By the grace of Lord Shiva, of Vṛṣākapi, and of my friend born from the waters—the lotus-stemmed one, renowned throughout the worlds—this blessing has come to me. O fortunate one, I have crossed beyond suffering; now I stand as Indra, steadfast and victorious. What could possibly be unattainable, when a wife follows the mind and heart of her husband? Indeed, liberation is difficult for us to attain. Yet, O auspicious one, among the three aims of life—righteousness, wealth, and desire—the wife alone stands as the highest friend, ever seeking the welfare of both this world and the next. If she is born of a noble family, speaks with sweetness, is devoted to her husband, beautiful, virtuous, and remains steady in both fortune and adversity—what could be impossible for her, even across the three worlds? Therefore, O lovely one, it is by your wisdom that this good fortune has come to me. Whatever you have declared must be done—there is nothing else for me to consider. In the next world, and in the pursuit of righteousness, nothing equals a true son; and for a man in distress in this life, there is no remedy like a devoted wife. For attaining the supreme state and for liberation from sin, there is nothing like the sacred Ganga. Listen further, O beautiful-faced one: to achieve righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation, and to be freed from sin, there is no means here like the knowledge of the non-difference of Shiva and Vishnu. Thus, O virtuous one, by your understanding, all that was in your mind has been fulfilled by the grace of Shiva, Vishnu, and Ganga. My position as Indra is now secure, I believe, again through the strength of my friend—Vṛṣākapi, who was born in the waters, O beautiful one. And you are ever my dearest companion; none is dearer to me. Among holy places, Gautami Ganga is foremost; among the gods, Hari and Shankara are supreme. Therefore, by the grace of these, all my desires have been fulfilled, and this sacred place, renowned throughout the three worlds, brings me great delight. So, I shall request this of all the gods in order: let the sages, Ganga, Hari, and Shankara give their consent. At the two holy places, Indreśvara and Abjaka, the gods are present—at one, Lord Shankara, and at the other, Janardana. Purifying the Dandaka forest, Vishnu himself, as Trivikrama, is present; and the holy places here grant all merit. Here, by merely bathing, even the most sinful attain liberation; sinners are freed from their sins, and the righteous also reach liberation. For them, the highest liberation extends to their ancestors, five generations back. Those who give even a little sesame here to those who ask—such donors find their merit inexhaustible, granting their desires and leading to liberation; it brings prosperity, fame, longevity, health, and ever-increasing merit. Those who, having learned the story of Vishnu and Shambhu and the liberation-granting power of bathing here, listen to or recite the greatness of this holy place—these become worthy of merit. Here itself, they attain the remembrance that destroys all heaps of sins—of Shiva and Vishnu—which the sages, with controlled senses and minds, earnestly desire. The gods and seers said to him, “So it shall indeed be.” On the northern bank of the Gautami, among the holy places that grant liberation, there are seven thousand sacred sites, 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 Godavari, the resting place of the Lord—of Vishnu and of Brahma as well. The holy place known as Āpastamba, renowned throughout the three worlds, 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, ever devoted to her husband’s duties. He had a wise and learned son named Karki, and to their hermitage came the eminent sage Agastya. Having worshipped Agastya, the wise lord among sages, Āpastamba, accompanied by his disciples, began to question him: “O best of sages, among the three gods, who is to be worshipped? From whom does enjoyment and liberation arise? Who is without beginning? And who, O sage, is the infinite one, the god of 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, the Vedic scripture is considered the highest authority. The person sung of in the Veda is the supreme beyond the supreme; the one who dies is called the lower, but the immortal is the higher. The one who is formless is to be known as the higher; the one with form is called the lower. Due to differences in the manifestation of qualities, the one with form is of three kinds. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—he alone is spoken of as threefold; for all three gods, the one to be known is indeed that supreme. The one, by difference of qualities and actions, pervades in many ways; for the benefit of the worlds, there is a threefold form. “He who knows that supreme truth is truly wise; not another. But one who asserts difference there is called a separatist of forms. There is no expiation for one who speaks of division among them; for the three gods, the distinction of forms is entirely separate. The Vedas are the authority everywhere, in all their various forms; but that one formless reality which is beyond them all is considered the highest. “By this, no definite conclusion has been reached by me here; yet, even here, there is a secret. Let it be quickly and clearly stated—the undoubting, unwavering vessel of all prosperity.” Hearing this, the venerable Agastya spoke these words: “Although there is no difference at all among these gods, still, all accomplishments arise from Shiva alone, who is the embodiment of bliss.