Hear now the sacred tale as it was spoken in the ancient times. The Lord, holding in his heart a teaching as dear to him as life itself, declared, “This must not be given to just anyone. Guard it well, for it is most precious.” He entrusted this profound secret, saying, “Having upheld this creation, become the creator of the three worlds. O Dharma, by holding fast to this, you shall be the witness of all actions.” He revealed that Hari himself is the purifier of this Brahmāṇḍa, the cosmic egg, and also of this protective mantra. Its power and application, he explained, extend to every sphere of human life: righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation. “Whoever possesses this perfected protective mantra,” he proclaimed, “becomes equal to me.” Invoking the protective force of sacred syllables, the Lord continued: “Let the syllable ‘praṇava’ shield my head, and salutations to Rāmeśvara as well. May Kṛṣṇa guard both my ears, and O Hari, my very breath. Let the six-syllabled mantra, ‘śrīkṛṣṇāya svāha,’ protect my throat, and the eight-syllabled mantra, ‘namo gopāṅganeśāya,’ my shoulders. Om, salutations to the Lord of the rāsa circle, svāhā.” He further invoked, “Let the mantra ‘aiṃ kṛṣṇāya svāha’ always protect both my ears, and ‘om haraye namaḥ’ always guard my back and feet. May Śrī Kṛṣṇa protect me in the east, Mādhava in the southeast, Govinda in the west, and Rādhikeśvara in the northwest. May the supreme Nārāyaṇa himself always protect me everywhere.” With deep solemnity, he said, “I have given you something as dear as my own life. By wearing this protective mantra, one becomes worthy of the highest grace.” He instructed that, before receiving such a gift, one must properly worship the guru with garments, ornaments, and sandalwood. By the grace of this mantra, a person attains liberation even while living in this world. Sauti, the revered sage, then recounted, “The mantra given by Vasiṣṭha to the Gandharva, and the one bestowed upon Manu, is this: ‘Om, obeisance to the Blessed Shiva, svaha.’ This very mantra was once given to Ravana by Brahma himself. With its root, all offerings and the finest food should be presented.” He continued, “Om, obeisance to the great god; O Maheshvara, greatly fortunate one, the armor that has been revealed—” At this, Maheshvara spoke: “I shall give you this, which is to be kept secret and is extremely rare. Long ago, it was given to Durvasa for the conquest of the three worlds. Whoever, with devotion, wears this armor of mine, possessing wisdom—know that this armor purifies worldly existence and its application is for righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation.” He revealed further: “By reciting it five hundred thousand times, the armor grants success—through brilliance, accomplishment, yoga, austerity, and valor. May Shambhu protect my head, Maheshvara my face, Chandrachuda my throat, and the Bull-bannered One my shoulders. May the Lord of the Universe guard all my limbs, in all directions, at all times.” Maheshvara concluded, “Thus, the wondrous Bana armor has been described to you. The fruit that a man obtains by bathing at all sacred fords—know that he who, not knowing this armor, worships me is of very dull intellect.” Sauti then said, “The king of mantras, the wish-fulfilling tree, was once given by Vasiṣṭha. It is: ‘Om, obeisance to Shiva; I bow to the essence of the gods and to the lord of the gods, blue and red in hue.’ He is the embodiment of knowledge and bliss, the form and seed of knowledge, eternal. He is the form of austerity, the seed and treasure of asceticism, the best. He is the cause of enjoyment and liberation, the means to cross the ocean of hell.” Thus was the supreme secret revealed, to be cherished and upheld by those who are worthy.