Listen, dear one, to the wondrous glory of the Śālagrāma stone, as revealed in the sacred dialogue. It is said that whoever performs their daily ablutions with water sanctified by the Śālagrāma stone is as if purified by all the holy rivers and initiated into every sacrifice. Such is the power of this sacred stone. Among all the stones found in heaven, on earth, and in the netherworld, none can equal the Śālagrāma, O Guha. It is truly unique, surpassing all others in sanctity. In this rare and precious human birth, a person’s life is considered fruitful if, with devotion, he offers a hundred prasthas of sesame each day. Yet, that very same merit can be attained by worshipping the Śālagrāma stone with the simplest of offerings—a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, a root, or even a single blade of sacred grass. Whatever is offered to the Śālagrāma becomes magnified, as if it were an offering the size of Mount Meru. Even one who lacks proper rituals, actions, or mantras—if he offers anything to the stone marked with the discus—attains the fruit prescribed in the scriptures. This is the destroyer of suffering, as I have witnessed in the form of Keśava. Out of affection, let me tell you more, my dear child. Where does Viṣṇu dwell? What is His support, and what is His abode? How, O Lord, are you pleased? Please reveal all of this. Śrī Kṛṣṇa spoke: “O Śambhu, I always reside in the stone that arises from the Śālagrāma. There, upon the mark of the chariot wheel, hear my many names. If, at the entrance, the wheel is seen clearly and without interruption, know that as Vāsudeva—pure white and exceedingly beautiful. Pradyumna is known by his sun-like face and blue radiance; if the stone is elongated and has many holes, that is his form. Aniruddha is golden, round, and lovely, marked with three lines at the entrance and bearing the sign of a lotus. The dark-hued Nārāyaṇa is found with a navel wheel, a raised long line, and holes on the right side. If the stone faces upward, it is the beautiful form of Hari, bestower of desires, giver of liberation, and especially of wealth. Parameṣṭhī appears white, with the marks of lotus and discus, round and with many holes on the back. Viṣṇu is black, with a beautiful wheel at the base and a line above the entrance in the middle. Kapila and Narasiṃha are broad-wheeled and splendid; they are to be worshipped with celibacy, for otherwise they bring obstacles. The Varāha form is a linga, pointed and uneven, thick and indigo like Indra’s sapphire, marked with three lines and auspicious at the navel. The Matsya stone is long, golden, adorned with three dots, and grants both enjoyment and liberation. The Kurma is elevated on the back, round, with circular marks, green in hue, and distinguished by the sign of the Kaustubha gem. Hayagrīva has the form of a horse, five lines, many dots, and a blue mark on its back. Vaikuṇṭha is described as having undivided limbs, a single discus, and a banner, with a beautiful line shaped like a gunja berry above the doorway. Śrīdhara is marked by a garland of forest flowers, shaped like a kadamba blossom, and adorned with five lines. Vāmana is round and short, resembling the atasi flower, beautified by a single dot. Sudarśana, the deity, is dark and radiant, with the mace and discus on the left and a line on the right. Dāmodara is thick, with a discus in the middle, durva grass colored, marked with door-like shapes, and a yellow line. Ananta is of many colors, marked by various coils and forms, and grants all desires. He whose face is seen upward in all directions is Purushottama, bestower of both enjoyment and liberation. A linga at the summit of a Śālagrāma stone is so powerful that the Lord of Yogis destroys even the sin of killing a Brahmin by its presence. Padmanābha is reddish, with a lotus joined to his face; by worshipping him daily, even the poor become lords. Marked with a discus, golden-bodied, shining with rays, and abundant with golden lines, he is resplendent like crystal. A very smooth black stone bestows success and fame; the pale one burns away sin and grants sons; the blue bestows wealth, the red brings disease; the rough causes anxiety, the crooked brings poverty. Sudarśana is one, Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa as two, Achyuta is the third, Janārdana the fourth. The fifth is Vāsudeva, the sixth Pradyumna, the seventh Sankarṣaṇa, the eighth Purushottama. The ninth is the nine-fold array, the tenth is of its own nature, the eleventh is Aniruddha, the twelfth of twelve forms. Beyond these, the wheels are seen and called infinite; even if in the Śālagrāma stone the wheel is broken, split, or damaged, there is no fault. Whichever form is desired, one should worship that with care. Whoever carries the Lord of mountains—the Śālagrāma—on his shoulder, for him, everything in the three worlds, moving and unmoving, comes under his control. Wherever there is a Śālagrāma stone, there Hari is present. There, giving, reciting, and bathing are a hundred times more meritorious than at Vārāṇasī, Kurukṣetra, Prayāga, Naimiṣa, or Puṣkara. There, the merit is a crore-fold, and the great fruit is as at Vārāṇasī itself. Any sin a man commits, even as grave as killing a Brahmin, is destroyed by its presence.