O Goddess, listen as the sacred places of Rucikeśvara and the auspicious Kapilā stream are praised. In these holy sites, as well as at the various tīrthas, one should worship me always with heartfelt devotion. In doing so, the devotee rejoices with me. If a Brāhmaṇa, pure and freed from sin, should relinquish his body at the holy Śrīśaila, he attains liberation without doubt, just as surely as one does in Avimukta. Whoever performs the great ablution with ghee, following the proper method, attains union with me in these sacred places, O virtuous one. The prescribed bath is measured as a hundred palas, and the anointing as twenty-five. The great ablution is said to require two thousand palas. My liṅga should be bathed with cow’s milk and ghee, then purified with all auspicious substances and sprinkled with water. By such cleansing, the merit of a hundred sacrifices is gained, and by bathing, the merit of ten million. Worship performed with a hundred thousand songs and musical instruments is especially honored; the bath is remembered as eightfold in merit. Whether with pure water or fragrant water, all anointing should be done with devotion, using twenty-five palas. Śamī flowers, bilva leaves, lotuses, and various other flowers should be offered, but one must never neglect the sacred bilva leaves. For the Great God, offerings may be made with four, eight, or ten droṇas, or even eight droṇas again. Even if only an āḍhaka can be offered, it is said to bring the merit of a hundred droṇas; a poor Brāhmaṇa should never hesitate. The worship should be accompanied by the sounds of drums, mṛdaṅgas, cymbals, pipes, and other musical instruments. Whoever arranges a night vigil, offering prayers in due order, and circumambulates the supreme liṅga with his family and companions—even if he lacks wealth, ritual knowledge, or even faith—should still pray to the Lord. At the end, he should ask Śaṅkara for forgiveness for what was done or left undone, and then recite the Rudra mantra and the Śānti mantra. By reciting the great seed-mantra and the five-syllabled mantra, the devotee attains the fruit of all sacred waters and all sacrifices. He gains the very merit won by dying in Vārāṇasī, and attains union with me—of this there can be no doubt. Therefore, this worship should be performed by my devotees according to the prescribed rules, for those who neglect it are not truly my devotees. Having heard these instructions, the goddess herself went to the city of Vārāṇasī and worshipped the liṅga of Avimukteśvara with water and ghee. There, she adored Rudra, the Lord of gods and ruler of the worlds, and performed austerities for the great soul Mandara. In the beautiful cave at Mandara, she established a sacred field, where the Lord graciously bestowed favor upon the demon Andhaka, son of Hiraṇyākṣa, granting him the status of a gaṇa through his divine play. Thus, the essence of this story has been told. Whoever recites or hears this supreme glory of the sacred field immediately obtains all the merit that is gained in all holy places. And if he causes all the pure and self-controlled twice-born to hear it, he attains the fruit of all sacrifices. Hearing this, a question arose: How did Andhaka, the lord of the demons, who was subdued in the beautiful cave at Mandara, come to receive the status of a gaṇa from Maheśvara? Tell us, as it happened and as you have heard, about the favor shown to Andhaka at Mandara, and about the drying up that occurred there. Let me now recount briefly the boons that Andhaka received. Andhaka, son of Hiraṇyākṣa, shone with a golden radiance. Through great austerity, he gained strength and, by the direct favor of Brahmā, obtained invulnerability. Having conquered the three worlds and even Indra’s city, he terrified Vāsava with playful ease. The gods were oppressed, struck down, bound, and cast away by him. Frightened, they fled to Mandara, led by Nārāyaṇa. After tormenting the gods, Andhaka, the mighty demon, by chance arrived at the mountain Mandara and its beautiful cave. All the lords of the gods, along with the Sādhyas, approached the great Lord Maheśa in the city and said, “We, whose limbs are broken and strength diminished, have been struck down by the king of the demons.” Hearing of the demon’s unparalleled arrival, the Blessed Lord, accompanied by the lords of the hosts, went forth to confront Andhaka. The gods, with voices raised in victory and palms joined in reverence, praised the Blessed Lord from all sides. Then, Mahādeva destroyed countless millions of demons and, in that moment, pierced Andhaka. When Andhaka was impaled by the trident-bearer, his cloak of sin burned away. The grandsire bowed and roared aloud. Hearing that roar, the gods rejoiced, bowing to the Lord; the sages danced, and the leaders of the hosts exulted. The gods showered flowers upon Śambhu, and the entire three worlds resounded with joy. Andhaka, burned by fire and impaled on the trident, lay like a corpse, but his mind became pure and sattvic. He reflected: “Even in a previous birth, I was burned by Śiva, whom I had worshipped directly as Maheśvara.