Prithu, filled with wonder, addressed the sage: “You have told me that quarrel itself was created from the body of a merchant, by the hosts of Shiva and Vishnu, on the banks of the Krishna river. Is this the power of those two rivers, or of that region itself? Please tell me, O knower of dharma, for I am greatly amazed.” Nārada replied, “Krishna, the Lord with the dark form, is in truth Maheśvara himself, who appeared from the river Veṇī. The power of their union is so great that even the four-faced Brahmā cannot fully describe it. Yet, I will recount its origin; listen carefully. “In the interval between cosmic ages, during the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, Manu’s father, the god Brahmā, existed. On the beautiful peak of Mount Sahya, Brahmā prepared to perform a grand sacrifice. He assembled all the hosts of gods and gathered the required sacrificial materials. Accompanied by Hari (Viṣṇu) and Hara (Shiva), Brahmā ascended to the summit. In a moment, groups of sages led by Bhṛgu, with Brahmā as their presiding deity, gathered there. “They all assembled for the consecration ritual. At the request of the sages, Viṣṇu summoned his senior wife, Svā. As thunder rolled in the heavens, Bhṛgu spoke to Viṣṇu: ‘O Viṣṇu, Svā, whom you have called, is not arriving quickly. The proper time is passing, and the consecration must be performed—what should be done?’ Viṣṇu replied, ‘If Svā does not come quickly, let Gāyatrī be appointed here.’ Bhṛgu objected, ‘But she is not your wife in this meritorious act.’ Nārada interjected, ‘In the same way, Rudra also agreed with Viṣṇu’s words.’ “Upon hearing Bhṛgu’s words, Gāyatrī, the wife of Brahmā, was seated on his right side, and the consecration ritual was performed. As the ritual was being conducted according to the prescribed method, Svā arrived at the sacrificial ground. Seeing Gāyatrī consecrated beside Brahmā, Svā was overcome by jealousy and anger toward her co-wife. She spoke harshly: ‘Where the unworthy are honored and the worthy are neglected, there will be three things: famine, death, and fear. You have seated this younger wife of mine in my place; therefore, you all shall become dull-witted and take on various forms. And because she sat on my seat to the right, let her always be invisible to people and take the form of a river.’ “Hearing this curse, Gāyatrī trembled. Rising up, though restrained by the gods, she cursed Svā in return: ‘Just as Brahmā is your husband, so he is also mine. Since you have cursed me without cause, you too become a river.’ “All the gods, led by Shiva and Viṣṇu, cried out in distress, for the three worlds would surely go to ruin because of these curses. They pleaded: ‘O goddess, by you we have all now been cursed, including Brahmā and the others. If we all become dull-witted and turn into rivers, what will happen? At that time, the three worlds would certainly be ruined. Therefore, since a lack of discernment has occurred, let this curse be withdrawn.’ “Svarā replied: ‘Because the Lord of the Gaṇas was not worshipped at the beginning of the sacrifice, O best of gods, this obstacle, born of my anger, has truly arisen. Nor do my words ever become untrue; therefore, you all, with your own portions, become dull and flow as rivers. We two, as co-wives, also with our own portions, shall become rivers here, O gods, flowing westward.’ “Thus, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśvara, O king, became dull and turned into rivers by their own portions at that time. Viṣṇu became the river Kṛṣṇā, Maheśvara the river Veṇī, and Brahmā became the river Kakudminī-Gaṅgā, each separately. The wise gods, having made their own and their fathers’ portions dull, became separate excellent rivers flowing from the peaks of Mount Sahya. With their divine portions, the foremost rivers flowed eastward; Gāyatrī and Svarā, at that time, flowed westward. “By their yogic power, the two rivers became known as Sāvitrī. Brahmā established both Hari and Hara at the sacrifice. The two gods, of great and surpassing strength, became rivers by name. O king, I am not able to describe the full greatness of those two rivers. Brahmā and the other gods went forth with their own portions, and the rivers remain to this day. “Whoever hears or devoutly recites the account of the origin of Kṛṣṇā, the supreme remover of sin, attains the merit of all rites, and the fruit that arises from seeing or bathing in her sacred waters.” Thus, in the glorious Padma Mahāpurāṇa, Uttarakhaṇḍa, in the section on the greatness of Kārtika, in the dialogue with Satyabhāmā, the one hundred and eleventh chapter, named ‘Description of the Greatness of Kṛṣṇā and Veṇī,’ is concluded. Later, Īśvara spoke: “Hear, O best of devotees, the greatness of bathing in the holy month of Māgha. In this world, there is no devotee of Viṣṇu equal to you, O wise one. By seeing Hari at Cakratīrtha or Keśava at Mathurā, a mortal attains the same fruit as by bathing in Māgha. He who, with controlled senses, a peaceful mind, and good conduct, bathes in Māgha, does not become subject to worldly existence again.” Then Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “I will tell you, in your presence, the greatness of Śūkara, by the mere knowledge of which my presence is always attained.” Sūta continued, “Having spoken thus, the blessed Kṛṣṇa sang in many ways to Satyā. I shall now relate that; listen, O ascetics.” Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: “In Śūkāra, the temple of Hari, which is five yojanas wide, even a donkey who dwells there becomes four-armed. Three thousand hands, three hundred hands, and three hands are prescribed as the measure of the Śūkara. O Devi, whoever performs austerity elsewhere for sixty thousand years attains that fruit in half a day at Śūkara.” Thus is revealed the wondrous origin and greatness of the sacred rivers and holy places, and the immeasurable merit that arises from devotion, worship, and bathing in these sanctified waters and tirthas.