Having spoken thus to the king, the woman showed him an alternative path. Then, gathering the army, she led them to the very place where the thief himself stood. With respect, she recounted everything that had transpired, and, laughing, she addressed the demon, saying, “You have prepared my meal.” Declaring that fate impelled her, she announced, “Today I shall devour all these men.” Without delay, she fell upon the great army, consuming it, and the survivors fled in panic in all ten directions. In the chaos, the thief himself approached the king in anger and spoke his mind. Hearing the commotion, the king hurried to the scene. There, together with the demon, the pit was reduced to ashes in a moment. Thus, with all the wealth and women, the woman returned. Drums resounded in every house, and on that day, throughout the city, the thief was paraded on a donkey for all to see. At the sight of his condition, the woman who had delighted in happiness fainted. The thief approached the king and demanded, “The five hundred thousand in wealth is mine.” The king laughed and replied, “This is a thief, a plunderer of wealth.” Hearing these words, the thief lost all hope and met his end. At that very moment, his daughter was overcome by divine illusion. Then, pleased, the goddess Durgā bestowed long life upon them by her grace. Having done this, he again spoke to the king, smiling gently. He wondered, “What should I give to her, who is so full of affection for me?” He explained, “Therefore, I wept afterwards—listen to the reason for my laughter. One who is unrighteous is not fit to receive the rewards of heaven. Thus, he laughed at first, deluded by Hari’s divine play. Because of that delusion, he uttered harsh words, and thus the pure one was saved alive.” O King, in those days, there was a delightful city named Puṣpāvatī, where a noble king resided. His queen was Candraprabhā, radiant with beauty and youth. One day, she went with her friends to a grove filled with flowers. There, the queen became enchanted, and a Brāhmaṇa who was present fell to the ground. When the queen returned home, two Brāhmaṇas arrived at the palace. Upon seeing the Brāhmaṇa who had come—himself young and handsome—he was moved, wept, and told him everything. In the house, he recited the great mantra, joined with the seed-syllable of Cāmuṇḍā. There was a single beautiful maiden in the household, auspicious and twelve years of age. The two Brāhmaṇas went to the royal palace and offered their blessings to the king. Meanwhile, the king’s son and wife, having fled, came together to search for them. One of the Brāhmaṇas said, “Until I return to my own house, protect her righteously.” Entrusting the maiden to a certain woman, the twice-born Brāhmaṇa returned home. Then, in the middle of the night, Sudeva spoke without fear to the woman. She replied, “Sudeva, best of Brahmins, you are always in my heart.” Sudeva answered, “O Subhū, if you desire the best of Brahmins, I will always be your servant, O twice-born lady.” Hearing this, Sudeva removed the device from her mouth. O king, after four months had passed, she became pregnant.