O ruler of the earth, heed this tale of profound wisdom and consequence. Among men, neglecting friends brings torment in hell; I have witnessed this myself, and nothing else compares. Yet, devotion to one’s father, O best of twice-born, brings suffering both in this life and the next—here, it causes loss of wealth, and beyond, it leads to hell. Indeed, O king, I judge that even the sin of killing a Brahmin and other grievous acts is preferable, for atonement may be found for those, but disregard for one’s father remains an eternal stain. The tree of merit, painstakingly cultivated and powerful enough to destroy all afflictions, is cut down on earth by those who wield the axe of disregard for their fathers. Whatever is given, O king, into the mouths of one’s ancestors, is consumed by Vishnu himself, for Hari assumes the form of the ancestors. Those who serve their parents—who are visible gods—day and night, attain all accomplishments through the grace of the Lord of the world. But those who live without devotion to their fathers languish in hell for a thousand ages. Thus, great suffering has come upon me now; when will I attain liberation with my wife? I do not know. Hearing these heartfelt words, the king embraced him, filled with delight and repeated astonishment. “Truly wonderful are these words, O vulture, heard from your mouth,” the king exclaimed. “Neither I nor these others find conviction in our hearts.” Suddenly, a voice thundered from the sky, O best of kings: “True, true, true is this; there is no doubt here.” Then, O sage among Brahmins, the bird and his wife, due to the narration of the greatness of the Ganges, regained their former forms. Drums resounded in the heavens, the Gandharvas sang, the Apsaras danced, and a shower of flowers fell. A divine chariot arrived, endowed with every enjoyment, and groups of messengers sent by the enemy of Kaitabha appeared. The all-pervading one, together with his beloved wife, immediately ascended the chariot and journeyed to the abode of Hari. Hearing of this wondrous deed, the king, along with his sons and wife, became devoted to the service of the Ganges. There is truly no holy place in the three worlds equal to Bhagirathi; by merely uttering her name, anyone attains liberation. The greatness of Gangadvara, destroyer of all sins, has been revealed to you, O best of twice-born; what else do you wish to hear? Those who recite this chapter with utmost reverence in a temple, and those devoted twice-born who listen, have their sins destroyed at once. Vyasa spoke: Once again, O foremost of Brahmins, I will declare to you the supreme glory of Ganga. Drink the nectar of Ganga’s stories if you desire liberation. By her, all charity is given, all sacrifices are performed; by her, Vishnu is worshipped, O Bhishma, just as one worships the mother. Whatever righteous acts are performed in Ganga—of any kind, O Jaimini—all those become inexhaustible for that person. Whoever, upon seeing the flowing waters of Ganga, rises and approaches her with devotion, is as if he has performed a thousand horse sacrifices. Conversely, whoever does not stand with devotion in the waters of Ganga when present, O Jaimini, for him there is perpetual animal birth, life after life. Whoever, having reached Ganga’s waters, does not take them with devotion, his merit accumulated over ten million births is instantly destroyed. A Brahmin who prevents someone wishing to go to the bank of Ganga, though born in a noble family, goes to the hell called Raurava. Whoever passes urine or feces on the bank of Ganga, for him there is no expiation, even in a hundred million aeons. Whoever spits phlegm, saliva, or throws filth, tears, or excrement on the bank of Ganga, certainly becomes a denizen of hell. Whoever discards leftovers or phlegm in the body of Ganga, he goes to terrible hell and incurs the sin of killing a Brahmin. A foolish man who commits sin on the bank of Ganga—such sin is surely inexhaustible and not pacified at any other holy place. Sin committed at other holy places is destroyed in Ganga, but sin committed in Ganga is not pacified anywhere. Therefore, those learned in scripture should not commit sin in Ganga; by deed, thought, and word, one should practice the collection of righteousness. There are no lands, no mountains, nor forests where the divine river does not destroy sin by her presence. O Jaimini, having left the bank of Ganga, one should not stay elsewhere even for a moment, even if there are hundreds of duties to perform. Even after eating alms-food, one must remain on the bank of the Ganges; not even for a moment should one go elsewhere, even if one attains kingship. Even a slayer of a Brahmin, abandoning the body in the Ganges, is freed; elsewhere, liberation is not attained, even by performing a thousand horse sacrifices. Whoever dwells on the bank of the Ganges and is devoted to worshipping Hari, even if Hari was never worshipped by him in any birth, devotion does not arise in him towards the Ganges, the mother of worlds. Hear, all humans, I declare again and again. After bathing in the Ganges, one attains the supreme state; whoever, at the time of death, chants “Ganga, Ganga,” is freed from all sins and dwells in heaven for tens of thousands of divine ages. For whom the narration of the Ganges begins at the time of death, O twice-born, that soul is blessed. Such is the glory and sanctity of the Ganges, the river whose very name grants liberation, whose waters purify, and whose presence destroys all sins. Let these words be heard, recited, and remembered, for they lead to the highest good and eternal freedom.