Desiring a son, King Anuha devoted himself to worshipping the Lord of the gods, the lotus-born grandsire Brahmā, with intense vows and deep devotion. He continued his worship for a long time until, at last, the gracious grandsire was pleased and appeared before him. Brahmā spoke kindly, “Choose a boon, O king. May it be well with you—ask for whatever your heart desires.” With folded hands, Anuha replied, “O Lord of gods, please grant me a son of great strength and valor, accomplished in all knowledge, righteous, and foremost among yogis. Let him be one who knows the speech of all beings, a true yogi.” Brahmā, the soul of the universe, smiled and said, “So be it.” Before the eyes of all present, Brahmā vanished from that very spot. In due time, Anuha’s son, Brahmadatta, was born—endowed with mighty prowess, compassion for all creatures, and understanding the speech of all beings. He surpassed all others in strength and wisdom, and became the lord of lords among living beings. As Brahmadatta matured, his yogic soul, united with virtue, once approached an ant, where he observed a pair of ants engaged in enjoyment. Witnessing this, Brahmadatta smiled in amazement. His wife, Sannati, noticed his sudden laughter and, suspecting something unusual, questioned him, “O king, why did you suddenly laugh? I do not know the reason for this laughter, especially at such a time.” Brahmadatta replied gently, “O lovely-faced one, my laughter arose from the speech of the ant, which was born of passion and tastelessness. There is no other reason for my laughter, and the queen has not spoken falsely to you. I alone have laughed here; now I will not live with you. For how could a mortal know the speech of ants unless he were a god?” Sannati, feeling that she had been laughed at, said no more. The king, struck by her words, became silent and deeply wished to understand their meaning. He undertook a vow, remaining pure for seven nights. At the end of this period, as he wandered the city at dawn, Brahmā appeared in a dream and said, “Your beloved will learn everything from an aged, excellent brāhmaṇa.” With these words, Brahmā vanished. The next morning, Brahmadatta left the city with his ministers and wife. On their journey, they encountered an old brāhmaṇa approaching them, speaking with wisdom. The brāhmaṇa said, “Those foremost brāhmaṇas in Kurujāṅgala, the Dāśas in Dāśapura, the deer, the seven cakravāka birds in Kālañjara, and the siddhas dwelling in Mānasasaras—” Upon hearing these words, Brahmadatta fell to the ground, overwhelmed with grief. The sons of his ministers suddenly attained remembrance of their past births. Among them, Bābhravya, renowned as Pañcāla and author of the treatise on love, remembered all scriptures and his former lives. Puṇḍarīka too, righteous and a promoter of Vedic knowledge, recalled his past and likewise fell in grief. They lamented together, “Alas, we have fallen from our duties, bound by karma out of desire!” These masters of yoga, versed in many scriptures, were amazed and praised the greatness of the śrāddha rite again and again. Brahmadatta, moved by gratitude, gave the brāhmaṇa wealth and many villages. Setting aside the elderly brāhmaṇa, who was filled with pride in his wealth, the king appointed his own son, Viṣvaksena—endowed with all the marks of royalty—as ruler over the kingdoms. Then, Brahmadatta and all those foremost yogins, devoted to their ancestors and free from envy, purified themselves in the waters of Lake Mānasa. In humility, they became bold in spirit, as I have shown you. Rejoicing before them, the king declared, “All the fruits of royal yoga that are sought after—so it is, just as you have said. All this fruit has been attained by me through your grace alone.” Then, all those forest-dwellers, having taken up yoga, attained the supreme state through the Brahmarandhra by the power of their austerities. In this way, when the grandfathers are pleased, they grant to men long life, wealth, knowledge, the joys of heaven and liberation, as well as sons and kingdoms. O king, the greatness of Brahmadatta’s ancestors is such that whoever recites or hears this story read to the twice-born is honored in the world of Brahmā for a full hundred crores of kalpas. Bhīṣma then asked, “At what time of day should one perform the śrāddha rite? And at which holy places does performing śrāddha yield the greatest fruit, O twice-born?” Pulastya replied, “The holy place called Puṣkara is regarded as the most excellent; it stands as the cherished wish of all foremost brāhmaṇas. Whatever is given, offered in sacrifice, or recited there becomes infinite and certain; it is always dear to the ancestors and held as supreme by the sages. Likewise, the holy places Nandā and Lalitā, and the auspicious city of Māyāpurī; also Mitrapada, and the most excellent Kedāra. “They say that Gaṅgāsāgara is the auspicious holy place made of all tīrthas; also the holy lake of Brahmā, and the auspicious waters of the Śatadru. There is also the holy place called Naimiṣa, which grants the fruit of all holy places, and where the eternal Gaṅgā emerges in the Gomati. There, too, is Yajñavarāha, and the god of gods who bears the trident; there, the eighteen-armed Hara receives the gift of gold. There, in ancient times, the rim of the wheel of dharma was worn away by Nemi; that is the Naimiṣāraṇya, frequented by all holy places. There, too, is the vision of the god of gods and of Varāha; whoever goes there, purified in soul, reaches the city of Nārāyaṇa. Kokāmukha is regarded as a supreme holy place, as is Indramārga, and also Pitṛtīrtha, belonging to Brahmā of unmanifest birth.