On the banks of the sacred Gautamī river, Lord Śiva was present among the assembled gods. The deities, each riding their own chariots, gathered with pure intentions upon the sandy shores of the Gautamī. There, all the gods offered their praises to the great Lord Maheśvara, the gracious one who bestows desired boons to the ancestors. After their worship, the divine assembly began to discuss among themselves, each concerned for the safety of all. They wondered aloud, “What means remain for us, who have been forcibly defeated by our enemies? For us, there is only one worthy path—either victory or death. For the noble, life under the sway of rivals is contemptible.” In that very moment, my son, a bodiless voice resounded in the air: “Enough of sorrow, O hosts of gods! Quickly go to the Gautamī. With devotion, worship Hari and Hara, the two supreme lords, there. By their grace on the banks of the Godāvarī, nothing is unattainable.” Heeding these words, the gods worshipped Hari and Īśa with devotion. Pleased by their offerings, the two Lords granted the gods the victory they sought. Thus strengthened, the gods protected the celestial realms and moved freely wherever they wished. The place where this divine gathering occurred became celebrated as Devāgama, the holy site of the gods’ assembly. Seers who understand the truth praise Devāgama. There, O Nārada, are eighty thousand liṅgas of Śiva. The mountain itself is called Devāgama and is also known as Priya, for it is especially dear to the gods from that time onward. The sacred rites of offering to the kuśa grass and the gathering of the initiated have been described. This holy place, revered in all the worlds, bestows both worldly enjoyment and liberation. Now, listen as I speak of its true nature, which is auspicious and destroys all sin. To the south of the Vindhya range stands the great mountain Sahya. At its feet arise many rivers, foremost among them the Godā, Bhīma, and Rathī. There too flow the pure Virajā and the river Ekavīrā. The greatness of this region cannot be fully described by anyone. On that mountain, in that sacred region, O Nārada, listen carefully as I reveal a secret more hidden than the hidden, directly declared in the Veda, auspicious, and unknown even to sages, gods, ancestors, or demons. For your satisfaction, I shall declare it—a truth which, when heard, grants all desires: the supreme Person is to be known—unmanifest and imperishable. From that One arises another, perishable and endowed with nature; from the formless, the embodied Person was born. From him, the waters arose, and from the waters again the Person. From these two was born the lotus, and on that lotus, O sage, I came into being. The elements—earth, wind, space, water, and fire—existed before me as the first divinities. I saw only these and nothing else, neither moving nor unmoving. At that time, the Vedas did not exist, nor could I perceive anything more. Since I was born from him, I could not see him either. As I sat in silence, I heard a supreme voice speak: “Brahman, create the world, both the stationary and the moving.” Then, O Nārada, I replied in confusion, “How shall I create? Where shall I create? With what shall I create this world?” That very voice, divine in nature and known as the Mother, the Lady of the Universe—prompted by Viṣṇu—spoke to me: “Perform sacrifice; then power will arise within you, without doubt. Sacrifice itself is Viṣṇu—this is the eternal teaching, O Brahman. What could be unattainable for those who perform sacrifice, in this world or the next?” Again, I asked the goddess, “Where and with what should sacrifice be performed? Tell me, O greatly fortunate one, how should the sacrifice be done?” She replied, “The goddess who is embodied as Om, mother-like, pervading the universe—on the field of action, worship here the Lord of sacrifice, the Person of sacrifice. That alone shall be your means; with it, O virtuous one, worship him. Sacrifice, svāhā, svadhā, mantras, brāhmaṇas, offerings, and the like—Hari alone is all; by that, everything of Viṣṇu is attained.” Once more, I asked the goddess, “Where is the land of action established?” At that time, O Nārada, neither the Bhāgīrathī nor the Narmadā existed, nor the Yamunā, the Tāpi, the Sarasvatī, or the Gautamī—there was no ocean, no river, no pure lake or stream. Again and again, that divine power spoke to me: “On the southern side of Mount Sumeru, and likewise south of the Himavat, and south of the Vindhya and Sahya ranges, at all times and in all ages, the land of action arises, auspicious in its dawn.” Hearing these words, I left the great mountain Meru, journeyed to that region, and wondered where I should dwell. Then, the bodiless voice of Viṣṇu spoke to me: “Go from here, stay here, or sit here; here, indeed, make your resolve for the sacrifice. That sacrifice of yours will be completed.” With my resolve made, O best of gods, I performed all the rites as prescribed in the Vedas. The Itihāsas and Purāṇas, and all that is within the sphere of words, emerged from my mouth and entered the realm of memory. In that very instant, the entire meaning of the Vedas became clear to me, and I recalled the renowned Puruṣa Sūkta. Following its instructions, I prepared all the sacrificial implements and arranged the vessels as prescribed. Standing there, purified, self-controlled, and initiated, I established that region, which became known by my name.