Then, in that sacred assembly, the blessed Lord, the Self—Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord—appeared. At His command, Brahmā offered praise to the goddess, following the Supreme Self’s will. When the earth herself approached the Infinite One, seeking a single, unified knowledge, Kaśyapa, too, at the Lord’s command and out of reverence, offered his own praises. In that lineage of wisdom, Vyāsa questioned the sage Vālmīki about the Purāṇa-sūtra. By the boon of the goddess, Vālmīki, the lord of sages, composed that revered treatise. Having heard the Purāṇa-sūtra, Vyāsa—born in the age of Kṛṣṇa—received a boon from the goddess and was exalted as the foremost of poets. Thereafter, he arranged the divisions of the Veda and the Purāṇas. Once, the Lord meditated upon the goddess for a moment, and she graciously bestowed knowledge. For a thousand divine years, He performed meditation at Puṣkara, and there taught the science of words and their meanings to the lord of the gods. Those disciples who received this teaching, and the great sages who studied it, all revered and worshipped the goddess—along with Manu and his descendants. Even those of a thousand heads, five faces, or four faces became bewildered before her glory. Having spoken thus, Yājñavalkya, his neck bent in devotion, stood before the goddess. Then she, in the form of radiant light—though unseen by him—addressed him. Whoever, with self-restraint, recites this hymn to Vāṇī composed by Yājñavalkya, even if they are of dull intellect or considered a great fool, if they recite it for one year, they too receive her grace. Nārāyaṇa then spoke: “Because of Gaṅgā’s curse, and due to quarrels and conflict, O river of Bhārata, Sarasvatī’s story unfolds. She is the giver of merit, the mother of virtue, and the very embodiment of all sacred pilgrimage sites. Among ascetics, she is the form of austerity and penance itself. In knowledge, she is Sarasvatī; in water, she is present. Those humans who attain her on earth—even those in Bhārata who have committed sins—are purified by bathing playfully in her waters. On the fourteenth day, on the full moon, or on the imperishable day at the end of the day, whoever bathes there—whether casually, indifferently, or with faith—and whoever recites the Sarasvatī mantra for one month, or bathes daily in her waters and shaves his head—such are the virtues of Bhārata, of which but a little has been told. Sauti then said: Again, O Śaunaka, the sage quickly asked to dispel his doubts. Nārada inquired, ‘By what portion and by what quarrel did the river that bestows merit come to be? The more I hear the essence of these sacred stories, the more my curiosity grows. How did Gaṅgā come to curse Sarasvatī, who was being worshipped? The cause of the dispute between those two radiant ones is delightful to hear.’ Nārāyaṇa replied: ‘By merely remembering Sarasvatī, one is freed from all sins. Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, and Gaṅgā—these three are also the wives of Hari. Once, Gaṅgā gazed upon the face of Viṣṇu. The Lord, seeing her face, smiled joyfully for a moment. Padma, whose very nature is purity, was instructed by Sarasvatī with a gentle smile. With red lips and eyes, Sarasvatī spoke to Gaṅgā, her husband present: “Among the righteous, the eminent, and even the contrary or wicked, O Gadādhara, I have understood that Gaṅgā possesses greater fortune.”’ Thus, the story unfolds—of divine praise, boons, and the interplay of the holy rivers, all under the gaze of the Supreme Lord.