Within the sacred teachings, the qualities and forms of the Śālagrāma stones are described in wondrous detail. There are some with two entrances and four wheels, marked by the impression of a cow’s hoof. Others are very small, possessing two wheels, and shine with the luster of a new raincloud. Some are tiny and two-wheeled, adorned with garlands of forest flowers, while others are large and round, lacking such floral decorations. Among these stones, the middle one is circular in shape, has two wheels, and bears the marks of arrow wounds. Another of the middle variety features seven wheels and is equipped with a parasol and a staff. Some are thick, with either two or seven wheels, and gleam like freshly gathered rainclouds. There are those shaped like wheels themselves, with two wheels, decorated with auspicious symbols and radiating a raincloud’s brilliance. The Sudarshana type is unique, having a single, hidden wheel and bearing the image of a mace. Some have mouths that are exceedingly wide, with two wheels, and appear fierce. Others, with two wheels and wide mouths, are adorned with garlands of forest flowers. At the doorway, one may find a two-wheeled stone, even and clear, marked with signs of prosperity. The form known as Pradyumna is subtle in its wheels and shines with the freshness of a raincloud. There are some with two wheels, one attached, and abundant features upon their backs. The Aniruddha type is yellow in hue, round, and exceedingly beautiful to behold. Wherever a Śālagrāma stone is present, there too dwells Hari, the Supreme Lord. All sins—no matter how grave, even the killing of a Brāhmaṇa—are absolved in the presence of this sacred stone. A Śālagrāma shaped like a parasol brings sovereignty, while a circular one grants great prosperity. If the mouth is deformed, poverty results; if the stone is tawny in color, it brings loss. Acts of vow, charity, establishment of sacred places, ancestral rites, and worship of the gods—one who serves the Śālagrāma stone is as if bathed in all the sacred waters and initiated in every sacrifice. The merit gained by all gifts or by circumambulating the earth itself is granted to such a devotee. In fact, all the sacred places yearn for his touch. When one recites the four Vedas or performs austerities, and especially when one daily partakes of the water that has washed the Śālagrāma stone, all holy places long to be touched by him. In that very place, together with Hari, countless material elements are dissolved, and all sins—even the gravest—are washed away. By the dust of such a devotee’s lotus feet, the earth itself is instantly purified. Whoever receives water from the Śālagrāma stone at the moment of death attains liberation and is freed from the fruits of all actions. Yet, caution is also given: whoever, holding the Śālagrāma stone, utters falsehood, or, after touching it, fails to keep his vow, or who plucks a tulasī leaf for its worship or for use in a conch in an improper way—these acts are warned against. If the Śālagrāma, tulasī, and conch are all together in one place, their sanctity is immense, but whoever, even once, deposits semen in any of these becomes dear to the asura Śaṃkhacūḍa for the duration of a single manvantara. Having spoken thus, Śrī Hari respectfully concluded his instructions. And just as Śrī herself, so too did she dwell ever upon Hari’s chest, inseparable and resplendent.