Vibhu stood before the preta, the spirit of the departed, who addressed him with a request: “Offer the fruit of your ritual bath, and then you may go as you please.” Hearing these words, Vibhu replied with humility, “I cannot go to Mathurā at all, for I have no wealth to offer.” But the preta insisted, “There is sufficient wealth for you. Go, do not delay.” Vibhu, still uncertain, explained, “The only wealth left to me is my house; I possess nothing else.” He added, “The honor of my ancestors, passed down through generations, is not something I would ever sell.” Yet the preta assured him, “There is indeed wealth in your house, as I have told you, O Vibhu. Return home content, and let your happiness increase the joy of your friends.” At this point, Sūta, the narrator, wondered aloud, “How did Vibhu come to this understanding in such a state? How did knowledge arise within him?” Then Vibhu began to recount the events of ages past. He spoke of a dawn in an auspicious temple of Lord Vishnu, where a reciter would read aloud the sacred Purāṇic stories. On such a morning, Vibhu’s friend had led him to Vishnu’s temple with great reverence, delighting him with his devotion. Together, they remained there, side by side. It is said that at that sacred place, the four oceans themselves are gathered. On that occasion, all the great people present offered gifts to the reciter. Vibhu’s friend encouraged him, “Give as much as you are able.” Time passed, and eventually, Vibhu reached the fate brought by Vaivasvata, the god of death. He entered the state of a departed soul, a vast and difficult condition to cross. His ancestors, however, were not satisfied, and so Vibhu remained in that state, a preta. The spirit instructed him, “Go, you must journey to the place where the city of Mathurā lies. Tell me, how do you sustain your life now, sheltered at the root of a tree?” The departed soul replied, “What I gave to the reciter—a measure of gold—by the power of that gift, O Lord, I am always satisfied. Even though I have entered the state of a departed soul, my knowledge has not been confused.” All that the departed soul had spoken was indeed carried out. O Earth, this is the greatness of Mathurā that has been told to you. Whether one is at a sacred place, in a house, at a temple, or in a public square, sins committed elsewhere depart upon reaching a holy place. But sin committed in Mathurā is destroyed there itself. If a person is ungrateful, a drinker of liquor, a thief, or one who has broken a vow, such a man must stand for a thousand ages on one foot as penance. Those who delight in the wives of others and cannot control their senses, and those who give offerings and alms, dying free from anger—all these find their due reward. What is gained by a thousand great-souled brāhmaṇas elsewhere is equaled in Mathurā, where even one without the Ṛgveda is called Māthura, and another is versed in all four Vedas. There, all sacred places and holy abodes are present. Abandoning even the four Vedas, one should always worship Mathurā. The residents of Mathurā behold the worlds and the four-armed Lord. The wise indeed see them; the ignorant do not. Thus, in the Śrī Varāha Purāṇa, in the section on the glory of Mathurā, in the account of the power of wells, is the one hundred sixty-fifth chapter, named “The Greatness of Brāhmaṇas.