As the ages unfolded, the divine witnessed the birth of Hiraṇyagarbha, and Brahmā, the lotus-born, beheld Rudra—Śaṅkara—the great god. There, before him, stood Ardhanārīśvara, the Lord, half male and half female, radiant and magnificent. Brahmā, recognizing him as the bestower of boons, praised him with reverent words. The unborn, all-pervading Lord of the universe spoke: “Divide yourself.” At his command, from his own left side, he created the goddess—his wife—equal to himself in every way. This auspicious wife was Faith, the ancient consort, and by the mighty one’s decree, she became Dakṣa’s daughter. Thus, called Satī, the goddess chose Rudra alone as her husband. Later, after censuring Dakṣa, she was born again as Menā’s daughter. Dakṣa, driven by arrogance and contempt, reviled and disrespected the god of gods, Umā’s husband, due to Nārada’s curse. Upon learning of Dakṣa’s insult, Satī, in her anguish, reduced her own body to ashes through the path of yoga. Then, by the austerity of the lord of the mountain, the goddess was reborn as Pārvatī. Knowing this, the blessed Bharga, angered, burned the sacrifice. By the word of Cyavana, Dakṣa’s great sacrifice was destroyed, with Cyavana’s wise son, Dadhīca, involved in the act. Empowered by Tryambaka’s favor, the sage-lord conquered Viṣṇu in battle, and he cursed Viṣṇu and the guardians of the worlds. Rudra’s wrath, manifested as a fiery illusion, destroyed the gods in an instant. After conquering together with Viṣṇu, the blessed Supreme Lord, by Dadhīca’s word, prompted Maheśvara to act. At Dakṣa’s grand sacrifice, Rudra burned all the gods, including Viṣṇu and the groups of sages. In his unbearable separation from the goddess, the Supreme Lord sent forth a group named Bhadra. From his hair, he created Vīrabhadra and the lords of the gaṇas—auspicious beings—who mounted a chariot with Bhadra at the helm. Their charioteer was the blessed unborn one, and all the lords of the gaṇas, bearing various weapons, accompanied them. The gods followed in all directions, riding auspicious aerial chariots, toward the delightful golden peak on the beautiful summit of the Himalaya. Near the gateway of the Ganges, in that region known as Kanakhala, the sacrificial enclosure stood. Then, sent by the Supreme Lord, the blessed Bhadra was dispatched to burn the sacrifice. At that moment, a fearful omen arose, terrifying the worlds: mountains shattered, the earth trembled, winds whirled violently, and the ocean’s abode was agitated. Fires ceased to blaze, the sun did not shine, and neither gods nor demons nor planets gave light. In an instant, the blessed one, accompanied by the Bhairava hosts, entered the sacrificial enclosure like a second fire of destruction. Bhadra addressed Dakṣa, whose splendor was immeasurable: “By contact with Pinākin, O Dakṣa, you, the sages, and the gods— I have been sent to burn you along with the lords of sages.” With these words, the chief of the gaṇas set fire to the sacrificial hall. Enraged, the lords of the gaṇas uprooted and hurled the sacrificial posts; the chanters and priests were burned as well. The gaṇas seized all present and cast them into the current of the Ganges. Vīrabhadra, mighty and fearless, seized Indra’s raised hand, restrained it, and did likewise to the other gods. Playfully, he plucked out Bhaga’s eyes with his fingers, struck Pūṣan and knocked out his teeth, and brought down Chandra with his toe. Vīrabhadra then ground and cut off Indra’s head with his sword. He cut off both hands of Agni, tore out his tongue, and struck him on the head with his foot. The blessed Lord himself cut Yama’s staff and struck down mighty Īśāna with his trident. With ease, he slew thirty-three gods, then three hundred, then three thousand more. He also slew three lords of gods, the chief sages, and others who had assembled for battle. Rudra struck down all with swords, fists, and arrows. Then, Viṣṇu, enraged, raised his discus. Blessed Mādhava fought with Rudra, and between them arose a terrible, hair-raising battle. By his yogic power, Viṣṇu manifested countless fierce divine forms, each armed with conch, discus, and mace, all shining with Nārāyaṇa’s brilliance. Rudra struck Viṣṇu on the head with his mace, then playfully struck him again on the chest amid the battle. At that moment, the supreme person fell unconscious to the ground, but soon rose, lifting his discus to slay Rudra. With eyes reddened by anger, the illustrious bull among men stood firm, his fierce discus shining like the sun at the end of time.