He who recites the thousand names attains the highest state. Now, the sages, filled with curiosity, addressed Sūta, the wise narrator: “O Sūta, you have spoken of the goddess’s origin. Please tell us in detail, as it truly happened, about her incarnation as Satī. How did Menā become the great goddess? How was Dakṣa’s sacrifice destroyed? And how was the goddess given by Viṣṇu to Śaṃbhu, the god of gods? How did her auspiciousness come to be? Tell us everything as it occurred.” Hearing their earnest request, Sūta, foremost among storytellers, began to recount the ancient tale of the goddess’s origin, just as Brahmā had once narrated it to Daṇḍin. This story, Sūta explained, had been passed from Brahmā to Daṇḍin, from Daṇḍin to Kumāra, from Kumāra to the wise Vyāsa, and now, having heard it himself, Sūta would relate it in full detail. With reverence, Sūta bowed to Umā and Bhava, saying, “By your command, O blessed ones, I begin. She who is called Bhaga, the sustainer of the world, is the threefold altar of the liṅga form. The liṅga, together with the altar and the goddess, is the source of all creation. Śiva, in the form of the liṅga, stands as the radiant light above all darkness. From the union of the liṅga and the altar emerged Ardhanārīśvara, the Lord who is both male and female. This being first created the god Brahmā, the four-faced one, his own son. Hara, who is pure knowledge itself, imparted wisdom to Brahmā. That all-pervading Lord, Ardhanārīśvara, surpasses the universe. Brahmā, the lotus-born, saw Hiraṇyagarbha being born, and in turn, beheld Rudra, the great god Śaṅkara. Awestruck, Brahmā praised Ardhanārīśvara with chosen words, recognizing him as the bestower of all boons. Then, the unborn, all-pervading Lord of the universe commanded, ‘Divide yourself.’ From his own left side, he created the goddess, his wife, equal to himself in every way. Faith, indeed, was his auspicious wife—she, the ancient consort of the Lord. By the command of the mighty one, the goddess became Dakṣa’s daughter. Known as Satī, she chose Rudra alone as her husband. However, after Dakṣa censured her and her Lord, the goddess, in time, was born again as Menā’s daughter. Dakṣa, due to the curse of Nārada, grew arrogant and disrespectful toward the god of gods, Umā’s husband, scorning him out of pride and contempt. Knowing that she had been insulted, Satī, in her sorrow, reduced her own body to ashes by the power of yoga. Yet, the goddess was reborn as Pārvatī, the daughter of the mountain king, through his great austerity. Understanding this, the blessed Bharga, angered by the events, burned the sacrifice. By the word of the sage Cyavana, Dakṣa’s great sacrifice was destroyed, with the wise Dadhīca, Cyavana’s son, involved in these events. By the favor of Tryambaka, Dadhīca conquered Viṣṇu in battle and, in his triumph, cursed Viṣṇu and the guardians of the worlds. Then, by the fire born of Rudra’s wrath, and through the power of Śaṅkara’s illusion, the gods were destroyed in an instant as the oblation was offered. The sages asked Sūta, “Having conquered together with Viṣṇu, and by the word of Dadhīca, how did Maheśvara act?” Sūta replied: At Dakṣa’s great sacrifice, blessed Rudra burned all the gods, with Viṣṇu at their head, and all the groups of sages as well. Because of the unbearable separation from the goddess, the Supreme Lord sent a group named Bhadra. He created Vīrabhadra and the lords of the gaṇas, auspicious ones born from his own hair. Powerful Bhadra mounted a chariot with the lords of the gaṇas, his charioteer the blessed unborn one. All the gaṇas, bearing various weapons, accompanied him. The gods followed in all directions, riding in auspicious aerial chariots, to the splendid golden peak atop the beautiful Himalaya. There, near the gateway of the Ganges, was the sacrificial enclosure, in the renowned and auspicious region called Kanakhala. Then, sent by the Supreme Lord, the blessed Bhadra was dispatched to burn the sacrifice. A fearful omen arose, terrifying the worlds: the mountains were shattered, the earth trembled, the winds whirled violently, and even the abode of the ocean was agitated. The fires would not blaze, the sun did not shine, the planets gave no light, and neither gods nor demons could be seen. In a moment, the blessed Bhadra, accompanied by the hosts of Bhairavas, entered the sacrificial enclosure like another fire of destruction. He addressed Dakṣa, whose splendor was immeasurable: “By the very contact with Pinākin, O Dakṣa, you, the sages, and the gods— I have been sent to burn you along with the lords of sages.” Having spoken thus, the chief of the gaṇas set fire to the sacrificial hall. The enraged lords of the gaṇas uprooted the sacrificial posts and hurled them; the chanters and priests, too, were consumed in the flames. The gaṇas seized all present and cast them into the current of the Ganges. Mighty Vīrabhadra seized Indra’s raised hand and restrained it, as he did with the other gods. Playfully, he plucked out Bhaga’s eyes with the tips of his fingers. Striking Pūṣan with his fist, he knocked out his teeth. With his big toe, he brought down the god Chandra. Glorious and mighty, Vīrabhadra began to grind, and then, with his sword, cut off the head of the lordly Indra. He cut off both hands of Agni, tore out his tongue, and struck him on the head with his foot. Thus, in the fury and sorrow of separation from the goddess, the destruction of Dakṣa’s sacrifice was complete, and the power of Rudra and his followers was manifest to all.