Tilak Vrat (Samvatsar Pratipadaa Kritya)

Yudhishthir asked - "Bhagavan, All kinds of Vrat for Brahmaa, Vishnu, Shiv, Gauree, Ganapati, Durgaa, Som, Agni, Soorya etc are prescribed in Shaastra. Please tell me about those Vrat, such as which Tithi (day) is for which Devtaa, and what to do on that day."

Krishn said - "On Pratipadaa (first day) of Chaitra Maas, Shukla Paksh, one should take bath and do Tarpan for Devtaa and Pitar. Make an idol of flour of Samvatsar (see also Kalp) in male form, worship it and pray it pronouncing the names of the seasons and months. ( Mantra is on p 387) After reading the Mantra, one should put clothes on it, then again worship it and pray it. Give Dakshinaa to Braahman according to one's capacity, and from that day only start wearing sandalwood paste Teekaa on his forehead. All get good fruits of this Vrat. All kinds of Bhoot, Pret, Pishaach run away seeing the sandalwood paste Teekaa on one's forehead.

In reference to this, I tell you a story. In earlier times, there was a king named Shatrunjaya. He had a very good wife named Chitralekhaa. First of all she started observing this Vrat taking Sankalp (vow) from Braahman. After long time, because of this Vrat, she had a son. She always observed Samvatsar Vrat and applied sandalwood paste Teekaa.

After some time a mad elephant killed her husband and their child also died of some head disease. Raanee got very grieved. Dharm Raaj's messengers came to take them, they saw Raanee sitting there close to their dead bodies, she was wearing sandalwood paste Teekaa. Seeing this they went back and the king and his son got all right. Shankar Jee told me this which I told to you. This Tilak Vrat takes away all pains and sorrows.