At the sacred meeting point of the rivers Phenā and Gaṅgā, a devoted seeker performed intense austerities and chanted Vedic mantras to propitiate the god Janārdana. Pleased by this worship, Lord Viṣṇu appeared and asked, “What boon shall I grant you?” The devotee humbly requested, “Grant me a destroyer of enemies.” The blessed Hari replied, “Consider it given.” By the combined grace of Śiva and Viṣṇu at the Gaṅgā, the boon was fulfilled. From the waters emerged a wondrous being, bearing the forms of both Śiva and Viṣṇu. He held the discus and trident in his hands and descended into the netherworld. There, he struck down Indra’s enemy, the demon, with a mighty thunderbolt. This being became Indra’s friend, known as Abjaka, the Vṛṣākapi. Even while dwelling in heaven, Indra was ever attached to Vṛṣākapi, always following him. When Indra’s attention seemed fixed elsewhere, his consort Śacī, both affectionate and angered, spoke to him. Smiling, Śatakratu (Indra) addressed her, “O Indrāṇī, I have no refuge except my friend Vṛṣākapi, whose water or offerings are always dear to Agni. Dearest, I will not go anywhere else; I swear upon you. Therefore, do not speak to me with suspicion, O beautiful one. You are my beloved, faithful in dharma and mantra, my companion, noble and blessed with children—who else but you is dear to me?” He continued, “By your instruction, I reached the Gaṅgā, the great river, and by the grace of Viṣṇu, wielder of the discus, and by the grace of Śiva, of Vṛṣākapi, and of my friend born from water—the lotus-stemmed one renowned in the worlds—this good fortune has come to me. O fortunate one, I have crossed over suffering; here I am, Indra, steadfast. What could be impossible where a wife follows the mind of her husband?” Indra reflected, “Liberation is difficult for us, but among the three aims of life, the wife alone is the highest friend, seeking the welfare of both worlds. If she is of good family, speaks sweetly, devoted to her husband, beautiful, endowed with virtues, and equal in fortune and adversity—what is impossible for her in the three worlds? Therefore, O lovely one, by your wisdom this good fortune has come to me; and what you have declared must be done—there is nothing else for me. In the next world and in righteousness, nothing equals a true son; and for a man in distress here, there is no remedy like a wife. For attaining the supreme state and for liberation from sin, there is nothing like the Gaṅgā. Listen further, O beautiful-faced one.” He explained, “For attaining righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation, and for freedom from sin, there is no means here like the knowledge of the non-difference of Śiva and Viṣṇu. Therefore, by your understanding, all that was in your mind has been obtained by the grace of Śiva, Viṣṇu, and Gaṅgā. My position as Indra is now secure, I think, again by the strength of my friend; Vṛṣākapi is my companion, who was born in the waters, O beautiful one. And you are my dear friend always; there is none dearer to me. Among holy places, Gautamī Gaṅgā is foremost; among the gods, Hari and Śaṅkara. Therefore, by the grace of these, I have obtained all that I desired, and this holy place, renowned throughout the three worlds, brings me delight.” Indra resolved, “Therefore, I shall request this from all the gods in order; let the sages, Gaṅgā, and Hari and Śaṅkara give their consent. At the two holy places, Indreśvara and Abjaka, the gods are present; at one, the god Śaṅkara, and at the other, Janārdana. Purifying the Dandaka forest, Viṣṇu himself as Trivikrama is present, and the holy places within grant all merit. Here, by merely bathing, even the most sinful attain liberation; sinners are freed from sin, and the righteous also attain liberation. For them, the highest liberation is with their ancestors, five generations back; and those who give even a little sesame here to those who ask—it becomes inexhaustible, granting desires and liberation, bringing prosperity, fame, longevity, health, and increasing merit.” Indra proclaimed, “Those who, having learned the story of Viṣṇu and Śaṃbhu, and the liberation-granting power of bathing here, listen to or recite the greatness of this holy place—they become worthy of merit, and here itself, they attain the remembrance that destroys all heaps of sins of Śiva and Viṣṇu, which the sages, with controlled senses and minds, earnestly desire.” The gods and seers responded, “So it shall indeed be.” On the northern bank of the Gautamī, among the holy places that grant liberation, there are seven thousand holy places served by gods, sages, and perfected beings; likewise, on the southern bank, there are exactly eleven holy places. The sages have declared that Abjaka is the heart of the Godāvarī, the resting place of the Lord, of Viṣṇu, and of Brahmā as well. The narrative then turns to another holy place, Āpastamba, renowned throughout the three worlds. This sacred site is capable of destroying all heaps of sins even by mere remembrance. Āpastamba, the great sage of vast wisdom and fame, had a wife named Akṣasūtrā, devoted to her husband’s duties. He had a wise and learned son named Karki. To their hermitage came the eminent sage Agastya. Āpastamba, accompanied by his disciples, worshipped Agastya, the wise lord among sages, and began to question him: “O best of sages, among the three gods, who is to be worshipped? From whom does enjoyment and liberation arise? And who is without beginning? Who, O sage, is the infinite one, the god of the gods? Which deity is worshipped by sacrifices? Who is praised in the Vedas? O great sage Agastya, please resolve this doubt of mine. The authority for righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation is said to be scripture; and among them, Vedic scripture is considered the highest authority.