Seated once more upon his throne, Indra, having regained his rightful place in heaven as king of the gods, turned his heart in reverence toward the goddess Śrī, who holds the lotus in her hand. With deep devotion, he praised her, saying, “I bow to Śrī, the mother of all beings, born from the lotus, whose eyes are like blooming lotuses, abiding upon the chest of Viṣṇu. You are accomplishment itself, you are nectar, Svāhā and Svadhā, the purifier of worlds. You are the union of night and light, prosperity, wisdom, faith, and Sarasvatī. You are the knowledge of sacrifice, the supreme knowledge, the secret knowledge, O beautiful one. You are the knowledge of the self, O goddess, the bestower of the fruit of liberation. You are inquiry, the three Vedas, commerce, and the science of governance. With both gentle and fierce forms, you fill this universe. Who else but you, O goddess, possesses the form composed of all sacrifices and dwells upon the chest of the Lord of gods, the wielder of the mace, who is contemplated by yogis? When you, O goddess, abandoned the three worlds, they were nearly destroyed; now, by your presence, they flourish again. Wives, sons, houses, friends, grain, wealth, and all such blessings, O greatly fortunate one, always come to people through your glance. Health of body, sovereignty, the destruction of enemies, and happiness are difficult to obtain for men unless they are seen by your gaze. You are the mother of all beings, and Hari, the god of gods, is the father. By you and by Viṣṇu, this world, both moving and unmoving, is pervaded today. Do not, O all-purifying one, abandon our treasury, our cattle pens, our house, our attendants, our bodies, or our wives. Do not abandon, from the chest of my Lord Viṣṇu, our sons, our circle of friends, our cattle, or our ornaments. Men who are abandoned by you, O pure one, are immediately forsaken by virtue, truth, purity, and qualities such as good conduct. Even men without qualities, when looked upon by you, are instantly transformed. He is praiseworthy, virtuous, fortunate, noble, wise, heroic, and valiant—he whom you, O goddess, have looked upon. All virtues such as good conduct immediately turn into faults for that man, O supporter of the world, O beloved of Viṣṇu, whom you have turned away from. Even the tongue of Brahmā is not able to describe your qualities. Be gracious, O lotus-eyed goddess, never abandon us.” When Śrī had been properly praised in this way, the goddess spoke to Indra, as all the gods listened, she who abides in all beings. “I am pleased, O Lord of gods, by this hymn of yours, O Hari. Choose a boon, whatever you desire, for I have come as the granter of boons.” Indra replied, “If you are the giver of boons to me, O goddess, and if I am worthy of a boon, let this be my supreme boon: that you must never abandon the three worlds. And whoever, O born of the ocean, praises you with this hymn as it is, such a one must never be abandoned by you—let this be my second boon.” The goddess answered, “O Indra, lord of the gods, I shall not take back the three worlds from the one to whom I have given a boon, pleased by his worship and praise. And any person who praises me with this hymn in the evening and likewise in the morning—I shall never turn away from him.” Thus, O Maitreya, the illustrious goddess, pleased by worship through the hymn, granted these boons to the king of the gods. Śrī was first born from Khyāti, daughter of Bhṛgu, and then again from the ocean, when the gods and demons churned it with great effort. Just as the Lord of the universe, Janārdana, the god of gods, takes incarnations, so too does Śrī, his companion, incarnate along with him. When Hari became the son of Aditi, she was again born from the lotus; when he was Bhārgava Rāma, this earth became his consort. As Sītā in the Rāghava incarnation, as Rukmiṇī in Kṛṣṇa's birth, and in other incarnations of Viṣṇu, she is always his companion. As a goddess she takes a divine form, as a human she takes a human form; she always assumes a body suited to Viṣṇu's incarnation. Whoever hears or recites this birth story of Lakṣmī, for three generations in his house, prosperity will not depart. In those houses where this hymn to Śrī is recited, misfortune and quarrels never dwell. Thus, O Brāhmaṇa, as you asked me, I have told you how Śrī, the daughter of Bhṛgu, was first born from the ocean of milk. This hymn, which brings all attainments and arose from the mouth of Indra to Lakṣmī, when recited by men, never allows misfortune to reside in their homes. Maitreya then said, “All that I asked, O great sage, you have told me. Now tell me again, beginning from the creation of Bhṛgu.” Parāśara replied, “Lakṣmī was born to Khyāti, daughter of Bhṛgu, and became the consort of Viṣṇu. Likewise, Dhātṛ and Vidhātṛ, two sons, were born to Bhṛgu by Khyāti. Āyati and Niyati were the daughters of the great soul Mairā; Dhātṛ and Vidhātṛ took them as wives, and each had sons by them. Prāṇa and Mṛkaṇḍu were born, and from Mṛkaṇḍu came Mārkaṇḍeya; then Vedaśīrṣa was born—listen to the son of Prāṇa as well. Prāṇa's son was Kṛtimān, and from him came Rājavāṃśa; from him, O illustrious one, the Bhārgava lineage spread widely. The wife of Marīci was Sambhūti; she gave birth to Paurṇamāsa, and to that great soul were born two sons, Virajā and Sarvaga. In recounting the lineage, I will tell you of the sons born from her, O twice-born; from Smṛti and from Aṅgiras were born sons, and daughters as well.” Thus, the sage Parāśara narrated the divine origins and lineage, as requested by Maitreya, honoring the sacred story of Śrī and her place among the gods and in the hearts of all beings.