Pulastya continued his narration, recounting the extraordinary events that unfolded. When Indra, the king of the gods, spoke, his divine messenger became gripped by fear. Mudgala, too, saw the messenger appear once more, standing resplendent in his celestial vehicle. The words spoken by the messenger left Mudgala utterly stunned, as if he had been struck motionless or inscribed by an unseen hand. Noticing the messenger’s lengthy delay, Indra, the lord of the gods, grew concerned. He saw that Mudgala’s mere presence had rendered the messenger speechless and immobile. At that very moment, terrible omens began to manifest in the surroundings. Witnessing these, Mudgala was filled with wonder and began to reflect deeply on their meaning. Then, Mudgala beheld in the sky the radiant form of Hari, Indra himself, holding the thunderbolt aloft in his hand. Seeing this divine vision, Śakra’s spirit was subdued and, his enthusiasm diminished, he offered heartfelt praise to Mudgala, addressing him with great respect: “Whether in heaven or on earth, O twice-born one, dwell wherever you wish. Choose a boon, whatever abides constantly in your mind—may it be well with you.” Mudgala replied with humility, “O thousand-eyed one, to even see you in a dream is exceedingly rare. If you truly wish to grant me a boon, O slayer of Vṛtra, then let it be so. Do not doubt my request, for I have already sent a messenger to the sacred lake.” Indra, pleased, declared, “Here, at this very place, the ancestors attain supreme satisfaction from the offering of rice-balls. By my grace, this is the highest of all places, O best of Brahmins. On the full moon of the month of Phalguna, those who, with focused mind, are present here and make offerings of rice-balls will obtain the supreme fruit—equal to that of Gaya itself.” Thereafter, Mudgala, constantly contemplating the supreme Brahman, entered into pure meditation. Absorbed in this state, he ultimately attained imperishable liberation. Pulastya then recalled a verse sung long ago by the great sage Narada: “A man who bathes in the sacred Māmū lake and beholds Lord Mudgala—because of this, O king, the lake is renowned as Māmū lake. This holy place is celebrated throughout the world as the foremost among all sacred sites. Whoever desires liberation, whoever seeks the supreme state, should especially visit here.” At this point, a question arose: “At what time does that supreme fruit arise, and what result comes to men who see it? What, when heard, frees a man completely from all sins?” Pulastya answered: “Long ago, in the age of the gods, there was a powerful demon named Mahisha. By his might, Indra and all the other gods were defeated in battle by the thousands. Mahisha brought the three worlds under his control and himself assumed the throne of Indra. The Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, Ashvins, and the hosts of Maruts—even Agni, seized by fear—abandoned the company of the gods. The sun shone only with the brilliance permitted by Mahisha, and all the guardians of the worlds were compelled to act according to his will. “In their distress, the gods assembled together and cried, ‘O Lord, what shall we do? Where shall we go, for we are without refuge?’ Hearing their plea, their guru meditated on Time for a long while. He then revealed: ‘Mahisha is invulnerable to all the gods, except for one woman. Therefore, for the sake of victory, let your efforts now be directed toward her, without delay. Worship in solitude the great Goddess by whom this universe is pervaded. She herself will undertake the effort of manifesting an incarnation. I shall now declare to you the supreme mantra of Śakti.