When the passionate woman beheld him, her heart surged with desire so intense that she playfully swooned, overcome by her feelings. In her longing, she cried out, “O Lord, you have no compassion—your heart is like stone! Because you are so unyielding, O Lord, you are utterly devoid of mercy. Those who call you an ocean of compassion are surely deluded, without a doubt. Though you are all-knowing, you act with cruelty and do not understand the suffering of others.” Having spoken these words, the noble and virtuous lady fell at the feet of Hari, her spirit full of supplication. Seeing the depth of her compassion, the Lord—he who is truly the ocean of mercy—was moved. Śrī Bhagavān then spoke gently to her: “For your sake, Śaṅkhacūḍa performed severe austerities for a long time. Having made you a woman, the passionate one enjoyed the pleasures of union with you, and from that act, its destined result has come. Now, when you leave this mortal body, you shall assume a divine form. This very body of yours will become a holy river, renowned as the Gaṇḍakī. “Furthermore, the mass of your hair will be transformed into sacred trees. Throughout the three worlds, their flowers and leaves will be offered in worship to the gods—whether in heaven, on earth, in the netherworld, or in Vaikuṇṭha, in my presence. On Goloka, on the bank of the Virajā, at the sacred dance, and in the groves of Vṛndāvana on earth, amidst mādhavī, ketakī, kunda, mallikā, and mālatī blossoms, at the root of the tulasī tree, and in every holy place—O supremely holy one—there shall be the abiding place of all the gods. “Whoever bathes in the waters there is as if purified by all sacred rivers and initiated in every sacrifice. Even a thousand pots of nectar cannot bring Hari such satisfaction as these offerings. The merit obtained by gifting ten thousand cows is surpassed by the water of a tulasī leaf, especially if received at the time of death. Whoever partakes of tulasī water with devotion, whoever always offers tulasī and worships me, whoever holds tulasī in hand or wears it upon the body, whoever adorns themselves with a garland made of tulasī wood—such acts are supremely meritorious. “If one, having taken Tulasī in hand, fails to keep a promise, or swears falsely by Tulasī, that person accrues grave consequences. But whoever, at the time of death, receives even a drop of water from Tulasī attains great blessing—whether on the full moon, new moon, the twelfth day, or at the sun’s transit, even in times of impurity or at night. “Even if the Tulasī leaf is pure but kept for three nights, or if it falls to the ground or into water before being offered to Viṣṇu, still, the goddess who presides over the tree, pure in Goloka, will always sport in secret with Kṛṣṇa. The goddess who presides over the river bestows immense merit in Bhārata, and you yourself, O most virtuous one, shall ever be in my presence in Vaikuṇṭha. “And I, in the form of a mountain, will dwell near the bank of the Gaṇḍakī river. There, indeed, will be seen vajra-beetles and worms with diamond-like fangs—creatures with a single entrance and four wheels, adorned with garlands of forest flowers, their forms resembling fresh rainclouds. Thus, your transformation and your blessings will be celebrated throughout the worlds, sanctifying all who honor you.