He who wields the mighty trident, Śiva, possesses such power that, by mere thought, he could reduce to ashes all that moves and does not move, in but a moment. What need, then, would there be for him, the Pinākī, to personally burn Tripura, when his will alone suffices? What purpose would a chariot, the finest arrows, his hosts, or even the gathered hosts of the gods themselves serve for Śambhu in destroying the three cities? The greatest among the gods, beginning with Indra, wondered at this, questioning whether the Lord’s power had somehow waned. Yet, it was clear to them: the blessed Lord Pinākin undertook all this not out of necessity, but as a divine sport, a cosmic play—what other reason could there be for such a display? Near the three cities, the Lord of the gods shone forth in all his glory, surrounded by Nandi and the hosts of Nandi, Gaṇeśa with his gaṇas, and the goddess Pārvatī. He appeared resplendent, like Mount Meru with its eight peaks, his chariot the very chariot of the world itself. Seeing the Lord of the gods thus arrayed, the assembled deities, with their hosts and with Pārvatī, approached and took their places upon the field of Tripura. There, the triple city shone like another universe, teeming with kings, their armies, gods, other divine beings, and the threefold great sages. Then Śarva, the great Lord, strung his bow, set the arrow, and empowered it with the Pāśupata missile. He fixed his gaze upon Tripura, contemplating its fate. As Rudra stood with his mighty bow drawn, in that very instant, the three cities merged into one. At this miraculous sight, a tumultuous joy erupted among the great-souled gods. All the hosts of gods, the Siddhas, and the supreme seers, praising the eight-formed Lord, cried out in triumph, hailing his victory. Then Brahmā, the blessed creator, 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 sport. This act of yours, O great god, O supreme Lord, is fitting, Brahmā declared, for all the gods of old and those present now exist because of you. Yet, O Lord of the universe, the present gods are righteous, while the gods of old were sinful; therefore, you ought to abandon this sport here. O Lord, what need is there for a chariot and banner, or for destroying Tripura with an arrow, with these hosts, with Viṣṇu, or with me? When the auspicious conjunction of Puṣya arrives, you should burn the city, O Lord of gods, but only while the gods are still present. You should quickly burn these three cities, and then the all-knowing great god cast his gaze upon them. In that very instant, Virūpākṣa reduced the triple city to ashes. Present there were Soma, the blessed Viṣṇu, Kāla, Agni, and Vāyu. All these deities, having taken their places on the arrow, bowed to the Lord and said, “O Lord of gods, even with just a glance you have burned Tripura.” “For our benefit, O Lord of gods, you should release the arrow,” they implored. Then Tripurārdana, smiling, wiped the bowstring. Drawing the arrow to his ear, the Lord released it; and in that instant, the arrow blazed forth and burned Tripura, bringing the triple city to its end. Afterward, the Lord of gods stood shining, surrounded by hundreds of millions of demons, having destroyed the triple city. With that arrow, at the end of the age, just as Rudra, the three worlds—wherever people worship—even there, the demons and their kin worship Rudra. Then, by the power of the ritual, they began the worship of Gaṇapati, and the gods—including Indra, Upendra, and the lords of the hosts—remained silent. Out of awe and fear, seeing the god and the goddess, the daughter of Himavat, and beholding the assembly of gods, the foremost among the gods became silent and reverent. Then the Lord spoke to the gods, asking, “What is this?” and they all bowed to him from every side. They bowed to Nandin, adorned with the moon; they bowed to the goddess, daughter of the king of mountains; they bowed to the Lord, son of the mountain’s daughter; the hosts of gods bowed to Maheśvara. Brahmā, together with the gods and with concentrated minds, praised Bhava, the god, the lord, the enemy of Tripura, along with Viṣṇu. “Be gracious, Lord of gods; be gracious, Supreme Lord; be gracious, Lord of the worlds; be gracious, undying giver of bliss.” “Obeisance to you, Rudra of five faces, with fifty million forms, seated in the three selves, the very essence of knowledge. Salutations again and again to Śiva, the principle of Śiva, to the Aghora form, to the essence of the eightfold Aghora, to the one whose nature is twelvefold. To the one whose form shines like millions of lightning flashes, who is splendid in eightfold radiance, who abides in this world as the soul of Śiva. To the one of fire-like color, fierce, whose body is half Ambikā, who grants liberation to the white, dark, and red immortals. To the eldest, to the Rudra form, to Soma, to the giver of boons, to the lord of the three worlds, to the three gods, to the utterer of vaṣaṭ—salutations.” “Salutations to you, who are the form of the sky in the midst, who abide in the sky, who are eightfold in fields and forms, who are the eight principles. To the one established in fourfold and again fourfold and again fourfold ways, and in fivefold and again fivefold, whose body is the five mantras. Salutations again and again to the one of sixty-four forms, to the letter ‘A’; salutations to the one whose form is the thirty-two principles, to the letter ‘U’. Salutations again and again to the one whose nature is sixteenfold, to the letter ‘M’; salutations to the one whose nature is eightfold, to the half-syllable as the self. Salutations to you, Oṃkāra, established in fourfold ways, to the lord of the sky, to the god, to the lord of heaven—salutations again and again.” “Salutation to You, who are the Seven Worlds, the lord of the underworlds and hells; to You who are the eight sacred places, the eight forms, and who are higher than the highest. To You with a thousand heads, I bow; to You who are a thousandfold; to You endowed with a thousand feet, to Śarva, the Supreme Lord.” Thus, with great reverence and devotion, the gods, led by Brahmā and Viṣṇu, praised and worshipped Śiva, the destroyer of Tripura, the Supreme Lord who is the source, sustainer, and liberator of all worlds.