Having been addressed by the Supreme Lord, the one destined to become the leader of the Vinayakas was anointed together with the gods. Sacred water, drawn from golden vessels, was poured upon his form, and, O king, he shone brilliantly as the foremost among the Vinayakas. As he was consecrated as the leader of the celestial hosts, all the gods—purified and filled with reverence—gathered in the presence of the great trident-wielder, Śiva, and offered their praises. With joined palms and hearts full of devotion, the gods proclaimed: “Salutations to you, O elephant-faced one! Salutations to you, leader of the hosts! O Vinayaka, we bow to you; salutations to you, fierce in valor!” Their voices rose in adoration: “Salutations to you, remover of obstacles! Salutations to you, who wears a serpent as a belt! Salutations to you, who arose from Rudra’s face, with a prominent belly!” They prayed, “By the worship of all the gods, may you always remove obstacles.” Thus praised by the gods, the great-souled leader of the hosts, anointed and radiant, was acknowledged as the son of Rudra and Soma. This sacred event, O king, took place on the fourth lunar day—the day dedicated to the chief of the hosts. Therefore, this day is celebrated as the greatest and most excellent among all lunar days. It is said that whoever, with devotion, consumes sesame seeds and worships Ganapati on this auspicious day will quickly win the Lord’s favor—of this, there is no doubt. Furthermore, whoever recites or faithfully listens to this hymn will remain free from obstacles and sin, O king. At this point, the Earth, seeking understanding, addressed the Lord of the gods: “O upholder of the Earth, how is it that, by contact with your body, the mighty serpents became embodied? What is the reason for this?” Śrī Varāha replied: “Hearing of the birth of the lord of hosts, the protector of creatures, the king approached the sage of firm vows and gently inquired: ‘O venerable one, how did the serpents, destined for Garuḍa, come to have bodies? Why did they become crooked? Please explain this.’ The great ascetic responded: ‘When Brahmā was creating the world, Marīci was the cause of procreation; first conceived in his mind, his son was Kaśyapa. Kaśyapa’s wife was Kadrū, daughter of Dakṣa, known for her pure smile. Marīci begot upon her sons of great might: Ananta, Vāsuki, Kambala, Karkoṭaka, and another serpent named Padma. Also Mahāpadma, Śaṅkha, and the unconquered Kulika—these are counted among the chief descendants of Kaśyapa. By their birth, the world became filled with serpents—crooked, of evil deeds, sharp-fanged, and venomous. Whenever they saw humans, their very gaze or bite would reduce them to ashes in a moment. Just as sound follows touch, so too did dreadful destruction arise among humans, day after day. Seeing their own destruction, all beings across the worlds sought refuge with the Supreme Lord, the ultimate shelter. For this reason, all creatures approached Viṣṇu, the lotus-born and ancient Brahmā, and pleaded: ‘O Lord of gods, origin of the worlds, supreme Lord, save us from the great serpents with sharp fangs! O mighty one, every day, whenever the serpents see a human or animal, all is reduced to ashes. You created this world, but now it is being destroyed by these serpents. Knowing this evil, do what must be done, O great-minded one.’ Brahmā assured them: ‘I will surely provide protection for you all. Return to your abodes, creatures; do not be afraid.’ Having spoken thus, Brahmā, of unmanifest form, sent the creatures away, and with great joy, they bowed to the self-born one and departed. When the creatures had gone, Brahmā summoned the serpents and, filled with anger, cursed Vāsuki and the others: ‘Because you, born from me, continually bring destruction to humans, in another age—due to your mother’s terrible curse—there will be a dreadful destruction in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara.’ Trembling, the foremost serpents fell at Brahmā’s feet and pleaded: ‘O Lord, you have made our nature crooked; you have endowed us with intense poison, cruelty, and a fearful gaze. O God, you have done this—now, Achyuta, please restrain it.’ Brahmā replied, ‘If indeed I have created you with crooked intent, then why not, without fear, devour humans always?’ The serpents implored, ‘O Lord of gods, establish boundaries and separate abodes for humans and for us, and set distinct rules for each.’ Hearing this, Brahmā said, ‘I will establish an agreement between you serpents and humans; therefore, all of you, with one mind, listen to my command. Pātāla, Vitala, and the third, called Harmya—these delightful abodes are given to you; there you shall go. There, by my command, enjoy many kinds of pleasures; remain there until the seventh night, again and again. Then, at the beginning of Vaivasvata’s era, you, the descendants of Kāśyapa, will become the heirs of all the gods and of the wise Suparṇa. At that time, all your offspring will be consumed by Citrabhānu; for you, there will be no fault in this—of this, there is no doubt. Those serpents who are cruel and unruly—their end will come, it cannot be otherwise. When the time is right, bite and devour, and likewise, if wronged by a human. Those humans who move about protected by mantras, herbs, and Garuḍa-circles, or are bound and seen—toward them, behave with fear; do not think or act otherwise, for if you do, you will perish.’ Thus addressed by Brahmā, all those serpents went to the earth’s surface and, delighting in all pleasures, settled playfully in Rasātala. Having received both curse and favor from the Four-faced One, they dwelt joyfully in their abode in Pātāla, their hearts content. All this, O king, occurred for those great souls on the fifth lunar day. Therefore, this date is blessed, auspicious, and a remover of all sins.