Parāśara, his heart yearning and full of devotion, again and again bowed before the sacred liṅga and pleaded, “O Lord, I wish to see my father together with his brothers.” Overwhelmed by emotion, he cried out, “O Rudra, Rudra, Rudra!” Tears streaming down his face, he fell to the ground in grief. Witnessing this, Lord Rudra—Śaṅkara himself—turned to the goddess and spoke: “See, O greatly fortunate one, this boy whose eyes are brimming with tears, his mind fixed on me, wholly devoted to my worship.” The great goddess, Parāśarā, pure and without blame, saw the boy’s sorrow and was moved; her own eyes filled with tears as she watched him worship the liṅga, calling out, “O Hara, O Rudra.” Umā, the beloved of Śaṅkara, turned to her lord, the ruler of all, and said, “Please, grant him all that he desires; show him your favor, O Supreme Lord.” Hearing her compassionate plea, Śaṅkara, the Supreme Lord and poison-eater, replied to his noble wife Umā: “I will protect this twice-born boy, whose eyes are like blooming blue lotuses. I grant him the vision to behold my true form.” Having spoken thus, the blessed Nīlalohita, surrounded by his divine attendants, appeared in glory. Then, the Supreme Lord, accompanied by Brahmā, Indra, Viṣṇu, Rudra, and others, revealed his celestial vision to Parāśara, the wise son of the sage. Upon seeing the Great God, Parāśara’s eyes overflowed with tears of joy; his heart soared, and he respectfully fell at the Lord’s feet. He then bowed to Bhavānī and the great-souled Nandī, exclaiming to Brahmā and the others, “Today my life is fulfilled. He whose ornament is the crescent moon has come for my protection. Who else in the world, god or demon, is equal to me?” In that very moment, Parāśara, devoted to Śakti, beheld his father, Śakti, together with his brothers, appearing in the sky. They shone forth in a celestial chariot, radiant as the sun and facing all directions. Overjoyed, Parāśara bowed before them. The god with the bull-banner, accompanied by his wife and attendants, addressed Vasiṣṭha’s son, who was eager to see his child: “O Śakti, behold your son, the boy whose eyes are filled with tears of joy. And see, O best of Brāhmaṇas, your father Vasiṣṭha, who is not yet visible. See Arundhatī, greatly fortunate and auspicious, your mother—comparable to a goddess. O wise one, bow to both your mother and father.” At Śaṅkara’s command, Śakti quickly bowed to Hara, to Umā, and to Vasiṣṭha, the most excellent. Then, by the Lord’s command, he addressed his mother, the devoted and auspicious Arundhatī: “O child, O best of Brāhmaṇas, O Parāśara, greatly radiant one, you protected your father while still in the womb, O great-souled one. By my command, Parāśara, you have attained mastery over the powers beginning with aṇimā, and today, my son, I have seen your face.” “O wise one,” Śakti continued, “always protect the illustrious and unseen Arundhatī, as well as your father Vasiṣṭha, for my sake. My lineage has been preserved by you, my son; the virtuous say that one who conquers the worlds does so through his offspring. As my boon, I choose the Lord, source and master of all worlds; together with my brothers, I will go to worship the venerable Śaṅkara.” Having spoken thus to his son and bowing to Maheśvara, the self-controlled Śakti looked upon his wife in the assembly and then went to his father. Seeing his father depart, Parāśara worshipped Śaṅkara and praised the moon-crested Lord, beloved of the Śāktas, with carefully chosen words. Pleased, the great god—destroyer of Kāma and Andhaka—blessed Parāśara and then disappeared from that place. After Maheśvara had departed, Parāśara, having bowed to the great Lord, used his mastery of mantras to burn away the lineage of the Rākṣasas. At that time, Vasiṣṭha, knower of dharma and surrounded by sages, addressed his grandson: “Enough of this excessive anger, dear one; restrain your wrath. The Rākṣasas have committed no offense—this was ordained by your father. Anger arises only in the foolish, not in the wise. Who slays whom, dear one? Each person reaps the results of his own actions. Humans suffer greatly from their own accumulated deeds. Anger destroys both fame and ascetic merit. Enough of burning the innocent and afflicted Rākṣasas. Cease this sacrifice of yours; the virtuous are truly the essence of forgiveness.” Heeding the words of Vasiṣṭha, Parāśara at once ended the sacrifice, out of respect for his grandfather. Vasiṣṭha, best of sages, was pleased. At that moment, Pulastya, son of Brahmā, arrived at the sacrifice. Vasiṣṭha greeted him with water of welcome and offered him a seat, which the sage accepted. Pulastya addressed Parāśara, who stood there in reverence: “Because you have followed your guru’s words and taken refuge in forgiveness, even amidst great enmity, you will know all the scriptures, and my lineage will endure, for not even anger could bring about its end. Therefore, O illustrious one, I grant you another great boon: you, my child, shall become the composer of the Purāṇa-saṃhitā. You will truly understand the ultimate reality of the deities, whether you are engaged in action or withdrawn from it, for your mind is pure regarding karma. By my grace, O child, your understanding will be free from doubt.” Then the venerable Vasiṣṭha, foremost among speakers, addressed the assembly, as Parāśara stood blessed by the words of the wise.