Upon receiving the command, a powerful magician was instructed: “Go swiftly and destroy the inhabitants of those cities. Let the righteousness founded upon the Vedas and the Smritis be brought to ruin—there is no doubt about this.” Bowing respectfully to his master, the magician—well-versed in the deceptive arts—entered the city at once. There, the sage, skilled in illusion, began to weave his magic. Through his illusory power, the Daityas who dwelt in the triple city were led astray. They abandoned their Vedic and traditional duties and became disciples of the magician. In their delusion, they even turned away from the great god Mahadeva, Shankara, the Supreme Lord. So powerful was the illusion that even the sage Narada, under the magician’s influence, acted in ignorance. Entering the city alongside the magician, the sage underwent initiation, and was surrounded by his disciples and their followers. He began performing the duties traditionally reserved for women—acts that yield the fruits of even the most arduous endeavors. Observing the immediate results, the women of the city adopted these practices with great enthusiasm. Gradually, the women grew attached to worldly pleasures and began to scorn the ancient custom of revering their husbands as deities. This attitude, born of respect for the sage Narada, has persisted into the Kali age. Women began to abandon their husbands, behaving without restraint or propriety. Yet, for a woman, her husband alone is, without doubt, her mother, father, relative, friend, companion, and kin—all in one. Even if a woman has committed great sin, if she is united with her husband in love, she attains the highest heaven; if not, she falls to hell. In one city, however, the women always revered their husbands as the very essence of duty. Those chaste women who, forsaking the worship of other gods and teachers, devoted themselves solely to their husbands, attained the heavenly realms and rejoiced there, free from suffering. Others, having abandoned their own husbands, fell into ruin, confirming that the husband is indeed the highest goal for a woman. Yet, under the sway of illusion, many became women of independent conduct. By the will of Vishnu, the god of gods, and at his command, Alakshmi herself was sent to Tripura. Lakshmi, whom the Daityas had obtained through austerity from the lord of gods, now departed from them at Brahma’s behest. With their intellects clouded by this delusion—fashioned by Vishnu’s own illusion—the magician and the illusory Narada bestowed confusion upon the Daityas for a time. Seated calmly and unshaken, the god remained unmoved even as Vedic and traditional righteousness vanished in that moment. Thus, when Vishnu, the source of the universe, proclaimed heresy and the Daityas abandoned Maheshvara and the worship of the Linga, and when women’s dharma was lost and evil conduct spread, the lord of gods—appearing satisfied—approached the consort of Uma along with the other gods. Having reached the all-knowing one through austerity, Purushottama praised him, saying: “Obeisance to Maheshvara, the god, the supreme self. Obeisance to Narayana, to Sharva, to Brahma, to the one who is the very form of Brahma, to the eternal, the infinite, the unmanifest—salutations to you.” Thus, having offered praise and prostrations, the blessed one recited the Rudra mantra ten million times while standing in the water. All the gods, joined by Indra, the Sādhyas, Yamas, Rudras, and the hosts of Maruts, sang the glories of the supreme lord: “Salutations to you, the soul of all, to Shankara, the remover of suffering, to Rudra, to Nīlarudra, to Kadrudra, to Pracetas. You are ever our refuge; you are to be worshipped by us, the destroyer of the enemies of the gods. You are the beginning, the endless one, the imperishable lord. “You are both Prakriti and Purusha, the creator, the destroyer, the teacher of the world, its protector, its leader, and you love the twice-born as a father. You are the bestower of boons, the essence of speech, the one to be spoken of, and yet beyond word and meaning. Yogis worship you for liberation through the wonders of yoga. “You are ever established in the lotus-heart of yogis; the wise declare you to be the true, supreme, essential form of Brahman. The noble call you the true reality, the mass of radiance, the supreme of the supreme, the supreme self in this world. All that is seen, heard, or exists—everything born, O teacher of the world—is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great. “You have hands and feet everywhere, faces, heads, and eyes everywhere; you exist throughout the world with ears everywhere, pervading all things. You are the great god, indescribable, all-knowing, free from affliction, of universal form, with countless eyes, ever-auspicious, and untouched by suffering. You shine like ten million suns, resemble ten million moons, blaze like ten million fires of dissolution, and are lord of the twenty-sixth principle. “You are called the originator in this world, the great-grandfather of nature, the giver of boons, the god who is the abode of all, the self-born. The Vedas declare you to be their very essence, and those who know the heart of the Vedas recognize you as such. What has been done in this world by you, O one of many forms, remains unseen by us; you alone are the source of demons, gods, humans, and all that moves and does not move. “Protect us, O Shambhu; there is no other refuge. Having destroyed the foremost of the demons, all are deluded by your maya, O supreme lord. Just as waves and billows contend with each other in the ocean, yet are stilled by the very water that supports them, so too are all gods and demons subdued by you. “Whoever, rising in the morning and purified, recites or hears this sacred hymn attains all desired things.” Thus praised by the gods and by Vishnu’s recitation, Maheśvara, Soma, embraced Soma and, smiling, accepted the hand offered by Nandi. Shankara, beholding the assembled gods, spoke in a deep voice: “O lords of the gods, now I have understood this divine task.