Simply by beholding him, one is set free from bondage. Long ago, in the Rāthaṃtara kalpa, there lived a king named Vīradhanvan. Once, this king ventured into the forest, O beautiful-faced one, chasing after deer. In the depths of the woods, he came upon the place where his five virtuous brothers resided. On a certain occasion, those five brothers, while wandering in the forest, spotted some young deer. Each of them seized one, but tragically, the deer died in their hands, and the brothers were overcome with grief and distress at what they had done. Yearning for atonement, they approached the sage Saṃvarta, who was surrounded by his disciples. With heavy hearts, they confessed, “O lord, five newborn deer have been killed by us.” Saṃvarta replied, “Purity is attained when one performs atonement; the one who does penance becomes purified, and the burden of sin passes to the giver.” He spoke further, declaring that the twice-born, armed with the sword of the Veda and steadfast in righteousness, must be vigilant: a flaw in chastity, a flaw in recitation, or a flaw in sacrifice—these must be guarded against. When the deities of the earth declare, “It is flawless,” then indeed it is so. Thus, when the best among the twice-born addressed the eminent king in this way, the brothers recounted to him, just as it had happened, the full account of their deed. They discussed the Dharma-śāstras, as properly prescribed, considering the place, time, age, capacity, and the nature of the sin—whether the offender was eighty years old or a boy not yet sixteen. Having donned deer skins and undertaken vows, they set about their penance. When a year had passed, King Vīradhanvan and his brothers dwelt at the foot of a certain tree, living as the deer did, subsisting in the manner of the forest creatures. There, overwhelmed by guilt, the king approached the sage and confessed, “O great sage, the sin of killing a Brahmin has come upon me.” His heart was seized by intense sorrow, and he wept, greatly afflicted. The sage comforted him, “Do not fear, O king; I shall remove your sin. Uplifted by Viṣṇu, the god of gods who took the form of a boar, Janārdana himself will surely deliver you.” But, hearing this, the king, tormented by his burden, spoke harshly: “What is the use of this twice-born, who is powerless and wicked?” In his agitation, he struck the sage with a sword. Thus, in that very forest, O goddess, deluded by a multitude of sins, the king was consumed by hunger and thirst, overcome by childishness, delusion, and recklessness. Laden with accumulated sin, he wandered through the dense wilderness, where tigers, lions, elephants, deer, and antelope roamed. Hunters who saw these events quickly went to report to their master. At that moment, from the king’s body—adorned with white ornaments—a goddess emerged. She slew the bandits who threatened him and then vanished on the spot. Released by her, the king awoke at that very instant. Reflecting upon his deeds, he realized with dread that the killing of cows and the killing of Brahmins in this forest were truly terrible sins. Again and again, he sighed, weighed down by remorse. In this state of suffering, the sage Vāmadeva came upon King Vīradhanvan. Born of the lunar dynasty, the king had fallen into a pitiable condition. Seeing him thus, the sage resolved, “I shall rescue this king, the foremost among men.” With compassion, he addressed the suffering ruler Vīradhanvan, determined to restore him.