The blessed Lord, in his fierce aspect, took up arms against the assembled gods. With a single stroke, he cut Yama's staff and struck down the mighty Īśāna with his trident. Effortlessly, he overcame thirty-three gods, then three hundred more, and even three thousand, all vanquished with ease. Not only did he defeat these hosts, but he also slew three of the lords of the gods, the chief sages, and all other deities who had gathered for battle. Rudra, the blessed one, struck down his foes with swords, fists, and arrows. At this, the mighty Viṣṇu, enraged, raised his discus high. Mādhava and Rudra engaged in a terrible and hair-raising combat, their battle shaking the heavens. By the power of his yoga, Viṣṇu manifested countless fierce and divine forms, each brandishing conch, discus, and mace, all resplendent with the brilliance of Nārāyaṇa. In the midst of this celestial conflict, Rudra struck Viṣṇu on the head with his mace, then playfully struck him again on the chest. The supreme person fell unconscious to the ground, but soon rose, lifting his discus to strike Rudra down. With eyes reddened by anger, Viṣṇu stood firm, his discus shining like the sun at the end of time. Yet Rudra, undaunted, blocked the discus; it would not move, and Viṣṇu stood immobilized, as if he were a mountain unmoved at its peak. Suddenly, the lord’s bow Śārṅga was shattered in three places, and by the force at the tip of Śārṅga, Viṣṇu’s head was severed. It fell to the netherworld, driven by the wind and the power of Pinākin, the bringer of life. The severed head entered the sacrificial fire, whose altar was destroyed, posts broken, and gateway fallen. The great hall blazed with fire, and even the very sacrifice, taking the form of a deer, fled toward the sky. Vīrabhadra, the mighty hero, seized and made the sacrificer headless, then struck down Prajāpati Dharma and Kaśyapa, the revered teacher of the world. He also defeated Ariṣṭanemi, lord of many sons, the sage Aṅgiras, and Kṛṣṇāśva. Vīrabhadra then struck the renowned Dakṣa on the head with his foot, cut off his head, and the best of the twice-born burned it in the fire. Even the tips of Sarasvatī’s nose and the mother of the gods were cut off by Vīrabhadra’s finger. Surrounded by a terrible splendor, Vīrabhadra stood in the cremation ground, just as Bhava himself would. At that moment, the blessed one born from the lotus, Brahmā, appeared. Bowing and praying, Brahmā spoke words of peace: “Enough of anger, O Bhadra; even the gods have been destroyed. Be gracious, let all be forgiven, together with those born of hair, O steadfast one.” By Brahmā’s power, Vīrabhadra became calm. Gradually, peace was restored. The Lord Vṛṣadhvaja stood peacefully in the sky by Brahmā’s command. Śarva, the great Lord of all worlds, accompanied by his attendants, was earnestly entreated by Brahmā. At that time, the Lord restored the bodies of all who had been slain, just as before, including the heads of Indra and the great Viṣṇu. He likewise restored Dakṣa, the foremost sage, and others, as well as the tips of the noses to Vāgīśī and the mother of the gods. He granted life to those who had perished, and bestowed various boons. To Dakṣa, whose head was destroyed, the blessed Lord granted a new head, fashioned by his own play. Dakṣa, regaining consciousness, rose with joined palms and praised Śaṅkara, Lord of the gods, the Bull-bannered one. Pleased, the mighty Lord granted him various boons, including lordship over the Gaṇas. All the gods praised the supreme Lord, and Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā, and all the sages joined in, offering their praises to the one born from the elephant. They praised the Lord of gods, Nīlakaṇṭha, the Bull-bannered one. Having shown favor to the gods, Bhava then disappeared from their midst. After these events, a question arose: How did Satī, the auspicious daughter of Himavat, come to be, and how did she obtain the Lord of gods as her husband? Assuming the body of Menā by her own will, Satī was born as the daughter of Himavat, O best of the twice-born, through her own austerity. The Lord of the Mountain performed all her birth and other rites, and in her twelfth year, the auspicious daughter of Himavat, together with her younger sister—the beautiful-faced one—and another goddess honored by all the worlds, practiced austerity. All the sages surrounded the goddess, the great Lady of all worlds, and praised her for her austerity on every side. The eldest was Aparṇā, the younger was Ekaparṇā, the beautiful-faced one; the third was Varārohā, also called Ekapāṭalā. By the great austerity of Pārvatī, the supreme Lord Mahādeva, Lord of all beings, was brought under her sway. At that very time, a demon named Tāraka, the mighty son of Tārā and radiant offspring of Diti, was present in the world, heralding new challenges to come.