Hari alone is the agent of all actions—He is the one who is worshipped through every sacrifice, and He is Himself the fruit of all such actions. From Him arises the very beginning of each age, and apart from Hari, nothing at all exists. Now, in the vast expanse of the sky, the Lord reveals Himself in a wondrous form composed of stars, appearing as a great dolphin. At the tip of its tail is fixed the steadfast star, Dhruva. As this celestial dolphin revolves, it causes the revolution of the planets, including the Moon and the Sun. The stars, bound to it, move along like the spokes of a wheel turning around its hub. The Sun, the Moon, the stars, and all the planets are firmly bound to Dhruva by invisible bands of wind, holding them in their courses. This constellation, the dolphin in the heavens, is the supreme abode of Nārāyaṇa, who abides as its very support, established deep within its heart. It was Dhruva, the son of Uttānapāda, who, after worshipping the Lord of all creatures, was established at the tail of this dolphin constellation. Janārdana, the Lord, upholds the dolphin and oversees all; the dolphin supports Dhruva, and in Dhruva, the Sun is established. By this wondrous chain of support, the whole world—gods, asuras, and humans alike—is upheld. Listen, O sages, to how this comes to be. Vivasvān, the Sun, in the course of eight months, absorbs the waters that are the essence of all sap and life. Then he causes rain to fall, and from that rain comes food, by which the whole world is sustained. With his sharp rays, the Sun draws up water from the rivers, oceans, earth, and even from living beings. Soma, the Moon, then nourishes this water, carrying it by channels of air across the sky. The waters, thus drawn up, are gathered into the clouds by the interplay of vapor, fire, and wind. The clouds retain these waters, not letting them fall until the proper time. When the moment is ripe, the wind drives the purified waters from the clouds down to earth, making them pure and fit for all beings. The Sun takes up four kinds of water: from rivers and oceans, from the earth, and from living beings. Most radiant, he even draws up the celestial Ganges, and with his rays sends it down to earth, sometimes even when there are no clouds. O best of the twice-born, a mortal whose sins and stains are washed away by contact with such water does not go to hell, for this is the divine bath. The water seen by the Sun, falling from the sky without clouds, is none other than the water of the celestial Ganges, cast down by the Sun’s rays upon the cows. When water falls from the sky upon the uneven constellations beginning with Kṛttikā, having been seen by the Sun, it is to be understood as Ganges water, born from the elephants of the directions. But when water falls upon the paired constellations rising with the Sun, it is quickly taken up again and removed by the Sun’s rays. Both kinds of water are exceedingly holy, removing sin from those who receive them; the celestial Ganges water is especially divine for the ritual bath. Water released by the clouds nourishes all living beings and sustains all plants, for it is truly nectar for life. By this water, the entire group of medicinal plants attains great growth; it is the cause of fruit ripening, and from it, offspring are produced. With this water, those who see with the eye of scripture perform their daily sacrifices, thereby nourishing the gods. Thus, the sacrifices, the Vedas, the castes beginning with the twice-born, all the gods, herds of animals, and all beings exist. This entire world, both immobile and mobile, is sustained by rain; and that rain is produced by Savitṛ, the Sun. Savitṛ is the fixed foundation of all, and the fixed star is the Śiśumāra, the celestial dolphin, which too rests upon Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa abides in the heart of the Śiśumāra, supporting all beings. He is the primordial, eternal one. Thus, O best of sages, I have described the cosmic egg, the Brahmāṇḍa, joined with the earth, the ocean, and all other elements. Now, what else would you wish to hear? The sages replied: "Please speak of the holy tīrthas and sacred places upon the earth, O knower of dharma. Our minds long to hear of them." He who restrains his hands, feet, and mind, whose learning, austerity, and fame are present, attains the true fruit of tīrtha. The purified mind, speech, and control of the senses—these bodily tīrthas awaken the path to heaven. But a mind corrupted within is not purified by bathing at tīrthas, even if washed hundreds of times with water, just as an impure wine vessel cannot be cleansed by mere rinsing. Neither tīrthas, nor gifts, nor vows, nor hermitages can purify one whose intent is wicked, whose taste is for deceit, and whose senses are uncontrolled. Wherever a person dwells, having brought his senses under control, there indeed is Kurukṣetra, Prayāga, and Puṣkara. Therefore, listen as I briefly speak of the tīrthas and sacred places upon the earth, as they truly are. Even in a hundred years, it is not possible to describe in detail the first holy place, Puṣkara, and also Naimiṣāraṇya. I will also mention Prayāga, Dharmāraṇya, Dhenuka, Campakāraṇya, and likewise Saindhavāraṇya; the sacred Magadhāraṇya, Daṇḍakāraṇya, Gayā, Prabhāsa the glorious, and the divine Kanakhala. Further, Bhṛgutuṅga, Hiraṇyākṣa, Bhīmāraṇya, Kuśasthalī, Lohākula, Sakedāra, and Mandarāraṇya; Mahābala, Koṭitīrtha, which removes all sins, Rūpatīrtha, Śūkarava, and Cakratīrtha of great merit; Yogatīrtha, Somatīrtha, the holy Sāhoṭaka, the sacred Kokāmukha, and also the mountain Badarī. Thus, the sacred abodes of the earth are many and wondrous, but the true tīrtha lies in the purity of one’s own heart and the control of one’s senses, for there abides the presence of the Lord.