With reverence, the story unfolds as the great ones speak of devotion to the Supreme Lord. Both outwardly and inwardly, I hold the Lord as the one to be honored above all; this is not only my own vow, but also that of Viṣṇu, O foremost among the gods. There is no doubt about this among the sages—hence, one should worship Śiva. To neglect this, even for a moment, is a great loss, a defect, a delusion, and a kind of dumbness. Those who, even for an instant, fail to contemplate Śiva alone—those whose minds are not surrendered to Bhava—fall into such error. But those whose hearts are intent on remembering Bhava, who are devoted to Him, are untouched by suffering. To them come beautiful dwellings, divine ornaments, and lovely companions. Wealth sufficient for contentment is granted as the fruit of worshipping Śiva. Those who desire great enjoyments and sovereignty in the very abode of the gods themselves should always worship the liṅga form of Maheśvara. Śiva, the one with deformed eyes, is not tainted by sins, even after having slain, shattered, or burned all beings in this world. My liṅga of stone is indeed worshipped by all the gods. After declaring this, and having first worshipped Rudra, the Lord of the three worlds, he praised the God of gods, the three-eyed one, with carefully chosen words. From that time onward, Indra and the other gods began to worship the Lord, taking up the Pāśupata vow, their bodies adorned with sacred ashes. By Brahmā’s command, Viśvakarman fashioned liṅgas according to the authority of each deity and distributed them. Viṣṇu worships a liṅga of sapphire; Śakra, one of ruby; the son of Viśravas, a golden one. The Viśvedevas worship a silver liṅga, the Vasus a shining and beautiful one, Vāyu one of orpiment, and the Aśvins one made of earth. King Varuṇa worships a crystal liṅga; the Ādityas, one of copper; Soma, the wise lord, a peerless pearl liṅga. The great serpents, beginning with Ananta, worship a beautiful coral liṅga; the Daityas, an iron one; the noble Rākṣasas, too, have their own. The Guhyakas worship a three-metal liṅga, the Gaṇas one made of all metals, Cāmuṇḍā a sand liṅga, and the divine Mothers their own as well. Nairṛti worships a wooden liṅga with devotion; Yama, a beautiful emerald one; the Rudras, beginning with Nīla, a pure and auspicious ash liṅga. Lakṣmī worships a liṅga made from the Lakṣmī tree; Guha, one of cow dung; the sages, an excellent one of kuśa grass. The goddesses beginning with Vāmā worship a flower liṅga; Manonmanī, a fragrant one; Sarasvatī, a jewel liṅga for Rudra. Durgā, the golden, supreme Mahādeva, is worshipped along with its altar, fierce and made of flour, with all mantras and auspicious offerings of ghee. All the Vedas are made of curd; the spirits are fashioned from lead; each being received their position by the grace of Brahmā. What more needs to be said? All the moving and unmoving world, having worshipped the Śiva-liṅga, remains established and secure—there is no doubt. The liṅga is said to be of six kinds, distinguished by their materials, and these are divided further into forty-four types described in fourfold ways. The first is called stone-born, and it is fourfold; the second, gem-born, is sevenfold. The third, metal-born, is eightfold; the fourth, wooden, is sixteenfold. The fifth, clay, is divided in two; the sixth, the temporary liṅga, is sevenfold. Each kind of liṅga bestows its own blessings: the gem-born grants prosperity; the stone-born grants all accomplishments; the metal-born grants wealth; the wooden grants enjoyment. The clay liṅga is auspicious and grants all accomplishments; the stone-born is the highest, and the metal-born is considered middling. There are many kinds of liṅgas, but nine are counted in summary. At the base is Brahmā, in the middle is Viṣṇu, Lord of the three worlds, and above is Rudra, Mahādeva, called Pranava and Sadāśiva. The liṅga altar is Mahādevī, threefold, the triple-formed Ambikā. Whoever worships with Her, whether the liṅga is stone-born, gem-born, metal-born, or wooden, or even if it is clay or temporary and established with devotion, attains auspicious fruit—be it the lords of gods, lotuses, fire, water, or wealth. Accomplished beings, Vidyādharas, serpent kings, Yakṣas, demons, and Kinnaras praise him, the supremely virtuous soul, with the sound of divine drums. He illumines the worlds—earth, atmosphere, heaven, and higher realms—in order, surpassing the highest tapas and truth with his own radiance. Having placed himself on the path of proper liṅga establishment, with his own extended sword, he swiftly pierces the cosmic egg and emerges without hesitation. Abandoning all specific forms—stone-born, gem-born, metal-born, wooden, clay, and temporary—one should establish the entire form. And when one performs the rite in the month of Skanda, establishing the liṅga shining like jasmine and cow’s milk, auspiciousness follows. Rudra, without doubt, abides having assumed a human form; by seeing and touching him, people attain fulfillment. Even with hundreds of ages, O foremost Brahmins, it is not possible for me to describe fully the merit of this; therefore, one should establish him accordingly. The divine, auspicious form of the Lord is suitable for contemplation by all mortals; but for yogis alone, he is formless. He is formless, pure, eternal—how then did he come to possess forms? This, you ought to tell us, as it was heard in ancient times.