O noble King, hear the wondrous rewards bestowed upon those who dedicate themselves to sacred works. When a person constructs a temple from wood, his merit is doubled; yet, if he builds with crystal or stone, the fruit of his labor is multiplied tenfold. Not only the builder, but also those who protect temples, ponds, or villages—by plastering, sprinkling, decorating, or serving in any way—receive great blessings. Whether their service is offered for wages or prompted by virtue, all are graced by merit. Consider the creation of reservoirs: the reward for constructing a reservoir is half that for a lake, and the merit for a well is a hundred times greater than that for a canal. Yet, the lotus-born declares that the result for both is equal, and the wise who know the Vedas affirm that the earthly reward is the same. Even if a poor man builds a well, his merit is proclaimed to be equal to that of the wealthy. Such a soul attains the realm of Brahma, accompanied by three generations of his family. Merely standing in the shade of that well for half a moment, a person is led to heaven. Those who create ponds or villages are honored alongside Hari himself. Listen to the merit of those who perform such works for the sake of the gods: they delight in heaven for as many years as there are tens of millions in their lineage, and they reach the abode of Brahma, the single lord of the ages. O King, hear as I declare the merit gained by these acts: such a one dwells for a full hundred ages in the abode of Nārāyaṇa. Now, hear the merit obtained by offering the nectar-like water of the Gaṅgā. One whose deeds are sung rejoices, intoxicated with Viṣṇu’s delight, and so many sins—even the gravest, such as the killing of a brāhmaṇa—are destroyed. He dwells with the Lord who abides in the Milk Ocean for as long as the moon and stars endure, and he goes to the abode of Brahmā, accompanied by three generations of his lineage. He dwells in Viṣṇu’s mansion until the dissolution of all beings and rejoices in Viṣṇu’s temple together with twenty-one generations of his family. There is no return for him from Viṣṇu’s world, O Lord of men. He rejoices in the Vaiṣṇava realm with tens of thousands of his lineage, and dwells in Viṣṇu’s city with hundreds of thousands of his family. Endowed with millions of his lineage, he attains union with Hari, indeed, union with Viṣṇu along with countless hundreds of thousands. Now, hear the fruit of bathing Viṣṇu with coconut water: he rejoices with Viṣṇu, accompanied by two hundred families, and reaches Viṣṇu’s abode with Keśava and a hundred thousand ancestors. Having bathed Hari with devotion, he attains the Vaiṣṇava realm, freed from all sins, rejoicing together with Vishnu. He dwells in the abode of Vishnu along with three hundred virtuous men. These acts bear special fruit when performed on auspicious days: on the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight, on the eighth day, and on the day of the full moon; during lunar and solar eclipses, at the beginning of Manus and Yugas; likewise, on the new moon with Saturn, on Tuesday in the Ashvini constellation, on Wednesday in the Anuradha constellation, and during the solar month of Shravan. Thus, O King, the rewards for such sacred deeds are multiplied, and the soul is forever blessed in the company of the divine.