One afternoon, Lord Vishnu, seeing the fatigue of the sage Maudgali, spoke to him with gentle affection: “Go, child, to your home; you are weary.” He repeated these words again and again, urging the sage to take rest. Thus addressed by the gracious Lord, Maudgali, the twice-born, took his leave. Vishnu, the Lord of the world, returned to his own celestial abode, accompanied by the gods. Maudgalya, as was his daily custom, returned home carrying the fruits of his labor. He placed his modest earnings before his devoted wife, offering her whatever he had managed to gather that day. His wife, ever faithful to her husband and attentive to her duties, received his offering with reverence. Whatever vegetables, roots, or fruits her husband brought, she would carefully prepare, ensuring that guests, their children, and Maudgali himself were all served first. Only after everyone else had eaten, did she, disciplined in her vows, partake of her own meal. Maudgali, too, would eat only at night, after all others had been satisfied. In the quiet of their home, Maudgali would often recount the wondrous stories of Lord Vishnu, which he had heard, narrating them with joy to his family. As time passed, his wife, amazed by these divine tales, approached her husband privately. She asked, “If Vishnu, worshipped by the gods, comes near you, why do we continue to endure such hardship?” She wondered aloud about the mystery: “When merely remembering Vishnu destroys old age, birth, pain, and death, why does actually seeing him not do so? Please, when next you see the Lord of the world, ask him this for me.” Maudgali, ever devoted, replied, “So be it.” With humility and joined palms, he honored Hari and asked, “O Lord of the universe, when you are remembered, sorrow, poverty, and misfortune are destroyed. But when I see you, how does adversity remain for me?” Vishnu answered with compassion, “Whatever one has done must be experienced by all beings, everywhere and always. No one can act for another, whether for good or ill. As the seed is sown, so is the fruit produced; a mango will never arise from a neem seed, anywhere at any time. Those who have not served the sacred Gautami river, nor worshipped Hari and Shankara, nor given gifts to Brahmins—how can they expect prosperity? You have not given anything to Brahmins, nor have I; whatever is given here, that alone stands firm in this world and the next. “Through clay, water, kusa grass, and mantras, one performs acts of purification; thus, the pure-souled, through self-discipline and austerity, becomes purified. Without giving, nowhere can enjoyment be attained by people. Only through virtuous deeds does a person become pure and detached, and thus proceeds on the path. Then, with unobstructed knowledge, one becomes liberated while living. For all, liberation is easily gained through my devotion here and through acts of charity. “Enjoyment comes from giving and similar acts, by removing the suffering of all beings; or, you may attain liberation through devotion, but not enjoyment. How does liberation arise through devotion? Liberation through enjoyment is extremely rare; if liberation is attained by embodied beings, what more is there to seek? Liberation through devotion is universally revered and I, the essence of the world, cherish it. “O Brahman, here is a great secret: remembering me—whether by a Brahmin or a seeker—alone leads to imperishability. Whatever is given after contemplating me grants only its own fruit; that, once given here, is not intended for enjoyment. Therefore, O great-minded one, give me some food, or else to a foremost Brahmin who has taken refuge at the banks of the Gautami.” Maudgalya replied humbly, “I have nothing to give; whatever pertains to my body and so forth, all is already offered to you.” Hearing this, Vishnu turned to Garuda and said, “Quickly bring Kaṇiśa here; he will offer this to me.” Garuda, the king of birds, obeyed his master’s command. Maudgalya, steadfast in his vows, placed grains into Vishnu’s hand. At the same time, Vishnu spoke to Viśvakarman, the divine architect: “As long as seven persons remain in Maudgalya’s lineage, so long will they exist; so long will desired pleasures—cows, gold, grains, garments, and ornaments—be theirs. Whatever ornament exists in the world for delight, Maudgalya shall obtain all of it by the power of Vishnu and the Ganga.” Vishnu then said, “Go home,” and Maudgalya departed. Upon reaching his hermitage and witnessing the sudden prosperity, the sage exclaimed, “Ah, this is the power of giving! Ah, the remembrance of Vishnu! Ah, the power of the Ganga! Who can comprehend such greatness?” Maudgalya, together with his wife, sons, grandsons, relatives, and parents, enjoyed both earthly pleasures and spiritual liberation. From that time onward, Maudgalya’s holy place became renowned as a Vaishnava tīrtha. Bathing and giving there grant the fruits of both enjoyment and liberation. Indeed, wherever a tīrtha is mentioned in the Vedas or the Smṛtis, Vishnu is pleased with that person; he is freed from sins and becomes happy. On both banks of the Gautami, there are eleven thousand tīrthas, all bestowing every desired result through bathing, giving, recitation, and similar acts. Then, O Nārada, listen to the account of the tīrtha called Lakṣmī-tīrtha, famed as the direct increaser of Lakṣmī, destroyer of misfortune, and a source of merit. Long ago, there was a conversation between Lakṣmī and her son Daridra. Both, being mutually opposed, traversed the world. There is nothing in the three worlds untouched by the two of them. Each declared to the other, “My seniority! My seniority!” Daridra insisted to Śrī with force, “I was born first.” He proclaimed, “It is I alone who am the family, character, and life of embodied beings; without me, even those who possess bodies, though alive, are as if dead.