After receiving Śaṃkara’s blessing, the bull, accompanied by the serpent and Garuḍa, slowly made their way to the great lord crowned with the moon. Upon hearing their report, Śaṃkara turned to Garuḍa and spoke kindly: “Mighty-armed one, go to the Gaṅgā, the Gautamī river, purifier of worlds and bestower of all desires. Bathe there, and you will regain your true form. All your wishes will be fulfilled—hundredfold, thousandfold. Those scorched by sin, whose efforts are uprooted by misfortune, will find their desires granted; for them, O bird, Gautamī is a refuge.” Hearing these words, Garuḍa bowed deeply and went to the Gaṅgā. He bathed in her sacred waters and saluted both Śiva and Viṣṇu. Renewed in strength, his golden wings gleaming, Garuḍa returned to Viṣṇu, wise and powerful as ever. From that time, the holy place known as Gāruḍa became renowned for granting all desires. Any ritual, bath, or act performed there with devotion became imperishable, beloved by Śiva and Viṣṇu. Thereafter, Govardhana, another sacred place, was revealed as a destroyer of all sins, a generator of merit for ancestors, and even by mere remembrance, a remover of sin. Its power, as witnessed by the sage, was extraordinary. In those days lived a brāhmaṇa farmer named Jābāli. He was harsh with his oxen, never releasing them from the yoke even when the sun blazed overhead, and striking them with his goad. Surabhi, the wish-fulfilling cow and mother of the world, saw two cows with tearful eyes and told everything to Nandi. Distressed, Nandi reported the matter to Śaṃbhu, who assured him, “Let all your words be fulfilled.” With Śiva’s command, Nandi summoned all that was born of cows. When cows vanished from heaven and earth, urgency arose among the gods. They approached the sage, saying, “Without cows, life cannot be sustained.” He advised them, “Go to Śaṃkara and petition him.” All the gods praised the Lord and reported their concern. Śaṃkara replied, “Nandi knows my will.” The gods then pleaded with Nandi, “Give us the cows, O benefactor.” Nandi answered, “Let a sacrifice called Gosava be performed. Then you will obtain all cows, celestial and earthly. Thus, the Gosava sacrifice, established by the gods, will commence.” By the auspicious Gautamī river, cows multiplied, and Govardhana became a sacred place, increasing the joy of the gods. Bathing there grants the merit of a thousand cows; the results of gifts and other acts performed there are beyond measure. There is also a sacred place called Pāpapraṇāśana, the destroyer of sin and fear of evil. Listen, O Nārada, to its story. In the world lived a renowned Brahmin, Dhṛtavrata, whose beautiful wife was named Mahī. Their son, Sanājjāta, shone like the sun. But Death, prompted by time, took Dhṛtavrata away. Mahī, now a young widow with a small child and no protector, went to the hermitage of Gālava. She entrusted her son to him, but, overcome by sin and desire, wandered many lands, seeking men and indulging her passions. Her son, though raised in Gālava’s house and learned in the Vedas, developed the mind of a courtesan due to his mother’s influence. He dwelled in Janasthāna, a place inhabited by many kinds of people. There, Mahī lived disguised as a merchant, seeking wealth and men who would give her gifts. Her son, too, wandered many lands as a pleasure-seeker, and fate brought him to Janasthāna. Neither recognized the other; by fate, mother and son were united, unaware of their bond. Time passed as they lived together, neither knowing the other as mother or son. One day, a good thought arose in him, though his conduct was improper. Despite his lifestyle, he never neglected the Brahmin’s evening prayers. After performing the twilight worship, he would seek wealth, earning much by his learning and giving it away. Rising in the morning, he would go to the Ganges as prescribed. All acts of purity, bathing, and observances at dawn and dusk must be performed in order; after bowing to the Brahmins, one may proceed to other duties. One morning, a deformed man afflicted with leprosy, his limbs slack and oozing, went to the Gautamī river. After bathing in her waters, he returned transformed—handsome, peaceful, radiant like the sun, as if he were the very embodiment of the sun. Yet, the twice-born man did not recognize either form as his own. The venerable Gālava, devoted to austerity and knowledge, resided there, surrounded by sages. Each day, Brahmins came to that holy place, bowing to Gālava before returning to their dwellings. The body they had before serving the Ganga was restored after bathing and the evening rites; again, both forms appeared to the twice-born, and Gālava always observed this. Astonished by what he saw, Gālava wondered at the cause and, filled with curiosity, addressed the Brahmin, eager to learn the reason behind such a remarkable transformation.