Mudgalapurana 6.36: vikaṭāvatāracaritasamāptivarṇanaṃ nāma ṣaṭtriṃśattamo'dhyāyaḥ

Reverence to Śrī Gaṇeśa.

Ādiśakti said: / Seeing Kāmāsura endowed with supreme peace, the divine sages, / filled with wonder, worshipped Vikaṭa and praised him with folded hands.

The divine sages said: / The unborn, ancient, supreme, and imperishable one, whose nature is the eternal Self, who illumines everything, / devoid of the unreal, residing within various forms—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

That which is devoid of beginning, middle, and end, the true life, bearing the nature of life, / the eternal nectar, Brahman devoid of modification—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

By you alone māyā was created from your own reflection; she herself bore the potency of the reflection of life, / and became equipped and capable of creation—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Likewise, Sāṅkhya consisting of the unreal was made, and likewise Brahman having the nature of true knowledge, / resting on endless divisions, immeasurable—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Then by his own knowledge he produced the primordial form, pure, resting on the One, 'I am He,' / the supreme origin of the universe, consisting of the bindu—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

And from those two the four-quartered universe was created, endowed with the individual and the collective; / to Gaṇeśa, who gives life to unborn beings—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

All is pervaded by you through a state devoid of difference; you shine in the form of light, O Lord, / performing endless play, immeasurable—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

You are devoid of unborn beings, O Gajānana, and yet you shine everywhere through devotion; / therefore they call Gaṇeśa 'Vikaṭa'—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

In the form of Hari, O Vināyaka, you protect this [universe]; through rajas you are the Creator, / and endowed with tamas you are Hara—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Dwelling within the manifested actions, you are Aryaman in the form of the giver of life; / and in the form of action, abiding in Śakti—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

And in the form of the eternal Self you abide, O Ḍhuṇḍhirāja, O supporter of the universe, whose form is the universe; / you never enter into worldly existence—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Ever to be worshipped from the beginning, well-praised by all, granting Gaṇeśa's perfections on all sides, / shining in the pure mind, bearing elephant ears—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Abiding well in the city named Svānanda, endowed with three eyes, seated upon a mouse, / having a large belly and a single tusk, the ruler of kings—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Shining on the side of your devotees, free from obstacles, granting whatever the mind desires, / the destroyer of all who take refuge in non-devotion—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

The restrainer residing in your hand among the worlds and the diverse Brahmans, O Lord, / the great goad, the one bearer of the goad—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

The single fetter of the nature of delusion is the noose resting in the Master's hand, / destroying the fetters of those who practice devotion to him—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

There is never any fear for those who take refuge in you; protection is always held in your hand; / casting away the wicked, they are filled with fear—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

The very nectar, O Lord of obstacles, which is food abiding in the worlds, placed in the Master's hand, / the excellent sweetmeat that brings joy to beings—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Consisting of the unreal, all-pervading, and differentiated, yet beyond it, always established in profound peace; / therefore people call you Vikaṭa—we worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

[Section 6, Chapter 36, Page 103] How can we, possessed of little understanding, praise the Lord whom even the Vedas and others, / and Śuka and the rest, are unable to praise, who cannot be crossed over? We worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

Even so, O Lord, O ruler of Brahman, you have been well praised by the understanding born of your sight. / Therefore, be well pleased, O protector of the wretched! We worship that Vikaṭa, the supreme Lord.

The Primeval Śakti said: / Having thus praised Vikaṭa, O great goddess, the divine seers / all bowed down like a staff and then danced before [him].

He, the Lord of all, Vikaṭa, constrained by devotion, spoke to them, / to the divine seers endowed with devotion, the Lord affectionate to his devotees:

Vikaṭa said: / Choose boons, O fortunate gods accompanied by sages! / I shall grant [them] to those endowed with devotion, greatly pleased by the hymn of praise.

This hymn of praise composed by all of you, which is mine, granting my abode, / shall be supreme for the person who recites or hears it.

It fully bestows worldly enjoyment and liberation, increases sons and grandsons, / and grants wealth, grain, and desires through the recitation of the hymn of praise.

Accomplishing the six rites, destroying another's sorcery, / and taking away various diseases, it will be complete for those who serve well.

And for those fallen into prison, it shall bring release from bonds; / by reciting it a thousand times, it constantly increases good fortune.

Through recitation it also consumes multitudes of various sins, / and it will surely bring all perfections; there is no doubt.

Whoever recites it continuously twenty-one times / for twenty-one days, shall instantly accomplish everything.

Having thus heard the words of Vikaṭa, those best of divine seers / and the Śaktis bowed down with devotion and sang to him.

The divine seers said: / Having seen the mighty Kāmāsura joined with peace, O Gajānana, / we are all contented; in this there is no doubt.

Now the twice-born and others will engage in their duties, / the gods will abide in their own positions, and the people will keep to their own dharmas.

The purpose of a boon has been accomplished; what shall we choose now? / Grant your steadfast devotion, so that there is no fear of desire.

Vikaṭa said to them, "So be it," and then vanished. / The divine seers remaining there were filled with sorrow.

Then, together with the hosts of sages, the best of the gods / installed [an image of] Vikaṭa, which bestows joy upon the one who practises devotion.

On the border of the Himālaya, situated in the northwestern direction, / is that place of Vikaṭa, O great goddess, bestowing all perfections.

Having worshipped the image of the great-souled Vikaṭa, the divine seers / went to their respective abodes and returned once more to the sacred field.

Remaining by a portion of themselves in their respective offices, the divine seers, / dwelling in the sacred field, worshipped Vikaṭa with complete devotion.

The great sacred field is four-cornered, ten yojanas in extent; / right in its center, Vikaṭa himself was directly present.

In the four directions stood the four gods headed by Śambhu; / the other gods stood on the left side, and the sages on the right.

The sacred waters belonging to the field were situated in the west, / and in front, devoted people stood shining for the purpose of service.

The mouse was placed right near Vikaṭa; / Perfection stood on his left side, and Intellect on his right side.

The Gaṇas headed by Brahmapriya stood everywhere there,

[Section 6, Chapter 36, Page 104] with weapons in hand, dear to Vikaṭa, worshipping Vikaṭa.

There the Vikaṭatīrtha became supremely renowned; / by bathing in it, a creature instantly attains their supreme desire.

In the end they attain liberation in Svānanda; there is no doubt of this. / It is the complete, beloved sacred water of Vikaṭa, renowned in the three worlds.

Other principal sacred waters of the divine seers all around / are situated in Vikaṭa's sacred field, bestowing happiness through bathing.

If devotees of any other deity die in the sacred field, / they surely go to the world of Vikaṭa.

Having enjoyed pleasures there, going to Svānanda at the dissolution, / they become identified with Brahman solely through the sight of Vikaṭa.

A person obtains all that is desired merely through a pilgrimage to the sacred field; / likewise through the sight of Vikaṭa; of this there is no doubt.

And devotees of Vikaṭa, wherever they may die, / become identified with Brahman; there is no doubt, as agreed by the scriptures.

That image was installed on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhādrapada; / therefore, that became the principal, supreme lunar day of Vikaṭa.

The great annual festival is proclaimed on the fourth day of the bright half of Bhādrapada; / there the gods and others celebrate it endowed with devotion.

Worship at midday is proclaimed to bestow all perfections; / the earlier [morning worship] bestows small perfections, as is to be known through the path of the scriptures.

Blessed are those men in the world who behold supreme Vikaṭa; / they are considered in the Vedas to have accomplished their purpose eternally, O great goddess.

Various other divine seers making their dwelling in the sacred field there / constantly worship Vikaṭa, naturally filled with joy.

They narrate the deeds of Vikaṭa to one another; / their eyes are filled with tears and their hair stands on end out of devoted feeling.

Those people who, having attained a human body, have not seen Vikaṭa, / their lives are fruitless; they are of a nature equal to beasts.

This greatness originating from the sacred field has been declared in brief; / even in ten thousand years I am not capable of declaring it in detail.

Other prominent gods, goddesses, yogins, and foremost knowers of the Vedas / are not capable of describing it even in tens of millions of years.

Thus assuming various incarnations, the Lord upholding dharma, / Vikaṭa, protected the moving and unmoving world by his portion, O goddess.

Whatever best of men hears this greatness of Vikaṭa / or recites it, attains everything and in the end becomes identified with Brahman.

He shall never have any fear of desire, O goddess; / free from desire by his very nature, he attains all desired things especially.

Thus having restrained desire, he brought it under his own control, / Vikaṭa did; that has been told. What more do you wish to hear?

Oṃ tat sat. Thus ends the thirty-sixth chapter, entitled 'The Description of the Conclusion of the Deeds of the Incarnation of Vikaṭa', in the story of Vikaṭa, in the sixth section of the glorious Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa, the ultimate Purāṇa-Upaniṣad.

Section 6, Chapter 37, page 105)