When the ancestors are worshipped with devotion in the prescribed manner—offered water, prayers, and the sacred rites—they bestow blessings upon their devotees. They grant the cherished desires of mortals: long life, fame, prosperity, sons, wisdom, noble lineage, and a keen memory. After declaring this, Brahma, the grandsire of all ancestors, established for them the southern path, the sacred route by which the ancestors are honored and remembered. In silence, he created the beings known as the Pitrs, the forefathers. These ancestors approached Brahma and addressed him, “O Lord, please grant us a means of sustenance so that we may find happiness.” Brahma replied, “Let the new moon day be yours. On that day, when humans satisfy you with offerings of water mixed with kusa grass and sesame seeds, you will attain supreme contentment—never otherwise.” He instructed that on the new moon day, people should give sesame seeds to the ancestors after fasting and with sincere devotion. When thus honored, the ancestors are deeply satisfied and quickly bestow boons upon their descendants. The sage continued his narration, turning next to the illustrious Atri, a mind-born son of Brahma and a great ascetic. Atri’s son was Soma, the radiant moon, who became the son-in-law of Daksha. Daksha’s twenty-seven daughters, renowned throughout the worlds, were given in marriage to Soma. Among them, Rohini was the most beloved. Soma, however, delighted only in Rohini, neglecting his other wives. The neglected daughters, feeling wronged, gathered together and complained to their father, Daksha, about Soma’s favoritism. Daksha intervened repeatedly, urging Soma to treat all his wives equally, but Soma persisted in his partiality. In anger, Daksha cursed Soma, declaring, “Become hidden!” Stricken by this curse, Soma began to waste away, preparing to abandon his body. In his distress, Soma spoke to Daksha, “So be it for you as well: though you will have many offspring, you too shall abandon your eternal Brahma-body.” With these words, Soma faded, diminished by the curse. As Soma waned, calamity befell the world. Gods, humans, cattle, and plants all began to wither and perish. Herbs especially suffered, and as the plants shriveled, the gods themselves became weakened. In their anguish, the gods observed that Soma now lingered only at the roots of the plants. Overcome with anxiety, they sought refuge in Vishnu. The Blessed Lord Vishnu addressed them, “Tell me, what should I do?” The gods replied, “O Lord, Soma has been destroyed by Daksha’s curse.” Vishnu advised, “Let the pot-ocean be churned. Gather all the herbs from everywhere and cast them in swiftly and skillfully.” Having spoken thus, Vishnu meditated on Rudra, Brahma, and Vasuki, seeking their aid for the great churning. Together, the gods churned the abode of Varuna, the ocean. From this churning, Soma was reborn, restored to his former glory. Soma, the knower of the field, the supreme person within the body, is the very life of all embodied beings. By the will of the Supreme, he took on a gentle and distinct form. By his power, humans, the sixteen deities, trees, and all herbs are sustained. Rudra then bore Soma upon his head, and from that time, the essence of Soma became one with the waters, and he was remembered as the very form of the universe. Pleased with Soma’s restoration, Brahma granted him the full-moon day as his sacred time. On that day, people should fast and honor Soma; by taking food made of barley, they receive knowledge, beauty, nourishment, wealth, and abundant grain. The sage then addressed the king, saying, “O King, let me recount to you the jewel-like kings who shone in the Krita and Treta ages, and the lineage in which you yourself were born. In the Krita Yuga, you were known as Suprabha, and in the Treta Yuga, you were born as Prajāpāla, radiant and famed. Other mighty kings arose in the Treta Yuga: Śānti, blazing with splendor; Suraśmi and Śaśakarṇa, both strong; Śubhadarśana, prince of the Pāñcāla; Suśānti and Sundara of the Aṅga dynasty; Sunda, Mucukunda, Sudyumna, and Tura; Sumanas as Somadatta; auspicious Saṃvaraṇa; Suśīla as Vasudāna; Sukhada as Supati; Śambhu as commander of armies; Sukānta as Daśaratha; and Soma as Janaka. These were the kings of the Treta Yuga. All these lords of the earth, having enjoyed sovereignty and performed many sacrifices, will certainly attain heaven.” Varāha, the divine narrator, continued: “Having heard all this, the royal sage, master of the nectar of Brahman-knowledge, was delighted by this supreme narrative. He set out for the forest to perform austerities. Through the discipline of spiritual yoga, the sage cast off his body and, becoming one with Brahman, attained dissolution in Hari.” The king journeyed to Vṛndāvana to undertake austerities. There, he began to praise Hari, known as Govinda, with deep devotion: “I bow to the god who is the very form of the universe, the lord of cowherds, the peerless younger brother of Indra, the one skilled in traversing the cycle of worldly existence, the upholder of the earth, the best among the gods. I bow to him. “In the ocean of becoming, amidst the terrible waves of countless sorrows, in the whirlpool of old age, at the dark root of the underworld—he alone brings an end and grants me happiness. Salutations to you, O Govinda, the immeasurable. “When men, afflicted by disease and other troubles, are struck again and again by the planets, I bow to you, O great-souled one, Janārdana, lord of cowherds, mighty-armed. “You are the highest among all knowers, O lord of gods; by you, this entire universe is pervaded. O lord of cowherds, of great glory, protect me, who am fearful of worldly existence, O wielder of the fierce discus. “You are supreme, O god, the foremost among the gods; you are the true form of man, shining like the moon. O Acyuta, with the face of fire and intense nature, O lord of cowherds, protect me as I fall into becoming. “O Acyuta, countless revolutions in the cycle of worldly existence arise for embodied beings, deluded by your māyā, O lord of gods; who can cross your māyā, the abode of dualities? “O lord of cowherds, those wise ones who worship you—who are without lineage, untouched, formless, scentless, nameless, indescribable, unborn, and supreme—those indeed attain liberation, freed from the bondage of becoming.” Thus, the story unfolds: of the divine arrangements for the ancestors, the trials of Soma, the glory of noble kings, and the king’s final devotion to the Supreme, seeking liberation at the feet of Govinda.