Having spoken thus, the all-pervading Lord Janārdana vanished from sight before the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, leaving the best of sages in awe of the divine presence that had just graced him. Now, the procedure of the five sacred waters was revealed for the benefit of the twice-born, along with the fruits gained by bathing, giving, and beholding the deity. The seeker, pure and devoted, is instructed to approach the Mārkaṇḍeya pond, face north, and immerse himself three times in its holy waters, all the while reciting a sacred mantra: “O slayer of Bhaga’s eye, O enemy of Tripura, I bow to you—rescue me, who am sunk in the ocean of worldly existence, seized by sin, and unconscious. Salutations to Śiva, the peaceful one, the remover of all sins; I bathe, O Lord of gods—may my sin be destroyed.” After bathing up to the navel as prescribed, the devotee should satisfy the deities, sages, ancestors, and others by offering water mixed with sesame, doing so with a focused and sincere mind. Having thus purified himself and performed the sipping of water according to custom, he should proceed to the temple of Śiva, enter the sanctum, and circumambulate it three times. With the root mantra, the devotee worships the Lord of Mārkaṇḍeya, and with the Aghora mantra, he bows and propitiates the great god: “O three-eyed one, salutations to you; salutations to you, O wearer of the moon. Protect me, O Virūpākṣa, O great god, salutations to you.” By bathing in the Mārkaṇḍeya pond and beholding Śaṃkara, one attains the merit of ten Aśvamedha sacrifices. Freed from all sins, he ascends to the world of Śiva, where he enjoys supreme pleasures until the very dissolution of the cosmos. Thereafter, returning to this world, he is born as a learned brāhmaṇa; through the yoga of Śaṃkara, he ultimately attains liberation. Next, the devotee approaches the wish-fulfilling banyan tree, circumambulates it three times, and worships it with supreme devotion, reciting: “Om, salutations to the manifest form, to the maker of the great dissolution, to the one seated on the great rasa, to the banyan tree—salutations to you. You are immortal always, O Banyan tree, the abode of Hari. Remove my sin, O wish-fulfilling tree; I bow to you.” Whoever, with devotion, circumambulates and bows to this sacred banyan is instantly freed from sin, just as a serpent sheds its old skin. Simply by stepping into the shade of this wish-fulfilling tree, a man is absolved even of the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa—what then of lesser sins? Beholding the supreme form of Viṣṇu—arising from Krishna’s body, radiant with the light of Brahman, manifest as a banyan tree—and bowing to him, the devotee attains a reward surpassing even that of the Rājasūya and Aśvamedha sacrifices, uplifts his lineage, and ascends to the world of Viṣṇu. By bowing to Garuḍa, who stands before Krishna, one is freed from all sins and proceeds to Viṣṇu’s city. Whoever sees the banyan, Garuḍa, the Supreme Person, Saṅkarṣaṇa, and Subhadrā attains the highest state. Thereafter, the devotee enters the temple of Viṣṇu, circumambulates it three times, and worships Saṅkarṣaṇa with his own mantra and devotion, propitiating him with prayers: “Salutations to you, Rāma who wields the plough; salutations to you, bearer of the pestle; salutations to you, beloved of Revatī; salutations to you, who are affectionate to devotees. Salutations to you, best among the strong; salutations to you, supporter of the earth; enemy of Pralamba, salutations to you; protect me, elder brother of Krishna.” By thus honoring Ananta, the unconquerable one worshipped by the gods—whose form resembles the peak of Kailāsa, whose face is more radiant than the moon, who is adorned with blue garments and crowned by the hoods of great serpents, who is immensely strong, who wields the plough and wears a single earring—the devotee, worshipping the son of Rohiṇī with devotion, attains his desired reward, is freed from all sins, and goes to the world of Viṣṇu. There, he enjoys happiness until the end of the cosmic dissolution; when his merit is exhausted, he returns to earth, born into the foremost family of yogis. Becoming a foremost Brāhmaṇa, accomplished in all the meanings of the scriptures, he attains true knowledge and ultimately reaches the rare liberation. Having worshipped Halin, the wise man then turns to worship Krishna with the twelve-syllable mantra, his mind unwavering. Those steadfast ones who always worship the Supreme Person with this mantra and with devotion truly attain liberation. Not even the gods, nor yogis, nor drinkers of soma, attain that state which is reached by those devoted to the twelve-syllable mantra. Therefore, one should worship Krishna, the teacher of the world, with that very mantra, offering sandalwood paste, flowers, and other offerings, bowing down and seeking his favor. The devotee exclaims: “Victory to Krishna, Lord of the universe! Victory to the destroyer of all sins! Victory to the slayer of Chanura and Keshi! Victory to the vanquisher of Kamsa! Victory to you, lotus-leaf-eyed one! Victory to you, bearer of the discus and mace! Victory to you, dark as a blue cloud! Victory to you, giver of all happiness! Victory to you, O divine one, worshipped by the world! Victory to you, destroyer of worldly existence! Victory to you, Lord and master of all beings! Victory to you, fulfiller of all desires!” He prays further: “In the dreadful ocean of worldly existence, devoid of essence and foaming with suffering, filled with fierce crocodiles of anger and turbulent with the flood of sense-objects, in the mire of countless diseases, in the difficult whirlpool of delusion, I am submerged, O best of gods; save me, O Supreme Person!” Having thus pleased the Lord of gods—the bestower of boons, the cherisher of his devotees, the remover of all sins, the granter of all desires—the devotee beholds Krishna himself: strong-limbed, with two arms, eyes wide as lotus petals, a broad chest, mighty arms, clad in yellow garments, and with an auspicious, radiant face.