Nārāyaṇa spoke, recounting the reverence shown in ancient times. During the second age, the hosts of gods themselves, and later the learned sages, offered their worship. In earlier days, even King Aśvapati in Bhārata had worshipped her with great devotion. At this point, Nārada, eager to learn more, inquired, “Tell me about Sāvitrī, who is worthy of all worship—please explain her greatness to me.” Nārāyaṇa continued, “Sāvitrī is a divine force: she takes away the strength of enemies and destroys the suffering of her friends. King Aśvapati had a chief queen, a righteous consort deeply devoted to dharma. This queen, a woman of great virtue, faithfully followed the instructions of the sage Vasiṣṭha. Yet, despite her devotion, she received no command nor any vision from the goddess. Distressed by this, the queen’s sorrow was evident, and the king, seeing her in such a state, offered her wise and comforting counsel. Determined to seek divine favor, the king undertook rigorous austerities right there, practicing self-restraint for a hundred years. At the end of this long penance, he heard a bodiless voice from the sky. Meanwhile, the sage Parāśara arrived at that very place. Parāśara addressed the king, “By reciting the sacred mantra ten times, a person can remove the sins committed during both day and night. Reciting it a hundred times destroys even the most severe sin accumulated over a month. For brāhmaṇas, this recitation grants liberation, and its effect is tenfold compared to ordinary recitation. A twice-born should recite the mantra facing east, with head bowed and body steady.” He explained further, “There is a method of counting recitations using the hand, from the root to the tip of the index finger. Alternatively, O King, one may use a rosary, performing the recitation at a sacred place or within a temple. The wise should smear the rosary with cow’s yellow pigment and then bathe it with the Gāyatrī mantra. Or, after bathing it with pañcagavya, the rosary should be properly purified. In this way, O royal sage, you must complete a hundred thousand recitations in sequence. Every day, at each of the three sandhyā junctions—dawn, noon, and dusk—you must perform this practice continuously.” Parāśara then warned, “One who neglects the sandhyā rituals remains perpetually impure and unfit for all sacred rites. He who omits the morning rite or fails to worship at the later times, falls from the path. But he who faithfully performs all three sandhyā rituals throughout his life—by the dust of his lotus feet, the very earth is instantly purified. Sacred places become pure merely by his touch. Conversely, the gods do not accept the worship of one who neglects these duties, nor do the ancestors accept his offerings of food and water.” He continued listing those who fall from spiritual merit: “A twice-born who lacks the Viṣṇu mantra and neglects the three sandhyā rituals; who eats food not offered to Hari, who wanders aimlessly, or rides a bull; who cremates corpses; who is the master of a Śūdra woman, or a Brāhmaṇa who is married to such a woman; who accepts gifts from Śūdras or performs rituals for them; a Brāhmaṇa who eats food not given by a hero, or food not given by a woman in her season; a Brāhmaṇa who sells a maiden, or sells the name of Hari; a twice-born who eats twice at sunrise or who eats fish—such are those who stray from the path.” Having thus spoken, the foremost sage Parāśara described in detail the entire procedure of worship. After imparting all this wisdom to the king, the sage departed for his own abode. Then Nārada, ever curious, asked, “What hymn and mantra did Parāśara give before departing? By what method did the king worship the mother of the Vedas?” Nārāyaṇa replied, “On the fourteenth day of the lunar month, the devotee should perform the vow with great devotion. Observing this vow on the fourteenth day yields twice sevenfold fruits—bringing manifold blessings to the one who worships with sincerity.