After bathing at the great sacred place, the devoted pilgrim bowed reverently to Vāsudeva. Filled with faith, he journeyed on to Mahākośa, where he worshipped Mahādeva, the Lord known as Haṃsa. Having completed his worship there, the mighty-armed one continued to Triviṣṭapa, where he beheld and honored Hari. From there, his path led him to the holy ground of Kanakhala. His pilgrimage brought him next to Meghaṅka, the lord of wealth, and then to the city of Girivraja. At each step, he offered his worship with proper rites. In Kāmarūpa, he performed his devotions with care, and then proceeded to the foremost of sacred places, Mahākhya, where again he worshipped Mahādeva. With deep devotion, he praised the Lord, reciting the supreme and pure prayer that had once removed the sorrow of Gajendra, the elephant king. As an offering, he gave gold to the foremost of Brāhmaṇas, and then entered the dreadful Daṇḍaka forest. There, he beheld Puṇḍarīkākṣa, the lotus-eyed Lord who removes the threat of great beasts. Remaining in that place, lying upon the bare ground, he recited the sacred Sarasvata hymn. There, the Dānava too went to seek Hari, the remover of all sins—those same two whom the Lord had once spoken of, when he took the form of a boar, O Janardana. The great devotee, O sage, worshipped at the feet of the Lord, knowing that by singing, hearing, or even touching these sacred stories, humans are freed from sin. The sage then asked, “Tell me of the four great deliverances, beginning with Gajendra’s.” He was told: “The destruction of evil dreams comes by reciting, listening to, or remembering these tales. Then, the Sarasvata hymn, holy and a destroyer of sin, is to be known.” In those ancient times, the son of the king of mountains, Sumeru, radiant like the sun, rose up, breaking through the ocean, surrounded by hosts of gods and sages. Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Yakshas, Siddhas, Charanas, and Nagas attended him, along with wolves, wild beasts, and lordly elephants, all adding to his shining form. The mountain was adorned with mango, nipa, kadamba, sandalwood, aloe, champaka, and many other trees, flourishing on all sides. Sumeru stood beautiful and renowned, with three broad ridges, filled with flocks of living creatures, and resounding with the calls of chakoras and peacocks. Its slopes were covered in countless flowers, exuding many fragrances, and its appearance was like pale clouds or a mass of snow. Upon the third and most excellent summit was the supreme abode of Brahma. Those in the world who had not performed severe austerities, or who had committed sins, could not ascend there. The mountain’s waters teemed with kāraṇḍava ducks and were adorned by royal swans, golden lotuses, and hundred-petaled lilies. Clusters of bamboo and reeds encircled the waters on all sides. In that sacred place dwelled a mighty crocodile, fierce enemy of elephants, ever watchful for prey. One day, an elephant, dark as collyrium and with eyes unsteady from intoxication, wandered with his herd through a marsh filled with lotuses. As the she-elephants watched and cried out in distress, the great elephant was suddenly seized by the snares of the water-dwellers, rendered helpless in his movement. He struggled with all his might, trumpeting loudly and fiercely, caught in the grip of the powerful crocodile.