Having ascended to the lofty summit of Mount Kailāsa, the venerable sage Gautama, filled with a deep yearning for the divine, pondered what he should do. Should he perform austerities, or should he compose a supreme hymn? Once upon the sacred mountain, O child, Gautama composed himself in silence. He spread out kuśa grass, restrained his speech, and sat down with a tranquil mind, embodying wisdom and composure upon that supreme peak. Having purified himself, Gautama began to sing a hymn of praise. As he extolled Maheśvara, showers of flowers rained down from the heavens, blessing his devotion. In his hymn, he declared that for the sake of granting desired pleasures to those who seek them, Soma, the Moon, assumes eight great forms, ever adorned with virtues; thus, the gods and the wise praise the great Lord. He sang of how the Lord takes the form of the earth to create pleasures within his own domains, to sustain all that moves and is still, and to foster prosperity and abundance. For the purposes of creation, preservation, and dissolution, and to provide a foundation for the world, Śiva—peaceful in form—became water, bringing happiness, righteousness, and stability to all beings. Gautama praised the Lord who, by assuming a body composed of the sun, moon, and fire, established the order of time, the flow of immortality, the existence of beings, the cycles of creation and destruction, and all joy and prosperity in the worlds. To bring about growth, movement, power, and the imperishable letters, to establish the order of living beings and manifold joys, the Lord took the form of wind—knowing himself fully, as only he can. He continued, acknowledging that without distinctions, there is neither action nor righteousness, nothing of one’s own nor anything else—no directions, no space, no heaven or earth, no enjoyment or liberation. Therefore, the very form of space itself is yours, O Lord. To establish righteousness, the Lord determined the Ṛk, Sāman, and Yajus branches, and in the world, the songs, the smṛtis, and the Purāṇas—all these take the form of words. He is the sacrificer, the sacrifice, and all the means; the seat of the priest, the place of the fruit, and the times. Śambhu alone is the supreme reality, his very body composed of the limbs of sacrifice. Gautama declared, “You are the doer, the giver, the guarantor, the gift, the all-knowing witness, the supreme person, present in every soul, the ultimate reality—truly, you are everything; what need is there for further words?” He acknowledged that the Lord is not established by Vedic scriptures or by teachers, nor grasped by intellect or any other means. He is unborn, immeasurable, and known by the name ‘Śiva.’ To him, Gautama bowed in deep reverence. He recounted that once, Śiva beheld his own unique nature as the oneness of self, transcending all notions of ‘mine’ and ‘not mine.’ In that moment, he became unfathomable, of inconceivable power, and took on many universal forms. Increasing in being, in every existence, abides the goddess—she is the cause of her own cause, eternal, auspicious, adorned with all noble marks or transcending them, the very power of the creator of the universe. In her alone reside creation, preservation, the increase of food, and the dissolution of beings—all these eternal processes. There is nothing impossible for her, the beloved of Hara. For her sake, people offer food, wealth, and their very lives; they perform austerities and righteous acts. She is the Mother, the originator of the world, beloved of Soma, renowned throughout the universe. She is that which even Indra desires to behold; by her name one attains auspiciousness. She pervades and purifies the universe, always equal in form to Soma. By her grace, the intellect, senses, consciousness, and happiness of Brahmā and all living beings, moving and unmoving, bear fruit. She is Vāgīśvarī, the beautiful consort of the world’s teacher. If even the mind of four-faced Brahmā is impure, what of other beings? Thus, Mother Gaṅgā, by various means, undertook to purify the entire world through her descent. Having considered the scriptures, the lordship of Hara, and the universe through all valid means, she performed righteous acts and enjoyed pleasures—this is the glory of Sadāśiva. Of all actions, agents, instruments, and means, whether prescribed by the Vedas or by worldly custom, that which is highest, most excellent, and dearest is called the accomplishment of the beginningless doer. Meditating on the supreme Brahman, the highest principle, the essence to be worshipped—by attaining whom true yogis are liberated and do not return—he is Umāpati, the giver of liberation. Just as Śambhu, of immeasurable māyā, assumes forms for the welfare of the world, so too, O Mother, you assume the state of fidelity according to his union with you. As Gautama praised in this way, before him appeared the illustrious Bull-bannered One, Śiva himself, together with Umā and surrounded by Gaṇeśa and other hosts. Śambhu, having come directly, graciously spoke to Gautama, saying, “What shall I give you, Gautama? I am pleased by your devotion, praise, and auspicious vows. Ask for what you wish, even that which is difficult for the gods to grant.” Hearing the words of the Lord of the universe, Gautama, his body overcome with tears of joy, reflected deeply and spoke, “Oh, what destiny! Oh, what righteousness! Oh, indeed, the worship of the Brāhmaṇas! Oh, how wondrous is the course of the world! Oh, Creator, I bow to you! Grant me the auspicious Gaṅgā, who abides in your matted locks, worshipped by the gods. If you are pleased, O Lord of the gods, abode of the three Vedas, I bow to you!” Śiva replied, “You have requested this for the benefit of the three worlds; now, for your own sake, ask for a boon without fear. Those devotees who praise you, O Goddess, with this hymn, will attain all desired prosperity—this boon I grant.” Thus addressed, the Lord of the gods, pleased, said again, “Ask for other boons from me, free from anxiety.” Filled with joy, Gautama spoke to Śaṅkara, “O Lord of the universe, release this Goddess, dwelling in your matted locks, purifier of the worlds and your beloved, upon the mountain of Brahmā. As long as she, who is the essence of all sacred waters, flows to the ocean, let sins such as brahminicide, whether of mind, speech, or body, be destroyed entirely by the mere act of bathing, O Śaṅkara, especially during lunar and solar eclipses, solstices, and equinoxes. Whatever merit is gained at holy fords during transitions or at other sacred places, may that same merit arise simply by remembering her, O Hara. “In the Kṛta age, austerity is praised; in the Tretā, sacrifice; in the Dvāpara, sacrifice and charity; but in the Kali age, charity alone. All the duties of the ages, and likewise those of regions, are established; the duty appropriate to each place and time is to be followed.” Thus, on the sacred peak of Kailāsa, through devotion, praise, and humble requests, Gautama received the Lord’s grace, and the descent of Gaṅgā was assured for the welfare of all beings.