Nārada listened as the tale unfolded, filled with reverence and wonder. A wise sage observed a Brahmin who, time and again, arrived burdened with sin but departed cleansed. The sage declared, “You are now purified by the goddess, freed from all impurity.” Nothing more remained for the Brahmin to accomplish, for before him stood his mother, Bandhakī, herself now liberated from sin through deep remorse. The sage explained, “Affection among beings, child, is natural. Through association with the virtuous, great merit arises, and release is granted by the divine. Her excessive repentance was born of merit performed in earlier times.” At this sacred place, after bathing, both mother and son became purified, as Nārada was told. Their sins vanished without doubt, and from then on, that holy spot was known as the remover of sin. It gained fame as the destroyer of all wrongs, called Gālava’s tirtha. Whether the sins were great or small, or even secondary, all were destroyed here; the place cleansed sin and bestowed great merit. There was another place where Rāma, the son of Daśaratha, together with Sītā, honored the ancestors. This was called the ancestral tirtha. There, bathing, giving, and offering libations to the ancestors granted imperishable merit—there could be no doubt. It was also where Rāma honored the great sage Viśvāmitra, the king among kings, in the company of sages who perceived the truth. The nature of Viśvāmitra’s sacred place, cherished by sages and bestowing virtue, was recited by those versed in the Vedas. Once, a terrible drought afflicted the land. The wise Viśvāmitra, accompanied by his disciples, went to the Gautamī river. He saw his disciples, sons, and wife emaciated and distressed by hunger. The illustrious Kauśika spoke, “In whatever way, whatever thing, wherever, however—bring food to eat, but do not delay; go now and bring it at once.” At the sage’s command, the hungry disciples hurried off. Wandering here and there, they found a dead dog. Quickly, they brought it to their teacher, who accepted it, saying, “Let it be well,” and received it in his hand. He instructed them to cut up the dog’s flesh, wash it, cook it, and, reciting mantras, offer it into the fire as prescribed. “After satisfying the gods, sages, ancestors, guests, and teachers, we shall eat what remains,” Kauśika said. The disciples obeyed. As the dog’s flesh was cooking, Agni, the divine messenger, approached the gods and reported everything. The gods learned that the sages, in distress, would eat the dog’s flesh. At Agni’s report, Indra transformed into a hawk and, flying in the sky, took the pot full of meat. The disciples informed the sage, “The pot has been taken, O best of sages, by the hawk with misguided intent.” The blessed Viśvāmitra grew angry, wishing to curse Hari. Knowing this, the lord of the gods made the pot overflow with honey. Hari again placed the pot among meteors, filled with honey. Seeing this, Viśvāmitra grew wrathful and spoke, “Give us only the dog’s flesh, the best nectar for us; if not, I will reduce you to ashes.” Indra, frightened, replied, “Offer honey as prescribed and drink it with your sons; what use is this impure dog’s flesh, O great sage?” Viśvāmitra insisted, “No, what is the use of a single portion eaten? All beings are suffering—what is the point of that honey, O Hari? If it were nectar for all, I would eat the pure nectar; otherwise, let the gods and ancestors eat this dog’s flesh. Afterwards, I will eat that flesh—there is no falsehood in me.” Frightened, Indra summoned the clouds at once. Nectar-like water rained down, and all beings, endowed with nectar, were purified by that holy nectar, properly offered by Hari. Having first satisfied the gods, and then the three worlds, the sage Viśvāmitra, together with his disciples and wife, partook of the remains. From that time, that sacred ford became supremely holy, where the lord of the gods came and offered nectar to the worlds. That holy ford, free from flesh, arose there, bestowing merit on people; bathing and giving gifts there granted the fruit of all sacrifices. From then on, it was remembered as Viśvāmitra’s ford, as well as the Madhu-ford, the Indra-ford, the Śyena-ford, and the Parjanya-ford. It became known as the Śveta-ford, famed throughout the three worlds, auspicious; merely by hearing of it, one was freed from all sins. Once, there lived a brāhmaṇa named Śveta, a dear friend of Gautama, devoted to hospitality and worship, dwelling at the bank of the Gautamī. With mind, action, and speech, he was devoted to the worship of Śiva; always meditating on and honoring Śiva, Śveta was the best of the twice-born. When the time came to take that excellent brāhmaṇa, devoted to Śiva, at the end of his full lifespan, the messengers of the lord of the southern quarter arrived. Yet, O Nārada, they were unable even to enter his house. When the appointed time had passed, Citraka spoke to Death, “Why does Śveta, whose life is spent, not come, O Death? Why have your messengers not yet arrived? This is not fitting for you.” Thus, the sacred places and the power of devotion, merit, and purification were revealed, their stories echoing through the ages, blessing all who hear them.