O best of kings, as the events unfolded, a mighty voice resounded from the sky, proclaiming loudly and clearly, “True, true, true is this; there is no doubt here.” At that very moment, the bird and his wife, O sage among Brahmins, were restored to their original forms, transformed by the narration of the greatness of the sacred Ganges. The heavens rejoiced: celestial drums thundered, the finest Gandharvas sang melodious hymns, and groups of radiant Apsaras danced with joy. A shower of fragrant flowers descended from above, blessing the earth. Then, a divine chariot appeared, magnificent and endowed with every enjoyment, dispatched by the messengers of the enemy of Kaitabha. The all-pervading one, accompanied by his beloved wife, immediately ascended this chariot and journeyed to the abode of Hari. Witnessing this wondrous deed, the king, O best of twice-born, along with his sons and wife, became deeply devoted to the service of the Ganges. Indeed, there is no holy place in the three worlds equal to Bhagirathi; merely uttering her name grants liberation to anyone. Thus, the greatness of Gangadvara, the destroyer of all sins, has been revealed to you, O best of twice-born. What more would you wish to hear? Those who recite this chapter with utmost reverence in a temple, and those devoted twice-born who listen, their sins are destroyed instantly. Vyasa spoke again, “Once more, O foremost of Brahmins, I will declare to you the supreme glory of Ganga. If you seek liberation, drink the nectar of her stories. Through her, all charity is bestowed, all sacrifices performed; by her, Vishnu is worshipped, just as one would worship a mother. Whatever righteous acts are performed in the Ganga—of any kind, O Jaimini—become inexhaustible for the doer. Whoever, upon seeing the flowing waters of Ganga, rises and approaches her with devotion, is as if he has performed a thousand horse sacrifices. But whoever does not stand with devotion in Ganga’s waters when they are present, O Jaimini, for him there is perpetual animal birth, life after life. Whoever, having reached Ganga’s water, does not take it with devotion, his merit accumulated over ten million births is instantly destroyed. If a Brahmin prevents someone wishing to go to the bank of Ganga, he, though born in a noble family, falls to the hell called Raurava. Whoever passes urine or feces on Ganga’s bank, for him there is no expiation, even in a hundred million aeons. Whoever spits phlegm, saliva, or throws filth, tears, or excrement on her bank, surely becomes a denizen of hell. Whoever discards leftovers or phlegm in Ganga’s waters, he goes to terrible hell and incurs the sin of killing a Brahmin. A foolish man who commits sin on Ganga’s bank finds that such sin is inexhaustible and cannot be pacified at any other holy place. Sin committed at other holy places is destroyed in Ganga, but sin committed in Ganga cannot be pacified anywhere. Therefore, those learned in scripture should never commit sin in Ganga; by deed, thought, and word, one must practice righteousness. There are no lands, mountains, or forests where the divine river does not destroy sin by her presence. O Jaimini, after leaving Ganga’s bank, 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 Ganga’s bank and is devoted to worshipping Hari, even if Hari was never worshipped by him in any birth, devotion does not arise in him towards Ganga, 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 Ganga begins at the time of death, O twice-born, he goes to the abode of Vishnu, all impurities having fallen away. Whoever, wise at the time of death, remembers the name ‘Ganga,’ which grants liberation, Hari becomes pleased with him. Whoever, at the time of death, possesses the excellent Ganga-water mark, or who, upon seeing a Ganga-bather, abandons the body—even in the cremation ground, O best of twice-born—attains death on the Ganges. As long as the bones remain in the Ganges, as long as the body endures, for thousands of aeons he is honored in the world of Vishnu. Whose ashes, bones, nails, and even hair sink in the Ganges, O wise one, he dwells in the realm of Vishnu. While the bones remain in the Ganges, whatever action a man performs, its entire fruit is assured—listen, O twice-born, with undistracted mind. Once, the blessed Shakra, adorned with splendid ornaments, desiring pleasure, entered the playhouse with a young woman fragrant with lotus. She, radiant and skilled in taste, having attained fresh youth, delighted the lord of the gods with various pleasures. On the golden couch of his co-wife, Shakra, pleased and overcome by passion, dwelt at her feet, her eyes gentle as those of a fawn. Deeply pleased and his mind captivated by her qualities, Shakra himself fashioned a golden box and gave it to her. Such is the supreme glory of the Ganga, O wise one; her stories are nectar for those who seek liberation.