O Śambhu, you are the very heart of every sacrifice—the sacrificer, the offering, and all the means by which it is performed. You are the sacred seat of the priest, the fruit of the rite, the auspicious time, and the place itself. All these are but aspects of your supreme reality, for it is said that your very body is composed of the limbs of sacrifice. You are the agent, the giver, the one who guarantees the result, and the gift itself. You are the all-knowing witness, the supreme being who dwells in every soul, the ultimate truth—indeed, you are everything. What need is there for elaborate words when all is you? You are not established by Vedic scriptures, nor by teachers, nor can you be grasped by intellect or any other means. Unborn, immeasurable, you are simply known as Śiva. Truly, O Lord, I bow to you. Once, Śiva beheld his own unique nature, perceiving the oneness of self—the distinction between ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’ dissolved. In that very instant, he became unfathomable, his power beyond imagining, manifesting in countless universal forms. As his being expanded, she—his divine power—abided as the cause behind every cause, eternal and auspicious, adorned with all noble marks or transcending them altogether. She is the very power of the universe’s creator. All creation, preservation, the increase of food, and the dissolution of beings—these eternal processes reside in her alone. Nothing is impossible for her, beloved of Hara. For her sake, people offer food, wealth, and even their lives. They perform austerities and righteous acts—she is truly the Mother, the world’s originator, beloved of Soma, and of great renown. She is that whom even Indra longs to behold; by uttering her name, one attains auspiciousness. She pervades and purifies the universe—she is always Soma, her form equal to Soma. By her grace, the intellect, senses, consciousness, and happiness of Brahmā and all living beings, both moving and unmoving, bear fruit. She is Vāgīśvarī, the beautiful consort of the world’s teacher. If even the mind of four-faced Brahmā can be tainted, what of other beings? Thus, Mother Gaṅgā, by various means, undertook to purify the entire world through her descent. Having reflected upon the scriptures, the lordship of Hara, and the universe with every valid means, she performed righteous acts and enjoyed pleasures—such is the glory of Sadāśiva. Of all actions, agents, instruments, and means, whether prescribed by the Vedas or found in the world, that which is highest, most excellent, and dearest is called the accomplishment of the beginningless doer. Those who meditate on the supreme, best Brahman—the highest principle, the essence worthy of worship, by attaining whom true yogis are liberated and do not return—know him as Umāpati, the giver of liberation. Just as Śambhu, with his immeasurable māyā, assumes forms for the welfare of the world, so too, O Mother, do you assume the state of fidelity, perfectly united with him. As these praises were being offered, the illustrious Bull-bannered One, Śiva himself, appeared before the devotee, accompanied by Umā and surrounded by Gaṇeśa and other divine hosts. Śambhu, having come directly, spoke graciously: “What shall I give you, Gautama? Your devotion, praise, and auspicious vows have pleased me. Ask for whatever you desire, even that which is difficult for the gods to grant.” Hearing these words from the Lord of the universe, Gautama, skilled in speech and his body overcome with tears of joy, reflected deeply. He exclaimed, “Oh, what destiny! Oh, what righteousness! Oh, indeed, the worship of the Brāhmaṇas! How wondrous is the course of the world! O Creator, I bow to you!” He then humbly requested, “Grant me the auspicious Gaṅgā, who abides in your matted locks and is 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 asked this for the benefit of the three worlds; now, for your own sake, ask for a boon without fear. Moreover, those devotees who praise you, O Goddess, with this hymn, will attain all desired prosperity—this boon I grant.” Pleased, the Lord of the gods encouraged him again: “Ask for other boons from me, free from anxiety.” Gautama, filled with joy, addressed 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, the essence of all sacred waters, flows to the ocean, let sins such as brahminicide—whether committed in 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. “Whatever merit is gained elsewhere through bathing, charity, and other restraints, may that merit arise here simply by remembering her, O Hara. Wherever this river flows on her way to the ocean, there you must be present; let this be the boon granted. “For ten yojanas above her, and for all within that distance, even the greatest sinners and their ancestors, O Śiva, who come to bathe, and even those who die between baths, may they attain liberation. “All the sacred fords in heaven, earth, and the netherworld together—this one surpasses them all; enough, O Śambhu, homage to you.” Hearing Gautama’s words, Śiva replied, “So be it. There has never been, nor will there be, a ford greater than this. Truly, truly, and again truly, as established in the Veda, the Gautamī is the most sacred of all.” Saying this, Śiva vanished from sight. Then, after the revered one worshipped by the worlds had departed, by her command, Gautama, full of power, took up the sacred river from the matted locks and, surrounded by the gods, entered Brahmagiri. When Gautama arrived and Nārada had taken up his matted locks, a shower of flowers fell from the heavens, and the lords of the gods assembled there. Great and fortunate sages, as well as Brāhmaṇas and Kṣatriyas, honored that Brāhmaṇa with joyful cries of victory, celebrating the descent of the sacred Gaṅgā.