Hearing of the boon granted by the great Goddess, which brought happiness to the teacher Garga, he and his wife were filled with joy. From that moment onward, O divine sage, Vasudeva acknowledged the supreme glory of the Goddess, which he had just heard from Narada’s lotus-like lips. Therefore, Vasudeva, addressing Narada with reverence, implored him: “O Lord, please recite the Bhāgavata of the Goddess. By my good fortune, O ocean of compassion, you have come to me, O divine sage.” Delighted by Vasudeva’s words, Narada waited for an auspicious day, under a favorable star, to begin the sacred narration. To remove any obstacles, the twice-born sage recited the nine-syllabled mantra and the hymn to the Goddess as spoken in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa. With the first Skandha, Vasudeva listened with deep devotion to the nectar of the Bhāgavata as it flowed from Narada’s mouth. After nine days, when the narration was complete, Vasudeva, noble of mind, worshipped both the sacred book and the reciter with heartfelt satisfaction. Meanwhile, within a cave, a fierce battle was taking place between Krishna and Jāmbavat. Jāmbavat, weakened by Krishna’s blows, regained his memory and, bowing to the Blessed Lord, begged forgiveness for his offense with deep devotion. He said, “I have recognized you as the best of the Raghus, who, out of anger, agitated the lord of rivers and destroyed Rāvaṇa with his followers in Laṅkā. You are that same one, now as Krishna. Forgive my wrongdoing, O Lord. Tell me what I must do—I am always your servant.” Hearing Jāmbavat’s words, Krishna, the Lord of the universe, replied, “O king of bears, I have come to this cave for the sake of the jewel.” Then, with his wife, the divine sage Narada, and Krishna present, Jāmbavat joyfully gave his own daughter, Jāmbavatī, to Krishna, honoring him, and also presented the Syamantaka jewel. Krishna took Jāmbavatī as his wife and placed the jewel around his neck. After respectfully bidding farewell to the king of bears, Krishna set out for Dvārakā. On the day the narration was completed, Vasudeva, noble-minded, fed the brāhmaṇas and satisfied them with gifts. As the brāhmaṇas were bestowing blessings, Hari (Krishna) arrived, wearing the jewel and accompanied by his wife. Seeing Krishna together with his wife, and Vasudeva at the forefront, their eyes filled with tears of joy, and they attained supreme happiness. The divine sage Narada, delighted by Krishna’s arrival, greeted Vasudeva, and then Krishna went to the assembly of Brahma. It is said that whoever, with pure devotion and a purified mind, recites or listens to this account of Hari—which destroys evil reputation—becomes filled with happiness, attains success in all desires of the world, and, at the end of life, obtains the path of liberation. Sūta then spoke: “Now, O best of sages, listen to another ancient tale, where the greatness of the Devī Bhāgavata is sung. Once, the sage Agastya, husband of Lopāmudrā and born from a pot, having worshipped Kumāra, asked him various stories. The blessed Skanda told him many tales, filled with the greatness of charity, sacred places, and vows. He also described in great detail the glory of Vārāṇasī, the origin of Maṇikarṇikā, and the holy places of the Gaṅgā. Having heard this, the sage, pleased, again questioned Kumāra, radiant with great splendor, for the welfare of the worlds. Agastya asked, 'O Lord, slayer of Tāraka, please tell me the procedure for hearing the greatness of the Devī Bhāgavata. This Purāṇa called Devī Bhāgavata is supremely excellent, in which the eternal Mother of the three worlds is directly praised.' Skanda replied, 'Who is able to describe in detail the greatness of the Śrī Bhāgavata? Listen, O Brahman, I will tell you briefly. She who is eternal, of the nature of existence, consciousness, and bliss—the Mother of the universe—is directly present there, bestowing enjoyment and liberation. Therefore, O sage, the Devī Bhāgavata is the very embodiment of Her speech; by reading or hearing it, nothing in this world is difficult to obtain.' Skanda then narrated a story: There was a son of Vivasvat known as Śrāddhadeva. Being childless, the king performed a sacrifice as instructed by Vasiṣṭha. Śraddhā, the beloved of Manu, prayed to the priest, 'Let a daughter be born to me, O Brahman; let the means for this be arranged.' The priest, thinking in his mind, offered a daughter in the sacrifice; thus, through this irregularity, a girl named Ilā was born. Seeing his daughter, the king asked the guru with a troubled mind, 'O Lord, how has this discrepancy in the intention arisen here?' Hearing this, the sage reflected, and realizing the priest's error, sought refuge in the Lord, desiring maleness for Ilā. By the power of the sage's austerity and the grace of the Supreme Lord, Ilā, before the eyes of all the worlds, attained manhood. Consecrated by his guru, Sudyumna, the son of Manu, became a repository of knowledge, like the ocean is for rivers. In due course, Sudyumna, having reached youth, went into the forest for hunting, mounting a Sindhu horse. Traveling from one forest to another, he wandered much with his retinue; by fate, that prince entered a forest at the foot of Mount Hemadri. At that time, in that place, the god of gods, Shankara, was delighting with his wife Aparna. Then, sages longing for a vision of Shiva arrived there, and seeing them, Girija became bashful.