നoble women stood gracefully, their thighs resembling plantain stems—broad, full, and rounded hips adorned with gem-studded girdles that jingled melodiously. Their faces shone like golden mountain peaks, and the edge of their garments touched their foreheads, enhancing their radiance. In their homes, these women charmed all with sweet, faltering words, their anklets producing musical sounds. Slender as tender shoots and lovely as the moon, they worshipped you, O Lord, the Liberator from bondage. You alone are Brahmā, Hari, Wind, and Fire; you are Rudra, Death, Varuṇa, and the Lord of the gods; you are Soma, Vāyu, Earth, and the Supreme Lord. You are the sacrifice, the Lord of wealth, and the unconquered one. Those who conquer the seven hosts of gods and demons and attain liberation swiftly cross beyond the earth, traversing the sky and all directions without weariness, untouched by cold or heat. Absorbed in meditation and steadfast in yoga, contemplating your fourth, infinite state, O Formless One, embodied beings become liberated, free from fear, attaining the eternal, inconceivable, beginningless, endless Brahman. That supreme, ancient Lord is free from birth, disease, and decay, beyond old age, death, sorrow, and fear—subtle and immeasurable by gross perception, pure—such is the reality declared by the knowers of Vedānta. Those devoted worshippers, having long adored you, O Lord of blazing form, abode of austerities, ascend to heaven. O Sun, your spotless, beautiful feet are rubbed by the crowns of gods and demons alike. O Lord of beings, bestower of boons to all creatures, eternal Self, whose laughter fills the sky, sole light of the worlds, dwelling in the hymns of Ṛk, Sāma, and Yajus—you are named as the cause of creation, preservation, and dissolution, and the protector of the worlds. O God, in every birth, my mind, sunk in sorrow and delusion, is filled with countless desires. O eternal Lord, dispel the terrible afflictions of old age, death, grief, and disease, as the moon dispels darkness. Whoever recites this at dawn, midday, or dusk attains the world of the Sun and obtains righteousness, prosperity, and desire. Therefore, always, from the Sun and from the mind, whatever is spoken—salutations to you, O Lord of gods, bestower of fearlessness to devotees. Salutations to you, Subrahmaṇya, honored by all the gods; O blazing one, salutations to you, salutations to the eye of the world. Salutations to you, O source of light; O Sun, victory to you, Lord of the world! O Lord, I am afflicted here by this chief of demons. What shall I do? How can I slay this one, O Sun? The Sun spoke: "Conquer the most wicked one, skilled in a hundred illusions, with your trident." Achieve victory, O Lord of gods, by slaying Andhaka with your trident; take up the trident, hurl it far, O Hara, with your radiance. Then Andhaka, the doer of evil deeds, was struck with the trident. In that battle, Rudra was pressed hard by Andhaka. Rudra released a most fierce arrow, known as Pāśupata, bowing to his bow with both arms, Pinākī Śaṅkara himself. From the piercing of Andhaka by Rudra's arrow, blood flowed; and from that blood, hundreds and thousands of Andhakas arose. As they were being torn apart, from their blood arose other terrible darknesses, by which the entire world was enveloped. Seeing that sorcerer Andhaka, the Lord of gods then created Mothers to drink Andhaka's blood. He created Māheśvarī, Brāhmī, Śaurī, Bāḍavī, Sauparṇī, Vāyavyā, Śaṃkhinī, and Taittirī. He created Saurī, Saumyā, Śivadūtī, Cāmuṇḍā, Vāruṇī, Vārāhī, Nārasiṃhī, Vaiṣṇavī, and Vibhāvarī. He created Śatānandā, Bhagānandā, Picchilā, Bhagamālinī, Bālā, Atibalā, Raktā, Surabhī, and Mukhamaṇḍitā. He created Mātṛnandā, Sunandā, Biḍānī, Śakunī, Revati the highly virtuous, and also Śikhipaṭṭikā. Then Tripurāntaka pierced the demon with his trident, and the Mothers drank the blood that flowed out. Deprived of blood, the demon became dried up, O king; impaled on the trident, the demon remained for a thousand divine years. Even though held by the mighty Rudra, he did not die; then, O virtuous one, Śambhu was praised with devotion by the demon. The demon prayed: "Salutations to you, Śambhu, cause of the destruction of existence; salutations to you, O god, grant your favor. You are earth, water, fire, wind, ether, the sun, the moon, the sacrificer, the eight-formed, the origin and dissolution of the world." Bāṇa, having pleased you with many instruments, attained lordship in his own city and its protection; the lord of the Rākṣasas, who lifted a mountain with his arms, endured hardship, his form oppressed by your stride. Having attained lordship over all the hosts of Rākṣasas, and his son, the powerful enemy of Indra, O remover of the fear of existence, O supreme and generous one, bringer of happiness, essence of all the gods. Your lotus feet are the essence that removes the darkness of the mind, which has conquered the pride of the Maruts and crossed the ocean of opposition. O Lord, whoever places your lotus feet in his heart, you grant his every wish, filled with devotion. The great sages of old, having worshipped Hara, the Lord, in the form of a liṅga with reverence, attained their cherished desires. Meditating on him as the sole form of creation and dissolution, the fivefold universe, dwelling in the hollow of a tree, he is the life of all beings. By meditating on your feet, O Lord, all desires are fulfilled, and one is accompanied at every step by your devoted servants. I am ignorant and do not know how to praise you, O lover of devotees. Even in battle, he is to be pitied by the mind of one who has a lord. Thus praised with devotion by the demon, Maheśa was honored. He granted him the status of Gaṇeśa and the name Bhṛṅgiriṭi. Such is your greatness, O king, of Hara, the remover of existence. He is called the remover of obstacles, bringing happiness to his devotees. Bhīṣma asked: Even for a human, divinity, happiness, sovereignty, wealth, and fame—O best of Brahmins, tell me of victory, enjoyment, health, long life, knowledge, prosperity, sons, kin, and all auspiciousness. Pulastya replied: A Brahmin endowed with these qualities is always glorious on earth; in the three worlds, he is ever pure, a divine sage in every age. Having worshipped Brahmins and gods, they enjoy inexhaustible heaven; kings attain the earth, worlds, wealth, happiness, and auspiciousness. In this world, there is none equal to a Brahmin; even among the gods, he is a deity. He is truly filled with righteousness and greatly bestows liberation on earth.