After the turmoil of Daksha’s sacrifice, the blessed Maheshvara, Shankara—the merciful soul of all beings—spoke with compassion, saying, “So be it.” With his words, the sacrifice was made whole. Then, the great god, having completed his task, vanished from sight along with his attendant spirits. In time, the gods departed, each returning to their own abode. But peace did not last; soon a great conflict erupted between the gods and the demons. Overwhelmed by fear of the demons, the gods turned their hearts to Janardana, the Lord of Fortune, praising him with words full of devotion. Even the chief gods, beginning with Indra, undertook austerities to win the favor of Lakshmi, whose heart is ever devoted to Janardana’s feet. To him, whose nature is Brahman and who is beyond all in the three worlds—whether as the rider of Garuda or as Narasimha—the gods sought refuge, praying for compassion and protection from their dire peril. Pleased by their devotion, the blessed Lord Hari, bearing the conch, discus, and mace, appeared before them and asked, “For what purpose have you come? Whatever you require, I shall do.” The gods replied, “O Madhusudana, we are gripped by intense fear of the demons. O Janardana, please resolve to protect us.” Hari then spoke, revealing his predicament: “My discus has been taken away by Hara. What can I do, as my discus is gone? You have come in distress—let all the hosts of gods return; I will provide you protection.” After the gods departed, Vishnu, intent on regaining his discus, journeyed to the banks of the Godavari and began to worship Shambhu, the Lord of Uma. With a hundred thousand divine golden lotuses, fragrant and offered with deep devotion, Vishnu performed worship for Umāpati. As the worship continued, a problem arose: among the thousand lotuses, one was missing. Undeterred, Vishnu, the enemy of the demons, plucked out his own eye and offered it as arghya. Taking the vessel for arghya in his hand, along with the remaining lotuses, he meditated on Shambhu, offering his arghya with no other refuge. In his prayer, Vishnu declared, “O God, you alone know the inner feelings of men; you alone are the refuge and Lord—what deliberation can there be here?” Saying this, with tears in his eyes, he lay prostrate before Shambhu. At that moment, Ishvara, together with Bhavani, appeared before him. Shambhu embraced Hari tightly, granting him various boons. The discus was restored to Vishnu as before, and his eye was healed. All the hosts of gods praised Hari and Shankara, as well as Ganga, the most sacred river, and the god with the bull-banner. From that time, the holy place became known as Cakra-tirtha; merely hearing its story frees one from all sins. Whoever bathes there, gives gifts, or offers oblations to the ancestors, becomes free from all sins and attains heaven with the ancestors. Even today, that holy place marked by the discus is seen. Next, the holy place called Pippala is described, following Cakra-tirtha, where the Lord of the discus regained his weapon. Where Vishnu himself stood and worshipped mighty Shankara for the sake of the discus, that place is called Cakra-tirtha. Where Shambhu became pleased with Vishnu, that is known as Pippala; its greatness is so vast that even the lord of serpents cannot describe it. The lord of the discus and the lord of Pippala—these are the reasons for their names. O Narada, listen with devotion as I recount this, as declared in the Veda. There was a renowned sage named Dadhīci, endowed with virtues. His wife, Lopāmudrā, was highly wise, of noble lineage, and devoted to her husband. Her sister was Gabhastinī, also called Vaḍavā, who was ever dear to Dadhīci and performed great austerities. Dadhīci himself, full of spiritual fire, was always devoted to his household duties. Residing by the Bhāgīrathī, Dadhīci was devoted to welcoming gods and guests, delighting in his wife, and living peacefully, like another Kumbhayoni. By his power, neither Nāras nor Daityas and Dānavas came to that region, where Agastya’s hermitage was established. There, the gods assembled: Rudras, Ādityas, the Aśvins, Indra, Vishnu, Yama, and Agni—having defeated the Daityas who had arrived. Rejoicing in victory and praised by the hosts of Maruts, the lords of the gods, upon seeing Dadhīci, the best of sages, bowed to him. Filled with joy, Dadhīci honored each god individually, then performed his household duties for the gods together with his wife. He inquired after their welfare, and the gods conversed with him, expressing their happiness in his company. Seated and delighted, the sage was repeatedly honored by the gods. They said, “O sage, what is difficult for us to obtain in this world today, when there are compassionate sages like you, who are as wish-fulfilling trees upon the earth? This alone is the fruit for living beings: bathing in holy places, compassion for creatures, and the sight of those like you.” The gods continued, “What we say to you, O sage, is spoken out of affection; having conquered the Daityas and slain the foremost Rakshasas, we have come here. We are happy, especially upon seeing you. We are not able to bear the burden of weapons, nor is it our reward. We do not see a place to keep our weapons; in heaven, knowing the weapons of the enemies of the gods, they are seized and taken away. Weapons were taken below, into the netherworld; therefore, O bestower of honor, let the weapons be kept in your holy hermitage. Here, O Brahmin, there is no danger at all—not from the Dānavas nor from the fierce Rakshasas; by your command, this sacred place is protected, and none can equal your austerity.” Thus, the gods entrusted their weapons to Dadhīci, confident in his virtue and the sanctity of his hermitage, which was guarded by his spiritual power and devotion.