At the foot of a magnificent mountain, radiant as lightning and composed of all the elements, lies the vast and divine Mānasa lake—a place revered and frequented by perfected beings. From this sacred region arises the holy river Sarayū, purifier of the worlds. Along its banks stretches the renowned and divine forest called Vaibhrāja. Within this forest dwells Brahmadhātā, a mighty and self-controlled Rākṣasa. He is the son of Prahetita, an attendant of Kubera, and possesses boundless power. To the west of Kailāsa stands the divine mountain Varuṇa, foremost among all mountains of herbs and adorned with veins of gold. Beloved of Bhava, Varuṇa shines resplendently like a mountain of pure gold, its slopes heaped with divine rocks and ore, its hundreds of blazing golden peaks seeming to pierce the very sky. There, formidable and lofty, stands the great and divine mountain Śṛṅgavān. Upon it resides the lord of mountains, Dhūmralohita. At the mountain’s base lies the lake called Śailoda, from which flows the sacred and auspicious river Śailodakā. Between these mountains, the river Cakṣuṣī courses onward, making its way to the western ocean. To the north of Kailāsa rises the sacred mountain Sarvauṣadha. Facing it is another foremost mountain, white and made of orpiment. Here stands the great and divine mountain Hiraṇyaśṛṅga, rich in wondrous herbs. At its foot lies a vast and divine lake with sands of gold. Among these holy waters is the delightful Bindusara lake, where King Bhagiratha once dwelled for many years, seeking to bring the Ganges to earth. It was here that the ancestors of Bhagiratha, whose bones were washed by the sacred waters of the Ganges, attained heaven. It is also here that the goddess Tripathagā, the Ganges herself, first descended. She was born from the foot of Soma, dividing herself into seven streams. In this sanctified place stand sacrificial posts of jewels and celestial palaces of gold. Indra, along with the hosts of gods, performed sacrifices here and attained perfection. The radiant path of shadows and the circle of the stars can also be seen in this region. At night, the luminous goddess Tripathagā is visible here, and after traversing the sky and the heavens, she finally descended to earth. When she fell upon the highest part of Bhava, she was restrained by his power of yoga. In her anger, some of her drops fell to earth, forming many lakes—hence the name Bindusara, the lake of drops. As Bhava’s wrath checked her sudden descent, understanding her intent and the harsh purpose behind it, I broke through and entered the netherworld, carrying Śaṅkara with the current. Witnessing the arrogance of the river, Śaṃkara became angry and resolved to make her disappear from his own limbs. At that very moment, he saw King Bhagiratha before him, emaciated, with veins standing out, his senses disturbed by hunger. Śaṃkara remembered that he had already been satisfied by Bhagiratha’s devotion for the sake of the river. Knowing this, he restrained his anger and granted the boon. Recalling the words spoken by Brahmā, Śaṃkara held the river and then released her, she who had been restrained by his own power. Satisfied by Bhagiratha’s intense austerity, he released Gaṅgā in seven streams. Three flowed eastward, three westward, and thus the river of three paths divided into seven channels. The Nalinī, Hlādinī, and Pāvanī flowed eastward; Sītā, Cakṣu, and Sindhu flowed westward. The seventh stream, called Anugā, followed Bhagiratha to the south, and thus Bhāgīrathī entered the southern ocean. These seven rivers flooded the land called Himāhvaya, nourishing it with their auspicious waters. The seven sacred rivers, born from Lake Bindusaras, arose there, inundating lands inhabited mostly by mlecchas and their surrounding mountains: the Kukuras, Raudhras, Barbaras, Yavanas, and Khasas. The Pulikas, Kulatthas, Aṅgalokyas, and other peoples were also flooded as the river divided and entered the southern ocean through the Himalaya. The Vīramarus, Kālikas, Śūlikas, Tukaras, Barbaras, Pahlavas, Pāradas, and Śakas—all these peoples, along with the Cakṣus river, were likewise flooded before the waters reached the ocean. The Daradas, Urjagus, Gāndhāras, Aurasas, and Kuhus, as well as the Śivapauras, Indramarus, Vasatīs, Saindhavas, Urvasas, Barbas, Kupathas, Bhīmas, and Romakas, were all nourished by these sacred waters. The Śunāmukhas, Urdhamarus, and those whom Sindhu nourishes, along with Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, Vidyādharas, and Nāgas, all received the blessings of the rivers. The Kalāpagāmakas, Kimpuruṣas, men, Kirātas, Pulindas, Kurus, and Bhāratas, as well as the Pāñcālas, Kauśikas, Matsyas, Māgadhas, Aṅgas, Brahmottaras, Vaṅgas, and Tāmraliṭṭas—these noble peoples were all sustained by the auspicious Gaṅgā. Eventually, blocked by the Vindhya mountains, the river entered the southern ocean. Then, the auspicious and delightful river flowed eastward, flooding the surrounding lands and even all the Nishadas. It inundated the fishermen, the Rishikas, the Nalimukhas, the Kekaras, the Ekarna people, and also the Kiratas. The waters swept over the Kalanjaras, Vikarnas, Kushikas, and those dwelling in both heavenly and earthly realms, encircling the ocean and reaching all the shores. In time, the river Nalinī also made her way toward the east, flooding impassable paths and even the lakes of Indradyumna, spreading the blessings of the sacred waters far and wide.