Brahma, pleased with the devotion he witnessed, granted a sacred boon: he designated the full-moon day as a holy time for honoring him. On that auspicious day, one should fast and offer due reverence, O king. Barley food is to be consumed, for Brahma bestows knowledge, beauty, nourishment, wealth, and abundant grain upon those who observe this rite. Then, the great ascetic addressed the king: “O King, I shall recount to you the illustrious lineage of jewel-like kings who shone in the Krita and Treta Yugas, and reveal the line in which you yourself were born, O ruler of men. In the Krita Yuga, you were known by the name Suprabha; later, you took birth as Prajāpāla, famed and radiant. In the Treta Yuga, other mighty kings will arise. Among them, Śānti will be renowned for his blazing splendor. Suraśmi and Śaśakarṇa, both of great strength, will rule, and Śubhadarśana, a prince of the Pāñcāla lineage, will become lord of men. Suśānti will emerge in the Aṅga dynasty, and Sundara will be known as Aṅga. Sunda, Mucukunda, Sudyumna, and Tura were also born. Sumanas became Somadatta, and the auspicious Saṃvaraṇa was born. Suśīla became Vasudāna, Sukhada became Supati. Śambhu became the commander of the army, and Sukānta was remembered as Daśaratha. Soma became Janaka, O King—these were the kings of the Treta Yuga. All these lords of the earth, having enjoyed the world and performed various sacrifices, will surely attain heaven. After hearing this, the royal sage, who had mastered the nectar of Brahmavidyā, rejoiced in the supreme narrative and set out for the forest to practice austerities. Through the discipline of spiritual yoga, the sage abandoned his mortal body and, becoming one with Brahman, attained dissolution in Hari. The king himself journeyed to Vṛndāvana for the sake of austerity. There, he began to praise Hari, known as Govinda. With deep reverence, the king prayed: “I bow to the god, the very form of the universe, the lord of cowherds, the peerless younger brother of Indra, the one alone 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 a hundred sorrows, in the whirlpool of old age, at the dark root of the underworld—he alone brings an end and gives 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, O God, I bow to you, O great-souled one, delighting in battle, 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. I bow always to Him who is beyond sound, whose form is space, who is formless, who is the auspicious essence among those who act, who is to be sought, whose hands bear the discus and the lotus, as described in the Purāṇas by way of analogy. I bow to Viṣṇu, the infinite form, the three-stepping one who traversed the three worlds, who has four forms, who pervades all, the Lord of the earth, Śambhu, the all-pervading one, the Lord of beings, the Lord of the gods. O God, you alone create and dissolve all moving and unmoving beings; lead me swiftly, O Lord, who desires liberation, to that state where yogis, having reached it, do not return. Victory to you, Govinda, of great glory! Victory to you, Viṣṇu! Victory to you, Padmanābha! Victory to you, all-knowing one, immeasurable one! Victory to you, Lord of the universe, whose form is the universe!” Thus praised, Govinda received the king’s devotion, and the king, laying aside his body, attained dissolution in Govinda, the eternal Supreme Self. At this, the Earth herself spoke: “O Lord, how are you worshipped by devoted men or by women? Tell me all this, O Creator of beings.” Śrī Varāha replied: “O goddess, I am attained by devotion, not by wealth or recitations. Yet I will tell you the bodily austerities suitable for devotees. Whoever, with actions, mind, and speech, is intent on me—hear from me the various vows I prescribe for such a person. Nonviolence, truthfulness, non-stealing, and celibacy—these are declared to be mental vows, O Upholder of the Earth. Single-minded devotion, fasting at night, and other such practices—all these are bodily vows for men, not otherwise. Silence, study, and recitation for the sake of praising the gods, and refraining from slander—these are the highest verbal vows. Here too is heard another story: In a former age, there was a sage named Āruṇi, son of Brahmā, renowned for his fierce austerity. That best of twice-born went to the forest, seeking austerity, and there he practiced penance, devoted to fasting. He dwelt on the beautiful bank of the Devikā river; once, for the sake of ablution, he went to the great river. There, after bathing and reciting, Āruṇi saw a hunter approaching, fearsome, with a great bow in hand and fierce eyes. The hunter came to kill the brāhmaṇa, desiring his bark garments. Seeing him, the brāhmaṇa was agitated out of fear of slaying a brāhmaṇa, and stood there, meditating on Lord Nārāyaṇa. Seeing the brāhmaṇa with Hari within, the hunter, as if frightened, abandoned his bow and arrows and then spoke: “I came here earlier intending to kill you, O brāhmaṇa, but now, upon seeing you, my mind has gone elsewhere. O Brahman, thousands of Brahmins and tens of thousands of their wives have been slain by me, and also householders have been killed. Never, at any time, has there been a mind more sinful in hell; now I wish to perform austerity near you. By giving me instruction, you should show me your favor.” Thus, the story unfolds, revealing the transformative power of devotion, the sanctity of vows, and the grace bestowed by the Divine.