Once, at the sacred confluence of Prayāga, Viśvakarmā, the divine architect, had completed a marvelous craft for the king. As he lingered there, he caught sight of Ghṛtācī, the celestial nymph, who had taken on a new form—youthful and ascetic in appearance. The moment he beheld her, desire overcame him; his mind became bewildered and he lost his senses. Addressing her, Viśvakarmā spoke: “Do not think of me in this way, O slender-waisted one; I am Viśvakarmā himself. I shall grant you release from the curse—seek me, O beautiful one.” Hearing these words from the twice-born, Ghṛtācī, now transformed, responded as a cowherdess, “How could I be united with you upon the banks of the Gaṅgā in Bhārata?” She continued, “O Viśvakarmā, this Bhārata is a sacred land of action. Birth here is gained as the fruit of asceticism by the righteous, for the sake of liberation. She whom the goddess Nārāyaṇī, sovereign of illusion, is pleased with—whoever, deluded and attached to sense objects, is born in Bhārata—I remember everything, O gods; indeed, I am one who recalls past births. I perform austerities for liberation on the supremely holy bank of the Gaṅgā. Whatever sin is committed elsewhere is destroyed in the Gaṅgā, and that is destroyed by austerity in the holy place of Nārāyaṇa.” Upon hearing Ghṛtācī’s words, Viśvakarmā, whose form was like the wind, moved with her to the delightful valley of Malaya. There, on a charming bed of flowers—fragrant with breezes carrying the scent of blossoms and sandalwood—they enjoyed pleasurable union in the secluded forest. From their passion, Ghṛtācī became pregnant, the fullness of her condition evident. O Śaunaka, Viśvakarmā, endowed with knowledge and skilled in all arts and crafts, bestowed boons upon various artisans: garland makers, craftsmen, conch-shell workers, and basket weavers. He established them upon the earth. The goldsmith, having stolen gold from Brahmins, fell to the earth as a result. The thread-maker, cursed by the Brahmins, also fell. In due course, the painter became a painter immediately. A particular merchant, through association with the goldsmith, was affected. From the seed of the painter in a courtesan who was a Śūdra woman, a child was born. From the seed of the builder of mansions in the wife of a potter, another was born. From the seed of the potter, immediately, in the wife of a basket-maker, a child came forth. From the seed of a Kṣatriya, in the wife of a prince, another was born. From the seed of a Tīvara, in the wife of an oil-maker, a child was produced. Leṭa begot six sons in the daughter of Tīvara. In a Brahmin woman, by the seed of a Śūdra, due to the fault of adultery, one fell. By Tīvara with a Caṇḍāla woman, a leather-worker was born. In a woman who cuts meat, by Tīvara, one called Koñca was produced. In the daughter of a Caṇḍāla, by the seed of Leṭa, a child was born. In due order, in the daughter of a bone-worker, by the seed of a Caṇḍāla, another came forth. From Leṭa, in the daughter of Tīvara, on the bank of the Gaṅgā, a child was born. From the daughter of the son of Gaṅgā, by the seed of one in disguise, another was produced. From the Vaiśya, in the daughter of Tīvara, immediately was born Śuṇḍī. Thus, through divine unions, curses, boons, and the interplay of destinies, various craftspeople and communities came to be established upon the earth, each with their origins traced to the sacred lands and banks of Bhārata.