Devotion to you, O Lord, is the very ladder to heaven and liberation, the sure path to the blessed fruit of reaching your feet. Yet, the wise know it is far more than just a means—it is the very essence and fulfillment of all aspiration. Therefore, O compassionate abode of the universe, let me be ever devoted to you. There is truly no other way to serve your divine form. Seeing your boundless greatness, Lord, show your grace even to us who are imperfect. You are both the manifest and the subtle, without beginning, eternal, father and mother, both the unreal and the real. Thus do the Vedas and Purāṇas praise you, O Soma-īśvara, Lord of all. To you I bow with reverence. Pleased with this devotion, Hari and Hara, the two great Lords of the gods, spoke with kindness: “Ask for whatever your heart desires, any boon, even those most difficult to obtain.” Indra, king of the gods, addressed them: “My kingdom is won and lost again and again; may this misfortune cease. May my rule be firm, may all that is mine remain unshakable. If you, Lords of the gods, are truly pleased, may everything always remain steady for me.” “So be it,” replied Hari and Hara, their faces alight with joy. The two, whose natures are beyond decline, support, or change—refuges of all worlds, bestowers of enjoyment and liberation—thus granted their supreme grace. This sacred place, where the threefold divinity abides, is Gautamī, the great tīrtha that fulfills all desires. Here, with the proper mantra, one should bathe with reverence. Bṛhaspati, the preceptor of the gods, was to perform the anointing of Mahendra for auspiciousness, remembering both Hari and Hara, so that prosperity would be made stable. All the good deeds performed in this or past lives—may they come to fulfillment here! O sacred Godāvarī, salutations to you! Whoever bathes in the Gautamī with such remembrance, by the grace of Hari and Hara, becomes complete in righteousness, freed from faults of previous births, and truly virtuous. So it happened that Indra and Bṛhaspati, delighted, performed the great abhiṣeka, the sacred anointing of Indra, with Bṛhaspati officiating as the Guru of the gods. From this, the river became known as Maṅgalā, the auspicious one, and her confluence was declared holy, bestowing blessings like those of the Gaṅgā. Indra praised Viṣṇu, the very embodiment of the universe, who appeared directly before him. Śakra, Indra, received the earth, spanning all three worlds, from the Lord of the universe. Thus, he became renowned there as Govinda, and the earth, equal to the three worlds, was granted to the wielder of the thunderbolt. There, Hari granted sovereignty, and Govinda became Hari; thus, sovereignty over the three worlds was attained by Hari from Hari. Stability was established by Maheśvara, the god of gods, praised by Bṛhaspati, Guru of the gods. For the stability of the great-souled king of the gods, the deity Siddheśvara, worshipped by all, manifested there as a liṅga. From that time, the tīrtha became famed as Govinda, as Maṅgalāsaṃgama, and as Pūṛṇatīrtha—the supreme holy place. It is also known as Indratīrtha and Bārhaspatya, where Siddheśvara, Viṣṇu, and Govinda are present together. Whatever bathing, giving, or meritorious acts are performed there are inexhaustible and most dear to the ancestors. Whoever hears, recites, or remembers daily the greatness of this tīrtha is granted the restoration of lost kingdoms. On both banks, O best of sages, there are thirty-seven thousand tīrthas, all capable of bestowing every accomplishment. There is no tīrtha as great as Pūṛṇatīrtha, yielding supreme fruit; whoever does not serve it from birth is truly fruitless. Among these holy places is Rāmatīrtha, renowned for destroying the sin of killing a fetus; merely hearing of it frees one from all sins. In that land was born a kṣatriya king of the Ikṣvāku lineage, famed, strong, intelligent, and heroic like Śakra himself—King Daśaratha, who ruled his ancestral kingdom as Bali once did. He had three queens: Kauśalyā, Sumitrā, and Kaikeyī—all noble, fortunate, and radiant with auspicious signs. While Daśaratha ruled Ayodhyā, the sage Vasiṣṭha, foremost knower of Brahman, was his chief priest. Under Daśaratha’s reign, there was no disease, famine, drought, or affliction among the four varṇas—Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and especially Śūdras. All the hermitages flourished in joy under his just rule. Yet, elsewhere, a conflict arose between the gods and the demons for the sake of sovereignty. Sometimes the gods prevailed; sometimes the Daityas and Dānavas did. As this struggle continued, the three worlds were greatly afflicted. Then I addressed the Daityas and Dānavas, but the gods in particular did not heed my words. Once again, a great battle broke out among them. The gods went to Viṣṇu and Īśāna, the lord of the universe. Both addressed the gods, as well as the Asuras, Daityas, and Dānavas: “Let those who are strong through austerity go and perform penance again, then wage battle.” Thus instructed, all departed, resolved to undertake austerities. But the gods, filled with envy, went again to the Rākṣasas, and a most terrible battle erupted between the gods and the Dānavas. In this fierce conflict, neither the gods nor the Daityas and Dānavas could claim victory. As the battle raged, a mysterious, bodiless voice was heard, heralding the next turn of fate.