Listen to this sacred tale as revealed in the Padma Purāṇa. The divine Bhāratī, goddess of speech, was instructed to send a portion of herself to Bhārata, manifesting as a river to sanctify that land. Likewise, Gaṅgā, the celestial river, would descend to Bhārata, brought by the noble Bhagīratha’s efforts. There, she would attain the rare honor of crowning the moon-crested Lord, Śiva. Brahmā, the lotus-born, was also told to send a part of his energy to Bhārata. It was foretold that, after five thousand years of the Kali age, liberation would come. Yet, calamity—strangely, the cause of prosperity—would befall all embodied beings. For those devoted to worship with the mantra of the Lord, through bathing and immersion, countless holy places would be accessible. The earth would be filled with innumerable tīrthas, O beautiful one. Devotees, worshipping with mantra and devotion, would wander throughout Bhārata while it exists. Wherever these devotees reside and wash their feet, even the most grievous sinners would be purified: killers of women, killers of cows, the ungrateful, killers of Brahmins, those who violate the teacher’s bed, those who neglect the Ekādaśī vow or omit twilight worship, even atheists, those who live by violence or writing, runners, Shudras who perform sacrifices, betrayers of trust, destroyers of friendship, liars, those overwhelmed by debt, usurers, adulterers, husbands of promiscuous women, cooks for Shudras, temple priests, village priests for sacrifices, destroyers of the sacred fig tree, those who revile devotees, those who fail to support their parents, wives, brothers, sons, daughters, or in-laws, and those who steal offerings meant for the gods or Brahmins. These are all counted among the greatest sinners, including those who cremate the dead among the Shudras. Lakṣmī herself declared: by seeing or touching such people—those devoted to Hari—even the lowest of men are instantly purified. Those devoid of devotion to Hari and filled with pride, when they bathe and immerse themselves, purify all sacred places. The gods in Bhārata eagerly desire the sight and touch of such people, for the holy places do not belong to Lakṣmī, nor are the gods merely clay or stone. At this point, Sauti, the narrator, tells how the foremost sage began to reveal the hidden truth. Śrī Nārāyaṇa spoke: This path possesses the nature of virtue, destroys sin, grants happiness, and bestows both worldly enjoyment and liberation. It is the essence, to be kept secret, not spoken among the wicked. When the excellent Viṣṇu mantra enters someone’s ear from the mouth of the guru, a hundred previous births of that person are purified from the very moment of birth. Whatever births have been obtained, wherever, and among whatever creatures, one who is devoted to the Lord, engaged in worship, and endowed with divine qualities, is transformed. Even by simply hearing the Lord’s qualities, with joy and hairs standing on end, such a devotee does not desire happiness, liberation, or even the four types of proximity to the Lord. The rarest status—Indra, Manu, or the gods themselves—holds no allure. Universes perish, and the gods, including Brahmā, likewise. Yet, the devotees wander in Bhārata, having obtained a birth that is exceedingly rare. Thus, everything has been spoken as appropriate in the Padma Purāṇa. And then, Nārāyaṇa revealed: By the curse of Gaṅgā, she herself remained at the feet of Hari in the age of Kali.