Among all the orders of life, the Brahmin holds the highest place; there is truly no teacher equal to the Brahmin. When the sage Bharadvāja heard these words spoken by the radiant Sun, he bowed with reverence before him. The Sun then foretold that, in due course, Bharadvāja’s two sons would become worthy recipients of sacrificial offerings. Moved by this prophecy, Bharadvāja, anxious and devoted, journeyed to the sacred Ganga, intent on rendering service to Lord Hari. In time, by the blessing of the twice-born, his sons became honored and themselves recipients of sacrifice. Indeed, by the grace found at the feet of a Brahmin, one attains victory everywhere. It is said that whoever rises each morning and recites, “Salutations to the Brahmins,” gains great merit, for all the holy places on earth are also present in the ocean, and by drinking the water that has washed a Brahmin’s feet, as long as the earth endures, one is blessed. Whoever drinks this sacred water with devotion, even if afflicted by severe disease, will be healed, O twice-born ones. Whether ignorant or learned, the twice-born who is purified by the sandhyā rites is blessed. One should never strike or curse a Brahmin, even if he himself strikes or curses; the Brahmin is to be honored a hundred times more than cows and is regarded as a devotee of Hari. The twice-born who partakes of the water from a Brahmin’s feet or his offered food gains spiritual merit. He who fasts on Ekādaśī and worships Kṛṣṇa, and he who always eats the remnants of food offered as naivedya, are especially blessed. However, food, excrement, milk, or urine that has not been offered to Viṣṇu is not pure. Even Brahmā and all his sons are devoted to Viṣṇu. When it comes to contact with one’s ancestors, maternal grandfathers, and even one’s teacher, the relationship is sacred. But what kind of teacher, what kind of father, what kind of son, what kind of friend is truly worthy? Among the twice-born, a Brahmin who is not a Vaiṣṇava is surpassed by a Vaiṣṇava, even if that Vaiṣṇava is a caṇḍāla, an outcaste. A twice-born who neglects the sandhyā rites, who is always impure, or who is averse to Kṛṣṇa, is not to be regarded. When the mantra of Viṣṇu is poured into the ear by the guru, that person, along with hundreds of his ancestors and maternal grandfathers, attains the abode of Hari. Just as there are four castes—brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya, vaiśya, and śūdra—so too do Vaiṣṇavas always meditate on the lotus feet of Govinda. For their protection, the Lord wields the Sudarśana discus. At this point, Śaunaka spoke: “Through reproach, by way of introduction, and out of curiosity, I have heard these things. But tell me, who created the beings, and who among them were the celibate ascetics? What happened as a result of the father’s curse upon the son, in their opposition?” The Sūta replied: “O Śaunaka, among the first created were the Apāntaratamas, and also Sanaka and his brothers. Besides these, there were many other sons of Brahmā, born continuously. By the curse of his own son, Brahmā, the lord of creatures, became unworthy of worship. By the curse of his teacher, Nārada became a Gandharva. In that form, he became the king and the greatest among all the Gandharvas. “By the command of his teacher, Nārada practiced supreme meditation at the holy place of Puṣkara. There he recited the armor hymn of Śiva and the twelve-syllabled mantra. For a hundred years, O sage, he chanted this supreme, divine mantra. At the end of those hundred years, Śiva appeared before him. Nārada beheld the eternal Lord, resplendent in form and radiance, the very embodiment of austerity, the seed of asceticism, and the fruit that grants the results of penance.