Śivaśarma continued his tale: After he was thus addressed, the man gave him three gold coins. Taking this wealth from his father, the man journeyed to the city of Lavaṇa. He spent one night there before arranging for a palanquin, complete with attendants and bearers. He paid two gold coins to have his son brought to him. This man, whose mind was not righteous, accepted the coins and placed Śarabha, the best of merchants, into the palanquin. The traveler urged the bearers onward, making haste toward Kānyakubja. When they reached a holy place along the way, he took water from his water-pot. Seeing Śarabha parched with thirst, the traveler gave him water, a little at a time, as they continued their journey. Eventually, they stopped by the shore of a lake to rest and eat. After bathing and eating, they set out again with urgency. As they covered more distance, thirst overtook them once more, so they drank from the water-pot and shared it with Śarabha, who was still suffering from thirst. At that moment, a terrifying rakshasa named Vikaṭa, wandering through the lonely forest, spotted them as they traveled. Driven by hunger, the rakshasa rushed at them, shaking the earth with his heavy strides and mouth wide open. He swiftly seized the bearers and the traveler, capturing them along with their belongings. Whirling them around in the air, the rakshasa caused their lives to leave their bodies, then dashed them to the ground. He devoured their flesh and drank their blood. Turning his gaze to Śarabha, he thought, “Where will this sick man go who is before me? I will eat him, and afterward, I will drink water.” Having resolved thus, the rakshasa went to the riverbank with his water-pot. As soon as the foremost of night-wanderers drank the water, the memory of his former birth arose within him. He remembered that his current birth as a rakshasa was due to the sin of killing a deer in his previous life. The full recollection of his past misdeeds returned, and he understood why he had become a rakshasa, even though he had been born a brāhmaṇa. With knowledge restored, he approached the deer—Śarabha—and spoke to my father. The rakshasa said, “O tiger among men, who are you, and who are these people whom I, a vile rakshasa of terrible form, have now devoured? Tell me, of which sacred ford is this water, by whose power even I, a sinner, have regained the memory of my former birth?” The Vaiśya replied, “O best of rakshasas, I am a Vaiśya, and my home is in Kānyakubja. Traveling among holy places, I arrived at Indraprastha. There, I was afflicted by fever, struck by fate, and resolved to return home by an improper path. At that time, a certain traveler arrived, tormented by rain. I requested him, ‘Bring a palanquin and take me home.’ The traveler quickly brought one, set me upon it, and set out toward my house. That traveler and the palanquin-bearers have now been devoured by you.” “As for the water you drank, listen: on the banks of the excellent river Yamunā in Indra’s Khāṇḍava forest is Hariprastha, the most excellent of holy places. There is the sacred ford of the teacher of the gods, which grants all aims. By drinking that water, your memory was awakened, and the Vedas have stirred within you. All this I have told you as you asked.” “Now I ask you something in return—tell me, O night-wanderer: do you remember the deeds of your former birth? What sin did you commit that you were born as a rakshasa?” The rakshasa answered, “Once I was a brāhmaṇa, born in a virtuous family of Veda-knowers, but I was of evil conduct and unrighteous. Hear all that I did: I constantly played dice with skilled gamblers and lost much wealth, both my own and my father’s. My father reported my deeds to the king, and by his command, I was expelled from the city, penniless, and went to the outskirts of the village.” “There, I had a friend named Devaka, an excellent brāhmaṇa, who protected me in his house and showed me great kindness for a long time. Living there happily, I was overcome by desire and, in my friend’s absence, violated his beautiful wife by force. That virtuous woman, in her grief, consumed deadly poison and died instantly. Seeing her lifeless in the darkness at midnight, I fled in fear.” “As I was running away, the king’s servants seized me, mistaking me for a thief, and struck off my head with a sword. Upon my death, Yama’s servants placed me in a body of torment and, by Yama’s command, cast me into the dreadful hell called Raurava. There, for six thousand years, I endured intense suffering. Because of that very sin, I was reborn as a rakshasa. A hundred years have now passed in this state, O lord of men, and I will tell you how I might be liberated from this condition.” “O virtuous one, I will tell you with respect the meritorious act by which the water of this supreme pilgrimage has entered my mouth: In that very birth, on a day sacred to Hari, I performed a vow. Though unwilling, I kept vigil at night with a merchant, simply by association.” “Then, on the twelfth day, after bathing, as I was preparing to eat, a certain Vaishnava arrived at my house, bearing the form of Vishnu. Angered at the sight of him, I spoke harsh words: ‘Where are you going, you wicked, hypocritical man, among the women?’ Thus addressed, that steadfast one, who was equal in honor and dishonor, silently left my house and departed.