Listen now to the exalted teachings and sacred happenings as revealed in the Purāṇa. Among all gifts, the greatest is to grant fearlessness to living beings—this is the supreme charity. One who first offers his own body in sacrifice becomes the source of limitless fearlessness for all creatures. He who makes offerings with uplifted face attains endless stability, and through his bodily connection, the fire of Vaiśvānara—the universal flame—nourishes the entire world. When a person, using the very breath within, offers the self as a sacrifice in the heart, subtle and thumb-sized, then the agnihotra—the sacred fire ritual—finds its home not only within him but in all worlds, abiding there always. Those who know the divine creator, the triple-formed and golden, the highest reality, are honored among all beings. These wise ones, revered even by the gods, attain immortality, for they are capable of such realization. One who knows all the Vedas, all that is to be known, the rituals, the roots of language, and the highest truth, and perceives all this within himself, finds all the gods ever moving in harmony with his will. He who knows that which is established in the earth, immeasurable in the sky, golden and radiant at the circle’s end, moving sunwise in the southern mid-region—whose rays shine within his own being—such a one is truly wise. He comprehends the wheel of time: revolving, evolving, with six spokes and twelve rims, triple-jointed, its mouth guarding the universe. This wheel is set deep within the cave of the heart. By the grace of that supreme being, the body of the world and all the realms are attained. Whoever satisfies the gods within this wheel becomes ever liberated, even while living here. The radiant, eternal, ancient Lord—the very one whose awe sustains the world—he neither causes fear nor is feared by any being. The true brāhmaṇa, who neither censures nor is censured, beholds the highest Self. Free from delusion and sin, he seeks no personal gain, neither in this world nor the next. Such a sage, free from anger and delusion, seeing clod and gold as equal, freed from sorrow, without conflict or alliance, beyond praise or blame, moves among the pleasant and unpleasant alike—wandering as a mendicant, indifferent, a mere witness. At this point, Bhīṣma, eager to learn more, addressed the venerable brāhmaṇa: “O holy one, you have spoken of the supreme glory of that sacred place, the tīrtha that appeared on earth when the lotus fell. O foremost among sages, please recount in detail all that the blessed Viṣṇu and Śaṅkara did there. How was the sacrifice performed by the divine Lord? Who were the officiating priests and the assembled brāhmaṇas?” He continued, “What were the portions of that sacrifice, what materials were used, and what sacrificial fee was given? What was the altar, and what measurements did Virinchi—Brahmā—establish? Who was the recipient of the sacrifice, praised everywhere in the Vedas as the object of worship for all the gods? What desire did the Creator contemplate when he performed the sacrifice?” Bhīṣma reflected, “Just as the Lord of the gods is immortal and unaging, so too is his heaven seen to be imperishable. For the other gods as well, the great-souled one granted heaven. For the sake of the agnihotra, the Vedas and sacred herbs also arose. All other animals on earth were created by the blessed one for the purpose of sacrifice—such is the Vedic tradition.” He pressed further, “I am curious to hear from you what desire was considered, what result and intention were involved, as you have spoken. Please describe fully the sacrifice performed by him. And the woman named Shatarupa, here called Savitri—she is said to be the wife of Brahmā and the mother of the sages. She gave birth to the seven sages, beginning with Pulastya, and to the progenitors, starting with Dakṣa. Savitri also gave birth to the Manus, beginning with Svayambhuva. Brahmā made her his lawful wife, beloved as the mother of his children.” Bhīṣma’s curiosity deepened: “How did Brahmā, abandoning his virtuous, devoted, and noble wife with the beautiful smile, seek another spouse? What is her name, what are her qualities, whose daughter is she, O Lord? Where did the god see her, and by whom was she shown to him? What is her form, that goddess so enchanting to the mind, whom, upon seeing, the Lord of gods was overcome by desire? In color and beauty, she surpasses Savitri, O sage; she bewitched the god, sovereign of all worlds. Describe in detail how the god took that woman, the beauty of the worlds, and how the sacrifice was then commenced.” He asked, “Upon seeing her beside Brahmā, what did Savitri do? And what conduct did Brahmā adopt toward Savitri at that time? What words did Savitri speak to Brahmā in his presence then? Whether spoken or unspoken, you ought to relate everything. What did you do there—was it anger, or was it forgiveness? Whatever was done, whatever was seen, whatever was said by you there, tell me here.” Finally, Bhīṣma said, “Here, in detail, I wish to hear all the deeds of the Grandfather, and fully the supreme ordinance of sacrifice—the sequence of the rites, their commencement, the Hotṛ priest himself, how the Hotṛ’s portion was assigned, and for whom the first offering was made. And how the Blessed Viṣṇu assisted, by whom, and in what manner; and what was done by the immortals—this you should relate. How did he leave the world of the gods and come to the mortal realm? The household fire, the prescribed Anvāhārya and Dakṣiṇa fires, the Āhavanīya fire, the altar, the ladle, the sprinkling vessel, the sacrificial spoon, and the Āvabhṛtha rite as well—how he made the three fires, truly bearers of the oblations; how he made the gods the receivers of offerings, and the ancestors the receivers of ancestral rites.” Bhīṣma concluded, “For the sake of portions, by the ordinance of sacrifice, which sacrifices and sacrificial acts were performed; the sacrificial posts, the fuel, the sacred grass, the soma, the purifier, and the enclosing sticks; and the sacrificial materials, how Brahmā made them; and who in ancient times shone forth by the act of the Grandfather. Moments, twinklings, measures of time, the single unit of time; muhūrtas, lunar days, months, days, and the year as well—please reveal all these mysteries in full.” Thus, Bhīṣma, with a heart full of reverence and curiosity, sought to hear the sacred account of the origins of sacrifice, the deeds of Brahmā, and the supreme order of the cosmos as established in the beginning.