May you listen as I recount the sacred invocation, a prayer woven with the names of countless divine beings, each called upon to purify and protect. The Sun is invoked in all his resplendent forms: Vikartana, the one who cuts darkness; Vivasvān, the radiant; Mārtaṇḍa, the descendent of Mṛtyu; Bhāskara, the light-bringer; Ravi, the illuminator of worlds, the witness to all that transpires; and Trivikrama, whose strides encompass the universe. Alongside them are Āditya, Sūrya, Aṃśumān, and Divākara—twelve Ādityas in all—each beseeched to remove impurity from the supplicant. The elements and celestial bodies are also remembered: the vast sky, the sense of touch, the brilliance of light, the savor of taste, and the earth itself; the moon and the sun, the innermost self, and the bodies revered in the teachings of Śiva. May all these, in their essence, remove sin and destroy fear. The guardians of the directions and cosmic order are called forth: Vāsava, the king of the gods; Pāvaka, the purifying fire; Yama, lord of justice; and Nirṛti, the dissolver of order. Let them dispel all sin and fear. Varuṇa, lord of the waters; Vāyu, the wind; Soma, the nourishing moon; Īśāna, the ruler of the northeast; the blessed Hari, and Pitāmaha, the grandsire—all devoted to Śiva—are invoked for their cleansing grace. The powers that move through the air—Nabhas, Sparśana, Vāyu, Anila, and Māruta—are summoned to remove the sins committed by mind and action. Prāṇa, the vital breath; Prāṇeśa, lord of life; Jīveśa, lord of beings; Māruta, and those spoken of by Śiva, all devoted to his worship, are called upon to wash away impurity. There are the Cāraṇas of Śambhu—Khecarī, Vasucārī, Brahmeśa, Brahmabrahmadhī, Suṣeṇa, Śāśvata, Pṛṣṭa, Supuṣṭa, and Mahābala—deeply devoted to Śiva, who are asked to remove all sin and impurity. The master of mantras, knower of sacred syllables, wise and supreme among Siddhas, worshipped by the perfected beings, and the bestower of all perfections, is invoked. All Siddhas, worshippers of Śiva’s abode, are called—Yakṣa, Yakṣeśa, Dhanada, Jṛmbhaka, and Maṇibhadraka—to remove impurity. The names of Pūrṇabhadreśvara, Mālī, Śitikuṇḍali, Narendra, and Yakṣeśas are uttered with hope for purification. The mighty serpent-kings—Ananta, Kulika, Vāsuki, Takṣaka, Karkoṭaka, Mahāpadma, Śaṅkhapāla, and Mahābala—endowed with Śiva’s benediction and adorned with his presence, are entreated to remove all poison, whether still or moving, and to cleanse sin. From the ranks of celestial musicians and beings, the Vīṇā-knower, Kinnara, Surasena, Pramardana, Atiśaya, the practitioner, the Gīta-knower, and the Kinnaras are invoked, each endowed with Śiva’s salutation, to remove impurity. The Vidyādharas—wise and learned, awakened, divine, prosperous, grateful, and famed—devoted to Śiva’s meditation, are called to dispel impurity by Mahādeva’s grace. The powerful Vāmadeva, Mahājambha, and Kālanemi are invoked to dispel terrible impurity; Sugrīva, Mardaka, Piṅgala, Devamardana, Prahrāda, Anuhrāda, Saṃhrāda, and the two Bāṣkalas—great Asuras devoted to Mahādeva—are remembered. Jambha, Kumbha the magician, Kārtavīrya, and Kṛtaṃjaya, great-souled Asuras, are called to remove dreadful fear and demonic qualities. The mighty Garuḍas—Garutmān, Khagati, Pakṣirāṭ, Nāgamardana, Nāgaśatru, Hiraṇyāṅga, Vainateya, Prabhañjana, Nāgāśīr, Viṣanāśa, and Viṣṇu’s own vehicle—shining with golden hue and adorned with ornaments, are invoked to dispel impurity. The venerable sages—Agastya, Vasiṣṭha, Aṅgirā, Bhṛgu, Kāśyapa, Nārada, Dadhīca, and Cyavana—along with Upamanyu and other devoted ṛṣis, all absorbed in Śiva’s worship, are beseeched to cleanse all impurity. The ancestors—fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, Agniṣvāttas, Barhiṣads, and maternal ancestors—devoted to Śiva’s meditation, are called to dispel sinful fear. The goddesses—Lakṣmī, Dharaṇī, Gāyatrī, Sarasvatī; Durgā, Uṣā, Śacī, Jyeṣṭhā, the mothers worshipped by the gods, the mothers of gods and hosts, and all mothers of beings everywhere—are invoked to remove impurity by the grace of the God of gods. The celestial Apsarases—Urvaśī, Menakā, Rambhā, Rati, Tilottamā, Sumukhī, Durmukhī, Kāmukī, Kāmavardhanī, and many others who perform the Tāṇḍava for Śiva—are remembered for their deep devotion and are called to purify. The planetary deities—Arka, Soma, Aṅgāraka, Budha, Bṛhaspati, Śukra, Śanaiścara, Rāhu, and Ketu—worshippers of Śiva, are invoked to dispel dreadful fear and the afflictions caused by the planets. The twelve zodiac signs—Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces—each devoted to the worship of Śiva, are called to aid with their auspicious power. The twenty-seven lunar mansions are invoked: Ashvini, Bharani, Krittika, Rohini, Mrigashira, Ardra, Punarvasu, Pushya, Ashlesha, Magha, Purva Phalguni, Uttara Phalguni, Hasta, Chitra, Swati, Vishakha, Anuradha, Jyeshtha, Mula, Purvashadha, Uttara Ashadha, Shravana, Dhanishta, Shatabhishak, Purva Bhadrapada, and Proshthapada. May each, by the grace of the Supreme Lord, remove fear and sin. The goddesses of the month of Pausha are called to always remove impurity. Even fever, Kumbhodara, Shankukarṇa, and the mighty Mahabala are invoked, so that, surrounded and supported by all these divine beings and powers, all impurity, sin, and fear may be washed away by their grace. Thus, with reverence and hope, the devotee calls upon the multitude of gods, sages, ancestors, mothers, celestial beings, planets, and stars, all joined in their devotion to Śiva, to remove all impurity and grant peace and protection.