Tulasī, filled with curiosity and longing for understanding, approached the Lord and said, “O ocean of compassion, please tell me how the victory came about.” Hearing her gentle words, the Lord of Lakṣmī smiled kindly. Śrī Hari replied, “O beautiful one, all the Dānavas have been destroyed. It was Brahmā himself who caused affection to arise between us. Afterward, I returned to my own abode, while Śiva went to Śivaloka. There, I, the Lord of Lakṣmī, rejoiced with Rāma. Meanwhile, Nārada, contemplating all that had taken place, asked, ‘Who are you, truly?’” Tulasī then spoke, her heart torn with emotion: “Either my chastity has been taken away, or I must curse you.” At that moment, effortlessly, the Lord revealed his most enchanting form—dark as a fresh raincloud, with eyes like autumn lotuses, radiating the beauty of ten million Cupids and adorned with dazzling jeweled ornaments. Overcome by desire at the sight of him, Tulasī, burning with passion, fainted playfully. Regaining her senses, Tulasī lamented, “O Lord, you have no compassion; your heart is like stone. Because you are like stone, you are devoid of mercy. Those who call you an ocean of compassion are certainly deluded, without doubt. You are wicked and all-knowing, yet you do not understand the suffering of others.” Having poured out her sorrow, the great and virtuous lady fell at the feet of Hari. Moved by her compassion and pain, the Lord, the true ocean of mercy, was stirred to respond. Śrī Bhagavān said gently, “For your sake, O Tulasī, Śaṅkhacūḍa performed severe austerities for a long time. Having become a woman, the passionate one enjoyed pleasure with you, and from that act, its result has now come. Now, abandoning this mortal body, you will assume a divine form. Your body shall become the sacred river Gaṇḍakī, renowned throughout the worlds. And may the mass of your hair become sacred trees. “In the three worlds, for flowers and leaves used in worship of the gods—in heaven, on earth, in the netherworld, and in Vaikuṇṭha, in my very presence; in Goloka, on the bank of the Virajā, at the dance, in Vṛndāvana on earth; in groves of mādhavī, ketakī, kunda, mallikā, and mālatī flowers; at the root of the tulasī tree, in any holy place, O supremely holy one—there indeed is the abiding place of all the gods. “Whoever bathes there is as if bathed in all sacred waters and initiated in all sacrifices. Even with a thousand pots of nectar, one cannot attain the satisfaction for Hari that is found there. The merit a man gains by giving ten thousand cows is equaled by the water of a tulasī leaf, especially if one receives it at the time of death. “Whoever always partakes of tulasī water with devotion, whoever always offers tulasī and worships me, whoever holds tulasī in his hand or on his body, whoever wears a garland made of tulasī wood—such persons are especially dear to me. But if one, having taken Tulasī in his own hand, does not keep his promise, or swears a false oath by Tulasī, that man brings misfortune upon himself. “At the time of death, even a drop of water from Tulasī brings immense blessing—whether it be on the full moon, new moon, the twelfth day, or at the sun’s transit.” Thus, the Lord revealed the profound destiny and sanctity of Tulasī, honoring her devotion and the sacred role she would play in the worlds.