Kāśyapa, filled with reverence, approached the supreme god, the lord of the universe, and humbly spoke: “O god of gods, you are capable of granting boons. The sacred Gaṅgā, who destroys all sins and rests upon your divine head—may she be given especially to me, O great god. I bow to you.” Then, O goddess, I responded to Kāśyapa, saying, “Accept her, O best of Brāhmaṇas.” With a gesture of grace, I released a single lock of hair and bestowed the river Gaṅgā upon him. Kāśyapa, overjoyed, took the river and returned to his own place. The holy site known as Keśarandhra became Kāśyapa’s dwelling. There, surrounded by sages, he established himself, O goddess of the gods. The river brought by Kāśyapa became renowned as Kāśyapī, the best of rivers. By merely seeing her, even one who has committed the gravest sin—slaying a Brāhmaṇa—is said to be freed. Pārvatī then asked, “What merit arises merely from bathing at that holy place? Tell me, O Viśvanātha, compassionate one, show mercy to me. What merit comes from seeing, what from bathing? Tell me, O king of the gods. What is its greatness, O Brāhmaṇa? You should tell me everything.” Mahādeva replied, “I have heard of many holy places and shrines, and by the grace of Lord Viṣṇu, of the rivers that flow to the ocean. Among them are Gaṅgā, Yamunā, Revā, the great river Tāpi, Godāvarī, Tuṅgabhadrā, Kauśikī, and Gallikā. Also Kāverī, Vedikā, Bhadrā, and the sin-removing Sarayū, along with many other rivers on earth that remove all sins. There are sacred places such as Prayāga, the king of holy sites, Kāśī, Puṣkara, Naimiṣāraṇya, and Amarakaṇṭaka; the excellent field of Dvārakā, the supreme Arbudā forest—these are among the various divine and excellent places. All these, O goddess of the gods, I have heard of by the grace of Viṣṇu’s māyā. Long ago, I was requested by Bhagīratha, O Pārvatī, and Gaṅgā was given to him, as he desired the world of Viṣṇu. Then, at the request of the sages, I gave her again to Kāśyapa. This Kāśyapī Gaṅgā always removes diseases and faults, and she is known by a different name in each age. Let me tell you in truth, O beautiful one: in the Kṛta age, she was called Kṛtavatī; in the Tretā age, Girikarṇikā; in the Dvāpara age, Candana; and in the Kali age, she is known as Sābhramatī. Every day, especially, people come there for bathing. Freed from all sins, they attain the eternal abode of Viṣṇu at the tīrtha of Plakṣāvataraṇa on the Sarasvatī, O Lady. Whatever merit is gained by bathing at Kedāra or Kurukṣetra, that very merit is surely obtained by people at Sābhramatī every single day. There is no doubt about this, as stated by Vyāsa. O Lady of the gods, in the latter half of the month of Bhādrapada, or even daily, on the day of the new moon, or by properly offering śrāddha, whatever fruit is gained—a person attains that fruit by bathing in Sābhramatī. In Kārtikā, when Kṛttikā is joined, at Śrīsthāla before Mādhava, a mortal gains that fruit by bathing in Sābhramatī. This river is the most excellent, O Goddess, the purifier among all worlds; truly blessed and pure, the destroyer of sin. On this Sābhramatī, those who are connected from the east, as well as those from the north, always remain. Those from the west and the south also always come there, for the sake of pilgrimage, at Kheṭaka in the presence of Brahmā. They always come, O Goddess, especially in Kārtikā, without doubt; there they perform śrāddha and feed the Brāhmaṇas. They perform various religious rites and many sacrifices daily; people always give various kinds of gifts. In all four ages, there should be no doubt about this. Among those who have taken refuge in the eastern direction are Yavakrīta, Raibhya, Kākṣīvān Uśija, Bhṛgu, Aṅgirā, Kaṇva, the wise Punarvasu, and Bandin endowed with virtues. In the north, the great ones led by Madhumat, the illustrious Subandhu, and the mighty Dattātreya; Śikhī, Dīrghatamas, Gautama, Kaśyapa, Śvetaketu, Kahoḍa, Pulaha, and Devala; Viśvāmitra, Bharadvāja, the mighty Jamadagni, Garga, and Uddālaka; Devaśarman, Dhaumya, Āstīka, Kaśyapa, Lomaśa, Nābhiketu, and Lomaharṣaṇa; the sage Ugraśravā, Bhārgava Cyavana, and all the Vālakhilyas—all these indeed go there. Having bathed and abstained from food, always devoted to Viṣṇu, those who bear the conch, discus, and mace stand constantly upon the riverbank. The sacred place called Gayā is the foremost and auspicious of all holy sites for ancestors, where the Lord of gods, Brahma himself, resides. In the Gita, the ancestors sing verses, desiring a share in the offerings. Many sons should perform rites, but if even one goes to Gayā, it suffices. One may perform the horse sacrifice or release a blue bull; likewise, Varanasi is always holy and beloved by the ancestors. By my presence, Varanasi grants both enjoyment and liberation; by my command, the Lord of gods is known as Bindumadhava. O goddess of the gods, he always dwells especially in Varanasi; therefore, this city is ever the most blessed and excellent of mine.