Then, all the assembled deities approached Brahma, the Grandfather of all creation, and addressed him with their concerns. Hearing their words, Brahma, the revered grandsire of the worlds, listened attentively. At that time, the gods, joined by the Gandharvas, Siddhas, and the supreme seers, gathered together. There, led by Indra, the gods beheld me—Hrishikesha—before them. With devotion, they pleaded, “Protect us, O Hrishikesha, by your supreme grace.” And I assured them, “All those whom I have gazed upon have attained the highest bliss. Whoever bathes here is freed from all sins—there is no doubt about this. Whoever, devoted to my deeds, gives up his life here will attain the highest state. Whoever remembers the holy Badari hermitage, wherever he may be, will find liberation. Whoever hears this account, or my devotee who constantly recites it, will be blessed. One who is always devoted to meditation and yoga attains the fruit of liberation. Indeed, he who realizes the self reaches the supreme state.” Thus concludes the one hundred and forty-first chapter in the glorious Varaha Purana, describing the greatness of the sacred Badarika Ashrama. Now begins the account of the greatness of the secret rite. Having heard the words of the gods, the Earth herself, longing for righteousness, spoke gently to Janardana, saying, “With my gentle nature, I will speak to you, O Janardana. As you have described, women are weak in life-force and strength. Yet, men here, while eating, indeed attain the highest bliss through rajas.” Hearing these words of Madhavi, Mādhava—Sri Varaha—responded, “O goddess, you have asked about the supreme secret that brings happiness to my devotees. She who is touched by rajas and devoted to my actions—if she eats or sustains her body in such a state—does not incur any fault, even if she eats while menstruating. I bow to the ancient, beginningless, endless, unborn, divine Lord. Whatever actions a menstruating woman performs, she is never defiled by them. After bathing on the fifth day, O highly fortunate one, she should again perform her duties as appropriate, with her mind fixed on me, devoted to me.” The Earth then inquired, “How are they freed from fault and from the bondage of birth and worldly existence?” Sri Varaha replied, “Through the yoga of renunciation in me, one who is devoted to my actions is freed. With a single-pointed mind, firm in vow, steadfast in my yogas, or by desiring the highest state through the yoga of knowledge and renunciation, one is liberated. Know that mind, intellect, and consciousness are not under the control of embodied beings. Those who approach with an even mind are not tainted, O humans. If the mind is equal in me, then for him there is no binding action. Whatever action one performs is like a lotus leaf in water—untouched. Whether by night or day, for a moment, an instant, or even a fraction of time, always, by day and night, performing various kinds of actions, whether awake or asleep, whether hearing or seeing—even a wicked outcaste or a Brahmin who has strayed from the path, those who perform sacrifices, who know all duties, refined by knowledge and discipline, those who perform my actions and take refuge in me within their hearts—those whose minds are truly at peace, O Devi, they too are dear to me.