Endowed with supreme devotion and following the highest spiritual procedures, the gods devoted themselves to meditation. In due time, through their focused contemplation, their minds attained divine knowledge. As their thoughts became pure and unwavering, consumed by the fire of meditation on Brahman, the Blessed Lord manifested before them, visible to all. Overwhelmed by His radiant presence, their minds at first grew bewildered, but finding strength in that very brilliance, they steadied themselves and worshipped the Lord as prescribed by the sacred traditions. With joy in their hearts and intent on devotion, the gods employed the six-limbed Veda as their means. They joined their hands upon their heads, bowed low with their foreheads touching the ground, and offered reverent praise to the Lord—the creator and sustainer of the universe. They addressed Him as Brahma, the embodiment of Brahman, ever devoted to Brahman and unconquered by any. With perfect discipline, they bowed to the giver of sacrificial wisdom, honoring the Lord who moves with compassion for all worlds and who is the very form of creation itself. To the one compassionate to devotees, praised by Vedic recitation and hymns, who manifests in countless forms yet holds the true form, who bears a hundred shapes, they offered their salutations. “We bow to the Lord of Sāvitrī and the Lord of Gāyatrī,” they said, “to the one seated upon a lotus, to Padmā, to you whose face is like a lotus, our repeated bows. To the giver and the recipient of boons, to the Tortoise and the Deer, to you adorned with matted locks and a crown, bearer of the ladle and the sacrificial spoon, we offer our salutations. To you marked with the deer, whose vision is righteousness, to you called Viśva, Lord of the universe, we bow again and again. “Grant us the supreme protection of righteousness. With our words, minds, and bodies, we have taken refuge in you, O Grandfather.” Thus praised by the gods, Brahma—the foremost knower of Brahman—spoke to them: “Indeed, I shall grant you the vision you desire, unfailing as it is. Speak, O my sons, whatever boon you wish; I shall bestow upon you boon after boon.” The gods replied, “O Blessed One, this very boon is already most sufficient and great for us. This lotus you have cast down has been named by us with an auspicious sound. But tell us, for what reason has the earth trembled and the worlds been disturbed? Surely this cannot be without cause, O Lord. Please reveal the reason to us.” Brahma answered, “For your welfare, and for the protection of the gods, I have placed this lotus. Listen now to the reason. The demon Vajranabha, who steals the lives of children, has taken up his position in the lowest region of the underworld. Knowing of your coming, that wicked one, armed and engaged in fierce austerities, sought to slay even the gods along with Indra. But his destruction was accomplished by me through the dropping of the lotus; proud of his kingdom and power, he was thus slain by me. “May the devoted Brahmins, learned in the Vedas, at this time in the world, never fall into misfortune but attain good fortune once more. Among gods, demons, humans, serpents, rakshasas, and all beings, I am the same, O dwellers in heaven. For your welfare, that sinful one was destroyed by me through a mantra; by seeing this lotus, he attained the worlds gained by the virtuous. “By the lotus I released, this place on earth will become known as Pushkara, a great and holy tirtha, bestowing purity and merit on all who visit. Indeed, a favor has been granted, O gods, to the devotees who seek devotion. By constant residence in this forest, and at the request of the trees, the sinless Mahakala came here for my sake. “And to you who practice austerities, great knowledge has been revealed. O gods, hold in your hearts both your own good and that of others. You should be seen on earth in various forms; know that a man who, out of hatred, afflicts a wise Brahmin is struck down by sin. He cannot be freed from sin even in a hundred million births. One should not kill or slander a Brahmin learned in the Vedas and their branches. For when one is killed, a hundred million are as if slain. One should feed with faith a Brahmin who knows the end of the Vedas. Feeding such a one is as if a hundred million Brahmins have been fed—of this there is no doubt. Whoever gives alms to ascetics, filling their bowls, is freed from all sins and does not attain a bad state, just as I am the eldest, the best, and the grandsire of all the gods. “In the same way, the knower is always to be worshipped, unattached and without possessions. This vow, approved by Brahma, is for the purpose of liberation from worldly bondage. Composed by me for the twice-born, it is the cause of non-return. But if one who has not conquered his senses abandons the Agnihotra sacrifice, he quickly goes to Raurava, led away by the servants of Yama. One who performs petty acts for worldly livelihood, who is attached, passionate, fond of women and wealth, who eats alone, delights in tasty food, and serves agriculture or trade, who is ignorant of the Veda, reviles the Veda, or approaches another man’s wife—one corrupted by such faults as these—a man who even converses with such a person, or who corrupts a good vow, goes to hell. One who is discontent, of divided mind, wicked, and a doer of evil, should not be touched; if touched, one is purified by bathing. “Having thus spoken,” the blessed Brahma, together with the immortals, “established the sacred field as is proper. To the north is the Chandranadi, to the east as far as the Sarasvati, and to the east, from Nandana entirely, as far as Kalpa with Pushkara. This altar was made for the sacrifice by Brahma, the creator of the worlds.” Thus, the gods’ devotion, the Lord’s manifestation, the defeat of the demon, and the sanctification of Pushkara were established for the welfare of all beings.