With a heart full of compassion, the Divine assures, “I remove all sins that arise from the mother’s body and the father’s body—there can be no doubt, O Lord, that I destroy every trace of sin.” The power of the sacred Aghora mantra is then revealed: if it is recited one hundred thousand times, even a Brahmin-killer is freed from his terrible burden. For sins of speech, half that number suffices, and for sins of thought, half again. If a sin was committed intentionally, four times that amount is required; for sins committed in anger, eight times the recitation is prescribed. The slayer of a hero is purified by one hundred thousand recitations, while one who slays a fetus must practice the mantra a million times. The purification for a mother-killer is even greater: ten million recitations are needed, and there is no doubt about their efficacy. Those who kill a cow, prove ungrateful, slay women, or are deeply tainted by sin are all freed by reciting the Aghora mantra ten thousand times. One who has drunk liquor, knowingly or unknowingly, is purified by one hundred thousand recitations, and for drinking Varuni, half that number is sufficient. If one eats without bathing, or if a twice-born fails to recite his daily prayers, a thousand recitations will purify him. Likewise, one who eats without offering food, or who is stingy and does not give, is purified by a thousand recitations. A thief of Brahmins’ property, or a vile man who steals gold, is freed by mentally reciting the mantra ten million times. If one violates the teacher’s bed or kills his mother, he too must recite mentally; the same applies to a Brahmin-killer. Even the sin that comes from associating with sinners is considered equal to these grave offenses. Yet, by reciting the mantra ten thousand times, one is freed from such association; for those who have kept bad company, a mental recitation of one hundred thousand times with focused intent is required. The mantra may be recited in a low voice for fourfold merit, or aloud for eightfold, but for those guilty of grave sins, only half the merit is gained; for lesser sins, the same rule applies. In the case of a single sin—such as slaying a Brahmin, drinking liquor, or stealing gold—half the merit is obtained, and there should be no doubt about this. If a Brahmin commits a grave sin, such as violating the teacher’s bed, he should take the urine of a Kapila cow, accompanied by the Rudra-Gāyatrī mantra. With the mantra ‘gandhadvāre,’ he should take fresh cow dung; with ‘tejo’si śuktam,’ clarified butter, as prescribed by the wise. With ‘āpyāyasva,’ he should take milk; with ‘dadhikrāvaṇa,’ fresh curd from a Kapila cow. With ‘devasya tvā,’ he should collect water using kuśa grass, placing it in a golden vessel, or, with the Aghora mantra, in a silver one. Alternatively, the water may be placed in a copper or lotus-leaf vessel, or a pure palāśa leaf, with a bundle of kuśa grass, adorned with all kinds of gems and gold. The Aghora mantra should be recited one hundred thousand times, and oblations offered with ghee and other substances—ghee, cooked offerings, sacred sticks, and sesame seeds. Barley and rice should be offered separately, each seven times; if these are unavailable, ghee alone will suffice. After offering these oblations to the Lord with the Aghora mantra, and bathing with the same, the twice-born should then bathe the Lord with eight droṇas of ghee and purify himself. Having fasted for a day and night and bathed, he should drink the kuśa mixture before Śiva, recite the Brahma mantra, and perform the prescribed acts of purification. In this way, even one who has committed the gravest of sins—killing a Brahmin, a fetus, a hero, a teacher, betraying a friend’s trust, thievery, gold theft, violating the teacher’s bed, habitual drunkenness, attachment to outcast women, violating another’s wife, destroying Vedic offerings, killing a cow, killing mother or father, driving away the gods, destroying the liṅga, and many other sins of mind, word, or deed, even by the thousands—having performed these acts of expiation, is immediately freed, even from the accumulated burden of hundreds of births. This secret is revealed by the grace of Aghoreśa. Therefore, it is taught that a twice-born should always recite for purification from all sins. Now, O foremost of sages, listen as another wondrous cycle of Brahmā is described, known as Viśvarūpa. When the great dissolution had ended and creation began anew, Brahmā, desiring sons, meditated deeply upon the Supreme Lord. In response, the great sound arose—Sarasvatī herself, in universal form, adorned with the garland and garments of the cosmos, and wearing the sacred thread of the universal sacrifice. She bore the universal turban, was fragrant with the scent of the universe, the mother of all, and the great bee. In this form, the Blessed One meditated upon Īśāna, the Supreme Lord. Pure as crystal, adorned with all ornaments, Pitāmaha, with a concentrated mind, worshipped Him. He offered worship to the god Īśāna, Lord of all, the omnipresent ruler, saying, “Om Īśāna, salutations to you; Mahādeva, salutations to you. Salutations to you, Īśāna, Supreme Lord of all knowledge; salutations to you, Īśāna, Bull-bannered Lord of all beings. Lord of Brahmā, to you; to Brahmā, to the one of Brahmā’s form; salutations to the Lord of Brahmā—may Śiva, Sadāśiva, always be auspicious for me. “O Lord of gods, embodiment of Om, Sadyojāta, salutations again and again; I take refuge in you, I have sought you—salutations to Sadyojāta. Salutations to you in non-being and being, and also in neither excessive being; O source of being, Lord of existence, O radiant one, favor me. Salutations to you, Vāmadeva, to the eldest and the bestower of boons; salutations to Rudra, to Time, to the measurer—salutations again and again. Salutations to you, O Vikaraṇa, of the color of Time, the colored one, the strong one, always among the strong; salutations always to you, O Vikaraṇa. Salutations to you, destroyer of strength, the strong one, of Brahmā’s form, Lord of all beings, and subduer of creatures.” Thus, in the beginning of creation, Brahmā worshipped Īśāna, the Supreme Lord, with profound devotion and humility.