As the living beings suffered, scorched by the fire that emanated from the Lord, they pleaded with him, “Lord of the gods, as we are burned, please be our protector.” Recognizing their distress and wishing for the welfare of all worlds, the Great Lord, the master with auspicious gaze and immense fortune, sprinkled the beings with his blessings. The assembled beings, eager to serve, said, “Command us, O Lord; we are ready to carry out your word. Among the thousands of classes of beings and the hundreds of forms, we cannot reach your end, O God of gods. Homage to you.” Moved by their praise and devotion, the Blessed Great Lord smiled kindly and spoke to them, gratified by their offerings. He declared, “Whoever recites or hears this hymn sung by you, or causes twice-born Brahmins to hear it, attains the state of Ganapati. I will now tell you what is beneficial and holy for devotees. The entire feminine principle is the goddess, born from my own body, and the masculine principle is the man, arising from my body. By both alone is my creation, O Brahmins, without doubt. Therefore, one must not revile the ascetic, the peerless one clad only in directions, the child, the madman, or anyone devoted to me who speaks of Brahman. Those devoted to me, smeared with ashes, whose sins are burned away by those ashes, acting as prescribed and self-restrained, are Brahmins devoted to meditation. Those who are always intent on Mahadeva, living with their seed held upward, worshipping Mahadeva with restraint in speech, mind, and body, attain the world of Rudra and do not return again. This vow is divine and mysterious, reserved for those marked by the manifest linga. Those who observe the ash vow, those who are shaven-headed, and those who undertake vows in various forms—let the wise not revile them, nor transgress their food. One should not laugh at them nor speak unpleasant words, here or elsewhere, with harmful intent. Whoever insults them, that deluded soul insults Mahadeva himself. But whoever worships these people constantly, indeed worships Shankara. Thus, this great god, desiring the welfare of the worlds, in every age, the great yogi covered in ash, plays in this way. Act thus, O blessed ones, and you will thereby attain perfection. Knowing this supreme state, told by Shiva, which is incomparable and the cause of the destruction of great fear, those whose minds are free from the delusion of worldly attachment, greed, and infatuation, bow swiftly with their heads to the fierce one. The delighted Brahmins, having heard this teaching, prepared pure sandal-water mixed with sacred grass and flowers. With large vessels, they bathed the Great Lord, singing various secret hymns and resonant ‘hum’ sounds. They offered homage: “Homage to the god of gods, homage to the great god, homage to the one whose body is half-woman, the initiator of Sankhya and Yoga. Homage to the dark one who rides the clouds, who wears an elephant hide, who has a black antelope skin as an upper garment, and a serpent as his sacred thread. To you, adorned with beautifully crafted earrings and garlands made by the gods, clothed in the skin of the lord of beasts, famed everywhere—homage to Shankara.” Pleased by their devotion, the Great Lord spoke to the sages: “I am pleased with your austerity; O virtuous ones, choose a boon.” The sages—Bhrigu, Angiras, Vasishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Atri, Sukesha, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Marichi, Kashyapa, Kanva, and the great ascetic Samvarta—bowed to Maheshvara and said, “We wish to know about bathing in ash, nakedness, left-handedness, and contrary conduct—what is to be followed and what is to be avoided?” Hearing their request, the blessed supreme Lord smiled, looked upon all those best of sages, and spoke: “Now I shall tell you this story, my all, today. I am Agni, the maker of Soma, and Soma is dependent upon Agni. Agni bears this creation, and again, for the sake of the world, the universe of moving and unmoving beings has been burned many times by Agni. All this is made supremely pure by ashes; empowered by the potency of ashes, one sprinkles it upon beings. Whoever, having performed the fire ritual, lives out three spans of life, is freed from all sins by my power in the ashes. That which shines forth is called ‘bhasma’ (ash), and that which purifies is also so named; by consuming it, all sins are destroyed—hence it is called ‘bhasma.’ Know that the ancestors are heat-drinkers, and the gods are born of Soma; all the world, moving and unmoving, is of the nature of Agni and Soma. I am Agni, of great brilliance; Soma is this great Ambika. I am Agni and Soma by nature, and I myself am the Purusha. Therefore, O highly fortunate ones, the ash is said to be my potency. I sustain my own power and form in it, and thus it endures. From that time onward, for protection in the worlds and against inauspicious things, ashes are used for safeguarding, including in the houses of women after childbirth. One whose mind is purified by bathing in ashes, who has conquered anger and the senses, having come near to me, does not return again. The Pashupata vow and the Kapila yoga were established; formerly, this Pashupata was indeed created, and it is unsurpassed. All the other dwellers in the ashramas were created later by the Self-born. This creation was made by me, consisting of modesty, delusion, and fear.” Thus spoke the Great Lord, revealing the mysteries of ash, devotion, and the divine principles that sustain creation.