Salutations were first offered to the radiant, red-hued one—his eyes shining crimson, adorned in red garments—who bestows Rudra’s own realm upon those devoted at Rudra’s feet. Homage was paid to the commander of the divine armies, the lord of Rudras, lord of beings, sovereign of the rulers of the worlds, and destroyer of all sin. Salutations followed to Rudra himself, lord of the Rudras, remover of fierce sins, to Śiva, gentle and auspicious, the very devotee of Rudra. Pleased by these praises, the mighty leader of the hosts—son of Śiva—addressed the gods who were preparing for battle, speaking of Śambhu’s chariot, his charioteer, his bow, and the supreme arrow. He instructed them: “You must strive with all your effort, for the triple city is to be destroyed. Together with Brahmā and Viśvakarman, act accordingly.” With great zeal, the gods began their task. Viśvakarman, the divine architect, carefully constructed a wondrous chariot for Rudra, the god of gods—a chariot embodying all the worlds. This divine vehicle was composed of all beings, worshipped by all gods, embodying their very essence, golden and revered throughout creation. The chariot’s right wheel was the Sun, its left the Moon—the right wheel with twelve spokes, the left with sixteen. Upon these wheels rested the twelve Ādityas and the sixteen phases of the Moon. The constellations adorned the left wheel, while the six seasons served as the felloes of the wheels. The mid-space was a lotus; Mandara was the chariot’s body; the eastern and western mountains formed the axles. Mount Meru was the foundation, the Kesara range the supports; its speed was measured by the year, and the solstices marked the conjunctions of the wheels. Moments were called bandhurās, the spokes were kalās, divisions called kāṣṭhās, the pegs were axles, and the instants were rods. Twinklings and smaller divisions formed its parts, the smallest measures known as lavās. The sky was its covering, while heaven and liberation stood as its two banners. Righteousness, detachment, and punishment were the rods supporting sacrifices, with offerings as the joints and the fifty sacred fires as its metals. The two ends of the yuga were righteousness and desire; the guiding rod was the unmanifest, and wisdom was the bamboo pole. Ego was the angle, the elements its strength, and the senses adorned it all around. Faith and movement belonged to the chariot itself; the Vedas were its horses; the limbs were its ornaments, and the six auxiliary sciences its embellishments. The Purāṇas, Nyāya, Mīmāṃsā, and Dharmaśāstras were the chariot’s cloth coverings, each marked with their unique characteristics. Mantras were its bells, syllables its feet, and the stages of life its supports; its boundaries were infinite, adorned with a thousand hoods. The directions and intermediate directions formed its wheels; lotuses and golden, jewel-encrusted banners were its flags. The four oceans became its ropes, and the sacred rivers—beginning with the Ganges—were adorned with every ornament. All the women, bearing fly-whisks and adorned in beautiful forms, stood here and there, enhancing the chariot’s splendor. Seven golden steps led to the chariot; the venerable Brahmā was the charioteer, while the gods themselves bore the weapons. The goad was Brahman, the sacred syllable Om was the deity of Brahman; the Lokāloka mountain served as the stairway around. The uneven, outer mountain of the mind was resplendent, and all the surrounding mountains were its noses. The talas, kapotas, and kāpotas—all dwellers of the lower regions—were present; Mount Meru was the great umbrella, and Mandara the side drum. The lord of mountains became the bow, the lord of serpents formed the string, and the night of time, along with the rainbow, served as the bowstring. The bell was Sarasvatī herself, embodiment of the Vedas; the arrow was radiant Viṣṇu, with Soma as its tip. The fire of time, fierce and terrible, was the face of the chariot; the winds, born of poison, were its swift horses. Thus, the divine chariot was completed—along with the bow, arrow, and charioteer—and Brahmā, the master of worlds, took his place. Bhava, the blessed Lord, ascended the chariot, adorned for battle and yoked with all the hosts of gods, so that heaven and earth seemed to tremble. Praised by sages, honored by bards, and attended by troupes of Apsarases skilled in dance, the bestower of boons shone resplendently. He looked upon his charioteer as he mounted the chariot, which was now filled with the beings of all worlds. But as the horses, born of the Vedas, were yoked to the chariot, they suddenly fell to the ground, bowing their heads. Then, beneath the chariot, the blessed Lord—supporter of the earth—assumed the form of the bull-king, raising and setting the horses upright for a moment, but again, the bull-king fell to his knees. At last, the Lord, holding the arrow in his hand, raised the horses once more, and by his command, set the auspicious chariot in place. He urged the horses—swift as mind and wind—toward the ancient, sky-dwelling, mighty Dānavas. Then the blessed Rudra, seeing the assembled gods, declared, “The lordship over creatures has been given to me; therefore, I will slay the Asuras.