As the young brahmin boy found himself caught in the ferocious jaws of a wicked crocodile, he realized his end was near. Yet, even as the creature held him fast and pain wracked his body, the boy did not grieve for himself. Instead, his heart ached for his ascetic mother and father. He lamented that, upon hearing of his fate—seized by the crocodile and lost to them—they would be overcome with longing and sorrow. Their only child, their beloved son, was about to perish before even undergoing his sacred initiation. The thought that his parents might give up their own lives in grief filled him with anguish, for he knew they would be stricken by terrible suffering at the loss of their sole child. At that moment, the goddess, moved by the sound of the distressed and virtuous boy, arose. She went swiftly to the place where the brahmin child was ensnared. There, with a face radiant like the moon, she beheld the beautiful boy trembling and helpless, his body trapped in the jaws of the crocodile. The king of crocodiles, seeing the goddess approach, seized the child more tightly and quickly fled to the middle of the lake. As the crocodile dragged him away, the radiant boy cried out in distress. The goddess, witnessing the boy's suffering, was filled with anguish and called out to the king of crocodiles: "O mighty one, king of crocodiles, release this only child! O swift, terrible, great-fanged one, let him go at once!" The crocodile replied, "O goddess, whoever first approaches me on the sixth day is my destined food, as ordained long ago by the creators of the worlds. This child, O highly fortunate daughter of the mountain, has surely been sent to me by Brahmā on this sixth day. By no means will I release him." The goddess, recalling the supreme austerity she had performed atop the Himalayas, invoked its power: "By the austerity I practiced on the peak of the Himalayas, release this child, O king of the Grahas; my salutations to you." But the crocodile answered, "Do not waste your austerity, O goddess, auspicious maiden. Do as I say, and you will attain liberation." The goddess persisted, "O lord of the Grahas, quickly tell me what is blameless among the virtuous; let it be done without doubt, for Brahmins are dear to me." The Graha replied, "Whatever austerity you have performed, whether little or supreme, grant it all to me at once; then you will attain liberation." Without hesitation, the goddess declared, "All the merit I have accumulated since birth, O great Graha, I give to you. Release the child, O mighty Graha." At her words, the Graha blazed forth, adorned with the power of her austerity, shining as brilliantly as the midday sun. With a heart now satisfied, he spoke to the goddess who sustains the world: "O goddess, what is this act of yours, so resolutely undertaken? Even to acquire austerity is difficult; its renunciation is not praised. Take back your austerity, O slender-waisted one, and this child as well. I am pleased by your devotion to Brahmins, so I grant you a boon." The goddess replied, "Even with my very body, O Graha, I must protect the Brahmin with utmost care. I desire to regain my austerity, but the Brahmin cannot be taken again. With firm resolve, I have accomplished the liberation of the child; the highest austerity must never be withheld from Brahmins, whom I esteem as the best. What has been given cannot be reclaimed, O lord of the Grahas; it is not right to take back what has been offered to a Graha. I have given this to you; let it remain with you, and let this child be released." Hearing her words, the Graha praised the goddess, released the child, and bowed to her. Shining like the sun, he vanished from that place. The boy, freed by the Graha, appeared on the bank of the lake, and then disappeared, as if the marvelous events had been but a dream. The goddess, reflecting on the loss of her austerity, resolved once more to undertake severe penance. Steadfast and disciplined, the daughter of the Himalaya began her austerities anew. Śaṅkara himself, understanding her intent, spoke to her: "O Brahmin, do not undertake austerity again. This austerity, O goddess, O great-vowed one, has already been given to me by you; by that gift, it will become inexhaustible for you a thousandfold." Thus, blessed with the boon of supreme, inexhaustible austerity, the goddess stood joyful and delighted, awaiting the time to choose her own husband. It is said that whoever recites this account of the child-like deeds of Śaṃbhu, upon departing from this world, is purified and attains a status equal to Gaṇeśa, akin to Kumāra himself. In time, on the broad slopes of Himavat, crowded with hundreds of palaces, the self-choice ceremony of the mountain's daughter was arranged. The king of mountains, Himavat, adept in meditation, understood through the lord of gods that this was divinely ordained for his daughter and acted accordingly. Though he knew the will of destiny, Himavat, wishing to uphold the proper course, proclaimed the self-choice ceremony of the goddess throughout all the worlds: among gods, demons, siddhas, and beings of every realm, his daughter would openly choose Parameśāna if she wished. Thinking, "This alone is virtuous and praiseworthy, and favored for my prosperity," the lord of the mountains fixed his heart upon Maheśvara. Among all the gods up to Brahmā, Himavat prepared a place adorned with jewels and conducted the self-choice ceremony for his daughter. As soon as the announcement was made, all the gods and celestial beings, assuming various forms, gathered for the mountain princess. Seated upon a blossoming lotus throne, surrounded by siddhas and countless yogis, I was informed by the king of the mountains and arrived there, accompanied by the celestials. The king of the gods, Indra, adorned with a thousand eyes, divine ornaments, garlands, and splendid form, came riding Airāvata, the foremost of elephants, whose temples streamed with intoxicating ichor. Ascending with majesty, Indra, holding the thunderbolt, approached before the assembled gods, his radiance surpassing all, illuminating every direction like the sun. Swiftly he came, mounted upon a golden palace adorned with banners and flags, his earrings sparkling with jewels, his form within the palace shining with the brilliance of fire and the sun.