Hear now the wondrous account, as revealed in sacred scripture. Within you, O Goddess, abides Brahman itself, and the entire universe without exception. You are the very embodiment of the syllable Om, the primal sound—stable and unstable, manifest and unmanifest—firmly established in your being. In you, O Goddess, all that exists and all that does not exist is contained within the threefold measure: the three worlds, the three Vedas, the threefold knowledge, and the three sacred fires. Likewise, the three lights, the three colors, and the three sources of Dharma are found in you; as are the three qualities, the three sounds, the three Vedas, and the three stages of life. You encompass the three divisions of time, the three states of consciousness, the ancestors, day and night, and all things that are measured by this triple form—O Sarasvati, this triple measure is your very nature. The original and eternal forms of Brahman are perceived in diverse ways by various seers: the seven Soma sacrifices, the seven oblations, and the seven kinds of cooked offerings. These, O Goddess, are performed by those learned in Brahman through your utterance. Yet beyond these is another supreme form, indescribable and endowed with the half-measure. This highest form of yours, O Goddess, is unchanging, imperishable, divine, and free from all transformation—so subtle that I am unable to describe it. It is not said to possess a tongue or red lips or any such features; even the greatest gods—Indra, the Vasus, Brahma, the Moon, the Sun, and Light itself—cannot comprehend it fully. You are the universal abode, the universal form, the Lord of the universe, the Supreme Lord, as taught in the doctrines of Samkhya and Vedanta, established in many branches of wisdom. You are without beginning, middle, or end; both existent and nonexistent, and yet only existent; one and yet many, not even one, embracing all forms of becoming. Nameless, yet called the sixfold, classified as groups, based on the three qualities—you are the one among those with manifold powers, the supreme, resplendent with the glory of power. In you, both happiness and unhappiness are perceived, as is the form of supreme bliss; thus, O Goddess, all that is manifest and unmanifest is pervaded by you—Brahman established in nonduality, and that which is established in duality. Whatever objects are eternal and whatever perish; those that are gross, subtle, or most subtle; those on earth, in the sky, or elsewhere—all these are known only through you. Whatever is formless and whatever is formed, all of it; whatever is one or manifold among beings; whatever is divine, on earth, in the sky, or elsewhere—all is connected to you, expressed through your sounds and letters. Having thus been praised, the Goddess Sarasvati, the very tongue of Vishnu, addressed the great-souled serpent Ashvatara: “O brother of Kambala, lord of serpents, I offer you a boon. Speak your wish, and I shall grant whatever is in your heart.” Ashvatara replied, “O Goddess, first grant me Kambala as my companion; and bestow upon both of us the connection with all the notes of music.” Sarasvati, gracious and radiant, responded: “O best of serpents, the seven notes, the musical modes, the seven songs, and the seven scales; fifty-one tālas and the three grāmas—this entire knowledge, O sinless one, you and Kambala shall receive. By my grace you shall also know the supreme art of serpent-music: the fourfold measure, the tāla, the three kinds of tempo, and the threefold rhythm. The three types of gait and the fourfold tāla have been given by me; all this, together with the supreme serpent-music, you shall receive by my favor. All that is contained within it, dependent upon it, and marked by notes and accents—I have given it all, to you and to Kambala. And, O serpent, in the world of mortals or in the netherworld, there will be no others; you two alone shall be the masters of all this, in Pātāla, in the world of gods, and among mortals, O serpents.” Having spoken thus, the goddess Sarasvati, mistress of all speech, vanished at once from the sight of the serpent, her lotus-like eyes aglow. Then all that had transpired became manifest to the two brothers; supreme knowledge of meter, measure, notes, and all the arts arose within both. Empowered with the seven modes of song and endowed with mastery of string and rhythm, the two serpents resolved to worship the Lord who dwells atop Mount Kailāsa. Desiring to please the god, the destroyer of Kāma, they united their voices and skill, exerting themselves with utmost devotion. In the morning, at night, at midday, and at the twilights, they remained steadfast in their worship; over a long time, as they sang his praises, the bull-bannered Lord was pleased. Delighted by their songs, the Lord spoke: “Choose a boon.” Bowing together, Ashvatara and Kambala addressed him: “O great god, blue-throated Lord, husband of Umā, if the three-eyed God of gods is pleased with us, then grant us this boon as we desire: let Madālasā, wife of the deceased Kuvalayāśva, become my daughter at once, in the same age as before, with memory of her past life, endowed with the same beauty, and let her be born in my house as a yoginī and mother of yogins.” Mahādeva replied, “As you have spoken, O best of serpents, so shall it be, without doubt, by my grace. Now hear this, O serpent: When the śrāddha ceremony is performed, you should eat the middle rice-ball yourself, with purity and focused mind. When you have eaten it, from the middle of your hood, she of auspicious form, just as before, shall arise. While thinking of her, perform the ancestral offering; at that very moment, she of beautiful brows will emerge from the middle of your hood, breathing forth. A virtuous woman will arise, just as beautiful as Amrita.” Hearing this, the two serpents bowed to the great Lord and returned to the netherworld, filled with satisfaction. There, the younger brother of Kambala performed the śrāddha ritual as instructed. He properly consumed the middle portion of the rice-ball offering, and as he meditated upon Madālasā with longing, that slender-waisted woman was instantly born from the middle of his hood as he exhaled, taking on her very form once again. The serpent kept this wondrous event to himself, telling no one of her rebirth.