In a sacred assembly, a sage addressed Mālāvati with profound questions: “How is the sun, how is the moon, and how is the fire here?” He then spoke with compassion, “O Mālāvati, in your lap lies a corpse, extremely dried up, O sinless one.” Having thus spoken, the sage fell silent, and the hall was filled with a weighty stillness. Mālāvati, her heart heavy with sorrow, replied with reverence, “The gods are pleased, and Hari is pleased, by one who offers flowers and water. O Lord, I beg you, heed the plea of one afflicted by grief. I am the wife of Upabarhaṇa and the daughter of Citraratha. For a divine hundred thousand years, we dwelt together in delightful and charming places. O beloved, the affection that virtuous women bear for their husbands is as great as that of all women, O best of sages. But suddenly, by the curse of Brahmā, my husband gave up his life. “Now, all beings are engaged in fulfilling their own tasks upon the earth. Happiness, sorrow, fear, grief, and distress—all these are the fruits of one’s actions. O gods, you are the givers of the results of actions. There is no friend greater than the gods, nor is anyone stronger than you. I beseech you all: grant me the gift of my husband, which I so desire. If the gods grant me my beloved as I wish, I will be content. But if not, I will curse all of you with a dreadful and irresistible curse.” Having spoken thus, Mālatī, virtuous and afflicted by sorrow, stood in the assembly of the gods. Then, a brāhmaṇa addressed her gently, “Not immediately, but only after a long time, does grain ripen for men—just as it does for the patient farmer. The householder, through the farmer, sows grain in the field of the kṣatriya. In due time, it ripens fully; in due time, the householder receives it. “In this world, the householder sows eight kinds of seeds by the power of Viṣṇu’s māyā. The virtuous person performs long austerities in the land of merit, whether in the mouths of brāhmaṇas, in the best fields, or even in uncultivated land. Neither strength, nor beauty, nor lordship, nor wealth alone is a son. It is he who serves Prakṛti with devotion, birth after birth, who obtains unwavering prosperity, sons, grandsons, land, wealth, and progeny. “The auspicious, the form of Śiva, the giver and cause of all auspiciousness—he who serves that Lord with devotion, birth after birth, attains knowledge, wisdom, poetic skill, sons, grandsons, and supreme prosperity. He who worships Brahmā also attains progeny and prosperity. He who worships with devotion the Lord of the afflicted, the ruler of the poor, and Gaṇeśvara, the eternal Lord of gods—for him, obstacles are removed in dreams, in waking, always. He attains knowledge, learning, and poetic skill by that boon. If one desires a boon, he attains everything; otherwise, he certainly attains liberation. All austerity, all righteousness, fame, and unsurpassed glory come to him. “But he who is mocked by the Creator is deluded by the māyā of Viṣṇu. Yet, she shows compassion to whomever she gives the mantra of Viṣṇu. Enjoying happiness in this world, he attains the supreme abode of Viṣṇu. In time, together with him, she too attains the supreme abode of Viṣṇu.” Thus, in the assembly, the sage and the gods revealed the mystery of actions, devotion, and the fruits of faith, soothing the sorrow of Mālāvati and illuminating the path of all beings.