On the thirteenth day at the sacred forest of Naimisha and the fourteenth at the holy confluence of Prayaga, pilgrims would gather to bathe, for at these auspicious times, the act of bathing was said to cleanse a person of all sins. The same profound merit could be gained at Asikunda on the banks of the Sarasvati, and at Kalinjara as well. The Krishna-Ganga, with each passing day, multiplied its merits tenfold, drawing seekers from far and wide. In Mathura, the holy city, both good and evil deeds were said to be destroyed, for the virtues and greatness of these tirthas were so powerful that even the gravest sins could not withstand them. The glory of these sacred places was endless and immeasurable, their limits unknown to any being. When such merit is dissolved, it becomes imperceptible—what, then, can be said of the divine one who presides over all? Just as when breath ceases, the wind vanishes from sight, leaving behind only faint traces, like a name or a mere semblance, as sweat is left behind on the skin, so too is the ultimate truth elusive. When the earth itself is lost, it cannot be found; who, then, is greater than that supreme god? It is the Boar incarnation—Varaha—who is manifest, the revealer of the Purana. By merely beholding this form or hearing of these holy places, one becomes free from all sins. Especially, on the ninth day of the bright fortnight of Jyeshtha, if a person bathes in the sacred waters of the Ganga and gives charity according to their ability, they are released from all sins. Such a soul shines resplendently, like the twelve suns, and ascends to the heavens in a celestial vehicle. Once, Lord Varaha spoke of a time when a man named Panchala approached the sage Sumantu and asked, “You are our teacher and father; tell me, what should I do? Should I perform the three-night penance, the Kricchra, the Paraka, or the Chandrayana vow? Which is best?” Sumantu replied, “Whatever is prescribed in the Akasha-Bharati is true and never false. Each day, before bathing, one should go regularly and remain abstinent from sin as long as one lives. Such a person will attain a good destination and be free from sin, without doubt. This is the glory of Mathura, O Earth.” The same greatness is found at the Krishna-Ganga and at Kalinjar. Whoever hears this sacred account with supreme faith, O beautiful one, has all the sins accumulated over seven births destroyed, attains immortality, and ascends to the heavenly realms. Thus concludes the chapter in the glorious Varaha Purana that describes the greatness of the Krishna-Ganga. Now, Lord Varaha continued, listen to the tale of Samba’s curse while he dwelt in Dvaraka. There, Krishna sat peacefully, surrounded by his sons, wives, and children. He was offered water for washing his feet, arghya, a seat, and a vessel filled with honey-mixture. When Krishna was alone, a certain lord approached him with a request, for Krishna was ever desirable and beloved by women, O lord of the gods. The noble maidens who dwelt there had been given to Krishna by the Lord of the gods for the sake of divine play—sixteen thousand of them, all of celestial birth. But whenever Sāmba was seen, the minds of all these maidens were agitated, O Lord. For Krishna’s pleasure, the visitor revealed this to him. “By performing proper rites, one attains residence in heaven; by the opposite, one falls to hell. As long as there is speech, a person is known as such; in hell, the wise describe existence as the opposite. Among those seated, their agitation was indeed real, and as long as the assembly seats remained, they were spread out separately.” Soon, Sāmba himself arrived and, standing before Krishna, joined his hands in reverence.