Because of the events that unfolded, many others gathered at that sacred place, O dear one. You should have no doubt about the sanctity of the Triveṇī, O beautiful one, for its spiritual significance is profound. When King Bharata approached the hermitage of the sage Pulastya, from that moment onward, Pulastya developed an aversion to the place due to Bharata’s presence. Because he was worshipped in this manner, he is remembered as Jaleśvara—the Lord of Water. O fortunate one, whenever I was present in Śālagrāma or another holy field, wherever the first sacred object fell, a holy site was established there. Whoever bathes at such a site, radiant in their devotion, is honored in the realm of the Sun. For the protection of devotees, I commanded Sudarśana, and thus, all of that became scattered and entirely covered by confusion. Placing the herds of cows before him, he journeyed to the field of Hari. When Nandī, holding the trident, led the herd of cows, the gods wandered there, and so it became known as Devāṭa. That Lord of the gods, bearing the trident, grants fearlessness to his devotees. In that place, Mahādeva is indeed of the Sālaṅkāyana lineage, and he himself, the great yogi, bestows the attainment of yoga. From the Trijaṭās, three wondrous streams arose, and this three-streamed sacred site emerged from them. In the field called Śālagrāma, one who is devoted to worshipping Hari and bathes at this three-streamed site satisfies both the ancestors and the gods. On its eastern side, it is remembered as Haṃsa-tīrtha. At times, during the night sacred to Śiva and the great festival of worship by devotees, crows, hungry for food, flew up toward the offering. Two of them, while fighting, fell into a pit. There, they transformed into two radiant swans, shining like the moon, and emerged from it. From that time, O noble one, it has been called 'Haṃsa-tīrtha'—the holy place of the swans. Previously, it was created by a Yaksha and known as 'Yaksha-tīrtha.' There, a devotee wholly dedicated to Shiva gave up his life. Such is the power of that sacred place, owing to the greatness of the great yogi. All this, O Earth, I have revealed to you—the secret of the holy field. Of all secrets, this is the highest; what else would you wish to hear? Now, hear of the glory of the Śālagrāma field. O Lord of gods, the sage Sālaṅkāyana—Sri Varaha spoke: Performing prescribed austerities, Sālaṅkāyana beheld the excellent sala tree. It stood unbroken, of incomparable beauty, vast and blossoming. The sage, weary from his pursuit of knowledge, saw that wondrous tree. Exhausted, he paused before the great sala tree. To the east of the tree, the sage stood facing west. Then, O beautiful one, on the eastern side of that sala tree, the steadfast sage, seeing me, gazed intently. Struck by my radiance, he slowly opened his eyes.