Just as noble elephants are filled with joy at the rumble of thunderclouds, so too, may your voice bring us happiness and delight. Let your words resound with such power that, like thunder instilling fear in women, your voice causes our enemies to tremble upon the battlefield. You are to be ever honored with sacred mantras, invoked in rituals for victory and other auspicious rites. Each year, your consecration is to be performed with offerings of ghee, a blanket, and with reverence to Vishnu. Pushkara then spoke, revealing the greatness of the mantras. These sacred utterances bring benefit to all, enabling the fulfillment of the four aims of life—dharma, artha, kama, and moksha. The combined count of mantras from the Rig, Atharva, Sama, and Yajur Vedas is said to be one hundred thousand. The Rigveda is preserved in two main branches: the Sankhyayana and the Ashvalayana, containing a thousand mantras and two thousand Brahmanas. The Rigveda, established by authority and remembered by sages like Dvaipayana, is thus upheld. The Yajurveda contains just under two thousand mantras, with a thousand belonging to the Brahmins and eighty-six branches in total, bearing names such as Kanva, Madhyandini, Kathi, and Madhyakathi. Other branches include Maitrayani, Samjna, and Taittiriya, with Vaishampayana and others establishing further traditions within the Yajurveda. In the Sama Veda, Kauthuma and Atharvanayani are the principal branches, accompanied by four types of songs and the Aranyakas. The mantras known as Uktha, Uha, and others amount to nine thousand, and there are four hundred Brahma collections. The Sama Veda is measured as twenty-five in this context, while in the Atharva Veda, the branches of Sumantu, Jajali, and Shlokayana are recognized. Shaunaka, Pippalada, and Munjakesha, among others, are further branches. The Atharva Veda contains ten thousand sixty mantras and a hundred Upanishads. The blessed Vyasa, in his wisdom, created these divisions and branches, with Vishnu as the ultimate cause behind the branching of the Vedas, the histories, and the Puranas. Having received the Purana and other texts from Vyasa, the bard Lomaharshana, along with Sumati, Agnivarcha, Mitrayu, and Shimshapayana, continued the tradition. Thereafter, Kritavrata—also known as Savarni—had six disciples, among whom Shamsapayana and others compiled the collections of the Puranas. Among these Puranas, those beginning with the Brahma and including the ten and eight teachings of Hari are found within the great Agni Purana, wherein Hari dwells in the form of knowledge. Vishnu is both manifest and unmanifest, possessing both form and formlessness. By knowing, worshipping, and praising him, one attains both worldly enjoyment and liberation. Vishnu is ever victorious, the eternal one, manifesting as Agni and Surya. Through the form of Agni, he becomes the mouth of the gods, and he remains the supreme goal. In the Vedas and Puranas, he is celebrated as the essence of sacrifice, and the Purana known as Agneya is considered the greatest form of Vishnu. Janardana himself is both the author and the listener of the Agneya Purana, making the Agni Purana supremely great, encompassing all the Vedas. For those who read or listen to it, Hari, the Self of all, is truly present. The Agni Purana grants kingship to those who desire sovereignty, righteousness to those who seek virtue, and heaven to those who long for celestial realms. For those wishing for sons, it grants sons; for those desiring cows or villages, it bestows them as well. It brings pleasures and all auspicious prosperity to those who seek them, bestows virtue and fame upon people, and grants victory to those who desire triumph. For those who wish for everything, it grants everything; for those who seek liberation, it bestows liberation. Even for those burdened by sin, the Agni Purana destroys their sins. Pushkara continued: That which was once spoken by Brahma to Marichi, up to the measure of food and half of a hundred thousand, should be written and given as the Brahma Purana. In the month of Vaishakha, on the full moon, one who desires heaven should give the Padma Purana, comprising twelve thousand verses, along with a cow rich in milk; in Jyeshtha, it should be given with a cow as well. On the Varaha epoch, Parashara composed the Vaishnava Purana of twenty-three thousand verses, which should also be given. By offering it with a richly endowed cow, one attains Vishnu’s abode. The Vayaviya Purana, beloved of Hari, consists of fourteen thousand verses. During the Shveta epoch, Vayu spoke the Gharma; after writing it, one should give it to a Brahmana in Shravana, together with a superior cow. Where the expansion of dharma is extolled in connection with the Gayatri, and the slaying of Vritra and Asura is recounted, that is called the Bhagavata Purana. On the Sarasvata epoch, it should be given on Proshthapada, consisting of eighteen thousand verses and accompanied by a golden lion. Where Narada has spoken of dharmas based on the great Kalpa, those twenty-five thousand verses are known as the Narada Purana. If one gives it along with a cow and an Ashvini, the highest accomplishment is attained, for therein the distinction between dharma and adharma is considered with regard to foes. In the month of Karttika, the nine-thousand-verse Markandeya Purana should be offered; and what was spoken by Agni to Vasishta is indeed the Agni Purana. Fourteen thousand verses concerning the future, originating from the Sun and spoken by Bhava to Manu, should be given in the month of Pausha, along with a revered guru. To Narada, Savarni spoke the Brahmavaivarta Purana, including the account of the Rathantara, comprising eighteen thousand verses. In Magha, one should give the story of Varaha as recounted in the Brahmavaivarta, and the Rathantara narrative, each with eighteen thousand verses. In the Agneya Kalpa, the Linga Purana comprises eleven thousand verses; by giving this, one attains Shiva, especially in Phalguna, with offerings of sesame and a cow. Finally, fourteen thousand verses of the Varaha Purana, spoken by Vishnu, and the story of Varaha according to the tradition of Manu, are also to be given and honored. Thus, the sacred traditions, the branches of knowledge, and the greatness of the Puranas are revealed—each a pathway to virtue, prosperity, and liberation, each a means to approach the divine, and each a testament to the eternal wisdom of Sanātana Dharma.