Having established the distinction between the gods and all other beings as individual creatures, the supreme Lord declared, “They are to be slain—there is no other way.” Upon hearing these grave words from the wise Lord of gods, all those assembled—gods and others alike—became despondent, filled with fear at the thought of their own creaturehood and the fate that awaited them. Perceiving their distress, the compassionate god spoke to them, saying, “O best of wise gods, let there be no fear for you in this state of being creatures. Listen now to the means of release from this condition: whoever undertakes the divine Pāśupata vow shall be freed. This state of being a creature is indeed real and has been proclaimed; but whoever practices my Pāśupata vow—whether for twelve years, half that time, or even for three years in full observance—shall without doubt be liberated from creaturehood, O best of gods. Even those who cause service to be rendered shall be released from this state. Therefore, you should all undertake this supreme and divine vow.” Hearing these words, the gods replied to Śiva, revered by all the worlds, “So be it.” Thus, it came to be that all gods, Asuras, and men are creatures of the Lord, and Rudra, the Lord of creatures, is also the liberator from the bonds of creaturehood. Whoever is a creature may renounce that state by means of this vow. Having performed this sacred observance, one is no longer sinful—this is the settled conclusion of scripture. At that moment, Vinayaka, the extraordinary child of great prowess, was not worshipped by the gods. He spoke, restraining them, “Without worshipping me in this world with pure offerings of food and drink, who among men, gods, or even demons can attain success?” Therefore, at that very instant, for the fulfillment of the divine task, Vinayaka declared, “I will create obstacles, O Lord of gods, for those who attempt to act without honoring me.” Alarmed, all the gods, led by Indra, worshipped the great master. With offerings of food, drink, cakes, and sweet balls, they addressed Ganesha, praying, “May we always be free from obstacles.” Śiva, the chief among gods, embraced and smelled his son in affection and worshipped him at that moment. Thus honored, Vinayaka, the leader of the gods, was worshipped by the host of deities, the lords of the Ganas, and even the mighty bow of the mountain king. Only then did Śiva proceed to burn the three cities. Surrounded by hosts of divine and perfected beings, Maheshvara, along with the hosts of spirits and the lords of the Ganas led by Nandi, followed the Lord, each upon their own vehicles. Nandi, at the forefront, like the king of mountains, ascended the celestial chariot and advanced to attack the city—the very abode of Death. At that time, the gods, Gana leaders, and all the Ganas mounted the best of elephants, bulls, and horses, bearing their weapons and insignia, and set forth, their power undiminished, for the welfare of the worlds—to burn the three cities. The Lord, thousand-rayed and fierce, the ruler of gods and demons, shone in their midst, his complexion like a lotus petal, radiant upon his vehicle as the thousand-rayed Lord ascends the summit of Mount Sumeru. Indra, the thousand-eyed and foremost among the gods, mounted the king of elephants and took his place to the right of Rudra, ready to destroy the city, while Garuda soared as serpents do. The perfected beings, Gandharvas, heroic gods, and divine leaders all surrounded Indra, praising him from every side with cries of “Victory!” and showering him with the finest flowers. Seeing the thousand-eyed one, they bowed with reverence, as a mother to her son. Yama, Agni, Kubera, Vayu, Nirriti, the lord of waters, Ishana, and Bhava also assembled for the great task. Vīrabhadra, noble in battle, mounted the bull-king and took position at the southwest of the chariot, surrounded by fierce attendants with bristling hair. He served to destroy the city, as the god of gods, Triyambaka, the embodiment of great Time and immense brilliance, like another Mahādeva. In the northwest, Vīrabhadra and his attendants served at the chariot. Skanda, too, with the Siddhas and Cāraṇas and his own army, resembling the king of mountains, surrounded by divine leaders, mounted an elephant, born of fire, and joined the procession. Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, created hindrances for the demon lords. For the gods, he, along with his host of obstacle-removers, went to the region of Īśāna, clearing their path. At that time, Kālī, brandishing a trident shining like the darkness of night and adorned with skulls, advanced, intoxicated with the blood of great demons and gods. She moved like a mad elephant, her eyes rolling in intoxication, surrounded by hosts of intoxicated spirits, her limbs wrapped in elephant hide, going before the lord of hosts. The Siddhas, Gandharvas, Piśācas, Yakṣas, Vidyādharas, serpent-kings, and foremost gods bowed down and loudly praised the goddess, daughter of the snowy mountain, with cries of victory. The Mothers, destroyers of the gods’ best enemies and honored by all the gods, each with their own vehicles, banners, and hosts, approached the chariot with reverence. Durgā, mounted on the lord of beasts, difficult to approach, appeared with many powerful arms, bearing goad, trident, noose, axe, discus, sword, and conch. Her eyes blazed like a thousand suns, burning the path before her. Though youthful, she was mighty, and went forth to strike the demons. Then, to slay the god Tripura, the chief lords of hosts, shining like Indra and the sun, set out with elephants, horses, mighty lions, chariots, and bulls. With ploughs, blades, pestles, clubs, and even peaks of mountains—resembling mountains themselves—the lords of gods and hosts marched ahead of Maheśvara. Indra, Padma-born Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and other gods and leaders of hosts addressed the blessed Lord, offering salutations from all sides and hailing him with words of victory, their crowns bowed low. All the sages danced, holding staffs and wearing matted hair; the Siddhas and Cāraṇas moved in the sky, showering flowers, while the best of Brāhmins gave life and vitality to the triple city from every direction.