With a mind cleansed of all sins, a person attains the great reward of Puṣkara. Thus concludes a chapter in the vast Skanda Mahāpurāṇa, specifically in the fifth Avantya section, where the glory of the Avanti region is recounted, and the fifty-fourth chapter is named “Description of the Greatness of Nīlaganga.” Now, in the delightful Mahākāla forest, a question arises: by whom, and for what reason, was he once sent? At that time, the revered sage Agastya, accompanied by all the gods, approached the illustrious one to seek protection for the earth. With unwavering concentration, Agastya devotedly worshipped Bhavani, the great goddess who dwells upon the Vindhya mountains. This goddess is she who caused the flight of Kamsa and brought destruction to the demons; she who was born from the womb of Yashoda and crushed the might of Chanura. She is the mother of Devasena, sovereign over the speech of poets; with a thousand eyes for Indra, and for the sage, the supreme Arundhati. Among mothers she is Aditi, among women Parvati, and she is the best who wanders in Vrindavana during the autumn season. She is Lakshmi, beloved of the fortunate, the Yakshini honored by Kubera, the altar in sacrificial halls, the auspicious fire of oblation, the gift at all initiations, and the bestower of every desired fruit. Thus praised, at that very moment, the goddess—Vindhyavāsinī—appeared directly before them. She spoke, “O best of the twice-born, ask from me whatever you desire.” The sage replied, “This river Reva has grown in the world, spreading fear among all beings. By her, the universe has been inundated; please take her under your control.” Then, O Vyāsa, that virtuous goddess came to the auspicious Mahākāla forest and declared, “I will swiftly restrain the supreme goddess who is swelling, O sage. As long as you remain at the gate of Trikūṭa, O best of sages, know that in Kuśasthalī—a place supremely holy, pure, and destroyer of sin—I dwell for a long time with the Mothers. There, you shall always possess lordship over the field of Siddhas. Where the virtuous dwell, goddesses reside by the millions, worshipping me with devotion through incense, lamps, and offerings of fire. For them, nothing in the three worlds is difficult to obtain. They enjoy blessings and pleasures even the gods find rare. No harm shall come to them from weapons, fire, or flood. Cleansed of all sins, one who dies there attains the city of Shiva.” Thus, Vyāsa, upon reaching the delightful and auspicious city of Ujjayinī, found that the goddess Vindhyavāsinī is ever sought there. Women afflicted by menstrual impurity, the barren, and those regarded as outcasts—just as crows and cranes—after bathing and beholding Vindhyavāsinī, even the impure, are transformed. The childless are blessed with sons, young girls obtain heroic husbands as a boon. A Brahmin gains learning, a Kshatriya attains victory. Truly, this sacred account fulfills all desires. Thus ends the fifty-fifth chapter, named “The Description of the Glory of the Vimalodā Tīrtha and Vindhyavāsinī,” in the Avanti Section of the Fifth Book of the eighty-one-thousand-verse Śrī Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. In this sacred place, simply by bathing, one is freed from even the gravest sins. When the new moon falls on a Saturday, if one comes with a focused mind, one should behold, with reverence, the supreme emblem of the god—both moving and unmoving. Now, the desire arises to hear further, in detail, of these holy wonders, O ascetic rich in austerity.