśa / and the single-syllable mantra with its limbs, and then disappeared.

Then first, O king, when the bright fourth day falling in Mārgaśīrṣa arrived, / it was performed by him through fasting according to rule.

Likewise, O king, it was performed by all the people as the bestower of everything; / then by him it was praised and well accomplished everywhere.

Those wretched men who do not observe the bright and dark fourth day, / or women [who do not], are to be punished and are great sinners indeed.

Having constantly worshipped Ḍhuṇḍhirāja with effort, the supreme king / worshipped with devotion and became an eminent yogin approved by yogins.

Section 4, chapter 10, page 32) Then, after a long time had passed, Gajānana became directly / visible to that king and said to him: 'Name a boon!'

Praised and worshipped by him, Ḍhuṇḍhirāja was pleased; / he made King Ajātaśatru a Gāṇapatya.

Having granted that desired boon, he disappeared right there; / the king of kings worshipped that Ḍhuṇḍhirāja with single-minded consciousness.

In the end, accompanied by his citizens, the king went to Gaṇapa, / and along with all became one with Brahman, approved by yogins.

Thus the great majesty that took place on the bright fourth day / in Mārgaśīrṣa has been related to you in brief, O king; there is no doubt.

Listen to another story, O king, which removes all fear, / which, through association with the vow of a courtesan, brought about becoming Brahman.

Once in Mithilā, a certain courtesan who enchanted men / arrived; upon merely beholding her, all men were enamoured.

Greatly honoured by the king, she chose to dwell there. / Once, having gone to a sacred bathing place, she was seen before [him] by a rakṣasa.

Seizing her, the rakṣasa went to his own abode filled with joy. / Seeing him, agitated with terror, she wailed in deep distress.

Though consoled there by the rakṣasa, she never abandoned her sorrow. / At that time, the bright fourth [lunar day] of Mārgaśīrṣa arrived.

Because of her extreme grief, O king, she did not consume water or food. / On the fifth [day], she died there with a heart filled with fear.

Then, conveyed by a messenger of Gaṇeśa to the city of Svānanda, / she became one with Brahman through the power of the merit of the vow.

Even when performed in ignorance, this great vow named Varada / is declared to bestow union with Brahman; how much more so when done with knowledge?

The man who observes the bright fourth [lunar day] occurring in Mārgaśīrṣa, / and he who hears [this story], also attains every object.

Om tat sat. Thus in the venerable final Purāṇopaniṣad, the glorious Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa, in the fourth section, in the Deeds of Gajānana, the tenth chapter, titled “Description of the Bright Fourth Lunar Day of Mārgaśīrṣa.”