Let me tell you of the sacred procedures and wondrous rewards associated with the creation and offering of mountain-shaped gifts, as described in the ancient scripture. The sages prescribe that the medium mountain should be fashioned to a height of five hundred units, while the inferior mountain is said to be three hundred. Around these, transverse mountains are to be constructed on all sides, each a quarter of the main mountain's size. In the east, Gandhamādana is to be crafted by the learned, adorned with vajra and gomed gems, and decorated with indranīla stones in the south. Its beauty is enhanced with padmarāga gems. To the west, Vimalācala is to be made with a mixture of vaidūrya and vidruma, and in the north, it should be set with padmarāga and gold. All arrangements here should mirror the grain-mountains, and, in the same way, the invocation must be performed. Golden trees and deities are to be fashioned and placed atop these mountains. Worship is to be performed each morning, using flowers, fragrances, and other offerings, with a mind free from envy. The teacher recites the prescribed mantras to the priests. When all the hosts of gods are established within the jewels, and even the mountains themselves are formed of jewels, reverent obeisance is offered to the eternal mountain. Because Hari is always pleased by the giving of jewels, the mountain is invoked to protect the devotees through the offering of gems. Whoever donates such a jewel-made mountain according to this method attains the world of Viṣṇu, honored by the lord of immortals. For as long as a hundred kalpas and beyond, the donor dwells there, endowed with beauty, health, and virtue, becoming lord of the seven continents. All sins, even those as grave as the killing of a brāhmaṇa, are destroyed, just as a mountain struck by a thunderbolt is shattered. Now, let me declare the excellence of the silver mountain. By offering such a mountain, a person attains the unsurpassed world of Soma. The best silver mountain weighs ten thousand palas; the medium, five thousand; the inferior, half of that. If one cannot make a mountain above twenty palas, one should craft it according to their means, and, as before, the transverse mountains should be a quarter of the main. Following the established rules, Mandara and other mountains are to be made of silver, and the lords of the world are to be worshipped with vessels of refined silver. Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Arka should be fashioned, with their base in gold; all other figures should be of silver, except where gold is required. The rest of the ritual proceeds as before, including the homa (sacred fire offering) and vigil. In the morning, the silver mountain is given to the teacher, and the transverse mountains to the priests, along with worship, garments, and ornaments, reciting the prescribed mantra while holding darbha grass, free from envy. This silver mountain is dear to the ancestors, the lords of the earth, and Śiva; it is invoked to protect the devotees from the ocean of sorrow and transmigration. Whoever makes this offering of the excellent mountain of silver, after declaring it in this manner, attains the reward of giving ten thousand cows. In the realm of Soma, the wise donor dwells, honored by hosts of Gandharvas, Kinnaras, and Apsaras, until the dissolution of creation. Now, I shall expound on the excellent mountain of sugar, whose donation pleases Vishnu, Arka, and Rudra. The supreme sugar mountain requires eight loads of sugar; the middling, four; the inferior, two loads. Those of limited means may make a mountain with half or a quarter load, and the transverse mountains should be a quarter of the main. All arrangements, as with the grain mountain, should be prepared together with nectar. Three golden trees—Mandara, Parijata, and the wish-fulfilling tree—should be placed atop Meru, the central mountain. These three trees must adorn the summit of all mountains. Two sandalwood trees, one on the east and one on the west, should be placed on every mountain, especially the sugar mountain. On Mandara, the deity of desire should always face west; on Gandhamadana, the god of wealth should face north. On the great mountain, the form of the Veda—the swan—should face east, and on the golden side, Surabhi, the divine cow, should face south. As with the grain mountain, all rites of invocation must be performed. The middle mountain is given to the teacher, and the four mountains to the priests, with the recitation of mantras. The mountain, filled with sugar, is the essence of the nectar of fortune, and is invoked as the bringer of joy. It is said that droplets of nectar that fell to earth as the gods drank, gave rise to the sugar mountain, which is invoked for protection. Because sugar arose from the middle of the bow of the god of love, the mountain is composed of it and is called upon to protect the devotees from the ocean of worldly existence. Whoever donates the sugar mountain according to this procedure, freed from all sins, attains the supreme state. Ascending a radiant vehicle like the moon, stars, and sun, together with his dependents, he proceeds there, impelled by Vishnu. At the end of a hundred aeons, he becomes lord of the seven continents, endowed with long life and health, for three thousand births. One should provide food according to ability, without envy, on all mountains; salt and alkaline substances may be eaten with permission, and all mountain offerings should be given to the abode of Brahmins. Once, in the great age, there lived a king embodying righteousness, a friend of Indra, by whom thousands of demons were slain. His radiance dimmed the moon and sun, and he subdued hundreds of unconquered enemies. Even as a human, he could take any form at will and remained undefeated. His wife was Bhānumatī, the most beautiful in the three worlds, whose divine form, like Lakṣmī's, surpassed even the celestial maidens. She was the chief queen of that king, more precious than life itself, shining among ten thousand women like Śrī herself. Thus ends the account of the sacred mountain offerings, their proper construction, adornment, worship, and the extraordinary rewards bestowed upon those who perform these rites with devotion and reverence.