O best of friends, those who initiate others into sacred rites, perform consecrations, and conduct sacraments are to be regarded as gurus. Such teachers are worthy of the highest honor and should always be greeted with respect. Indeed, all these—those who initiate, those who perform consecrations, and those who conduct sacraments—are to be considered equal, O Sarave. Let this be known properly. To narrate the greatness of the guru, to listen to such accounts, and to give approval to them—these actions, too, are always worthy of equal honor. There can be no doubt about this. Those who teach the Vedas, those who explain the mantras, and the learned who recite the Purāṇas with righteousness—they are all to be revered. The acts of worshipping the gods and the fruits that arise from such worship are also to be honored. O king, the Purāṇas are the very essence of the meanings of all the Vedas. The one who strives to cross the ocean of worldly existence finds guidance here, for all dharmas have been declared in the Purāṇas. These Purāṇas, O wise one, are meant for happiness in this world and the next. Through their teachings, the mind becomes pure, and one is ever devoted to righteousness. Among the devotees of Vishnu, discernment regarding what is right naturally arises. Those who desire the fruits of righteousness, wealth, pleasure, or liberation all find their path illuminated here. As for me, I must confess: out of pride, I once spoke against the all-knowing sage Gautama. There was a time when I went to perform worship of the Supreme Lord. That Gautama, tranquil and of great wisdom, was a treasure-house of brilliance. The god Shiva, teacher of the entire universe, was the one whom I worshipped. Yet, whoever knowingly or unknowingly shows disrespect to the teacher suffers greatly. But the one who serves the teacher with reverence gains immense merit. Because of my own disrespect, I was cursed and burned within by the fire of hunger. As the best of Brahmins was recounting these events beneath a banyan tree in the night, a certain very righteous Brahmin arrived. He carried Ganga water on his shoulder and was praising the Lord of the universe as he walked. When this sage appeared, the two evil beings present—a piśāca and a rākṣasa—found themselves unable to attack him. The rākṣasas spoke, saying, "Because of the greatness of name-chanting, we rākṣasas have been driven far away. O Brahmin, the covering of the divine Name protects you from even the greatest danger." By the glory of the infallible Lord, those beings attained supreme peace. Then, they pleaded, "By the ablution with Ganga water, protect us from our accumulation of sins." Thus, it is said by the sages that one who is pure delivers all those who have gone before him. But by what means can liberation, which is rare everywhere, truly be attained? How is it that those who have not performed meritorious deeds can deliver others by the same means? Just as the moon, the repository of nectar, brings joy to all the worlds, so too is the joy of all worlds found in even a single drop of Ganga water. Indeed, Ganga water is said to purify as many as twenty-one generations of a family. "By the offering of Ganga water," they begged, "protect us, the doers of sinful deeds, from evil." Hearing all this, the best of the twice-born was filled with wonder and thought, "If such is the power of Ganga water, what then of those great and virtuous souls endowed with the power of true knowledge?