With deep reverence, the sage approached the Supreme Person, folding his palms in supplication. “O Lord,” he entreated, “please destroy this wicked and unconquerable force, along with its army and followers.” Hearing the sage’s plea, the Supreme Person responded without delay. He released the Sudarshana discus—a blazing wheel, radiant like fire itself—and hurled it upon the mighty and seemingly invincible host. In but a moment, within the blink of an eye, that formidable demonic army—so difficult to defeat—was utterly reduced to ashes in countless ways by the power of the discus. Having accomplished this wondrous deed, the divine Lord turned to sage Gauramukha and spoke: “Behold, in an instant, the force of the Danavas has been destroyed.” He then proclaimed, “Because of this event, this forest shall be known as Naimisha-aranya, especially sacred for the Brahmanas.” The Lord continued, “I, the Lord of Sacrifice, shall reside in this very forest. Here, I shall always be worshipped by name, and in the Krita age, fifteen jewel-like kings—leaders without peer—will arise, O sage.” Having spoken these words, the Lord vanished from sight, leaving the twice-born sage in his hermitage, filled with supreme joy. Meanwhile, news of the destruction reached King Supratika. When he learned that his son had been consumed by the fire of the discus, the noble and steadfast king was filled with reflection. As he pondered, a thought arose within him: “On Mount Citrakuta, Vishnu is always renowned as Rama; therefore, I shall praise the Lord of the universe by the name Rama.” With devotion, Supratika bowed and offered his prayers: “I bow to Rama, Lord of men, the infallible one, ancient sage, destroyer of the enemies of the gods, embodiment of Shiva, the source, the great Lord, ever the remover of the distress of those who take refuge, adorned with splendor. O God, you are the very essence of all radiance, the creator of all brilliance, assuming every form. On earth you are fivefold, in water fourfold, in fire threefold, in wind twofold, and in space you are established as the sound-form, O Hari, the Supreme Person. “You are the moon, the sun, and the fire; in you, the entire world dissolves, and the world delights, being established in you. Therefore, you are praised as Rama, the foundation of the universe. In the ocean of worldly existence, filled with terrible waves of suffering and the dreadful crocodile of impatience, one who holds to the raft of your remembrance does not sink; thus, you are remembered as Rama, even in the forest of austerities. “When the Vedas were lost, you, O Hari, took the form of a fish; at the end of the age, you became fire, assuming many forms. In every age, O Madhava, you have assumed the form of the Tortoise during the churning of the ocean; truly, there is no one equal to you, O Janardana, who are yourself the supreme being. “By you, O great soul, this entire universe is pervaded; you know all directions completely. How could I abandon you, the original and supreme abode, and seek any other refuge? You alone existed at first; then from you arose earth, water, fire in its highest form, wind, space, mind, intellect, and the qualities of consciousness—all these have their origin in you. “You pervade the whole universe; you are eternal, regarded by me as the Supreme Person. O Lord of all worlds, whose form is the universe, thousand-armed one, victory to you, O god of gods! Homage to Rama, of great glory.” Pleased by these heartfelt praises, the best of gods revealed his divine form to King Supratika and spoke kindly: “Choose a boon, O Supratika.” The king, bowing deeply in reverence, replied, “O Lord of gods, grant me union with your supreme form at the time of dissolution.” As soon as the king spoke these words, he was instantly absorbed into the form of the destroyer of demons. Established in that state, he attained liberation, the ruler of the earth, through many acts of ritual. Sri Varaha then said, “Thus have I told you this ancient account, as it was related to Svayambhuva. Even with thousands of others, it is not possible for anyone to speak it fully here. O blessed one, I have told you this Purana only in summary, as remembered; the creation of the oceans’ waters, and what occurred here and there, is immeasurable. Even Brahma, self-born, and Narayana have recounted this; who else could do so? It is impossible for us—thus it has been said to you—because of the vastness of that form, only a remembrance of the beginning is possible. On earth, the grains of sand in the ocean are countless, but the acts of creation performed by the Supreme Lord cannot be numbered. This portion concerning Narayana has been told by me, O fair-smiling one; this is the account as it happened in the Krita age—what else do you wish to hear?” The Earth then spoke: “Having witnessed that great and wondrous event, what fruit or boon did the sage Gauramukha and those jewel-bearing ones receive from the teacher? Who is that illustrious sage Gauramukha, supremely righteous? What did that foremost of sages do upon witnessing Hari’s deed?” Sri Varaha replied: “Having seen the act performed by the Lord in a moment, the sage, desiring to worship the god, went to the forest called Prabhasa, the most difficult-to-attain holy place of Soma. There, the god who destroys demons is praised by those who contemplate holy places; he worshipped Hari, known as the slayer of demons. As he was engaged in worship, the great yogi and sage Markandeya arrived. Seeing him approach from afar, Gauramukha joyfully welcomed him, offering water for washing the feet, filled with supreme devotion. Then, as Markandeya sat in the cow-shed, Gauramukha asked him, ‘Instruct me, O best of sages, what should I do, O great vow-holder?’ The illustrious sage Markandeya, endowed with great austerity, spoke gently: ‘This alone is the great duty—that there should be association with the virtuous. But if there is any action about which you have doubt, ask about that, O great sage.’ Gauramukha then asked, ‘These are called the Pitrs, according to the Vedic authorities. Are they common to all castes, or are they distinct and separate?’ Markandeya replied, ‘Among all the gods, Narayana is the original teacher; from him, Brahma was born, and he too created the seven sages. “Worship me”—so he was told by the supreme lord; at first, they worshipped themselves with their own selves—so declares the scripture. Among those born from Brahma, engaged in great creative acts, a great transgression was committed, so a curse was pronounced: “You will all become devoid of knowledge—there is no doubt.” Thus cursed, those born from Brahma’s own self, after producing sons who would continue their lineage, immediately went to heaven.