Surrounded on all sides by the lords of hosts and divine beings, with mighty Bhṛṅgī, the supreme commander of all celestial armies, the great yogi—Lord Śiva—set forth to destroy the triple city of Tripura. Ascending his radiant celestial chariot, resplendent like Indra himself, he was accompanied by a formidable entourage: Keśa, unclothed and wild; Mahākeśa; Mahājvara; Somavallī; Savarṇa; Somapa; and Senaka, among others. Alongside them came Somadhṛk, Sūryavāca, Sūryapeṣaṇaka, Sūryākṣa, Sūrināmā, and the beautiful god Sundara. The procession continued with Prakuda, Kakudanta, Kampana, Prakampana, Indra, Indrajaya, Mahābhīr, and Bhīmaka, each displaying their unique forms. Some had a hundred eyes, others five or a thousand; some bore a great belly, or the fearsome tongue of Yama. There were those with a hundred horses, those marked by a single neck, and others worshipped for the power in their throats. Among them marched the two-crested, three-crested, and five-crested beings; the shaven-headed and half-shaven ones; the tall, the one with a ghoul’s mouth, and the formidable bearer of the Pināka bow. There was one whose abode was the sacred pippala tree, another who devoured embers, one who was loose and slack-mouthed, one with eyes on his feet, the unborn, and the Mars-like. Others bore the faces of goats, horses, elephants, and some gazed ever upward. All these myriad forms, devoid of ordinary marks or characteristics, encircled the Lord. With Soma among them, thousands upon thousands of Rudras, each radiating upward energy, surrounded the great God. Encircling the supreme Lord, the god of gods, the mighty hosts pressed forward to burn the three cities, accompanied by countless divine armies. The thirty-three principal gods, along with three hundred, and three thousand more, converged from all directions. The mothers of all worlds, the mothers of the hosts, and the mothers of all beings followed behind the Lord. At the heart of this vast assembly, the Lord of Hosts shone brilliantly at the center of his chariot, radiant like the moon among stars in a spotless night sky. By his side stood the goddess Girijā, his consort, glowing with power—Gaurī, the all-pervading one, the very energy of Bhava himself. Auspicious and resplendent, she held a golden lotus-hued yak-tail fan in her hand. Śiva’s mighty form, brightened by sacred ashes, gleamed beside Ambikā, like a white cloud streaked with lightning across the heavens. Gentle and radiant as the moon, Śambhu stood with his golden bow, his form shining like the sky adorned with a rainbow, as the world is by Mount Meru. A white parasol, sparkling with rays of jewels, hovered above him, glowing like the unbroken disk of the rising moon. Draped upon Śiva was a red garland and fine cloth, gleaming and trailing up to the parasol, reminiscent of the sacred river cascading from a jeweled peak. Indra, Brahmā, Agni, and the other gods bowed at the lotus feet of the Lord, who, with Ambikā by his side, advanced for the welfare of all worlds toward the three cities. The wielder of the trident, Śiva, possessed the power to burn all that moves and does not move with a mere thought—what need had he to burn Tripura himself, or to go there with such a host? Why, wondered the gods, did Śambhu require a chariot, the finest arrows, or even the hosts of gods to destroy the three cities? The chief gods, led by Indra, questioned: “What is this, if not a display of his undiminished power?” They mused that the blessed Lord Pinākin had undertaken all this merely as a divine sport—what other purpose could there be for such a wondrous display? Near the three cities, the Lord of gods shone forth, surrounded by Nandi and his hosts, Gaṇeśa with his gaṇas, and the goddess herself—all together resembling Mount Meru with its eight peaks, as if the world itself were a chariot. Upon seeing the Lord, the gods, with their hosts and Pārvatī, assembled on the field of Tripura. Tripura itself shone like a universe unto itself, filled with kings, hosts, gods, other divine beings, and the threefold great sages. Then Śarva, stringing his bow and setting the arrow, empowered it with the Pāśupata missile and fixed his gaze upon Tripura. As the great god Rudra stood, his mighty bow drawn, the three cities suddenly merged into one. A tumultuous joy swept through the assembled gods, their hearts uplifted. The hosts of gods, the Siddhas, and the supreme seers praised the eight-formed Lord, crying out, “Victory!” At that moment, blessed Lord Brahmā spoke of the destruction of Bhaga’s eye, remarking that even when the auspicious conjunction of Puṣya arrives, the Lord of Umā acts only according to his own divine sport. “This act of yours, O great God, is fitting,” Brahmā said, “for all the gods of past and present exist because of you. Yet, O Lord of the universe, the present gods are righteous, while the former gods were sinful; therefore, you should abandon this sport here.” He continued, “O Lord, what need is there for a chariot or banner, or to destroy Tripura with an arrow, with all these hosts, with Viṣṇu, or with me? When the auspicious conjunction of Puṣya arrives, burn the city, O Lord of gods, but only while the gods are still present. Quickly burn these three cities!” Thus urged, the all-knowing great God cast his glance upon them. In that very instant, Virūpākṣa reduced the triple city to ashes, while Soma, blessed Viṣṇu, Kāla, Agni, and Vāyu looked on. All these deities, having taken their places upon the arrow, bowed to the Lord and said, “O Lord of gods, even with a mere glance you have burned Tripura.” “For our benefit, O Lord, you should release the arrow,” they entreated. Smiling, Tripurārdana wiped the bowstring. Then, O best of Brāhmaṇas, the Lord drew the arrow to his ear and released it; in that very instant, the arrow blazed forth, reducing Tripura to ashes and bringing its end.