O mighty one, hear now the sacred tale as it unfolded. In the midst of a great assembly, the slayer of the gods’ enemies was instructed that forgiveness finds no place upon the battlefield—not in the future, the past, in weakness, or even when surrounded by one’s own kin. Yet, when the time is not right, or in the face of unrighteousness or calamity, a different course may be taken. Thus, having spoken these words, the great lord bestowed upon Viṣṇu the radiant discus, shining with the brilliance of ten thousand suns. Not only this, but the leader of the worlds also granted him an eye, lotus-like in its beauty. From that moment, steadfast Viṣṇu became known as the Lotus-eyed. Having given both the eye and the discus, Nīlalohita—he who is blue and red in hue—touched Viṣṇu with his beautiful hands and spoke with affection. “I am the bestower of boons,” he said. “Choose the highest boon you desire. By your devotion, O best of men, I am truly won over.” Viṣṇu, thus addressed by the god of gods, bowed reverently and replied, “Grant me devotion to you, O Mahādeva; let this be my supreme boon. I desire nothing else, for your devotees, O Lord, know no distress.” Hearing these words, Mahādeva was filled with great compassion. He touched Viṣṇu, bestowing upon him unwavering faith, and spoke these words to Acyuta, the supreme self: “By my grace, you shall be devoted to me, worshipped and honored by both gods and demons alike, O best of the gods—there is no doubt. When Satī, the daughter of Dakṣa with beautiful eyes, reproaches her mother and father, she will become the queen of the gods. At that time, the divine daughter of Himavat, your auspicious sister the goddess Umā, will also be yours, O Viṣṇu. By Brahmā’s command, you shall give that virtuous one to me, and thus related, you will be honored among all beings. From that moment, you will see me, Śaṅkara, in a divine form—gracious and friendly to you as to your own self.” Having spoken thus, the blessed Rudra, blue and red in hue, vanished from sight. And the blessed Janārdana, in the presence of the gods, together with the sages, approached the great god Brahmā and requested the splendid divine hymn to the Lotus-born, which had been recited. Whoever recites, hears, or causes the best of the twice-born to hear this hymn, gains for each name the merit of gold. Such a one attains the fruit of a thousand horse sacrifices. If he bathes Rudra with ghee and other offerings in a pure vessel, and worships Śiva with these thousand names in faith, he too obtains the fruit of a thousand sacrifices, as did the lords of the Asuras. He becomes worthy of worship by Rudra and gains his favor. Thus, the Lotus-born spoke to Janārdana. Having bowed to the Lord of gods, the teacher of the world, the assembly departed. Therefore, O sinless twice-born, one should worship with the thousand names, for he who recites them attains the highest state. At this point, the wise Sūta was addressed by the sages: “O wise one, you have indicated the origin of the goddess. Now tell us in detail, as it truly happened, about her as Satī: how Menā became the great goddess, how Dakṣa’s sacrifice was destroyed, and how she was given by Viṣṇu to Śaṃbhu, the god of gods. How did her auspiciousness come about? Tell us now.” Hearing their words, Sūta, foremost among narrators, began to describe to those great souls the origin of the great goddess, as it was once told by Brahmā to Daṇḍin, in full detail. That account was then told by Daṇḍin to Kumāra, and by Kumāra to the wise Vyāsa. Therefore, having heard it, Sūta now related it in full. “By your command, O highly fortunate ones, I bow to Umā and Bhava. She, called Bhaga, the sustainer of the world, is the threefold altar of the liṅga form. O best of the twice-born, the blessed liṅga, together with the altar and the goddess, is the source of creation. Śiva, in the form of the liṅga, is the light standing above darkness. By the union of the liṅga and the altar, Ardhanārīśvara—half male, half female—came into being. He first created the god Brahmā, his four-faced son. Hara, who is composed of knowledge, imparted wisdom to Brahmā. That blessed Ardhanārīśvara, the all-pervading Lord, surpasses the universe. The god saw Hiraṇyagarbha being born, and Brahmā beheld Rudra, the great god, Śaṅkara. Seeing Ardhanārīśvara, the Lord, standing there, the lotus-born Brahmā praised him with chosen words as the bestower of boons. The unborn, all-pervading Lord of the universe, said, ‘Divide yourself,’ and from his left side he created the goddess, his wife, equal to himself. Faith was his auspicious wife, the ancient consort of the man; by the command of the mighty one, that goddess became Dakṣa’s daughter. Then, called Satī, she took Rudra alone as her husband. After censuring Dakṣa, in time, the goddess was born again as Menā’s daughter. Dakṣa, too, because of Nārada’s curse, reviled and disrespected the god of gods, Umā’s husband, out of arrogance and contempt. Knowing Dakṣa’s insult, Satī immediately reduced her own body to ashes by the path of yoga. The goddess was born again as Pārvatī, by the austerity of the lord of the mountain. Knowing this, the blessed Bharga, angered, burned the sacrifice. By the word of Cyavana, the great sacrifice of Dakṣa was destroyed; Cyavana’s wise son, Dadhīca, was involved in this. Having conquered Viṣṇu in battle by the favor of Tryambaka, the sage-lord cursed Viṣṇu and the guardians of the worlds.” Thus, O wise one, the tale was told, each event flowing from the other, revealing the profound origins and deeds of the great goddess and the eternal interplay of the divine.