Śrī Varāha spoke to the Earth, recounting a tale of devotion and remembrance. He explained that the wise sage Mārkaṇḍeya, upon hearing certain words, was reminded by the Earth herself of the sacred ancestral rites and of a hundred lives he had lived before. The Earth, curious, inquired further: “Lord, who is this Gauramukha? By what name was he known in a previous birth? How did he come to remember his past, and what actions did he take upon that remembrance?” Śrī Varāha replied, “In another birth, Gauramukha was none other than Bhṛgu himself, O Brahmā. Mārkaṇḍeya, the great sage, is his descendant. It was once declared by Brahmā that you, O Earth, would be awakened by your sons and attain a blessed state. Thus, Mārkaṇḍeya was reminded of this ancient proclamation. He recalled all his previous births and, remembering what had transpired, listen now as I tell you what he did.” Having awakened to the memories of his past lives, Mārkaṇḍeya, in devotion, performed the śrāddha rites for his ancestors for twelve years. After fulfilling these duties, the sage began to recite hymns in praise of Hari. At the sacred place of Prabhāsa, celebrated throughout the three worlds, Gauramukha stood and offered his praises to the Lord who destroys the Daityas. Gauramukha’s hymn was filled with reverence: “I praise Mahendra, the destroyer of his enemies’ pride, Śiva, Nārāyaṇa, the foundation of those who know Brahman, the ancient one who abides with the Sun, Moon, and Aśvins, the ancient slayer of Daityas, Hari, who is ever present. I praise Him who took the form of a fish at the time when the Vedas were lost, whose great body upheld the Earth, whose blazing tail shone like lightning—the first destroyer of the gods’ foes. I praise the one who, for the churning of the ocean, became the ancient tortoise and bore the great mountain; that primordial being, the Lord of gods, the slayer of Daityas—may he protect me. I praise the great Boar, who entered the layers of the Earth, the embodiment of sacrifice, worshipped by gods and siddhas—may he, the ancient slayer of Daityas, protect me. I praise the one who became the Man-Lion, imperishable through the ages, most formidable among yogis, fierce-faced and radiant, the jewel-dwelling destroyer of demons—may he protect us. I praise the great soul who, to destroy Bali’s sacrifice, assumed a hidden yogic form, marked by staff, stick, and deer skin, and crossed the Earth with his foot—may he protect us. I praise him who conquered the world twenty-one times, and, having won, gave it to Kaśyapa—the mighty son of Jamadagni, protector of the good, Hiraṇyagarbha, destroyer of demons—may he protect us. I praise him whose original form is fourfold, marked by the likeness of Hiraṇyagarbha, who, with forms beginning with Rāma, took many diverse shapes—the destroyer of demons—may he protect us. I praise the god who, for the fear of Cāṇūra, Kaṃsa, and other demons, and for the safety of the gods, became Vāsudeva in every age, taking wondrous forms; and in every age, as Kalki, the great soul, will restore the order of the classes. The eternal, Brahman-filled, ancient one, whose form is unseen by gods, siddhas, or demons when they abandon the path of knowledge, yet who is worshipped in many ways—may he, with forms beginning with the fish, moving among beings, protect us. Salutations, salutations to the Supreme Person! Again and again, salutations to you! Salutations before and behind you; lead me to liberation—salutations to you!” As Gauramukha thus worshipped, the Lord himself, bearing the discus and mace, appeared before the great sage, who was absorbed in deep concentration. Upon seeing the Lord, the sage’s awareness, steady and rooted, rose up; having realized the eternal Brahman, his divine self attained liberation, merging into the state beyond rebirth. At this point, the Earth addressed Śrī Varāha with another question. She spoke of a time when Śatakratu, the King of the Gods, was cursed by the sage Durvāsas: “You shall dwell among mortals, through the son of Supratīka.” When Bhūdhara declared to Indra, “You have been expelled from heaven, fool,” Indra, accompanied by all the gods, descended to the realm of mortals. The Earth asked, “What did he do then, when the unconquerable one was struck down by the Supreme Lord, the blessed master of yoga? What did Vidyutsu and Vidyucca do at that time in heaven? Please, tell me, O Lord, and resolve my doubt.” Śrī Varāha answered: “The Earth had been conquered by Dūrjaya, and Śatakratu, King of the Gods, was defeated. At that time, in the land of Bhārata, east of Vārāṇasī, he remained with the gods, yakṣas, and great serpents. Vidyutsu and Vidyucca, O beautiful one, practiced yoga, enduring a long fever brought on by their efforts in wind and karma yoga. When they heard that Dūrjaya had died and was now within the ocean, they gathered their fourfold army and advanced against the gods. Arriving with a great force, the two demons took refuge in the mountain Himavat and remained there. The gods, too, assembled a great army and made preparations, eager for the position of Indra. There, the preceptor of the gods, the sage Āṅgiras, advised them: ‘You must first perform a cow-sacrifice, then proceed with the next.’ He instructed that all the immortals should perform sacrifices together, urging them to act swiftly. Following this counsel, the gods prepared cows and other animals for the ritual, releasing them for sacrifice and appointing Saramā to guard them. While the gods were absent, the cows, watched over by Saramā on the mountain, wandered to the place where the demons were hiding. Upon seeing the cows, the demons spoke to Śukra, their priest: ‘The cows for sacrifice, the gods, and Brahman are being protected by Saramā, with the gods away. What should we do now?’ Śukra replied, ‘Take these cows quickly, demons, and do not delay.’ Following his advice, the demons seized the cows as they wished. Saramā, realizing the cows had been taken, set out to track their path. She saw that the sons of Diti had taken the cows to the mountain, and the demons, in turn, noticed Saramā’s movements and watched her closely. Seeing her, they addressed her with gentle words, hoping to win her over: ‘O Saramā, auspicious one, milk these cows and drink their milk.’ She was given the milk, and the leaders of the demons allowed her to drink. Then they said, ‘Do not, O good one, inform the King of the Gods about these cows,’ and released Saramā into the forest. Thus, the divine events unfolded—of sages remembering lifetimes, of gods and demons contending for supremacy, and of devotion and duty guiding every action under the watchful gaze of the Supreme.