Upon a certain Śiṃśapā tree there lived a lone crow who had built his nest in its branches. Beneath the tree, within a hollow at its base, dwelled a great serpent. One day, the crow’s mate laid two eggs in the nest and then departed, not returning to her home. The crow himself took on the task of caring for the eggs, remaining atop that very Śiṃśapā tree. Then, O King, a mighty storm arose one night. The tempest struck with such force that it uprooted the Śiṃśapā tree from its firm foundation. As the tree was toppled by the storm, both the crow and the serpent living at its base were crushed and lost their lives. In the aftermath, an extraordinary event occurred: the Śiṃśapā tree, the crow, and the serpent each took on divine forms. They ascended to the heavens in three celestial chariots and journeyed to the abode of Śrīpati, Lord Viṣṇu. King Śibi, marveling at this, inquired of the divine sage Nārada, “O sage, by what merit did these three attain the city that grants liberation? Who were they in their former lives? Please tell me everything.” Nārada replied, “Listen, O King. In the land of Kurujāṅgala there once lived a Brahmin named Śravaṇa. His wife was called Kuḍā, and his brother-in-law was Kuraṇṭaka. Śravaṇa, who made a habit of eating without first bathing and indulging in sweet morsels, was, due to this fault, reborn as a village crow named Shravan. Kuraṇṭaka, his brother-in-law, became a fierce atheist—an enemy of scripture, tradition, and the gods. Because of this, after death he was born as a black snake. The serpent, Kundā, was Shravan’s wife, sharing in both faults. Thus, she attained a state of immobility and dual nature. This, O King, is the story of their previous birth. Now, hear of the merit by which all three attained the delightful city of Kāśī, the city of Viśveśvarī. Once, as they were returning home from another village, they saw a cow, belonging to a traveler, fallen into a well. Seeing this, they rescued her, moved only by compassion. Kundā, hearing their words, spoke approvingly. By this merit, the three experienced a rare and auspicious death and ascended to Vaikuṇṭha in Kāśī, on the bank of Indraprastha. This Kāśī, O King, is the city of Maheśa. Even so, one who dies here attains happiness in Vaikuṇṭha, the abode of Hari. Thus, I have told you the supreme glory of Kāśī. If there is anything else you wish to hear, please ask.” King Śibi then said, “O sage, you have described three sacred fields of Maheśa: Kāśī, Śivakāñcī, and Gokarṇa as the third. You have spoken of the greatness of Kāśī. Please tell me about Gokarṇa and Śivakāñcī as well.” Nārada continued, “Gokarṇa is a supremely pure field of Śiva. If a man dies there, O King, he becomes one with Śiva—of this there is no doubt. Whether on land, in water, or in the sky, if a being dies there, Lord Śiva himself appears and rejoices. At Gokarṇa, there is no rebirth for one who dies; together with Śiva, he attains liberation in due course. Now, let me tell you the greatness of Gokarṇa as I heard it from Brahmā. Near Prayāga, within the length of a cow, beside the great holy place, lies the auspicious boundary mountain. There lived a Bhilla named Karkaṭa, a very cruel man, and his wife, Jarā, who had already killed five husbands. This old woman, mixing poison, prepared a sixth sweetmeat to kill her husband, as she had learned from her sister. O King, the great-souled Bhilla, with his wife before him, set out to kill that girl; the crab was exceedingly fierce. When the Bhilla, sword in hand, came to slay her, she realized his intent and fled into the forest, pursued by the crab. In her desperation to save her life, she ran to the Gokarṇa holy place. There, the sword-wielding man caught her, cut off her head, and cast her body into the water. He then returned to his place at Gokarṇa. Though sinful, that old woman met her end at the sacred site. O King, on the peak of Kailāsa, I became a companion of Pārvatī. Thus have I told you the glory of Gokarṇa. Now, let me describe the sacred greatness of Śivakāñcī, which stands on the bank at Indraprastha. That supreme state for men at Gokarṇa which I described—here, the glorious Mahādeva worshipped Viṣṇu, Lord of all the gods. Having worshipped him, he attained the kingship of devotees and true knowledge. Therefore, O sons of Brahmā, we all worship that great Lord. We always worship him here, desiring true devotion and knowledge. Here, O King, Bāṇa the demon worshipped the great Lord. Fasting for a hundred years, desiring to become his attendant, Bāṇa pleased the Lord, who granted him the boon of attendant-hood. As for myself, I became the guardian of his city. This city was once the abode of the great-souled Viṣṇu, and was given to Śiva by Viṣṇu, pleased by his austerity. In this city, O King, a great and wondrous event once occurred.