As long as you remain at the gate of Trikūṭa, O best of sages, you will find Kuśasthalī—a place of supreme holiness, purity, and a destroyer of sin. There, I reside for a long time with the Mothers. Even in that sacred place, you shall always have lordship over the field of Siddhas, the land of perfected beings. Where the virtuous dwell, goddesses in their millions reside, worshipping me with deep devotion, offering incense, lamps, and fire sacrifices. For these devoted goddesses, nothing in the three worlds is difficult to obtain. They enjoy pleasures and boons that are rare even for the gods themselves. No harm ever comes to them from weapons, fire, or floods. Cleansed of all sin, those who depart from this world from that place journey straight to the city of Shiva. Thus, Vyāsa, you should know that upon reaching the delightful and auspicious city of Ujjayinī, the goddess Vindhyavāsinī is ever sought there. Even women afflicted by menstrual impurity, the barren, and those likened to crows and cranes—those considered impure—after bathing and beholding Vindhyavāsinī, are transformed. The childless gain sons, maidens are granted heroic husbands, Brahmins become learned, and Kshatriyas achieve victory. This sacred tale itself bestows all desired boons. So concludes the fifty-fifth chapter, called "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 Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. Now, let me tell you further: There is a place where, by the simple act of bathing, one is freed from even the gravest sins. When the new moon falls on a Saturday, and one arrives there with a focused mind, one should behold with reverence the supreme emblem of the Lord, both in his moving and unmoving forms. Merely hearing of this sacred place brings about the destruction of great sins. Three rivers—the Revā, Carmaṇvatī, and Kṣātā—once flowed together, holy and pure, filled with sacred waters, delightful and destroyers of sin. In a beautiful grove within the excellent field of Māndhātṛ, however, a slight fault arose in their association, causing them to separate. Yet, in the delightful forest of Mahākāla, these noble rivers spent time together. Among all sacred waters there, Rudrasara is remembered as the foremost. Arriving and mingling there, the rivers took refuge in the Śiprā, and where the dust was cleansed, the fire was instantly declared. Now, let me recount an ancient tale. In times long past, Tvaṣṭṛ gave his daughter Sāvitrī in marriage to Sūrya, the Sun. Ever devoted to her duties as a wife, Sāvitrī served the eye of the world faithfully. To them were born Yama, the son of Vivasvat, and Yamunā, the purifier of the worlds. These two children, Yama and Yamunā, were entrusted into your care, with the command that you must protect them. Sāvitrī was always devoted to the worship of the Sun, and she was to dwell in my house. Having made this agreement, Sāvitrī departed. But immediately, restrained by her father, she assumed the form of a mare. Once, she was begged for food by Vaivasvata, who was hungry. Then, struck by his foot, Chāyā cursed him, declaring, "You will be lame in your foot—there is no doubt." Meanwhile, Vyāsa, having insulted the earth...