As Vrindarika beheld the ascetic before her, she withdrew her arms from his neck and, with wonder and suspicion, asked, “How have you come to enchant me in the form of an ascetic?” Hearing her words, Hari—the Lord Vishnu—offered her comfort, saying, “Listen, Vrindarika; know me as the enchanting Lakshmi’s lord.” He continued, revealing profound truth: “Your husband went to defeat Hara and bring Gauri; I am Shiva, and Shiva is I—there is no separation between us.” Hari then spoke further: “Jalandhara was slain in battle; now, blameless one, accept me.” Narada narrates that upon hearing Vishnu’s words, Vrindarika’s face fell, and, angered, she replied. She reminded him, “In battle you were bound, and by your father’s command you were freed while still alive; though honored with many precious jewels, your wife was taken from you. How can one who is always devoted to another’s wife be called the lord of righteousness? Even the Lord himself must experience the results of his actions—so say the wise. Just as you, ascetic, led me into delusion by your magic, so too, by magic, another ascetic will take your wife.” With this curse spoken, Vishnu vanished instantly from her sight. The splendid hall, the luxurious couch, and all those who had accompanied him disappeared. When Hari departed, everything was lost; seeing the forest empty, Vrindā found her companion and lamented, “This was deceitfully done by Vishnu.” She grieved, “The city is abandoned, the kingdom is lost, my beloved is uncertain; knowing this in the forest, where shall I go, shaped by fate? The sight of my beloved was only the fulfillment of my desires.” Overwhelmed by sorrow, Queen Vrindā sighed deeply and spoke, “For me, death has come, messenger of love, because of you.” Her friend replied tenderly, “You are my very life.” Hearing her friend’s words, Vrindā, uncertain of her path, resolved to act; she journeyed to a great lake in the forest. There, abandoning her sorrow, she washed her body in the water, and, seated in a lotus posture on the bank, she stilled her mind, freeing it from all objects. She began to dry up her body, polluted by union with Vishnu, undertaking severe austerity and fasting, accompanied by her friend. Then, from the world of the Gandharvas, a host of apsarases approached Vrindā and addressed her: “O blessed one, go to heaven—do not abandon your body. This Gandharva weapon, which brings victory over the three worlds and the highest favor of Shripati, was obtained here, O Vrindā. How can you abandon this body, which has fulfilled its desire? Know that your beloved was struck down by the foremost of trident-bearers; the reward of merit is the ornaments of heaven. Now, O brave and blessed one, quickly go to the abode of the immortals.” Hearing the scripture and the words of the ocean-born beloved, Vrindā laughed and said, “Brought from heaven, the pearl among the wives of the gods, I was first the vessel of happiness for my unconquered beloved, but now, separated from him, I am blameless. May I attain my beloved, who has gone to immortality, in the next life.” Having spoken thus, Vrindā, with her friend, dismissed the apsarases; bound by her love, they come and go eternally. Then Vrindā, through the practice of yoga, burned away the qualities with the fire of knowledge; withdrawing her mind from the senses, she attained the supreme state. Seeing Vrindā in that state, the great host of apsarases praised her from the sky, delighted, and showered her with a rain of flowers. Gathering dry wood, they placed Vrindā’s body upon it; lighting the fire, the messenger of love entered into it. They burned the orb made of the dust from Vrindā’s body, and after reducing it to ashes, cast the remains into the Mandākinī river. There, where Vrindā abandoned her body and attained the path of Brahman, Vrindāvana arose near Govardhana. Then the goddesses, having reached heaven, spoke of the virtues of the wives of the lords of the gods; hearing this, all the celestials and others, joyful in mind, destroyed the dreadful fear caused by the powerful enemy demon, and those seated there heard the sound of mighty drums, as the retinue of attendants brought forth the splendor of auspiciousness. Later, Śrī Mahādeva spoke: “Hear, O foremost sage among the gods, of Haridvāra, the place of great merit, where the Ganges flows; there is declared the supreme holy site. There, the gods dwell, as do sages and Manus; and there, the god Keśava himself is eternally present. Long ago, O child, that great holy site came into being; merely seeing it from afar removes sin. There, the Ganges, exceedingly beautiful, arose, especially sacred; the water from Vishnu’s feet was born there, from the touch of his feet. O learned one, Bhagiratha brought it there by his efforts; by that great soul, the ancestors were uplifted.” Nārada then asked, “Who is this Bhagiratha, of great austerity, O god, whom you have described, by whom the holy site was brought for the benefit of the worlds? The holy site of the Ganges, of great merit, destroys all sins; all people declare this to be the highest of holy places. Whoever says ‘Ganga, Ganga,’ even from hundreds of yojanas away, is freed from all sins and attains the world of Vishnu. How was it brought, and for what purpose? Tell me, O virtuous one.” Mahādeva replied, “How the Ganges was brought to the exceedingly splendid Haridvāra, I will tell you everything in order, step by step. First, there was Hariśchandra, the protector of truth in the three worlds. His son was Rohita, devoted to Vishnu; and his son was Vṛka, righteous and steadfast in the path of virtue. His son was Subāhu, born in that lineage; and Subāhu’s son, named Gara, was not exceedingly righteous. Once, by the force of time, Gara became sorrowful for some reason; the king was threatened in that land for the sake of righteousness. Taking his family, he went to the Bhārgava hermitage; there, he was protected by Bhārgava’s compassion. There, his son was born, named Sagara, O twice-born; he grew up in the holy hermitage, protected by Bhārgava.” Thus unfolds the tale, weaving the destinies of Vrindā, the gods, and the sacred rivers, revealing the power of devotion, the consequences of actions, and the sanctity of holy places.