O King, all the dharmas have been clearly declared in the Purāṇas. The Purāṇas themselves, O wise one, are meant to bring happiness in this world and the next. When one follows their teachings, the mind becomes pure and remains ever devoted to righteousness. Among the devotees of Vishnu, discernment toward the path of dharma naturally arises. Those who desire the fruits of righteousness, wealth, pleasure, and liberation all turn to these sacred texts. Now hear of my own past, for I myself, out of pride, once spoke against the all-knowing sage Gautama. There was a time when I went to perform worship of the Supreme Lord. That sage Gautama, tranquil and of great wisdom, was a veritable treasury of brilliance. I worshipped Shiva, the teacher of the entire universe. But know this: whoever, whether knowingly or unknowingly, shows disrespect to the teacher, brings harm upon themselves. On the other hand, the person who serves the teacher with reverence finds true blessing. Because of my disrespect, I was afflicted by a curse and burned within by the fire of hunger. As the best of Brahmins was recounting this, sitting beneath a banyan tree during the night, a certain very righteous Brahmin arrived at that moment. He carried Ganga water on his shoulder and was praising the Lord of the universe. Seeing this sage arrive, the two fierce beings—the piśāca and the rākṣasa—were powerless to attack him. The rākṣasas themselves confessed, “Because of the greatness of name-chanting, we have been driven far away. O Brahmin, the covering of the divine Name protects you from great danger.” By the glory of the infallible Lord, these beings themselves attained supreme peace. Then they pleaded, “By the ablution with Ganga water, protect us from the accumulation of our sins.” For it is said by the sages that such a one delivers all who have gone before him. “By what means,” they asked, “can liberation, so rare everywhere, be attained? And how do those who have not performed meritorious deeds deliver others by that very means?” Just as the moon, full of nectar, brings joy to all the worlds, so too all the joys of the world are considered equal even to a single drop of Ganga. Indeed, Ganga water purifies as many as twenty-one generations of a family. “By the offering of Ganga water, protect us, the doers of sinful deeds, from evil,” they begged. Hearing this, the best of the twice-born was filled with wonder. “What then of those great and virtuous ones endowed with the power of knowledge?” he pondered. The devotee, intent on the welfare of all and purified in heart, attains the supreme state. With compassion, he sprinkled them with water mixed with tulasi leaves for their protection. Their demonic nature was wiped away, and they became like the gods themselves. Their forms became radiant, shining like millions of suns. Praising the Brahmin with proper reverence, they ascended to the heavenly abode. Seeing those who had attained liberation, the Brahmin fell into deep thought. He spoke the great saying, the root of righteousness, with profound words: “O King, even for you, at the end of your share in this life, great good fortune will arise. Without doubt, those devoted to the worship of the guru go to that supreme abode of Vishnu. Indeed, those who serve the guru with devotion attain the highest state.