Desiring to regain his manhood, and moved by his mother’s earnest urging, the noble Ila hastened to undertake austerities. With reverence, he bowed to the mighty mountain Himavat, to his mother, his father, and his teacher, seeking their blessings for his quest. Seeing his son’s resolve, Ila’s father, Soma’s illustrious son Budha, followed him, and together they journeyed from the heights of Himavat to the sacred banks of the Gautamī river. Upon arriving, they all bathed in the holy waters and, after performing their prescribed austerities, they engaged in supreme praise. Listen now to the sequence of their heartfelt adoration to Bhava, the god of gods. Budha began the praise, followed by Ila himself; then Pururavas, Ila’s son, offered his own worship to Gauri, the radiant goddess, and to Shankara, the great lord. In their devotion, Budha and Ila, whose very forms shone with a golden brilliance, worshipped Skanda and Ganesha with saffron drawn from their own bodies. These two, ever worthy of refuge, they invoked as their shelter. The two Shankaras—Shiva in his dual aspects—are those whom all beings contemplate when scorched by the threefold sufferings of worldly existence. By their grace, supreme bliss is attained; may they be my refuge, they prayed. Ila, his mind afflicted and tormented, confessed there was no other protector from distress than the supremely holy feet of these two—Shiva and Parvati. He sought shelter in those feet, the source and end of all creation, the refuge and very essence of the universe. Gauri and Hara, the world’s sanctuary, became the focus of his yearning. He recalled how, at the great festival among the gods, Shiva, at the request of the Mountain’s Daughter, lovingly grasped those feet—feet always worthy of refuge. “May those feet be my shelter,” Ila prayed, his heart full. Then, from the radiance of the divine presence, a voice spoke: “Tell me, what boon do you desire? I will grant it to you. You have accomplished your purpose. Even the gods find this difficult to attain. Blessings to you!” At this, Budha, ever wise, addressed the Lady of the Gods, Queen of the Devas: “King Ila entered the forest without your permission. Please forgive this, and restore his manhood, for you alone have the power.” Gauri, the compassionate goddess, replied to all assembled, “So be it,” in perfect accord with Bhava’s will. Then the blessed Lord, ever obedient to the words of his beloved, spoke: “By the act of anointing here, this king shall regain his manhood.” So it was that, after Budha’s wife had bathed, water flowed forth from her body, and with it the dance, song, and beauty she had acquired from the Yakshini. All these vibrant qualities entered the waters of the Ganga through many streams, and from that confluence of dances, songs, and auspicious fortune, new rivers were born. These holy rivers, merging with the Ganga, formed three sacred confluences. Bathing and giving gifts at these places bestowed rewards equal to the very sovereignty of the gods. Thus, by the grace of Gauri and Shambhu, Ila regained his manhood and, filled with gratitude, performed the Ashvamedha sacrifice to attain great prosperity. Summoning the sage Vasistha as priest, along with his wife, sons, ministers, army, and treasury, Ila established a fourfold army and a flourishing kingdom in Dandaka. That city came to be known as Ila. Later, having installed his sons—born in his earlier life and continuing the Solar dynasty—on the throne, Ila, out of affection, anointed his descendant Aila. This illustrious king, originator of the Lunar dynasty, became the eldest and foremost among the wise. There, O sage, in that sacred place where Ila regained his manhood and his sons assembled, his auspicious sacrifices were performed. O Narada, where the rivers, graced by the dance and song given by the Yakshini, joined the Ganga, there blossomed sixteen thousand auspicious holy places on both banks. It is there that Shambhu, Lord of Ila, resides. Bathing and giving gifts at these sacred spots bestows the fruit of all sacrifices. Among these holy places, one is renowned as Cakra-tirtha, the destroyer of brahminicide and other sins. It is here that the Lord of the Disc, Vishnu himself, obtained his discus after worshipping Shankara, the great Lord. By merely hearing of this holy place, one is freed from all sins. In ancient times, when Daksha’s sacrifice was about to begin and all the gods had assembled, Daksha, whose mind had turned from righteousness, failed to invite Shiva, the great Sharva, and thus dishonored the gods. When Daksha’s daughter, Sati, heard the reason for this slight—brought to her attention by Ahalya—she, the queen of the gods, was overcome with anger. She declared, “I could destroy my father for this sin; I could never forgive it, having heard these words of blame spoken by my father against my husband. For women who listen to slander against their husband, what limit is there to their sin? As is the husband, so is the supreme destiny of women. How much more so when the Lord of all, Mahadeva, is slandered! Having heard such words, I will not sustain this body.” Thus resolved, the great and virtuous goddess, ablaze with righteous fury, fixed her consciousness on Shiva alone and, through the power of yoga, forcefully abandoned her body. When Narada brought news of these events to the great Lord Shiva, he was filled with grief and anger. He questioned Jaya and Vijaya, who informed him of the destruction that had befallen Daksha’s sacrifice. Learning that Daksha’s daughter had perished, Maheshvara set out for the sacrificial ground, surrounded by fearsome hosts and accompanied by the lords of spirits. The sacrifice, with gods and Brahma at its forefront, was encircled and protected by Daksha, the officiating priest, and by mighty sages led by Vasishtha. It was guarded on all sides by Indra, the Adityas, the Vasus, and many others. The sacrificial ground was adorned with the chants of the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, with the utterance of “svaha,” and with the presence of faith, nourishment, satisfaction, peace, modesty, and Sarasvati. The earth and heaven, night and dawn, forbearance, hope, victory, and wisdom—all these and more adorned the sacrifice on every side, setting the stage for the unfolding of destiny.