Once, as the king sat in contemplation, a scorpion suddenly appeared and, in its anger, stung him. The pain was sharp, but Nirbhayananda, his companion, swiftly came to his aid and drew the poison out, relieving the king. In that moment, Nirbhayananda began to instruct the king: “O fortunate king, listen as I reveal to you the six enemies of the mind. These arise from the passionate nature within us, each distinct in its own way: delusion, hypocrisy, intoxication, possessiveness, hope, and reproach. Desire takes the forms of both Vishnu and Rudra, while anger, greed, and even destiny are counted among these forces. Yet, all of them are subject to illusion—so what is the purpose of their worship? “Know this: He who is never conquered by these enemies is the true conqueror, the non-dualist, pure and stainless. Hear from me, O lord of the earth, the dharma that leads to the favor of such a one. The worship of cows is pure, and violence must be shunned everywhere. Meat and intoxicating drink are always to be avoided. Instead, one should use justly earned wealth to feed the hungry. The sun is indeed the soul of Jina; in that radiance, one should offer food.” Hearing these teachings, the king accepted the doctrine of Jina with a devoted heart. But the queen, troubled by these changes, sought refuge in Shiva. By Rudra’s boon, a most excellent son was born to her, named Guṇaśekhara. Yet, at the end of his life, Guṇaśekhara descended to hell, while by the power of his own virtue, the king, his father, attained heaven. In the springtime, the king, accompanied by his family, went into the forest. Fatigued from their journey, he found joy with his queens. Picking a lotus flower, he offered it tenderly to one of the queens. Yet, soon after, distress befell her, and the king cared for her as she fell down, agitated. Her foot, however, was purified, and as her fainting ceased, another queen then fainted in turn. When the beautiful morning dawned, the king returned home with all of them. O great king, among these maidens, which was the best? One, due to her airy nature, was overcome by the scent of the lotus flower; the second, afflicted by phlegm, fainted from the coolness of the moon. Smiling, the god then addressed the king, who was devoted to the path of existence, and said, “That principal one is the eternal Vedic dharma. The Śūdra, the Vaiśya, the Kṣatriya, and the Brāhmaṇa—all practice celibacy. He who, after uniting with a wife, lives as an ascetic within the household is a true householder. In the Jain scripture, too, the dharma of living like an ascetic within the home is proclaimed.” The god then spoke to the king a verse, auspicious and full of questions regarding dharma: “O king, in the splendid city of merit, served by people of many kinds, there was a minister named Satyaprakāśa, and his beloved was Lakṣmī. O noble one, tell me, in how many ways does happiness exist in this world? In the stage of celibacy, supreme happiness is called ‘brahmānanda.’ In the forest-dweller stage, it is called ‘dharmānanda,’ though it is lesser. But in the stage of renunciation, the bliss of Shiva is the highest of all. O king, in the householder’s stage, there is no happiness without a wife.” Moved by these words, the king sought a wife worthy of himself, one devoted to dharma. He said to his minister, “Find me a suitable woman today, O sir.” Hearing this command, the minister set out, traveling from land to land, and in his heart, he praised Sindhu, the auspicious lord of all holy places.