Victory, victory to you, O lord of all beings! Triumph to you who recline upon the serpent, O all-pervading Govinda, creator of the universe—salutations to you! Glory to you, O divine supporter and sustainer of the worlds, O lord of victory who are both existence and nonexistence, righteous Mādhava! Hail to you, fulfiller of every wish, who are desire itself! Victory to you, Rama, ocean of virtues, giver of nourishment and prosperity, bestower of all that is auspicious! Victory to you again, lord of all creatures, creator of men, source of action and action itself, you who are clad in yellow garments! Triumph to you, O lord of everything, embodiment of auspiciousness, lord of sattva, knower of the Vedas—salutations! Hail to you, source and abode of birth, supreme self, giver and very essence of liberation, giver of enjoyment, O Keśava! Victory to you, lord of the worlds and beings, destroyer of sin, ever affectionate to your devotees, bearer of the discus—salutations! Victory to you, bestower of honor, who are the mind itself, worshipped by the worlds, giver and embodiment of righteousness, leader beyond worldly existence! Triumph to you, giver and essence of food, lord of speech—salutations! Giver and essence of power, granter of supreme victory and boons! Victory to you, giver and embodiment of sacrifice, lotus-eyed one, source and form of every gift, slayer of Kaitabha! Glory to you, giver and essence of fame and form, who bear all forms, essence of happiness, purifier of the pure! Hail to you, giver and embodiment of peace, born of Shankara, giver and essence of drink, whose form is light! Victory to you, Vamana, lord of wealth, bearer of the smoky banner, universal benefactor—obeisance to your giving form! You alone are the soul that moves through the three worlds, destroyer of afflictions, O lotus-eyed Lord, ocean of compassion! Place your blessed hand upon my head, O Vishnu! As these praises were offered, the Blessed Lord—wielder of conch, discus, and mace—appeared and graciously granted a boon, promising the fulfillment of all desires. Dhanvantari, his heart filled with joy at this boon from the discus-wielder, stood before Govinda, lord of the gods, to receive his wish. Bowing low, the king said, “I desire the sovereignty of the gods.” Vishnu replied, “That has been granted to you; your purpose is fulfilled.” Thus praised and worshipped, Vishnu disappeared, and in time, the king attained lordship over the gods. Yet, through the fruition of many past deeds, Indra, the thousand-eyed, lost his position three times from his own place: once due to Nahusha, once after slaying Vritra, once after killing Sindhusena, and again through his union with Ahalya, as well as for other reasons. Remembering these events again and again, Indra’s mind became troubled with anxiety and sorrow. In his distress he spoke to Brihaspati, lord of speech: “O lord of speech, why do I lose my kingdom? Time and again, I fall from my position, suffering disgrace—the greatest misfortune for any being.” Brihaspati replied, “Who truly knows the deep course of actions and the path of living beings? No one else knows the secret of all beings.” Then Brihaspati said to Hari, “Go, ask Brahma. He knows what has been, what will be, and what is now.” So, those two great sages approached Brahma, bowed with joined palms, and spoke: “O Lord, by what fault does Indra, noble husband of Śacī, fall from his kingdom? Please, dispel our doubt.” Brahma, after long meditation, replied to Brihaspati: “It is by the fault known as incomplete duty that Indra has fallen from his royal position. Through faults of place, time, error in faith or mantra, improper giving of gifts, or offering impure substances—especially by disrespecting gods, ancestors, and deities—this incompleteness of duty arises among embodied beings. Because of this, excessive pride, suffering, and loss of position are difficult to avoid; even if duty is performed, misfortune comes when the mind is disturbed. The work does not succeed, so one should not be agitated; for when duty is incomplete, what misfortune does not arise?” Brahma then recounted the story of Dhanvantari, son of Āyuṣ, a noble soul, whose path had been blocked by darkness and cleared by Vishnu. The events of previous births and their consequences were described. Hearing this, both listeners were amazed and asked anew, “By what means, O best of gods, can the obstacle caused by that fault be removed?” After further meditation, Brahma answered, “Listen to the cause of the fault, the reason for all accomplishment, and the means to cross the ocean of suffering. This is the refuge for afflicted hearts, liberation even while living: go to the goddess Gautamī and praise Hari and Śaṅkara. There is no other means for purification.” Leaving all else aside, the two immediately went to the river Gautamī, best of sages. Having bathed at the proper time, both gods joyfully praised her: “Salutations to Matsya, to Kūrma, to Varāha—salutations again and again! To Nṛsiṃha, the god, to Vāmana—salutations again and again! Salutations to you, O Hayagrīva, O Trivikrama—salutations! Salutations to you in the form of Buddha, in the form of Rāma, and as Kalkin!