Bali, the noble king of the Daityas, stood before the radiant Vamana, who had come to his court. Overwhelmed with devotion, Bali declared, “I am blessed—my life has found its purpose, my existence is fulfilled. Having worshipped you, O foremost of Brahmins, what can I do to please you?” He recognized the divine presence and, eager to serve, continued, “You have come here for some purpose, addressing me, O best of twice-born. Speak your wish; I will grant it quickly, O foremost knower of the Vedas.” Then, Shankara narrated, with joy in his heart, that Vamana spoke to the king: “Hear, O king, I will tell you the reason for my coming. O lord of the Daityas, grant me the earth measured by three steps from the fire-altar. I desire nothing else, O bestower of honor. Among all gifts, the gift of land is supreme; a king who gives land to a Brahmin who owns nothing attains the highest merit. Even if it is only the size of a thumb, he becomes a lord of the earth; nothing in this world is as pure as the gift of land. Both the giver and receiver of land perform meritorious deeds and, at death, go to heaven. Therefore, O great king, grant me the three steps of land. Do not hesitate to give this small piece of earth, O lord of the earth. The giving of this will be known as the gift of the three worlds.” With a joyful face, Bali responded, “So be it,” and resolved to give the land according to the proper rites. However, his priest Ushanas, seeing Bali’s resolve, spoke urgently: “O king, do not give the land.” Shukra, the wise teacher, warned, “This is Vishnu, the supreme lord, implored by the gods. He has come here to obtain all the earth from you by deception. Therefore, O king, do not give land to this great soul; give something else instead, as I advise, O lord of the earth.” But Bali, calm and resolute, laughed and addressed his teacher: “For the pleasure of Vasudeva, I have performed all meritorious acts. Today I am blessed, for Vishnu himself has come; to him I must give, even my life and happiness. Therefore, I will give him even the three worlds without delay.” With devotion, Bali washed Vamana’s feet, poured water as prescribed, and granted the desired land, offering wealth and gifts as well. His heart overflowing with joy, Bali said to the Brahmin, “I am blessed, I have fulfilled my purpose by giving you the earth, O Brahmin. As you wish, O best of Brahmins, take this earth.” Then, Vishnu spoke to the king, who stood nearby: “Today, in your presence, I will measure the earth with my foot.” Having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord abandoned his dwarf form. Assuming the mighty form of Trivikrama, he took possession of the earth—fifty crores in extent—along with its oceans and mountains. With his stride, Madhusudana covered all the seas, islands, and beings—gods, asuras, and humans—with a single step. The eternal Lord said to Bali, “What shall I do now?” The Trivikrama form, immense in power, could not be seen even by the gods, sages, Brahma, or Shankara. When the Lord’s foot spanned the whole earth, it extended a hundred yojanas beyond. To Bali, Janardana granted divine sight and revealed his own universal form. Seeing this wondrous vision, Bali was filled with incomparable joy, his eyes brimming with tears of happiness. He bowed and praised the Lord with hymns, his voice choked with emotion, and said, “I am blessed, I have fulfilled my purpose, having seen you, O Supreme Lord. You alone should take possession of these three worlds.” Then, Vishnu, Lord of all, extended his second, imperishable step upwards, reaching the world of Brahma. Accompanied by stars, planets, and all the gods, that step of Acyuta filled everything completely. Grandfather Brahma, overwhelmed with joy, beheld the Lord’s foot, marked with the wheel and lotus. Saying, “I am blessed,” Brahma took his water pot and, with devotion, washed that foot with the sacred water. By Vishnu’s power, the water became inexhaustible and fell upon the summit of Meru as a sacred stream. For the purification of the world, it flowed in all directions: first as Sita, then Alakananda, and then Cakshurbhadra, in order. To the south of Meru, the blissful river is known as Alakananda; she is called by three names—Tripathaga, Trisrota, the purifier of the worlds. In heaven she is Mandakini, below she is Bhogavati, and in the middle, the swift-flowing Ganga, auspicious for purifying people. Seeing her spring forth in the midst of Meru, Shankara said, “For the sake of my own purification, I bore her upon my head.” Having held the pure water of Ganga for a divine thousand years, Shankara attained auspiciousness and was worshipped in all the worlds. Whoever bears on his head the water of Ganga, which arose from Vishnu’s feet, or drinks it, will surely be revered throughout the world—there is no doubt. Whoever utters ‘Ganga! Ganga!’ even from hundreds of yojanas away, is freed from all sins and goes to Vishnu’s realm.