All those who had come, their seeds of worldly existence burned away by the power of spiritual practice, entered the heart of the Lord, holding in beautiful remembrance the five-syllabled seed-mantra. Then, the divine form—destroyer of all sins—which had previously been revealed, once again took on an auspicious body, manifesting in a radiant blue-red form. Beholding him, the daughter of the mountain—Pārvatī—was filled with joy; her entire being thrilled with delight. She praised him reverently, bowed at his feet, and asked, “O Lord, who are these beings?” The best of gods, Shiva himself, spoke kindly to the goddess, the daughter of the Himalaya: “O beautiful one, these devoted and excellent twice-born ones, by following my vow—by whatever yogas they have practiced here—have, in a single birth, through the power of this sacred place and their devotion to me, attained this state. By my own form, I grant them favor; therefore, this great and holy place, served by Brahmā and others, is supremely sacred. “Learned brahmins and accomplished ascetics worship here every month on the eighth and fourteenth days. In both fortnights, O goddess, it is specially worshipped in Varanasi, especially during lunar and solar eclipses and in the month of Kartika. At all sacred festivals, solstices, and equinoxes, all the holy places on earth are found here in Varanasi, as is the Jahnavi—the sacred Ganga—flowing north, issuing from my matted locks and from your father, O daughter of the snowy Himalaya. “O beautiful-faced one, listen: those who always worship this sacred, meritorious place—established in a holy region and visited from all directions—are truly blessed. Kurukshetra, with its hundreds of sacred fords, as well as Pushkara, Nimiṣa, Prayaga, and Prithudaka, all gather here. Drumakshetra, Kurukshetra, Naimisha with its holy fords, and all such sacred fields, along with the deities and sages, are present here. The twilights, the seasons, all rivers, lakes, the seven oceans, and all the divine fords are entirely present here. “O virtuous one, at every festival, the Bhagirathi comes together here, beholding Avimukteshvara and heaven itself. Having approached Kalabhairava, all sins are completely destroyed; at every festival, even the lords of the gods become pure. All the great and holy shrines on earth always enter Avimukta—the supreme field—at every festival, removing even the greatest sins. “The linga at Kedara, the linga at Mahalaya, the one called Madhyameshvara, likewise Pashupateshvara, Shankukarṇeshvara, and both Gokarna shrines; Drumachandeshvara, the excellent Bhadreshvara, Sthanesvara, Ekaagra, Kaleshvara, and Ajeshvara; Bhairaveshvara, Ishana, the one called Aumkara, Amareshvara, Mahakala, Jyotisha, and Bhasmagatraka—all my other sacred places on earth, sixty-eight in number and others established in their entirety—without exception, all enter into me at Varanasi during every holy festival. This is a great secret, now revealed. “Therefore, here a being attains the divine immortal state upon death, having bathed in the Ganga and having seen me, O auspicious one. One immediately obtains the fruit of all sacrifices, equal to hundreds of thousands of desired offerings—what could be more wonderful than this? All the foremost shrines in heaven, on earth, and on mountains, O goddess, know that this is the highest of the high, as I have declared. “The word ‘Avi,’ as spoken by the twice-born and prescribed in the Veda, means ‘free from sin’; thus, because I have accepted it as pure, it is called Avimukta.” Having spoken thus, the blessed Rudra, Lord of all worlds, said, “O goddess of the gods, make my house of Avimukta well seen.” Having spoken, the blessed Lord, consort of Umā, together with her, revealed the most excellent Śrīparvata. There, he always resided with her at Avimukteśvara, for he pervades all, being the Self of all, composed of both existence and non-existence. Having reached Śrīparvata with the goddess, Hara—the Lord of gods and master of all beings—showed her the sacred fields. He pointed out the supreme, divine Kuṇḍīprabha, Vaiśravaṇeśvara, Āśāliṅga, the divine Lord of gods, and the divine Bileśvara. He showed the supreme Rāmeśvara, established by Viṣṇu, and at the southern gate’s side, Kuṇḍaleśvara, the Lord. Near the eastern gate stands the excellent Tripurāntaka, united with the mountain and worshipped by the Lord of gods. He showed Madhyameśvara, renowned in the three worlds, and Amareśvara, the bestower of boons, formerly established by the gods. He pointed out Gocarmeśvara, Īśāna, the wondrous Indreśvara, and the great Karmeśvara, created by Brahmā for the sake of action. He also showed the glorious Siddhavaṭa, his own eternal abode, the divine Ajabila, directly created by the unborn one. There, at the divine Pāduke and at his own Bileśvara, in the middle of Śṛṅgāṭācala shaped like a pinnacle, stands Śṛṅgāṭakeśvara, established by the blessed goddess, and also Mallikārjunaka, his auspicious abode. He showed Rajeśvara, established in turn with dust, Gajeśvara in Vaiśākha, and the imperishable Kapoteśvara. Thus, the Lord revealed to the goddess the supreme sanctity and mystery of Avimukta and the sacred fields, where all holy places converge, and where the highest blessings are attained.