Within that wondrous city, its shining crystal walls were draped with strings of radiant pearls, and at the splendid gate a wedding pavilion had been beautifully constructed. The city itself glowed brilliantly for the great-souled Lord of gods, Maheśa, its splendor illuminated as if both the moon and sun had joined their rays to bathe it in celestial light. A fragrant, delightful breeze, sweetly scented, drifted gently through the air, as if offering its devotion to Bhava. Gathered there were the four oceans, the foremost of gods such as Indra, divine rivers and great rivers, along with Siddhas and revered sages. All the Gandharvas and Apsarases, Nāgas, Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, beings who dwell in the waters, those who move through the sky, Kinnaras, and divine Cāraṇas assembled as well. The melodious Tumburu, wise Nārada, Hāhā, Hūhū, and the singers of Sāma arrived, bringing with them delightful instruments to fill the city with music. Sages rich in austerity joyfully recited sacred stories and Vedic hymns, their voices chanting the auspicious mantras of marriage. All the mothers of the world and the divine maidens, hearts brimming with joy, sang at the wedding of the Supreme Lord. The six seasons themselves appeared, each embodied and adorned with fragrant delights, proclaiming, “This is Śaṅkara’s wedding.” Peacocks, dark as rainclouds, danced everywhere, their joyful cries echoing in delight at the sound of the mantras. Cranes, white as water-lily crests, mingled in the scene, their laughter like flashes of lightning amidst the restless, tawny clouds. The land blossomed with new shoots from creepers, trees, and young bamboo clumps, resounding with the loud calls of great frogs awakened by the loving touch of auspicious rainclouds. The passionate pride of women, angered with their beloveds, was instantly softened and their hearts captivated by the enchanting, fleeting cries of the peacocks. Everywhere, the city was adorned by the radiant, beautiful form of the rainbow, twisted like the crescent moon and shining near the masses of rainclouds. Gentle, fragrant breezes, cooled by the touch of dense, rain-filled clouds, stirred the lovely locks of celestial women with their moist, flower-scented charm. The moon’s disk was hidden by roaring clouds, while the fresh, rain-soaked grass drew the longing gazes of travelers’ wives, their sighs smoky with yearning. The air was rich with the sound of swan-anklets, and women with uplifted breasts, adorned with lightning-like garlands and clear, lotus-like eyes, moved through the scene. The rainy season itself appeared at the wedding of the mountain maiden, its beauty heightened by the fragrance of flowers, the bodies of swans startled by the deep rumble of dark clouds, pure streams lifting lotuses, and every limb adorned with golden pollen. Freed from the cloak of clouds, her breasts blossoming like lotus buds, and resounding with the jingling of swan-anklets, she filled every direction with abundant crops. The broad, sandy banks of the rivers became her hips, girdled by the cooing of cranes, and her gaze, as dark as blooming blue lotuses, captivated all. Her lips glowed like ripe bimba fruit, her smile was adorned with jasmine-white teeth, and her dark, tender limbs were entwined with the fresh shoots of new black creepers. She delighted the hearts of all the dwellers of heaven, a necklace of moonbeams flowing over her throat and chest. Her voice was sweet, like the melodious songs of intoxicated bees, and she wore lovely earrings of swaying clusters of water-lilies. Tender shoots of red aśoka trees adorned her fingers, and her garments were woven from the gathered flowers of that tree. Her feet were tipped with red lotuses, her nails white as jasmine blossoms, her thighs as lovely as banana trunks, and her face shone like the moon. Endowed with every auspicious mark and adorned with all ornaments, she touched her beloved with affection, charming as a loving woman. Then came the autumn season, casting off her dark cloud-veil, her face full as the moon, eyes like blue lotuses, and breasts bursting like lotuses under the sun’s rays. She delighted hearts with breezes fragrant with the pollen of countless flowers, and the sound of swan-anklets graced the goddess’s wedding. The two radiant seasons, Hemanta and Śiśira, arrived as well, flooding all directions with cool, refreshing waters. When these two seasons appeared, the great mountain Himavat shone brilliantly, adorned by showers of icy powder and appearing as if covered in silver. The Himalaya gleamed under the dense snowfall, unfathomable like the ocean of milk. With the change of seasons, that great mountain became suddenly fulfilled by noble treatment, shining like a lord of the earth beneath great white parasols, its peaks covered in layers of snow. Breezes, stirring the passions of gods and celestial women, blew repeatedly, while clear, water-filled ponds, adorned with lotus and water-lily blossoms, added to the beauty of the scene. At the wedding of the guru’s daughter, the season of spring arrived. The women, their breasts gently swelling, became even more beautiful, and the lakes, neither too hot nor too cold, glowed golden with the pollen of lotuses. Priyangu shrubs and mango trees, and mangoes with priyangu, seemed to challenge each other, shining with clusters of blossoms. On the white, snowy peaks, clusters of tilaka flowers shone together like elders assembled for a noble purpose. There, blooming aśoka creepers clung to śāla trees, like the arms of passionate women entwined around their beloveds’ necks. Aśoka, sarja, arjuna, kovidāra, puṃnāga, nāgeśvara, karṇikāra, clove, tāla, aguru, saptaparṇa, banyan, śobhāñjana, and coconut trees were all present. Other trees, heavy with fruit and flowers, appeared in delightful forms, and the lakes, filled with golden water, were frequented by chakravāka, kāraṇḍava, and swan birds. Thus, the city and its surroundings were transformed into a celestial realm, radiant and vibrant, perfectly adorned for the sacred wedding of Śaṅkara and the mountain maiden.