Listen, dear one, to the greatness of worshipping Keśava with devotion. When a person partakes of food offered to Keśava, it is as though they have performed countless sacrifices, and even the gravest of sins are washed away by the water that has touched the Lord’s feet. Purification comes just as surely from water poured from the conch. Yet, know this: if one is devoted to Śiva but neglects to worship Viṣṇu, and if hatred is harbored in the heart, such a soul is cast into hell for as many ages as there have been fourteen Indras. But if, in one’s house, a senior ascetic is given rest, even for a moment, then for eight generations, that family’s ancestors are blessed to partake of nectar. On the other hand, those who are lowest among men, lost in the ocean of worldly suffering, only sink deeper. Consider this: if someone neglects the worship of Kṛṣṇa for millions upon thousands of years, even if they lovingly worship liṅgas made from śālagrāma stones, they do not attain liberation through Sāṃkhya or Yoga. The merit gained from seeing, worshipping, or praising millions of liṅgas is equaled by the worship of a single śālagrāma stone. And if a Vaiṣṇava worships twelve śālagrāma stones daily, his merit is beyond measure, even for me. Even if one worships countless liṅgas on the banks of the sacred Gaṅgā or dwells in Kāśī for eight generations, the same fruit is gained in a single day by one who worships as a Vaiṣṇava. What more can be said of such a devotee? Neither I, nor Brahmā, nor any of the other gods can calculate the merit gained by such worship. Therefore, my son, let my devotees worship the śālagrāma stone with devotion, for in doing so they please me. Worship of the śālagrāma stone, with devotion to me, must be performed, for Keśava himself abides in that stone. Within the śālagrāma stone, the gods, asuras, yakṣas, and all the fourteen worlds are present. By singing the praises of all the gods, one attains the fruit of millions of acts; yet in this age of Kali, that same merit is gained simply by singing the praises of Keśava. When ancestors are satisfied with a single offering made before the śālagrāma stone, they dwell in blessedness beyond counting. What need is there to consume thousands of fivefold cow products for those who, with devotion, drink the water of the śālagrāma stone? When atonement is sought, gifts and fasts become unnecessary, for by drinking the water from the feet of Hari, even the results of the most diligently performed lunar penances are surpassed. Whoever establishes an image of the Lord reclining on water in a pond—what need has he for millions of other acts or for worshipping other gods? There, the principal gods led by Viṣṇu converse together, and for all merit, my son, there is indeed a standard. Yet, there is truly no measure to the merit gained by worshipping the śālagrāma stone. Whoever gives a śālagrāma stone to a brāhmaṇa devoted to Viṣṇu, that person has performed the equivalent of hundreds of sacrifices. Even while living at home, he gains the merit of daily bathing in the Gaṅgā, as if bathed in all sacred waters and initiated in all sacrifices, simply by performing the ablution with water from the śālagrāma stone. Across heaven, earth, and the netherworld, there are many stones, O Guha, but none is equal to the śālagrāma stone. In this human world, so hard to attain, a life is truly fruitful when one gives with devotion a hundred prasthas of sesame each day. Yet, the same merit is attained by worshipping the śālagrāma stone with a simple offering—a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, a root, or even a blade of sacred grass. Whatever is offered at Śālagrāma becomes as weighty as Mount Meru. Even one who is without proper ritual, action, or mantra, if he offers to the stone marked with the discus, attains the result prescribed by the scriptures. And what I have seen before in Keśava is the destroyer of all suffering. Out of affection, I will tell you all that I know, my dear child: Where does Viṣṇu dwell? What is his support, what is his abode, and how is he pleased? Śrī Kṛṣṇa then spoke: “I always reside, O Śambhu, in the stone that arises from Śālagrāma. There, on the mark of the chariot wheel, hear my names. If, at the door, the wheel is seen clearly and without interruption, know that as Vāsudeva—pure white and exceedingly beautiful. Pradyumna is recognized by a face like the sun, radiating blue light, and is found in stones with many holes and an elongated shape. Aniruddha is golden in hue, round, and exceedingly beautiful, marked with three lines at the entrance and bearing the sign of a lotus. The dark-hued Nārāyaṇa is found with a raised navel wheel, a long line, and holes on the right side. If the stone faces upward, know it as the beautiful form of Hari, bestower of desires, giver of liberation, and especially the giver of wealth. Parameṣṭhī is white, adorned with the marks of lotus and discus, round in shape, with many holes on the back. Viṣṇu is black, with a beautiful wheel at the base, and above the entrance, a line is seen in the middle region. Kapila and Narasiṃha are broad-wheeled and splendid, and they are to be worshipped with celibacy, for otherwise they become the cause of obstacles. The Varaha is a linga with a pointed, uneven shape, thick, indigo like Indra’s sapphire, marked with three lines and auspicious at the navel. The stone known as Matsya is long, golden, adorned with three dots, and grants both enjoyment and liberation. Kurma is elevated on the back, round, filled with circular marks, green in hue, and distinguished by the sign of the Kaustubha gem. Hayagriva has the form of a horse, adorned with five lines, covered with many dots, and on its back is a blue mark. Thus, O beloved, is the glory and mystery of the śālagrāma stone: the living abode of the Lord, the source of immeasurable merit, and the heart of true devotion.