Hear now, O sage, of the great merit that arises from giving, in the morning, a pair of white garments adorned with fragrance and flowers to a learned Brahmin. Long ago, in the sacred city of Kashi, there lived a mighty king named Vishala. Through the designs of fate, his own kinsmen deprived him of his kingdom, and he, bereft of power and fortune, journeyed to the Gandhamadana mountains. There, in a beautiful valley, he reached the holy place of Badari. Though stripped of all worldly wealth, King Vishala, noble and steadfast, remained there. One day, the two ancient and illustrious sages, Nara and Narayana—revered by all the gods—arrived at Badari. They beheld the king, who had come before them, sitting in deep meditation upon the Supreme Brahman, contemplating the highest state known as Vishnu. Pleased by his devotion and the purity of his heart, the two sages approached him and said, “O king of kings, your sins are diminished. Choose a boon, for we have come to grant you a blessing.” The king replied humbly, “I do not know who you are, nor from whom I should accept a boon. I desire only a blessing worthy of the one I worship.” The sages asked, “Tell us, whom do you worship? What is the boon you seek?” The king answered, “I worship Vishnu,” and fell silent. Then the two sages declared, “O king, by the grace of that very deity whom you worship, we are empowered to grant boons. Speak your desire, whatever lies in your heart.” The king bowed and said, “Grant me the ability to worship the Lord of Sacrifice with many sacrifices and offerings, that I may be capable of such worship.” Nara replied, “May Lord Narayana himself, the guide of the worlds, perform austerities with me at Badari for the welfare of the world.” He then revealed the greatness of Lord Vishnu: “This Lord was once a fish, then a tortoise, then the boar, and after that, the man-lion. He was born as Vamana, then as the mighty son of Jamadagni; again, he became the son of Dasharatha, and then appeared as Vasudeva. As Buddha, he deluded the people, and then, after destroying hostile, thieving, and foreign enemies, he restored the earth to its natural order—he, the blessed Lord Hari. “He is worshipped in the form of the Fish by those who seek all-knowing wisdom; as the Tortoise, for the uplifting of his own lineage. As the Boar, who entered the ocean of existence, he is worshipped; and as Narasimha, by those who fear sin. To remove delusion and for the sake of wealth, one should worship Vamana, born from the fire of the world; the wise worship the son of Dasharatha for the destruction of cruel enemies. The intelligent one who desires a son should worship Balarama and Krishna; one who desires forms should worship Buddha, and Kalki for the destruction of enemies. “Having spoken thus, the king performed the Dvadashi vow and, by its merit, became a universal monarch. After his name, Badari became renowned as Vishala. In that very birth, after ruling his kingdom, the king retired to the forest, performed many sacrifices, and finally attained supreme liberation.” Now, O sage, listen as I tell you of another sacred observance. In the month of Ashvayuja, on the twelfth day of the bright fortnight, one should resolve to worship the eternal Lord Padmanabha. Worship his feet as Padmanabha, his waist as Padmayoni, his abdomen as Sarvadeva, his chest as Pushkaraksha, and his hands as Avyaya; worship his weapons as before. For Prabhava, worship the head, and place a pot before you, installing within it a golden image of Lord Padmanabha. Worship him with fragrant substances and flowers in due order, and at dawn, offer the image to a Brahmin. Now hear the merit gained by this act. In the Krita age, there was a powerful king named Bhadrashva, after whom the land of Bhadrashva was named. One day, the great sage Agastya came to his house and declared, “I will stay here for seven nights.” The king bowed and welcomed him, saying, “Please remain here.” His queen was named Kantimati, a woman of supreme beauty, radiant like twelve suns. She had five hundred co-wives, all devoted to vows, yet they served her daily, awed and bewildered by her great fortune and splendor. The king, captivated by Kantimati’s beauty and radiance, gazed only upon her joyful face, while her co-wives, out of reverence and fear, performed good deeds for her. Agastya, seeing the queen’s supreme beauty, exclaimed with delight, “Excellent, excellent, O Lord of the Universe!” On the second day, beholding her radiance again, he said, “Ah, a handful, ah, a handful—this entire world, moving and unmoving, is just this!” On the third day, he declared, “Ah, the ignorant do not know Govinda, the Supreme Lord, who, being pleased, gave this fruit to the queen in a single day.” On the fourth day, raising his hands, Agastya praised all: “Excellent, excellent, Lord of the Universe! Women, Shudras—excellent! Twice-born, kings—excellent! Vaishyas—excellent!” He continued, “Excellent, Bhadrashva, excellent are you! O Agastya, excellent! Prahlada, excellent! Dhruva, great vow-holder, excellent!” So saying, Agastya danced joyfully before the king. Amazed at the sage’s exuberance, the king and his queen asked, “O Brahmin, what is the cause of your joy, that you dance in this way?” Agastya replied, “Ah, you are a foolish king! Ah, your followers are fools! Ah, your priests are fools who do not know my thought!” The king, humbled, said with folded hands, “O Brahmin, we do not understand your words. Please explain, if you wish to show us your favor.” Agastya then revealed, “This queen of yours was once a maidservant of a Vaishya in the city of Vaidisha. You were her husband, and that Shudra, devoted to service, was the worker of that Vaishya.” Thus, the sages’ words and the fruits of devotion and worship were revealed, showing how the Lord’s grace transforms the lives of the devoted, granting them beauty, power, and liberation through righteous acts and remembrance of the Divine.