Having listened to my words, the lord of the foremost among planets, Soma, bowed with humility and devotion. He addressed me, saying, “O Lord, if you are pleased and have come here for my sake, then grant me this boon: as long as the worlds endure, O Janārdana, may I ever abide in you. In whatever form you have established me, O Lord, let it be so. Let my Brāhmaṇas drink Soma only in the sacred sacrifices. And when you wane there at the new moon, let the rites for ancestors, performed with balls of food, be carried out there as well. “O Viṣṇu, may my mind never incline toward unrighteousness. But if ever it does, let us fall to the state of plants—so be it. If you, O Great Lord, who are beyond beginning, middle, and end, are pleased with me, then grant my wish.” Hearing Soma’s earnest words, I became invisible right there, bestowing my grace. Thus, at the sacred Soma-tīrtha—a place rarely attained—Soma achieved the highest realization. This was accomplished by the eighth devotee, steadfast in performing my rites, at that very spot where the great-souled Soma had undertaken severe austerities. For five thousand years, Soma stood upright, facing upward, his devotion unwavering. Freed from his offense, he became the lord of the Brāhmaṇas. For thirty thousand years, and for another three thousand years, Soma was endowed with wealth, virtues, and generosity, O illustrious one. Having become a Brāhmaṇa, he was thus liberated from worldly existence. That tīrtha, Soma-tīrtha, should be known by all who follow my path. At that place, when darkness prevails and no one can be seen, only light is visible—Soma himself is not seen. This, O blessed one, is a great wonder. It marks my sacred Saukara region. Now, O Vasundharā, listen further. There was a woman who died at that tīrtha—not by her own will, but due to the destiny shaped by her actions. She was a princess: broad-eyed, dark-complexioned, and beautiful in every limb. When Nārāyaṇa’s words reached the Earth, she, adorned with auspicious marks, marveled: “Ah! Such is the great power of the holy place you have described—even a vulture and a jackal have attained human bodies there. O Janārdana, by bathing at that holy place, or by dying there, what kind of mark arises for them, by which they are thus reborn?” Hearing the Earth’s inquiry, Viṣṇu, the best knower of dharma, replied: “Listen in truth, O Earth, to what you have asked. When that destined time had passed, by the force of my actions, there was a king, greatly fortunate and firmly established in his duty. His son, also greatly fortunate and steadfast in all duties, went into the forest to hunt, desiring to bring game for his father. Yet, in that place, the prince found nothing for his father’s purpose. There, he saw a most auspicious creature, trembling, having been struck in the middle of its body. After drinking water there, she went to the branch of a tree. Unwillingly, she gave up her life at that holy place belonging to Soma. The prince then arrived at the holy place called Gṛdhravaṭa and rested there. With a single arrow, he struck down the vulture.” Thus, O blessed one, the wondrous power of the holy tīrtha and the workings of destiny were revealed.