Water, it is said, is the very source of fire; through water, purity is attained. Indeed, how could there be worship of Agni without water? Both those who worship Agni and those devoted to the worship of water recognize this truth. Wherever water arises, there one becomes fit for action; until then, a person who is impure and unclean cannot act. Even one learned in the Vedas is not purified until he bathes with faith in cold waters. For this reason, water is revered as supreme, remembered as the mother, and considered superior even to fire—especially as mothers are honored above all. When these words were spoken, the sages, learned in the Vedas, deliberated and reached their decision: “Let the superiority belong to water.” The place where this momentous event occurred, O Nārada, became known as a sacred site of austerity, the holy tirtha of the sages’ assembly. It is also called the holy site of Agni and Sārasvata. Bathing and giving gifts there bestow all desires and bring great auspiciousness. There, fourteen hundred holy sites confer merit; bathing and giving gifts at these places grant heaven and final liberation. It was there, at this sacred confluence, that Sarasvatī herself dispelled the doubts of the sages with her words, and the river Gaṅgā, too, joined her. Who could possibly describe the greatness of such a meeting? Now, on the northern bank of the Gaṅgā lies a place renowned as Devatirtha. Listen as I describe its power, which destroys all sins. In ancient times, there was a king named Arṣṭiṣeṇa, famed for his virtues. His wife was Jaya, radiant and gracious, like another Lakshmi herself. Their son, Bhara, was intelligent, devoted to his father, skilled in archery, learned in the Vedas, and accomplished in all the arts. Bhara’s wife was the beautiful and renowned Suprabha. When the time came, King Arṣṭiṣeṇa entrusted his kingdom to Bhara. Then, accompanied by his chief priest, the king undertook the sacred initiation for a horse sacrifice on the banks of the Sarasvatī. With officiating priests and foremost sages, all devoted to the Vedas and scriptures, the best of kings was consecrated near the Brahmins’ sacred fire. But at that very moment, Mithur, the mighty lord of the Dānavas—powerful, yet wicked in intent—seized the king, his wife, and the priest, disrupting the sacrifice. Swiftly, he carried them off to the lowest region of the underworld. When the noble king was taken and the sacrifice lost, the gods and all the officiating priests departed each to their own place. Only the priest’s son, famed as Devāpi, remained with the king. Seeing his mother but not his father, young Devāpi was filled with wonder and deep distress. He asked his mother, “Mother, where has my father gone? I cannot live without him; tell me the truth.” Overcome with sorrow, he declared, “Fie on the life of one deprived of a father, or one who acts wickedly! If you do not tell me, mother, I will enter water or fire.” His mother, the wife of the king and the priest, revealed the truth: “Your father was taken to the underworld by a Dānava, along with the king.” Devāpi pressed her for details: “Where was he taken, by whom, how, and for what reason? Who witnessed it? Tell me of the Dānava’s abode.” She replied, “In the sacrificial hall, while the king was consecrated with his wife and priest, the Daitya Mithur took them to the underworld, in the sight of the assembly of gods, and in the presence of fire and Brahmins.” Hearing his mother’s words, Devāpi pondered what should be done. “Should I seek the gods, or fire, or the officiating priests, or the Asuras?” he thought. “Among these alone should I seek my father—nowhere else. This is my resolve.” Having decided, Devāpi spoke to Bhara, the king’s son: “Through austerity, celibacy, vows, and discipline, I must bring back all those who have been taken to the underworld. When disaster strikes and one makes no effort to counter it, what is the use of such a wretched life, whether living or dead? You, O Arṣṭiṣeṇa, should rule the earth as a father does. Protect my mother, O king, until I return. When my task is accomplished, permit me to depart, O Bhara.” Thus addressed, Bhara considered everything carefully and replied, “May you achieve success. Go happily, and do not let worry trouble you.” Intent on his purpose, Devāpi meditated on the feet of the king of the immortals and diligently sought out the officiating priests. Bowing to them all with joined hands, Devāpi spoke: “You must protect the sacrifice, the initiated sacrificer, the chief priest, and the sacrificer’s wife. If, in your presence, the king of the Daityas destroys the sacrifice and carries off the kings, that would not be proper at all. Nevertheless, I think you should restore all of them unharmed; otherwise, you will be subject to a curse.” The priests answered, “In the sacrifice, Agni is to be worshipped first, for Agni alone is the deity here. We, as attendants of the fires, do not know more. He alone is the giver, the enjoyer, the taker, the doer, and the carrier of the oblation.” Devāpi then placed the priests behind him, worshipped Jātavedas as prescribed, and reported all this to Agni. He said, “Just as the priests, so am I an attendant of the gods. I carry the oblation for the gods, and they are the enjoyers and protectors. Having diligently invoked the gods, I will give each their share of the oblation. If there is any fault, let it be mine—so go to the gods.” Having reached the gods, Devāpi bowed to them and conveyed, separately, the words of the priests, the words of Agni, and also the matter of the curse.