O King, listen to the wondrous tale of the Gaṅgā and Prayāga, whose glory is sung across the ages. The merit gained from studying the four Vedas, from living truthfully and practicing nonviolence, is equaled simply by journeying to this sacred place. Wherever one enters the Gaṅgā, her holiness matches that of Kurukṣetra, but where she joins the Vindhya mountains, her sanctity surpasses Kurukṣetra tenfold. Wherever the blessed Gaṅgā flows, rich with countless sacred fords, that place becomes a field of perfection, needing no further deliberation. On earth, she delivers mortals; in the netherworld, she frees the serpents; and in heaven, she liberates the gods—thus she is revered as the threefold path. For as many years as a person’s bones rest in the Gaṅgā, for that many thousands of years they are honored in heaven. When their merit is spent and they descend from heaven, they are reborn as lords of Jambūdvīpa. Among all sacred fords, the Gaṅgā is supreme, and among rivers, she is the greatest, granting liberation even to the most sinful. While the Gaṅgā is accessible everywhere, she is hardest to reach at Gaṅgādvāra, Prayāga, and her ocean confluence. There, those who bathe and die ascend to heaven, never to be reborn. For all beings burdened by sin and seeking a path, none equals that of the Gaṅgā. She is the purifier of the pure, the most auspicious among auspicious, fallen from the head of the great Lord, remover of all sins, and truly auspicious. In the Kṛta age, Naimiṣa was the holiest field; in Tretā, Puṣkara; in Dvāpara, Kurukṣetra; but in Kali, the Gaṅgā shines above all. One should especially worship the Gaṅgā at Prayāga, for in the dreadful Kali age, O king, there is no other remedy. Hear again, O king, the greatness of Prayāga: simply hearing its praise frees one from all sins, without doubt. On the northern bank of the Gaṅgā lies the sacred ford Mānasa; fasting there for three nights fulfills all desires. The merit gained by giving cows, land, or gold is matched by merely remembering this ford. Whether one approaches the Gaṅgā with or without desire, if he dies there, he attains heaven and never sees hell. Awakened by the songs of apsarases, he departs in a celestial chariot drawn by swans and cranes, enjoying heaven for thousands of years. When his merit is exhausted and he falls from heaven, he is reborn in a noble family, blessed with gold, jewels, and pearls. In the month of Māgha, sixty thousand sacred fords and sixty crore rivers gather at the confluence of the Gaṅgā and Yamunā. Bathing there for three days yields the merit of giving a hundred thousand cows. Whoever kindles the sacred fire between the Gaṅgā and Yamunā becomes free from disease and endowed with all five senses. For as many hair follicles as are on his body, he is honored in heaven for that many thousands of years. When his time in heaven ends, he becomes a lord of Jambudvīpa, and after enjoying great pleasures, he remembers that sacred place again. Whoever enters the water at the renowned confluence during a lunar eclipse is freed from all sins. He attains the world of Soma and delights there for sixty thousand years, honored in heaven. In Indra’s realm, served by men and Gandharvas, if he falls from there, he is born in a prosperous family. One who drinks the blazing water with head downward and feet upward is honored in heaven for a hundred thousand years. If he falls from there, O king, he becomes a performer of Agnihotra; after enjoying great pleasures, he seeks out that sacred place again. Whoever, having cut his own flesh, gives it to the birds—hear also the fruit of him whose body is consumed by birds. He is honored in the world of Soma for a hundred thousand years; falling even from there, he becomes a righteous king: virtuous, beautiful, learned, and kind. After enjoying great pleasures, he again seeks out that sacred place. On the northern bank of the Yamunā and southern side of Prayāga lies the sacred place called 'Release from Debt,' regarded as supreme. One who stays there for a single night and bathes is freed from all debts, attains heaven, and remains forever free from debt. Hearing this account of Prayāga as you have recited, my heart is purified by its praise. O Lord, tell me of the fruit of fasting there—what is its nature, and what world does one attain, cleansed of all sins? Hear, O king, the fruit of fasting at Prayāga: a wise man, full of faith and self-control, attains it. Even if he is healthy and whole, at every step he gains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice. He delivers ten ancestors before and ten after, is freed from all sins, and attains the supreme state. Indeed, O Lord, the great fortune of dharma you have told is such that with little effort, one attains many virtues. By many horse sacrifices performed by the virtuous, such results are attained; dispel my doubt, for I am curious. Hear, O king and mighty hero, what was spoken by the self-born Brahmā in the presence of the sages, which I heard related before.