Nārada, the great sage, spoke to the king and described a wondrous event. From the seeds that had been cast upon the earth, three sacred trees sprang forth: the dhātrī, the mālatī, and the tulasī. Each had a divine origin: the dhātrī arose from Dhātrī, the mālatī from Mā, and the tulasī from Gaurī herself. These trees embodied the qualities of darkness, purity, and passion, respectively. As these trees grew, Viṣṇu beheld them, and to his astonishment, he saw two of them—dhātrī and tulasī—manifest in feminine form. Overcome by confusion and wonder, Viṣṇu gazed upon the extraordinary beauty of Vṛndā, and his heart was enchanted. Delusion clouded his mind, and desire took hold of him as he looked upon the two. In turn, tulasī and dhātrī gazed back at Viṣṇu with longing in their hearts. Long ago, Lakṣmī had offered a seed through her own divine power, and from this, women were born. Among them, one was filled with jealousy and was thereafter called Barbarī, much condemned by Mādhava. Yet, dhātrī and tulasī continued to bring Viṣṇu great delight. Forgetting his previous sorrow, Viṣṇu joyfully departed with dhātrī and tulasī to Vaikuṇṭha, the celestial abode, where all the gods honored him. Because of this, it is prescribed that during the sacred month of Kartika, Viṣṇu should be worshipped at the root of the tulasī plant, for she is remembered as the giver of delight. Nārada continued: "O king, wherever a tulasī grove stands, that house becomes as holy as a tīrtha, a sacred place of pilgrimage. The servants of Yama, the god of death, do not enter such a dwelling. The presence of a tulasī grove removes all sins, bestows merit, and fulfills desires. Those noble souls who plant tulasī never see the sun god at the time of death, for they are freed from the cycle of birth. The sight of the Narmadā river, bathing in the Gaṅgā, and the company of a tulasī grove—these three are held as equal in sanctity. By planting, tending, watering, seeing, or touching tulasī, one’s sins accumulated through speech, mind, and body are burned away. He who worships Hari and Hara with tulasī flowers is not reborn; without doubt, he attains liberation. All the holy places, such as Puṣkara, the sacred rivers like Gaṅgā, and the gods beginning with Vāsudeva, dwell within the tulasī leaf itself. If one departs this life adorned with a cluster of tulasī flowers, he truly attains union with Viṣṇu. Even Yama cannot behold one who dies with tulasī clay upon his body, no matter how many sins he has committed. If a person wears sandalwood made from tulasī wood, sin cannot touch him in this world. Wherever the shade of a tulasī grove falls, there offerings to the ancestors should be made, for such gifts never perish. Likewise, offerings made beneath the shade of the dhātrī tree bring satisfaction to ancestors dwelling in hell. Whoever places dhātrī fruit on his head, hands, mouth, and body is to be regarded as Hari himself. One who always bears dhātrī fruit, tulasī clay, and earth from Dvārakā upon his person is called liberated even while living. Bathing with water mixed with dhātrī fruit and tulasī leaves is considered equal to bathing in the holy Gaṅgā. Worshipping the gods with dhātrī leaves and fruit yields the same merit as worshipping with golden flowers. During Kartika, when the sun is in Libra, all sages, gods, and sacrifices reside constantly at the dhātrī tree. Yet, if anyone plucks tulasī or dhātrī leaves on the twelfth day of Kartika, he is condemned by the wise and goes to hell. If one eats food beneath the shade of the dhātrī tree in Kartika, all sin arising from food is destroyed for him. Whoever worships Viṣṇu at the root of the dhātrī tree during Kartika is worshipped in all Viṣṇu temples. Even the four-faced Brahmā cannot fully describe the greatness of dhātrī and tulasī, though he can speak of the bow-bearing god. Whoever hears or devoutly recites the origin of dhātrī and tulasī is freed from sin and ascends to heaven with his ancestors, dwelling in the finest celestial palaces. Thus ends the chapter known as ‘The Greatness of Dhātrī and Tulasī’ in the Kartika Mahatmya of the Uttara Khanda of the Padma Purāṇa, within the sacred dialogue between Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Satyabhāmā. Later, King Prithu approached Nārada with a question. “You have told me that quarrel was created from the body of a merchant by the hosts of Śiva and Viṣṇu, on the banks of the Krishna river. Is this the power of those two rivers, or of that region itself? Please explain, for I am greatly amazed.” Nārada replied, “Krishna, the Lord of dark form, is truly Maheśvara, who appeared from the river Veṇī. Even the four-faced Brahmā cannot describe the power of their union. Yet, I shall recount its origin for you. In the interval of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, Manu’s father, the god Brahmā, existed. On the beautiful peak of Mount Sahya, Brahmā prepared to perform a great sacrifice, assembling all the hosts of gods and arranging the sacrificial materials. Accompanied by Hari and Hara, he ascended to the summit of that mountain. There, in an instant, groups of sages led by Bhṛgu gathered, with Brahmā as the presiding deity. For the consecration ritual, they all assembled together. At the urging of the sages, Viṣṇu called for his senior wife, Svā. But as thunder rolled, Bhṛgu spoke to Viṣṇu: ‘O Viṣṇu, Svā whom you have summoned is not arriving quickly. The proper time is passing, and the consecration must be performed—what should we do?’ Viṣṇu replied, ‘If Svā does not come quickly, let Gāyatrī be appointed here.’ Yet, it was pointed out that Gāyatrī was not his wife in this meritorious act. In this, Rudra agreed with Viṣṇu’s words.” Thus, through the words of Nārada, the king learned of the deep mysteries and the greatness of the sacred trees and rivers, and the divine acts performed in ancient times.