By the force of desire, it was declared that the two great yogis must be saved from the taint of sinful food. In response, one who sought righteousness asked the assembled seekers of virtue, “What should be done for them?” As the foremost of brahmins bowed in reverence, Hari—the Supreme Lord—spoke to the lord of cows, addressing the matter at hand. “O great god,” he said, “Dharma himself, born from the Veda, concurs with this course of action. All of these, along with ourselves, would even descend into hells if necessary.” Then, turning to the bull-bannered Shiva, Hari continued, “We shall compose scriptures that will bewilder and delude.” At Shiva’s command, Keshava himself set about composing such deluding scriptures, among them the Pañcarātra, the Pāśupata, and thousands of others of similar nature. Those who followed these teachings would fall into dreadful hells, over and over, for countless aeons. Yet, Hari assured them, “Continue on by my grace, for there is no other deliverance for you.” With deep humility, they accepted the command of Hari, the enemy of the Asuras, bowing their heads in submission. Thereafter, they began to instruct their disciples, openly showing them the results of such teachings. Śaṅkara, adorned with matted locks, performed alms-seeking for their welfare, accompanied by the twice-born. In this form, he bewildered the world, shrouding it in confusion. From his own body, he appointed Rudra—Bhairava—to restrain the wicked, and there he established the Gaṇas, with the gods led by Indra. Assuming the form of a woman, Shiva constantly served the great goddess. Others, too, took on beautiful female forms and attended upon the goddess with devotion. At the entrance, the chief of the Gaṇas stood guard as before. Desiring to bring Pārvatī, an adversary approached Mandara. But Hara, the unconquerable one, took on the form of Time itself and restrained him. With his trident, the bull-bannered Lord struck the demon in the chest. Yet, Nandi and his army were overpowered by the fierce Andhaka demons. Vināyaka, Meghavāha, and Somanandī—the lightning-born—joined the fray, fighting valiantly with tridents, spears, javelins, mountain peaks, and axes. Nevertheless, the mighty lord of the demons hurled them a hundred yojanas away. Radiant as the sun of time, these heroes rushed toward Bhairava. Bhairava Rudra, seizing his fearsome trident, engaged in battle, but soon he sought refuge with the god Vāsudeva—the unborn, the all-pervading one. Vāsudeva stood by the side of the goddess for the destruction of the enemies of the immortals. By the greatness and playful power of Keśava alone, the battle was brought to an end. From that conflict, the swift adversary turned away and fled. Then, for the good of the world and his devotees, the Lord journeyed to Mandara. There, the twice-born gathered together and approached him, radiant as the sun itself. Shiva beheld Nandī, Bhairava, and Keśava—the divine ones. The Lord, in affection, smelled Keśava’s head and embraced him warmly. The goddess bowed her head at the Lord’s feet, and Bhairava, standing by his side, bowed and spoke of Viṣṇu’s greatness. Then, the blessed Lord sat with the goddess upon an excellent seat. Thus, all came to Mandara and beheld the god of gods, the three-eyed Shiva, in his glory.