Thus, when Shakra, the king of the gods, approached the sage Upamanyu and offered him a boon, the sage, with hands joined in reverence, humbly replied, “My only wish is devotion to Shiva.” Hearing this, the Lord—still in the guise of Shakra—grew agitated and his voice betrayed a trace of anger. He addressed Upamanyu, saying, “O divine sage, do you not recognize me? I am Shakra, the king of the gods, ruler of the three worlds, honored by all the deities. Become my devotee, O best of brahmins; worship me always. I shall grant you every blessing. Abandon Rudra, the attributeless one.” But Upamanyu, undeterred and unwavering, heard these words—sharp as arrows—and began to recite the auspicious five-syllable mantra of Shiva. He declared, “Surely, someone has come here in Shakra’s form—some lowly demon intent on obstructing dharma. There can be no other explanation. Was it not you yourself who once reviled the Supreme God, declaring the transcendence and greatness of Shiva? What more can I say? Today, I have come to understand the great sin committed by slandering Bhava, the Lord—such slander as I once heard.” He continued, “One who hears slander of Bhava should, at that very moment, abandon their own body; by doing so, they swiftly attain Shiva’s world. Whoever tears out the tongue of one who delights in slandering Shiva, after uplifting twenty-one generations, goes to Shiva’s world. Let my desire for milk be set aside; O lowest of the gods, I shall slay you with Shiva’s weapon and then abandon this body.” Upamanyu recalled, “Long ago, my mother told me that in a previous birth we failed to worship the Lord.” Having spoken thus, fearless and resolute, Upamanyu prepared to strike Indra with the Atharvan missile, skillfully invoking the mantras. Adorned with sacred ashes, he took up a handful of them, empowered them with the Atharvan missile, and hurled them forth, his roar resounding. Intent on burning his own body, he entered a fiery meditation, standing firm and unshakable, like dry wood awaiting the flame. At that moment, as Upamanyu’s resolve blazed, the Lord—destroyer of Bhaga’s eye—gently restrained the yogi’s concentration. By the command of Nandi and Chandraka, the Atharvan missile, which blazed like the fire of time, was withdrawn. Then, the blessed Supreme Lord revealed his own true form to the brahmin, crowned with the crescent moon. All around Upamanyu appeared a thousand streams of milk, oceans of milk, oceans of curds, oceans of clarified butter, oceans of fruits for the boy, oceans of delicious foods, and mountains of cakes—wondrous sustenance arrayed in every direction. The blessed Lord, smiling, spoke to Upamanyu, who was surrounded by his relatives. Girijā, the compassionate Mother, smiled upon him as Shiva gazed with kindness. Shiva said, “Enjoy all pleasures as you wish, my child, together with your relatives. Today, I have made you my son. I bestow upon you the ocean of milk, the ocean of honey, the ocean of curds, the ocean of clarified butter, the ocean of fruits and sweets, mountains of cakes, and again the ocean of foods to eat and enjoy. O sage, your father is the great god Mahadeva, father of the worlds; your mother is the Mother of the universe—of this there is no doubt.” The Lord continued, “I grant you immortality and eternal lordship over the Ganas. Choose further boons, if you wish; there is no need for hesitation.” Having spoken thus, Mahadeva embraced Upamanyu, smelled his head in blessing, and, together with Devi, bestowed every auspicious blessing upon him. Devi, beholding her son, was pleased and granted him yogic mastery and the supreme knowledge of Brahman. Receiving these boons and perpetual youth, Upamanyu praised Mahadeva with words choked with joy. With hands joined and bowing again and again, he requested one final boon from the stainless-eyed Lord: “Be gracious, Lord of gods. May unwavering faith and your presence, O Mahadeva, always abide in me.” Shankara, smiling, granted this desired boon to the brahmin and then vanished on the spot. Later, Vasudeva Krishna, whose actions are ever pure, came to Upamanyu. From Dhaumya’s elder brother, Krishna obtained the divine vow of Pāśupata. How did Krishna, the wise one, receive this knowledge? Though the eternal Vasudeva had descended by his own will, he performed bodily purification, as if to transcend the limitations of human existence. Desiring a son, the Blessed Lord went to Upamanyu’s ashram to perform austerity. Upon seeing Upamanyu, Krishna, full of respect, bowed to him and circumambulated him three times. Merely by seeing the sage, all impurities of Krishna—arising from body and action—were destroyed. Upamanyu, radiant in his splendor, sprinkled Krishna with ashes and addressed him as Agni, as Vayu, and by other divine names. With a delighted heart, he imparted to Krishna the divine knowledge of Pāśupata; by the sage’s grace, Krishna became worthy of that supreme knowledge.