In the celestial realms, there exists an ocean of milk, ever the sacred abode of Lord Hari. Beyond this, a second ocean, filled with nectar, remains forbidden to Brahmins. Once, Janardana journeyed to Avimukteshvara in Varanasi and reverently anointed Tryambaka—the Lord of lords—with pure milk. With unwavering devotion, Madhusudana himself performed this sacred rite, offering the nectar of bodily union in the act of anointing the Lord. Thereafter, the Blessed One, joined by Brahma and the great sages, poured forth milk together, and as before, made the ocean of milk his chosen dwelling. In the course of time, Dharma was cursed by the illustrious sage Mandavya, while Krishna and other mighty sages such as Durvasa pronounced curses upon the Vrishnis. Raghava and his brothers, too, were cursed by the great Durvasa, and Shrivatsa suffered a curse for falling at the feet of a wise sage. Thus, many noble souls, except for Virupaksha—the supreme Lord, consort of Uma—came under the sway of Brahminical wrath. Deluded by illusion, these beings failed to recognize Shankara. In their ignorance, they uttered harsh words against him, and the fierce Lord vanished from their midst. Disturbed and troubled in heart, the sages departed from the Daru forest at dawn and approached the great-souled Pitamaha, Brahma, who sat upon the supreme seat. There, weary and anxious, they recounted all that had transpired in the sacred Daru forest. Reflecting deeply, Brahma recalled all the events that had unfolded long ago in that holy place. Rising with joined palms and bowing in reverence to Bhava, Brahma addressed the sages of the Daru forest. "Shame upon you," he declared, "for you have reached your end without attaining the supreme, incomparable treasure. O Brahmins, bereft of fortune, your actions have been in vain. The one whom you beheld in the Daru forest, bearing the linga and appearing deformed, was none other than the Supreme Lord himself. Householders must never despise guests, O twice-born ones, regardless of their appearance—be they deformed or handsome, unclean or unlearned. Even Death and Time were once conquered on earth by the foremost Brahmin, Sudarshana, through his worship of guests." Brahma continued, "Without the worship of guests, which purifies the self on earth, neither householders nor excellent Brahmins can hope to cross over the ocean of existence. It is told that Sudarshana, even as a householder in Jayā, once vowed before his devoted wife: 'O virtuous and fortunate one, listen well. Never, at any time, must you disregard a guest who enters our home. Every guest is truly the bearer of the Pināka; after offering to the guest, you should honor him as your very self.'" Distressed and helpless, Sudarshana's devoted wife, weeping, asked her husband, "Master, what have you said?" Sudarshana replied, "Everything should be offered, noble one, to Shiva; for Shiva himself is the guest." Thus instructed, the devoted wife accepted his command as a sacred offering and acted accordingly, that their faith might be tested. One day, Dharma himself, taking the form of a distinguished Brahmin, visited their home. The sinless wife, seeing him, welcomed and worshipped the guest with water for his feet and other offerings. Pleased, Dharma asked, "O blessed one, where is your wise husband, Sudarshana?" Then, requesting food and drink, he added, "You should also offer yourself here." The modest wife, recalling her husband's words, lowered her eyes and trembled, pondering what to do, her mind fixed on Dharma. Obeying her husband's command, she prepared to offer herself. At that moment, Sudarshana returned and called out, "Come, come, O blessed one, where have you gone?" The guest then spoke, "Today, Sudarshana, I am here with your wife for union; tell me, what should be done now?" Sudarshana replied, "O best of Brahmins, the act of love is complete; I am satisfied." Overjoyed, the king of Dharma revealed his true form and granted them all they desired, declaring, "She has not been touched by me, not even in thought. I came only to test your faith. By your virtue, death itself has been conquered through Dharma." Marveling at the power of Sudarshana's austerity, Dharma departed. Therefore, Brahma concluded, all guests must always be honored in this way. "What more need be said, O best of twice-born? Those bereft of fortune should swiftly seek refuge in Shankara alone." Hearing Brahma's words, the foremost Brahmins, distressed and with troubled eyes, bowed before him and spoke: "O greatly fortunate one, our lives are disregarded and our women are distraught; we have seen Mahadeva, who is blameless, yet we have reviled him. He who is all-pervading, wielder of the trident and the Pināka bow, the blue-red one, has been cursed. Through our ignorance, the power of our curse is rendered void simply by beholding him.