With the destruction and turmoil that had swept through the assembly of gods, the glorious one, bowing low and offering heartfelt prayers, addressed Bhadra with words of peace: “Let your anger subside, O Bhadra; even the gods themselves have been vanquished. Enough of wrath.” He implored further, “Be gracious, let all be forgiven, including those who were born from hair, O steadfast one.” By the supreme power of Brahmā, Bhadra’s fury was calmed, and gradually, peace was restored to all. The great Lord Vṛṣadhvaja, the Bull-bannered one, also stood serenely in the heavens, obeying that divine command. At this time, Śarva, the great Lord of all worlds and giver of every boon, stood surrounded by his attendants. Brahmā earnestly entreated him, and Śarva, moved by compassion, restored the bodies of those who had perished—returning to Indra his head, and to the great-souled Viṣṇu his own as well. Not only that, but the Lord restored Dakṣa, the foremost of sages, and others who had suffered; even the tip of the nose was returned to Vāgīśī and to the mother of the gods. Those who had died were granted life once more, and various boons were bestowed upon them by the blessed Lord. To Dakṣa, whose face had been destroyed, the Lord graciously fashioned a new head by his divine play. Regaining consciousness, Dakṣa rose and, with hands joined in reverence, praised Śaṅkara, the Lord of the gods, the Bull-bannered one. Pleased by these praises, the mighty Lord granted further boons, bestowing upon Dakṣa, pure in his actions, the lordship of the Gaṇas. All the gods, filled with gratitude, joined in praising the Supreme Lord of gods. The blessed Nārāyaṇa, with palms pressed together, offered his praises too, as did Brahmā and all the sages, each extolling the one born from the elephant. They all honored the Lord of gods, Nīlakaṇṭha, the blue-throated, Bull-bannered one. Having shown his favor to the gods, Bhava, the great Lord, then vanished from their sight. A question then arose: How did Satī, the auspicious daughter of Himavat, come into being, and how did she win the Lord of gods as her husband? By her own will, Satī assumed the body of Menā, and through rigorous austerity, she was born as the daughter of Himavat, O best of the twice-born. The Lord of the Mountain performed all the rites of birth and childhood for her, and in her twelfth year, this auspicious daughter began practicing austerity alongside her younger sisters—one beautiful-faced, and another, also a goddess, honored by all the worlds. All the sages gathered around the goddess, the great Lady of all worlds, and praised her for her steadfast austerities. The eldest sister was Aparṇā, the younger was Ekaparṇā, the beautiful-faced one; the third was Varārohā, and also Ekapāṭalā. By the force of her austerity, the great goddess Pārvatī brought even the supreme Lord, Mahādeva—the Lord of all beings—under her sway. At that very time, a mighty demon named Tāraka, son of Tāra and radiant offspring of Diti, caused terror. He had three powerful sons: Tārakākṣa, Vidyunmālī, and Kamalākṣa. Their father Tāra, of immense strength, had gained his power through austerity and the grace of Brahmā. With this energy, Tāra conquered the three worlds—both moving and unmoving—and had even previously defeated Viṣṇu in battle. A fierce, hair-raising battle broke out between Tāra and Viṣṇu, lasting a thousand divine years without rest. In the end, Tāra seized Viṣṇu, chariot and all, and hurled him a hundred yojanas away; conquered in battle, the bearer of the Garuḍa banner was forced to flee. Empowered by a boon from the grandfather Brahmā, Tāra’s strength increased a hundredfold, and he gained dominion over the entire world, O son of Diti. He defeated the gods led by Indra and, through his illusions, restrained them in all realms. The deities, along with Indra, were afflicted and terrified by Tāra, finding no peace or refuge, overwhelmed by fear. In their distress, the glorious lord of the immortals gathered with the chiefs of the gods and spoke to Aṅgiras in their presence: “O revered one, Tāra, the foremost among demons, has confronted us in battle as a herdsman would his calves. Because of him, O illustrious Bṛhaspati, in this great war, we wander homeless, like birds in a cage. Our infallible weapons are rendered useless by the power of this enemy of the immortals. For ten thousand years, even doubled, Viṣṇu fought him, yet could not slay him. If even mighty Viṣṇu could not prevail, how can we hope to stand against him?” Thus addressed by Śakra, Jīva, along with the lords of the gods and the thousand-eyed Indra, approached the illustrious Kuśadhvaja and spoke. Hearing their words, and out of compassion, Pitāmaha—Brahmā—spoke to Jīva and the assembled gods: “I know your suffering, O lords of the gods. Listen now: The goddess Satī, born from Rudra’s body, having rejected Dakṣa, was reborn as Umā, daughter of Himavat, revered by all worlds. By her form, O gods, when the great mind of Rudra was drawn forth by Viṣṇu, through the union of the two, Skanda—the mighty bearer of power—was born. He is six-faced, twelve-armed, commander of the army, born of fire, lordly, son of Svāhā, called Kārtikeya, son of Gaṅgā, and born in the abode of reeds.” Thus, the gods learned of the divine origins of Pārvatī and Skanda, and the restoration of order and hope among the immortals.