Hayagrīva, filled with reverence, offered salutations to the Great Goddess, the supreme enchantress whose power creates, sustains, and dissolves the universe. He praised her as the bestower of blessings, the fulfiller of desires, and the granter of liberation—ever auspicious to her devotees. He acknowledged her as the very source of the five elements—earth, water, fire, air, and ether—and the origin of the Gandharvas’ forms, of touch, and of sound itself. Hayagrīva recognized that from her arose not only the senses—nose, tongue, eyes, skin, and ears—but also the organs of action, proclaiming her as the root of all experience. Pleased by his devotion and austerity, the Goddess appeared before him and spoke with kindness: “Tell me, what boon do you desire? Whatever you wish, I shall grant, for your devotion and penance have delighted me.” Hayagrīva bowed and said, “O Mother, let death not come to me. Grant me immortality, let me ever be a yogi, and make me unconquerable by gods and demons.” The Goddess replied with gentle wisdom, “For one who is born, death is certain, and for one who has died, birth is certain. Such is the law of the world—it cannot be otherwise.” She advised him, “Therefore, O best of demons, reflect upon this truth and choose another boon, considering carefully in your mind.” Hayagrīva, after pondering, made his request: “O Mother of the world, let my death come only from one named Hayagrīva, and from no other. Please fulfill this wish that rests in my heart.” The Goddess granted his request: “Go home, O greatly fortunate one, and rule your kingdom as you please. Except for one named Hayagrīva, surely death will not come to you.” Having bestowed this boon, the Goddess vanished from sight. Hayagrīva, filled with supreme joy, returned to his own abode. Empowered and arrogant, Hayagrīva began to torment the sages and the Vedas in countless ways. In the three worlds, there was no one capable of slaying him, for none bore the name Hayagrīva as he did. To remedy this, it was decreed that the head of a horse, beautiful to behold, would be taken and joined to the body of Vishnu by the divine artisan Tvashta. Thus, blessed by the Goddess, Vishnu would assume the form of Hayagrīva and, for the welfare of the gods, slay the wicked and cruel Danava. Having addressed the gods thus, Sharvani, the Goddess, became silent. The gods, overjoyed, turned to Tvashta and urged him: “Perform this task for the gods—join the horse’s head to Vishnu. Then, as Hayagrīva, he will slay the foremost of the Danavas.” Hearing these words, Tvashta, filled with urgency, swiftly severed the horse’s head with a sword in the presence of the gods. That head was quickly joined to Vishnu’s body, and by the grace of the great Maya, Hari became Hayagrīva. Soon after, the arrogant Danava, intoxicated with pride, was slain in battle by the power of the gods’ champion, Hayagrīva. All those who listen to this auspicious story are freed from suffering—of this there is no doubt. The tale of the great Maya is pure, it destroys sin, and brings prosperity to those who recite or listen to it. The sages, eager to hear more, spoke: “Gentle one, you have told us of the great battle of Shauri in the vast ocean, where Madhu and Kaitabha fought for five thousand years. But why were those two powerful Danavas born in that single ocean of water, so strong and difficult even for the gods to defeat? How did these Asuras come into being, and how were they slain by Hari? Tell us this wondrous tale, for we are eager to listen. You are learned and wise, and by fortune, we have come together with you.” They reflected on the value of wisdom and discernment, noting that union with the wise is as sweet as nectar, while union with fools is worse than poison. Even animals know the pleasures of the senses, but those without discrimination or reverence for sacred hearing are like beasts. Some animals, like deer, enjoy sound, but serpents, lacking ears, are deprived of this joy. Of the five senses, hearing and sight are the most auspicious: through hearing comes knowledge, and through sight, delight. Hearing, the sages said, is of three kinds: sāttvika (pure), rājasika (passionate), and tāmasika (dark). Sāttvika hearing is of the Vedas and scriptures; rājasika is of literature; tāmasika is talk of war and fault-finding. Sāttvika hearing itself is threefold: superior, which brings liberation; middling, which brings heaven; and inferior, which brings enjoyment. Literature too is threefold: one’s own is superior, that of a courtesan is middling, and that of another’s wife is inferior. Tāmasika hearing is also threefold: fighting with aggressors is superior, fighting out of enmity is middling, and quarrelling without cause is inferior. Thus, they concluded, hearing the Purāṇas is the highest, for it increases understanding, brings merit, and destroys sin. “So, O wise one, narrate the auspicious Purāṇic tale as you heard it from Vyāsa, which brings all good.” Sūta replied, “Blessed are you, noble ones, for you desire to hear, and blessed am I for the chance to speak.