In the course of their conversation, the sage explained profound truths to his listener. He said, “Virtue and vice accompany a person both in this world and the next; there is no other companion. When people offer food with ghee into the mouths of the departed, it is believed that the departed partake of that offering. Yet, ultimately, neither virtue nor vice, nor wealth, nor sons, nor relatives remain with a person forever. For those who perform virtuous deeds, even the power of desire gradually diminishes. People trouble themselves endlessly over the gathering and giving away of wealth, but these efforts are often in vain. Those whose minds are thus resolved and who understand these truths are never afflicted by anxiety. Therefore, it is only fate that truly knows the time of birth and death; no one else can know. Yet, even with this knowledge, people continue to make fruitless efforts, striving for things beyond their control. Even after committing great sins, some strive diligently to do good for others. But in the end, it is the foolish person alone who experiences the fruit of his own sin. At that time, Gulika, with palms joined in humility, repeatedly asked for forgiveness. The hunter, now freed from sin and filled with repentance, spoke with deep emotion: ‘O best of Brahmins, all those sins have been destroyed by your very sight. How, then, shall I atone further? To whom shall I seek refuge, O Lord? Having committed these nets of sin here, what state shall I attain? I have made no remedy for these actions—what will be my fate, or what will my next birth be? And for how long must I endure the fruits of my fierce deeds, through how many births?’ Burned within by the fire of remorse, the hunter’s life came to an end at that very moment. The wise sage then anointed him with the sacred water that had washed the feet of Vishnu. Immediately, the hunter ascended into a divine aerial chariot and spoke to the sage: ‘By your grace, I am freed from the armor of great sin. In the same way, all my sins have been utterly destroyed. Through you, I have been brought to the supreme abode of Vishnu. Therefore, O wise one, I bow to you; forgive what I have done.’ He performed three circumambulations around the sage, offering his salutations with great reverence. Surrounded by groups of celestial Apsaras, he reached the temple of Hari. Placing his joined palms upon his head, he praised the Lord of Lakshmi. By the boon granted to him, Uktaṅka also attained the supreme abode. At this, a question arose: What kind of boon did the virtuous Uktaṅka receive? Witnessing the greatness of the sacred water from Vishnu’s feet, Uktaṅka praised with deep devotion: ‘I take refuge in the great Lord, the bearer of the discus, lotus, bow, and sword—the destroyer of great distress when remembered, the true shelter. I bow to Vishnu, the primeval God, from whose anger Rudra arises and by whom the world is dissolved. I take refuge in Vishnu, the ancient and pure one, known through Vedanta, the treasure of radiance. May the Lord, who is known only through true knowledge—beginningless, singular, and the cause of all—be gracious to me. May the eternal one, the remover of the distress of those who seek refuge, the supreme self, the ocean of compassion, grant me a boon. You alone are all this, of infinite essence; there is nothing beyond you, O supreme self. The pure, stainless, immeasurable one is seen by the good as the true reality. In the same way, the one Lord of all appears as if different, like the soul in various bodies. Those who are free from illusion see that very one, the all-pervading, as their own self—from whom all this arises and in whom it is established.