Let me share with you this sacred tale, as it has been told in the ancient scriptures. The revered herbs, honored throughout the world for their powers, approached me and spoke without pride. They said, “O best among gods, grant us a husband, a king.” Hearing their earnest plea, I replied to the herbs, “You shall all obtain a husband, a king who increases delight.” Upon hearing these words, the herbs asked again, “Where should we go?” I instructed them, “Let the mothers go to Gautami.” When the Gautami river was pleased, the king whom the herbs sought would be worshipped by the world. Thus, the herbs went to the Gautami river and praised her with devotion. They sang, “What would the people of the world do, afflicted by many sins and suffering, if you do not come to earth, O Gautami, with your sacred waters at Shambhu’s edge? Who knows the destiny of those who bear a human body, or of the rivers upon this earth, O sovereign of waters? O Mother Ganga, destroyer of great heaps of sin, you are always easily accessible. Who indeed knows your glory, O Ganga, revered by the three worlds, Mother of the universe? Even Smara’s enemy, embraced by Gauri, bears you upon his head. Salutations to you, Mother, bestower of desires; salutations to you, embodiment of Brahman, destroyer of sin; salutations to you, who issued from Vishnu’s lotus feet; salutations to you, who emerged from Shambhu’s matted hair.” Thus praised, the goddess Ganga appeared and asked, “What shall I grant?” The herbs replied, “Grant us a husband, O Mother of the world, a king of great splendor.” Ganga then spoke these words to the herbs: “I am of the nature of nectar, and you, O herbs, are immortal mothers. I shall give you Soma, whose soul is nectar, as your husband.” The gods, sages, and Soma himself accepted these words, as did the herbs. Thereafter, all returned to their own abodes. In this way, the great herbs obtained Soma, whose essence is immortality and who removes all suffering and sin, as their king. That place became known as Soma-tirtha, the holy ford of Soma, bestower of the fruits of drinking Soma. By bathing and giving gifts there, ancestors attain heaven. Whoever hears this story daily, or recites it with devotion, or remembers it, attains long life, wealth, and children. This place is also known as Dhanya-tirtha, the ford of abundance, which bestows all desires, brings prosperity and security, and removes all calamities. The herbs, having joyfully obtained Soma as their lord, spoke words desired by the world and by Ganga herself. There is a sacred Vedic story, known to those learned in the Vedas, about the one who gives fertile land—a mother equal to one’s own mother. Whoever gives in charity near the Ganga attains all desires: fertile land, cows, and herbs, all with joy. One who devoutly gives to one who is the form of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, should know that such gifts are imperishable, and he attains all desires. Knowing that the herbs are of Soma’s lineage, and that Soma is their lord, whoever, with this understanding, gives herbs as taught by Brahman, attains all desires and is honored in the world of Brahma. The herbs, pleased, spoke again and again: “O King, whoever gives us in the Ganga, we carry him across; and you, supreme lord of herbs, all that moves and does not move is under your dominion. The herbs converse with Soma, the king, saying: O King, whoever gives us to the Brahmins, we carry him across. We are of the form of Brahman, and indeed of the form of life itself; O King, whoever gives us to the Brahmins, we carry him across. Whoever, steadfast in vows, always gives us to the Brahmins, O King, he has our devotion; we carry him across. Whatever in the world, fixed or moving, is engaged by us—O King, whoever gives us to the Brahmins, we carry him across. Whatever is offered as oblation, ancestral offering, nectar, or anything enjoyed—whoever gives that which is most excellent, O King, we carry him across. Whoever hears, remembers, or recites this Vedic verse with devotion, O King, we carry him across.” Where this hymn is recited together with Soma, the king, on the bank of the Ganga with the herbs, that place is called the sacred ford of grain. From then on, that ford is medicinal, auspicious, immortal, Vedic, and likewise a mother’s ford. Whoever performs bathing, recitation, oblation, gift, ancestral offering, or giving of food there, attains endless merit. On both banks there are more than six hundred thousand fords, destroyers of all sins and increasers of all prosperity. Now, I shall tell you of the sacred confluence at Vidarbha and the confluence at Revati, as known by those versed in the Purana. There was a sage named Bharadvaja, renowned for his great austerity. His sister was Revati, deformed in appearance and with a distorted voice. Seeing his sister’s condition, the mighty Bharadvaja, filled with deep thought, stood on the southern bank of the Ganga, pondering, “To whom should I give this sister, this maiden of dreadful appearance? No one will accept her, yet a sister must be given.” He lamented, “Alas, for no one is a daughter not the sole cause of sorrow; for a living being, at every step, it is as if death even while alive.” Thus unfolds the story, rich with the blessings of herbs, the glory of Ganga, and the trials of sage Bharadvaja, as preserved in the sacred texts.