Seeing his guest shivering from the cold, the humble host bowed his head in reverence. With devotion, he offered the guest a seat made of grass, then brought water for washing the feet and made the customary offerings, honoring the sacred tradition of hospitality. With gentle and pleasing words, he sat with the guest, his mind calm and at peace, engaging in wise conversation. Together with his wife—who was skilled in serving her husband—and the cowherd, they carefully prepared a meal, cooking the fresh gourd-fruit they had managed to obtain. The virtuous wife, delighted, divided the fruit and offered a share to each. The weak cowherd, who had been fasting for twenty days, also received his portion. The honored guest, overjoyed, offered the largest portion to the host. The devoted wife, steadfast in her service, gladly gave her own share to the guest. Thus, between the two great-hearted spouses and their guest, the simple meal was shared. After eating the two portions, the excellent brāhmaṇa guest was deeply pleased. The couple worshipped him with unwavering devotion, as if he were Viṣṇu himself. That night, the guest rested in their home, and in the morning, after bathing, he departed. In this way, through their fasting, twenty-one days passed. Then, those two noble souls—the husband and wife—departed from this world. By the power of their merit, they attained union with Viṣṇu, a state even yogis find hard to reach. Their worship of guests bore fruit: famine in the kingdom was ended, the people became joyful, free from sorrow and disease. Wealth and grain abounded; righteousness flourished. Bandits vanished, and the king became a true protector of his people. The people delighted in their duties, the clouds rained as needed, and both ancestors and descendants of the couple attained liberation, freed from sin, endowed with riches, and honored by all the worlds. Free from sorrow and disease, their lineage flourished. At this point, Lomaśa said, “Thus I have told you the greatness of honoring guests, along with this story. O two delighted Brāhmaṇas, what more do you wish to hear?” As Lomaśa, the treasure of austerities, was speaking, a black rat, seized by the force of time, emerged from its hole, agitated and angry. It was said, “This mouse, with wicked intent, is evil; at night it digs in the hermitage, using its sharp teeth to burrow and destroy household goods. Compassion is praised as the highest virtue, but it should not be shown to wicked creatures.” So saying, he struck the mouse with a sharp spear and killed it at the proper time. The mouse, its body drenched in flowing blood, fell to the ground, overwhelmed by pain. When the mouse had fallen, the compassionate brāhmaṇa cried out in distress and quickly rose. Taking a fine tulasī leaf from his ear, he placed it on the mouth, head, and ears of the mouse, praying, “O Mother Tulasī, goddess who brings delight to Govinda, grant the highest state to this mouse, who has committed sin.” Having spoken thus, the excellent brāhmaṇa, benefactor of all the worlds, loudly chanted the names “Hari, Nārāyaṇa, Ananta.” By the touch of the tulasī leaf, the mouse was freed from sin. By hearing the name of Hari, it was liberated from the bondage of birth. Then, the messengers of great Viṣṇu, adorned with auspicious signs, swiftly arrived in divine chariots to receive the now-sinless mouse. Mounting the celestial chariot, surrounded by Viṣṇu’s attendants, the mouse reached the supreme abode, having dwelt in Nārāyaṇa’s hermitage for countless ages. There, the mouse attained knowledge and liberation. Vyāsa said, “Thus, O best of brāhmaṇas, I have told you the greatness of goddess Tulasī. Now, O highly fortunate one, tell me what you wish to hear.” Salutations to Śrī Viṣṇu! May the pure waters—white as the moon, foaming from the play of elephants and makaras, served by devoted brāhmaṇas, sanctified by the gaze of Brahmā, adorned with beauty and delight, and remover of all inauspiciousness—may that sacred Puṣkara water purify you. The wise disciple of Vyāsa, Lomaharṣaṇa, also known as Ugraśravas, sat apart as the Sūta. Having visited the hermitages of the sages and inquired in detail about dharma, he was now asked to speak fully of what he had learned from Vyāsa. “O son,” he was told, “all the Purāṇas and the teachings of Vedavyāsa have been imparted to you; speak them in detail to the sages.” At Prayāga, as the best of sages questioned the Lord himself, seeking to know dharma, they asked for guidance to a holy land. The Lord, ever their well-wisher, directed them to Sunābha—divine in form, truthful, and of auspicious valor. He instructed them, “Follow this matchless wheel, which moves tirelessly. Wherever the rim of the wheel of dharma does not break, that place is to be considered holy.” Having spoken thus, the Lord became invisible again. The rim broke where the currents of the Ganges gathered, marking the sacred place.