There are many sacred places upon the earth, each possessing its own unique holiness and power. Among them are the stream of Kumara and the stream of Shri, the lofty peak of Gauri, the pool of Shunah, and the revered tirthas, including the Nandi tirtha. There is also the abode of Kumara, the abode of Shri, the earth-cooling tirtha, the lakes of Kumbhakarna and Kaushiki, each sanctified by the presence of divinity. The Dharma tirtha and Kama tirtha are renowned, as is the tirtha of Uddalaka, the Sandhya tirtha, the river Karatoya, Kapila, and the mysterious Red Ocean. The source of the Shona river, the bamboo thicket, Rishabha, the Kala tirtha, the lake of Punyavati, other holy tirthas, and the hermitage of Badarika are also counted among these sacred places. There is the Rama tirtha, the ancient forest of ancestors, the Viraja tirtha, the forest of Markandeya, the Krishna tirtha, and the sacred banyan. The foremost well of Rohini, the lake of Indradyumna, Sanu garta, Samahendra, Shri tirtha, and the Shri river are all places of pilgrimage. Iṣutīrtha, Vārṣabha, the pool of the Kaveri, Kanyātīrtha, Gokarṇa, and the place of the Gāyatrī are revered as well. Among these are the pool of Badarī, another sacred pool, the central place called Vikarṇaka, the pool of Jāti, Devakūpa, and the slope of Kuśa grass. There is the pool at Kanyāśrama, the vow of all the gods, and another tirtha of the Vālakhilyas, both ancient and recent. Another undivided pool of the great sages is also counted among these holy places. In all these sacred sites, those who bathe with fasting and self-control, following the proper rites and with full faith, satisfy the gods, seers, humans, and ancestors in due order. Whoever worships the deities there and remains for three nights receives, at each tirtha, the separate fruits of merit. Such a person attains the reward of a horse sacrifice—there is no doubt in this. Even one who daily hears, recites, or causes others to hear the supreme glory of these holy places is freed from all sins. Desiring to know more, the sages addressed their teacher: “On earth, tell us of the most excellent land, which bestows virtue, desire, wealth, and liberation. O best of speakers, declare to us the supreme holy place among holy places.” The teacher replied, “Long ago, the sages asked this very question of my own preceptor. Now, O best of the twice-born, I shall tell you what was revealed to me.” He described a supremely holy hermitage, adorned with many flowers and filled with a wide variety of trees and creepers. Many kinds of animals dwelled there, and the air was fragrant with the scent of puṃnāga, karṇikāra, sarala, devadāru, śāla, tāla, tamāla, panas, dhava, and khādira trees; also pāṭala, aśoka, bakula, karavīra, and campaka, along with countless other flowering trees. In this sacred grove at Kurukshetra sat Vyāsa, the foremost of the wise, composer of the Mahābhārata, and master of all the scriptures. He was firm in spiritual discipline, all-knowing, devoted to the welfare of all beings, speaker of the Purāṇas and Āgamas, and master of the Vedas and their branches. The tranquil son of Parāśara, with eyes wide as lotus petals, sat there, and to see him, sages of firm vows approached joyfully. Among those present were Kaśyapa, Jamadagni, Bharadvāja, Gautama, Vasiṣṭha, Jaimini, Dhaumya, Mārkaṇḍeya, and Vālmīki; Viśvāmitra, Śatānanda, Vātsya, Gārgya, Āsuri, Sumantu the Bhārgava, Kaṇva, and Medhātithi; Māṇḍavya, Cyavana, Dhūmra, Asita, Devala, Maudgalya, Tṛṇayajña, Pippalāda, and Akṛtavraṇa; Saṃvarta, Kauśika, Raibhya, Maitreya, Harita, Śāṇḍilya, Vibhāṇḍa, Durvāsā, and Lomaśa; Nārada, Parvata, Vaiśaṃpāyana, Gālava, Bhāskari, Pūraṇa, Sūta, Pulastya, and Kapila; Ulūka, Pulaha, Vāyu, Devasthāna, Caturbhuja, Sanatkumāra, Paila, Kṛṣṇa, and Kṛṣṇānubhautika. Surrounded by these and many other eminent sages, the illustrious son of Satyavatī shone like the moon among the stars. Vyāsa, knower of the Vedas, honored all the sages who had gathered, and they in turn honored him and engaged in friendly conversation. When their discussions had ended, these foremost sages, all residents of the hermitage, approached Kṛṣṇa Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, son of Satyavatī, with a question that weighed on their minds. They said, “O sage, you know the Vedas, the scriptures, the Purāṇas, the Āgamas, the Mahābhārata, and all speech—past, present, and future. In this difficult, sorrowful, and empty ocean of existence, filled with the fierce crocodiles of attachment and flooded by the waters of sense objects, in the whirlpool of the senses, crowded with waves of perception and muddied by delusion, in the dangerous, deep, and hard-to-cross abyss of greed, we see the world sinking, unsupported and unconscious. We ask you, O greatly fortunate one—tell us, O best of sages: What is the highest good in this terrifying, hair-raising cycle of existence? You should instruct the people to uplift them. Speak of the rare, supreme field that grants liberation, and of the earth as the realm of action—we wish to hear. “A person who performs actions properly on the field of earth, as prescribed, attains supreme accomplishment; but by wrong actions, hell. Likewise, in the field of liberation, a wise person attains liberation. Therefore, O great sage, tell us what you have been asked, O best of the twice-born.” Hearing the words of those pure-minded sages, Vyāsa, the blessed knower of past, present, and future, addressed them. “Listen, all you sages—I will recount, as you have requested, the ancient dialogue that once took place between the sages and Brahmā himself.