After performing the prescribed rites, the learned twice-born recited the Sārasvata seed-mantra, and his fame spread widely across the earth. At every festival, brāhmaṇas would sing his praises, and the sages celebrated the breadth of his narrative. Hearing of his renown, people gathered at his dwelling and ashram, and the one who had once been abandoned was now brought home with great honor. Therefore, O King, it is taught that the supreme Goddess, the primal power and cause of all worlds, should ever be served and worshipped with devotion. O great King, you should perform her sacrifice according to the Vedic injunctions, for it is said to grant all desires. Whether she is remembered, worshipped with devotion, meditated upon, uttered, or praised, the Goddess grants the objects of one's wishes; thus she is known as the fulfiller of purposes. This effect must always be accomplished by the wise, especially when seeing those afflicted by disease, misery, hunger, poverty, or deceit. One must also consider those who are distressed, ignorant, tormented by enemies, obedient servants, the lowly, the disabled, and the agitated. Those who lack satisfaction in food and enjoyment, who suffer constantly, who cannot control their senses, who are overwhelmed by desire, powerless, and oppressed by others, too, are to be considered. Likewise, those blessed with wealth, with increasing sons and grandsons, those with strong bodies, who enjoy pleasures, and are learned in the Vedas; those adorned with royal fortune, heroes, conquerors, those not separated from their own kin, and marked by all auspicious qualities—all these must be reflected upon by the discerning, both in distinction and association. Yet, the auspicious Goddess, bestower of all results, is not worshipped by all these. But when she is worshipped by such people, Ambika grants happiness to all in this world—of this, there is no doubt. Vyasa spoke: “O King, thus, in that assembly of sages, I have heard at length from Lomasha the supreme glory of the Goddess. Thinking thus, O best of kings, one should always perform worship with utmost devotion and love for the Goddess.” The king then asked, “Please tell me in full the proper method of sacrifice to the Goddess. Having heard, I will perform it to the best of my ability and without negligence. Also explain the procedure of worship, the mantras, the offerings for the fire ritual, the number of Brahmins, and the gifts to be given.” Vyasa replied, “Listen, O King, I will properly explain the sacrifice to the Goddess. It is always known as threefold, according to the prescribed rules. There are three kinds: sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic. The sattvic is prescribed for sages, the rajasic is remembered for kings. The tamasic is for rakshasas, and for the wise, it is beyond all qualities; for the liberated, it is of the nature of knowledge. I will explain this to you in detail. A sacrifice is called sattvic when the place, time, materials, mantras, Brahmins, and faith are all pure. If there is purity of materials, purity of actions, and purity of mantras, O King, then the result is complete; otherwise, it is not. If a good deed is performed with wealth obtained unjustly, it brings neither fame in this world nor fruit in the next. Therefore, a good deed should always be performed only with wealth obtained justly; it brings fame, happiness, and benefit in the next world. You have seen directly, O King, the sacrifice performed by the Pandavas—the great Rajasuya, completed with excellent gifts. There, Hari himself—Krishna, the noble lord of the Yadavas—was present, along with Brahmins of perfect knowledge such as Bharadvaja and others. Having performed the sacrifice perfectly, the Pandavas, within a single month, encountered great hardship and a terrible exile to the forest. There was the suffering of Draupadi, defeat in the game of dice, and the great hardship of forest exile—where did the fruit of the sacrifice go? All the great souls became servants in the house of Virata; Draupadi, the best of women, was tormented by Kichaka. Where did the blessings of the pure-hearted twice-born go? Where did the devotion to Vasudeva go in that time of distress? At that time, the young daughter of Drupada, though virtuous and of excellent beauty, was not protected by anyone when her hair was seized. What is there to ponder here as the cause of the failure of righteousness, when Keshava, Lord of the gods, and Yudhishthira, the son of Dharma, were present? If it is said that 'what is destined must happen,' then all scriptural injunctions would be fruitless, and the Vedic mantras and others would surely be rendered false. All means and efforts would be fruitless, and every method would be pointless, if destiny alone is established as the determining factor. Scripture itself would become mere eulogy, all rituals would be meaningless, austerity for the sake of heaven would be in vain, and so too the duties of caste. All authority would be pointless if destiny alone is fixed in the heart; yet both destiny and human effort must be considered. If, after performing an action, the result turns out contrary, then the wise and learned should attribute it to some defect. That action has been described in many ways by learned ritualists, due to differences in the performer, the mantra, and the materials used. Just as, in former times, Maghavan (Indra) chose Vishvarupa as his priest, but he performed the ritual in a contrary way, for the benefit of his mother. Having repeatedly pronounced 'well-being' to both gods and demons, he favored the Asuras, the side of his mother, and protected them.