The power of will, O Lord, always rests with you,” declared the chief of the Dānavas, his words resonating with unwavering truth. Viṣṇu, perceiving his sincerity, remained silent for a moment, acknowledging the truthfulness in his speech. Then Viṣṇu addressed him, “Speak, O chief of Dānavas—what boon shall I grant you? The water in my hand was given by you, O Dānava; therefore, you are worthy to choose a boon, a fit recipient of blessings. I will grant you your wish here—ask for whatever you desire.” Thus invited, the Dānava bowed before the Lord of gods, Janārdana, and made his request: “O Lord of gods, I choose devotion; let my death come only at your hands. I will go to Śvetadvīpa, which is hard to attain even for ascetics.” Viṣṇu replied, “Remain there until the end of the age. When I, in the form of the Boar, enter the earth, then I will slay you here, when you come before me.” Hearing these words, the Dānava respectfully withdrew from that place. Then, O king, the wondrous form of Vāmana, Viṣṇu’s dwarf incarnation, encompassed all the worlds with his three great strides. Abandoned by the Asuras, the truthfulness of the gods was established. Having seized the three worlds, the Lord became invisible. Bāṣkali, now dwelling in Pātāla, remained there in contentment, while the wise Śakra (Indra) protected the three worlds. This manifestation of the Guru of the world is known as Trivikrama, who is joined with the origin of the Ganges and is the destroyer of all sins. Thus, O king, the origin of Viṣṇu’s three steps has been recounted to you. Hearing this sacred story, a man in this world is freed from all sins. Evil dreams, dreadful thoughts, difficult deeds, and misdeeds—all these are quickly destroyed upon beholding Viṣṇu’s three steps. Even sinful beings, when they witness the succession of ages, have subtle truth revealed to them by Viṣṇu in the vision of his steps. Whoever ascends there in silence, having performed the pilgrimage to Tripuṣkarā, attains the fruit of an Aśvamedha sacrifice. Freed from all sins, one who dies there goes to the city of Viṣṇu. Hearing this, Bhīṣma exclaimed, “O Lord, truly wondrous is the binding of Bāṣkala, and the form of Trivikrama assumed when Bali was restrained. I have heard before, as recounted by the foremost of the twice-born, that Bali, son of Virocana, still dwells in Pātāla. Tell me, how did the Nāga-tīrtha come to be as it is? What is the origin of the Piśācas? How did Śivadūtī arise here, and by whom was she made auspicious? By whom, O great sage, was Puṣkara brought into the sky? Tell me all this, and how the binding of Bāṣkala happened. Formerly, Viṣṇu traversed the earth; what was the second reason for which the god acted thus? You truly know all this as it happened; speak it as it is. This is to be heard by one who desires prosperity, for it destroys sin.” Pulastya replied, “O king, you have asked these questions out of curiosity; I shall tell you all of it as it truly happened, O best of kings. The binding of Bāṣkala here was due to Viṣṇu’s stride; all this you have heard, and I have recounted it to you. Again, O Bhīṣma, when the age of Vaivasvata arrived, the three worlds were conquered by Bali, and Viṣṇu, the mighty lord, subdued him. Going alone to the sacrifice, Bali was restrained in that way; once more, the god of gods traversed the earth. The appearance of Vāmana was thus, O king; again, becoming Trivikrama, Vāmana became the dwarf. This entire origin I have told you, O descendant of Kuru; now hear about the tīrtha of the Nāgas, O great vow-holder. Ananta, Vāsuki, and the mighty Takṣaka, Karkoṭa the lord of Nāgas, and another serpent, Padma; Mahāpadma, Śaṅkha, Kulika, and Aparājita—these are the descendants of Kaśyapa, and by them the world was filled. By the progeny of these serpents, the world became full; they are crooked, fearsome in deed, sharp-mouthed, and full of poison. When they bite weak humans, they reduce them to ashes in a moment; by merely seeing them, humans perish, O king. Day after day, a most terrible destruction arose; seeing the ruin of themselves, all people everywhere perished. All beings, O king, seeking refuge, went to the Supreme Lord, Brahmā, for this very purpose. Beholding the ancient, lotus-born Brahmā, the beings said, ‘O Lord of gods, O Supreme Lord, you are the progenitor of the worlds. Protect us from the great serpents with sharp fangs, O Lord; every day, we, the wretched, experience terrible fear. Humans, animals, birds, and all such beings are reduced to ashes; O Lord, your creation is being destroyed by the serpents. Knowing this, do what is appropriate, O Grandfather.’ Brahmā replied, ‘I will provide protection for you all, without doubt. Return to your own dwellings, free from illness and fear.’ Thus addressed by Brahmā, the one of unmanifest form, all the beings returned, greatly delighted, after praising the self-born one. When the beings had departed, Brahmā summoned the serpents. Then, exceedingly enraged, he cursed the serpents, led by Vāsuki: ‘Day after day, creatures are devoured by the wicked...