Upon seeing the gods gathered together, the blessed Lord Hari—Vishnu, the Lord of the gods—approached them with reverence. Bowing to the assembly, he addressed them gently, “Children, why have you come here in such a state, stripped of your ornaments and valor, troubled and distressed? You who are steadfast in your vows, speak—what has happened?” Hearing his compassionate words, those excellent deities, humbled and sorrowful, bowed to Vishnu, the god of gods, and recounted all that had occurred. They said, “O blessed one, Lord of the gods, Vishnu, victorious Janardana, we have all been oppressed by the demons and have come to you for refuge. You alone are our way, O Supreme Person; you alone are the supreme soul, the father even of the worlds. You are the sustainer, destroyer, enjoyer, and giver, O Janardana. Therefore, O subduer of demons, you must slay the demons.” The gods explained that the Daityas were protected by fierce powers—those of Vishnu, Brahma, Rudra, Yama, Kubera, Soma, Nairriti, Varuna—strong and formidable. They also possessed the powers of Vayu, Agni, Ishana, Varsha, Surya, Rudra, Bhima, Kampa, Jrimbha, and other mighty forces. All these Daityas, O lotus-eyed one, had become invulnerable by receiving boons; even Vishnu’s own discus, born from the solar orb, was raised against them. Yet, it had been blunted by the sages Dadhichi and Cyavana, and Vishnu’s staff, Sharnga bow, and weapons had been obtained by the Daityas through favor. Long ago, to slay the demon Jalandhara, the destroyer of Tripura had fashioned a chariot wheel—sharp and terrible. The gods urged Vishnu, “With that weapon, you must slay them. They can only be vanquished by that chariot wheel, not by hundreds of other weapons.” Listening to their plea, the lotus-eyed Hari, wielder of the discus, spoke to Brihaspati and the other gods: “O gods, together with all the eternal deities, let us approach the great god. Now that we have obtained everything, I will act for the celestials. To slay Jalandhara, a weapon was indeed fashioned by the destroyer of Tripura. Having obtained the chariot wheel, with it I will slay the great asuras—all the Daityas led by Dhundhu, sixty-eight in number, along with their hosts. Together with their kin, in a moment, I will deliver you all.” Having thus spoken to the best of the gods, Vishnu remembered the greatest among gods. The assembled deities then worshipped the excellent Shankara, establishing the linga according to proper rites upon the auspicious peak of Himavat. That linga, resembling Mount Meru, was fashioned by Vishvakarma, and Janardana—called Tvarita—together with Rudra and Raudra, established it. Vishnu bathed and worshipped the radiant, flame-like, and beautiful form, then praised Rudra, offering worship and bowing to the fire. He worshipped Shiva, whose names begin with ‘Bhava’, with a thousand names, starting with the sacred syllable and ending with ‘Salutations to the Ender’. For each name, he offered a lotus. In the fire, he made oblations to the Lord, using sacred sticks and offerings, reciting ‘svāhā’ at the end, properly making ten thousand offerings for each name. Once again, he praised Shambhu, the Lord of existence, with names beginning with ‘Bhava’: Bhava, Shiva, Hara, Rudra, Puruṣa, Lotus-eyed One. He invoked the one who is to be sought, ever righteous, all-auspicious, the great lord, the ruler, the firm one, the sovereign, thousand-eyed and thousand-footed. He honored the most excellent, bestower of boons, worthy of reverence, Shankara, supreme lord, bearer of the Ganges, holder of the trident, whose sole purpose is the highest good. He praised the all-knowing, foremost among gods, mountain-wielder, matted-haired, crowned with the moon, moon-crested, wise, lord of the universe and immortals. Vishnu honored the essence and collection of Vedanta, skull-bearer, blue and red-hued, support and object of meditation, husband of Gauri, lord of the hosts. He worshipped Shiva of eight forms, of universal form, the threefold aim, giver of heaven, attainable by knowledge, firm in wisdom, god of gods, three-eyed. He invoked Vamadeva, great god, pale, steadfast, firm, of universal form, with diverse eyes, lord of speech, pure, and inner essence. He praised the one responsive to all affection, marked with the bull, bull-bannered, lord, wielder of Pinaka, staff-bearer, of wondrous appearance, ancient one. He honored the dispeller of darkness, great yogi, protector, with matted locks from Brahma’s body, death of death, clad in hides, auspicious, of the nature of the sacred syllable. Vishnu worshipped Shiva assuming a madman’s guise, delightful to behold, difficult to approach, subduer of desire, firm-armed, teacher of Skanda, supreme, the ultimate refuge. He invoked the one without beginning, middle, or end, lord of mountains, friend of the mountains, friend of Kubera, blue-throated, the highest among the best of the worlds. He praised the one common to all gods, bow-bearer, blue-throated, axe-wielder, wide-eyed, deer-hunter, lord of gods, scorching like the sun. He honored the unfailing in righteous deeds, the field, the blessed one, destroyer of Bhaga’s eye, fierce, lord of creatures, swift as Garuda, dear to devotees, sweet-spoken. He worshipped the giver, compassionate, skillful, with braided hair, subduer of desire, dwelling in the cremation ground, subtle, abiding in the cremation ground, great lord. Vishnu honored the creator of the worlds, lord of beings, the great creator, the great healer, supreme, protector of cows, guardian, attainable through knowledge, the ancient one. He invoked Shiva as righteousness, supreme righteousness, pure in soul, Soma, delighting in Soma, blissful, drinker of Soma, drinker of nectar, Soma, of great conduct, of great wisdom. He praised the unborn enemy, illumination, worthy of honor, bearer of offerings to the fire, creator of the worlds, maker of the Vedas, composer of the aphorisms, eternal. He honored the great sage, teacher Kapila, radiance of the universe, three-eyed, wielder of Pināka, lord of the earth, giver of well-being, ever the doer of good. Thus, with devotion and reverence, Vishnu and the gods worshipped and praised Shiva, seeking his blessings and strength to overcome the mighty Daityas and restore peace to the worlds.