ಹೆಮೆ, ಮೋಕ್ಷ ಮತ್ತು ನರಕ—all these are founded upon the truthfulness of speech. Whoever destroys truth in their words destroys all these realms. If someone, being one thing in themselves, presents themselves as something else, then what sin has that thief not committed, that stealer of his own self? Such a person, having destroyed their own self by their own actions, will go to dreadful hell; for them, King Yama cuts away half of their righteousness. But, bathing in deep, pure waters at the holy ford of truth, in the lake of forgiveness, one becomes freed from sin and attains the highest state. When weighed on a scale, a thousand ashvamedha sacrifices and truth—truth indeed outweighs a thousand horse sacrifices. Truth is the noble fruit, and learning is supreme, free from all afflictions. Among the good, truth is their treasure, the fruit of all stages of life; having attained that, one goes to heaven—how could such a person be abandoned? In this gathering of people, always speak the truth, without fail. The friends said, "O Nanda, you are worthy of reverence by all, gods and demons alike, for you, with supreme truthfulness, are giving up your life, which is so hard to give up. O blessed one, what is there that you, bearer of the burden of righteousness, cannot attain in the three worlds by this act of renunciation? We see that, because of this renunciation, there will be no separation from your son; for a woman of noble mind, there are no misfortunes anywhere." Having seen all the cowherd folk and circled around Gokula, Nanda, taking leave of the gods and the trees, set out again. She took leave of the earth, Varuṇa, Agni, Vāyu, the moon, the guardian deities of the ten directions, the trees, the stars, and the planets. She informed them all, bowing again and again: all the perfected beings dwelling in the forest, and all the forest deities. She prayed, "May the grasses that roam the forest protect my son; O campaka, ashoka, punnāga, sarala, arjuna, and kiṃśuka trees, let all the trees hear my anxious message: my calf, alone and distressed, wandering in the difficult forest. Protect the little calf, the child, out of affection, as if he were your own son, motherless and fatherless, helpless and sorrowful in mind. Wandering this earth, crying out in deep sorrow—here, in this great forest, as my son cries out. Overwhelmed by great grief, afflicted by hunger and thirst, alone and seeing the whole world as empty. For one wandering, protection must be given with compassion." Thus, Nanda, overcome by motherly love, gave these instructions with affection. Inflamed by the fire of sorrow, severed from seeing her son, she was parted like a chakravaka bird, fallen like a creeper from a tree. Like one blind, deprived of sight, stumbling at every step, she went again to where that flesh-eater was. He sat with mouth wide open, sharp-fanged and terrifying; meanwhile, her son, swift as one with tail raised, arrived. He came before his mother and stood before the king of beasts. Seeing her son arrive, she saw death standing before her. Seeing the tiger, the cow spoke these words: "O king of beasts, I have come, steadfast in truth and righteousness. Fulfill your desire now, satisfy yourself with my flesh; nourish your own kind, drink my blood. When I am dead, O sir, then eat this calf." The tiger said, "Welcome to you, O virtuous cow, speaker of truth. For nothing inauspicious ever befalls those devoted to truth; what you said before, O cow, was truth, and you have returned again. Because of this, I am curious how you could return; for the sake of testing your truthfulness, I sent you again. Otherwise, having met me, how could you depart alive? And my curiosity arose for the search of truth. Therefore, by this truth, you are now released by me; you are my sister, and your son is my nephew. O auspicious one, having given instruction to me, though I am sinful in deed, worlds are established in truth, and righteousness is established in truth. By truth, the cow releases a stream of milk, the beloved offering; truly blessed is the cowherd who lives by your milk. Blessed are those lands, O auspicious one, where your grass grows; blessed and fulfilled are those who have done good by them. By them, the essence of birth is attained—those who drink your milk." The king of beasts, having gained conviction, was filled with utmost wonder. "This command is ours, truth shown by the gods; seeing the truth of cows, I have no desire to live. Therefore I shall perform an act by which I may be freed from sin; by me, thousands and hundreds of lives have been eaten. Desiring the path, I depart, having seen such truth in the cow; I am sinful, ill-behaved, cruel, a destroyer of life. To which worlds shall I go, having performed such terrible deeds? I will visit holy pilgrimage sites and undertake purification from sin. I will climb a mountain and throw myself down, or enter fire; O cow, what austerity should I perform today to cleanse myself of sin? Therefore instruct me briefly, for there is no time for lengthy explanation." The cow spoke: "In the Krita age, austerity is praised; in the Treta, knowledge alone. In the Dvapara, sacrifice is declared; in the Kali age, charity alone. Of all forms of charity, this one is the highest.