With his palms joined in reverence, Gulika, his heart trembling, pleaded again and again, “Forgive me.” The hunter, now freed from the burden of his sins and filled with remorse, turned to the sage and spoke humbly, “O best of Brahmins, your very sight has destroyed all my sins. But how can I atone further? To whom shall I seek refuge, O Lord? Having woven such a web of sin in this world, what fate awaits me? What will become of me in my next birth, since I have made no remedy for these deeds? How long must I endure the bitter fruit of my actions, I who have committed such fierce deeds—through how many births must I suffer?” Tormented by the fire of deep remorse, the hunter’s life came to its end. The wise sage, filled with compassion, anointed him with the sacred water from Vishnu’s feet. At that very moment, the hunter ascended into a resplendent aerial chariot, and, radiant with newfound purity, addressed the sage: “By your grace, I am freed from the armor of great sin. 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—please forgive all that I have done.” With deep gratitude, the hunter circumambulated the sage three times and offered his salutations. Then, surrounded by groups of celestial Apsaras, he journeyed to the temple of Hari. With hands joined and raised to his head, he praised the Lord of Lakshmi. By the boon granted to him, the sage Uktaṅka also attained the supreme abode. Curious about this, a question arose: What kind of boon did the virtuous Uktaṅka receive? Witnessing the greatness of the water from Vishnu’s feet, Uktaṅka offered his praises with heartfelt devotion: “I take refuge in the great Lord—He who bears the discus, lotus, bow, and sword; destroyer of great distress when remembered; the true shelter of all. I bow to Vishnu, the primeval God, from whose anger Rudra arises and by whom the world is dissolved. I take refuge in Vishnu, ancient and pure, known through Vedanta, the treasure house of radiant splendor. 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, 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 virtuous as the true reality. In the same way, the one Lord of all appears as if different, like the soul dwelling 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 all is established. Immeasurable, without beginning or support, You are the very form of that which is both the foundation and the founded. You are the God who dwells in the cave of the heart, served by yogis; of the nature of sound, the seed of sound, the very essence of Om, imperishable; ageless, the witness, truly beyond the reach of speech and mind. The senses, mind, intellect, being, energy, strength, and steadfastness—all are said to be of the nature of knowledge and ignorance, and also beyond even the highest. For those great souls who have taken refuge in you, their liberation is eternal. I bow again and again, I bow again and again, I bow yet again. I worship that immeasurable Person whose very name removes all evil deeds. I worship that which is distinct from all, supreme, and greater than the greatest.” Thus, in humility and devotion, Uktaṅka extolled the Supreme Lord, expressing his refuge and ultimate surrender.