There was once a woman of remarkable devotion, whose life was shaped by austerity and sacred observances. Month after month, she fasted with unwavering resolve, dedicating herself to the worship of Śrī Kṛṣṇa and observing the special fasts set aside for Him. Her body bore the marks of her rigorous self-discipline, for she was devoted not only to the gods but also to brāhmaṇas and maidens, continually subjecting herself to acts of penance. Her generosity was evident in her constant giving—she distributed household goods freely and practiced severe austerities without pause. Yet, despite her many acts of self-denial and giving, she never offered alms to beggars nor did she satisfy the brāhmaṇas with gifts of food. After a long time, I pondered her actions, O best of brāhmaṇas. Surely, I thought, her body had become pure through the intensity of her vows and austerities. She had worshipped Viṣṇu’s world through bodily hardship, but she had not given the gift of food, the offering that brings supreme satisfaction. Knowing this, I descended to the mortal realm, assuming the guise of a skull-bearing mendicant, and wandered with a begging bowl. When I approached her, she questioned me: "Why have you come, O Brahmin? Where are you going? Tell me before me." I replied, "Give alms, O beautiful one." But, overtaken by anger, she threw a lump of clay into my copper vessel. With this, I returned again to heaven. In time, the ascetic woman, empowered by her observances, ascended to heaven in her own body. Because she had given only a lump of clay, she obtained a delightful house, but it was empty—there was no grain, no sustenance. As she searched the house, finding nothing, she left and came to me, O Brahmin, her heart stirred by anger. She spoke: "Through many vows, severe austerities, and countless fasts performed by me, I have worshipped and propitiated the Lord, protector of all worlds. Yet nothing is seen in my house, O Janārdana." I said to her, "Return to your house, O great-vowed one; soon many will come to you, filled with curiosity." Indeed, the wives of the gods arrived, eager to see her. I instructed her: "Do not open the door without reciting the merit of the Ṣaṭtilā vow." Following my words, she remained as a human woman, and the wives of the gods gathered at her door, saying, "We have come together to see you; open the door now, O beautiful one, so we may behold you." She replied, "If you truly wish to see me, you must especially speak the merit of the Ṣaṭtilā vow as the reason for opening the door." Śrī Kṛṣṇa recounted: One goddess spoke of the Ṣaṭtilā Ekādaśī vow; another described its merits, and thus, as a human, she was to be seen. When she opened the door, they beheld her—not as a goddess, nor a gandharvī, nor an asura woman, nor a serpent-woman. Never before had such a woman been seen, O best of Brahmins. By the instruction of the goddesses, she performed the Ṣaṭtilā vow. Through the truthfulness of her vows, the woman instantly attained beauty, radiance, and the fruits of both enjoyment and liberation. By offering sesame, she gained wealth, grain, garments, gold, silver, and a home filled with all prosperity. Her beauty and brilliance shone forth in an instant. The lesson is clear: one should not be excessively greedy, nor resort to deceit for wealth. One should give sesame and garments according to one’s means. In this way, a person attains health in every birth; there is no poverty, no suffering, and no misfortune. By observing the sixfold sesame vow in this manner, the giver of sesame attains these results without doubt. One is freed from all sins without effort; giving, according to rule, to a worthy recipient destroys all sins. There is no harm, nor any strain on the body, O best of kings. Śrī Kṛṣṇa then spoke: "You have heard the greatness of Vijayā and its great fruit, O Kṛṣṇa. Now tell me the name of that which occurs in the bright half of Phālguna." He continued, "O Dharmaputra, greatly fortunate one, listen as I now speak to you what was once asked of me by Māndhātṛ and by the great sage Vasiṣṭha." "O king," he said, "the special merit of Phālguna has been described; the sacred vow of Āmalakī bestows the fruit of attaining Viṣṇu’s realm. Going beneath the Āmalakī tree, one should keep vigil there; by keeping vigil at night, one obtains the fruit equal to giving a thousand cows." Māndhātā asked, "O best of twice-born, when did this Āmalakī arise? Tell me all of this, for I am greatly curious. Why is this tree pure? Why does it destroy sin? Why, by keeping vigil, does one obtain the fruit equal to a thousand cows?" Vasiṣṭha replied, "O greatly fortunate one, I will tell you how this Āmalakī, the great tree that destroys all sins, came to be on earth. Once, when a single ocean existed, all that was stationary and moving was destroyed; the hosts of gods and demons, serpents and rākṣasas, were also gone. There, the Lord of gods, the Supreme Self, eternal, went to the highest state of Brahman, the imperishable abode of the Self. Then, as He was awake, from the mouth of Brahmā, a drop, shining like the moon, was expelled and fell to the earth. From that drop arose, of itself, the great dhātrī tree, with many branches and sub-branches, bowed down by the weight of its fruit." Thus, the story unfolds, revealing the power of devotion, the importance of giving, and the sacred origins of the Āmalakī tree, whose observances grant liberation and prosperity.