Having arrived at the sacred mountain of Śrīparvata with the goddess by his side, Hara—the Lord of gods and master of all beings—began to reveal to her the holy fields that adorned the land. With gentle reverence, he showed her the supreme and divine Kuṇḍīprabha, the sacred Vaiśravaṇeśvara, the revered Āśāliṅga, the illustrious divine Lord of gods, and the holy Bileśvara. He continued, pointing out the exalted Rāmeśvara, which had been established by Viṣṇu himself, and, near the southern gate, the powerful Kuṇḍaleśvara, the Lord. Near the eastern gate, he revealed the excellent Tripurāntaka, which had grown together with the mountain and was worshipped by the Lord of gods. There, too, was Madhyameśvara, renowned throughout the three worlds, and Amareśvara, bestower of boons, established in ancient times by the gods. Hara then guided her to Gocarmeśvara, to Īśāna, to the wondrous Indreśvara, and to the great Karmeśvara, which Brahmā himself had created for the sake of action. He showed her the glorious Siddhavaṭa—his own eternal abode—and the divine Ajabila, directly created by the unborn one, auspicious and shining. In the midst of Śṛṅgāṭācala, shaped like a lofty pinnacle, he pointed to the sacred Pāduke and his own Bileśvara. There stood Śṛṅgāṭakeśvara, established by the blessed goddess herself, and nearby was Mallikārjunaka, his auspicious dwelling. He led her to Rajeśvara, founded with sacred dust, to Gajeśvara—established in the month of Vaiśākha—and to the imperishable Kapoteśvara. He revealed Koṭīśvara, the great pilgrimage site once served by hosts of Rudras, and urged her to behold its supreme auspiciousness. On the southern side, he showed Dvidevakula, established by Brahmā, and on the northern side, the mountain sanctified by Viṣṇu. He showed her the great liṅga of vast measure, which he himself had established in ages past; and upon the western mountain, he revealed Brahmeśvara and Maleśvara. He explained that these places were adorned by her own presence, O Brahman, and by the sages gathered in front. Thus, he remained in that house, known as Alaṃgṛha. There, he directed her attention to the sacred tīrtha and his own Vyomaliṅga, and to Kadambeśvara, which Skanda himself had established. He showed her Gomaṇḍaleśvara, well established by Nandā and others, and told her that all the gods led by Śakra had consecrated these holy sites. “O Goddess,” he said, “behold these sacred places at the edge of the illustrious Devahrada. Recall, too, Hārapura, where your necklace once fell. For the welfare of the worlds, you created this necklace-tank, which was placed in the city of Śiva and Rudra upon that sacred body.” He pointed to where, by his father Suśaila, the Lord of the Mountain was established, adorned by Hara himself, together with the sages. He showed her the shrine of Caṇḍikeśvara, and of Caṇḍikeśā, her own daughter, and the place established by Caṇḍikā—the supreme Ambikā-tīrtha. He revealed the shrine of Rucikeśvara and the auspicious Kapilā stream, and spoke of the many sacred fords. “In all these places,” he declared, “one should always worship me with devotion. Whoever does so, rejoices together with me. If a Brāhmaṇa, freed from sin, gives up his body at Śrīśaila, he is liberated—there is no doubt, just as it is in Avimukta. Whoever performs the great ablution with ghee, following the proper method, attains union with me in these places, O virtuous one. The bath is to be of a hundred palas, and the anointing of twenty-five. The great ablution is said to be of two thousand palas. My liṅga should be bathed with cow’s milk and with ghee. After purifying it with all substances and sprinkling with water, the merit gained equals that of a hundred sacrifices; the merit of bathing is ten million times that.” He continued: “Worship with a hundred thousand songs and musical instruments is especially praised during the great ablution; the bath is remembered as eightfold in merit. Even with only water, or with fragrant water, all the anointing should be done with devotion, using twenty-five palas. Śamī flowers, bilva leaves, lotuses, and other flowers should be offered, but never neglect the bilva leaves. For the Great God, offer four droṇas, or eight, or ten, or even eight for the offering; the merit of a hundred droṇas is prescribed even with an āḍhaka, so a poor Brāhmaṇa should not hesitate.” “With drums, mṛdaṅgas, cymbals, pipes, and other instruments, and with manifold sounds, whoever arranges a night vigil and prays in due order—together with his servants, sons, wives, and relatives—should circumambulate and pray to the supreme liṅga, even if lacking in wealth, ritual, or even faith. Whether the worship was performed perfectly or not, one should seek forgiveness from Śaṅkara, then quickly recite the Rudra mantra and the Śānti mantra. By reciting the great seed-mantra and the five-syllabled mantra, one attains the fruit of all sacred waters and sacrifices. He attains the same fruit as one who dies in Vārāṇasī, and thus attains union with me—there is no doubt.” “For my sake, my devotees should perform these rites according to the prescribed rules; those who do not are not truly my devotees—this is certain.” Hearing these words, the goddess journeyed to the city of Vārāṇasī. There she worshipped the liṅga of Avimukteśvara with water and with ghee. She offered her reverence to the Lord of gods, Rudra, ruler of the worlds, at Avimukta, and undertook austerities for the great soul Mandara.