O Hari, at the tip of the pillar of fire, the ketaka flower stood as witness. There, in the presence of the gods, the ketaka declared, "It is false." Thus, Brahmā, the Creator, spoke these words before all. Hari, taking the ketaka’s statement as truth, bowed reverently to Brahmā and worshipped him with the full sixteenfold ritual offerings. But as Brahmā, having spoken falsely, was about to strike the fiery liṅga, the Supreme Lord Himself manifested before them in a visible form. At the sight of the Lord, Brahmā’s hands trembled; he fell at the Lord’s feet, grasping them, overcome with awe. The Lord, whose form is without beginning or end, spoke with compassion: "May no further confusion, born of desire and delusion, arise for you here. Be gracious, O compassionate source; forgive the stain committed in your own divine play." Turning to Hari, the Lord said warmly, "I am pleased with you, my child. Though you desired lordship, you spoke only the truth. Therefore, among all beings, you shall have equality with me and will receive the same honor as I do. From this day forth, you and your distinct self shall together perform the festival and worship for the establishment of this sacred site." Thus, in the presence of the assembled gods, the pleased Lord bestowed supreme equality upon Hari for his truthfulness. Desiring to subdue Brahmā’s pride, the great God then created a wondrous being, Bhairava, from between his brows. Bhairava bowed before the Lord in the divine assembly and asked, "O Lord, what is your command? What should I do here? Speak quickly." The Lord replied, "This Brahmā, the direct progenitor of the worlds, is to be worshipped, yet he has erred. Strike him swiftly with your sharp sword." Obeying, Bhairava seized Brahmā’s fifth head—proud and false-speaking—with one hand, and cut it off. Intending to slay him, Bhairava brandished his sword fiercely. Stripped of his ornaments, garments, garlands, upper cloth, and with his matted hair cast aside, Brahmā became unsteady like a creeper in a storm, and fell at Bhairava’s lotus feet. Witnessing this, the compassionate Acyuta—Viṣṇu—wished to see the divine ordinance fulfilled. He placed the dust of the Lord’s lotus feet upon his own head, and, with joined hands and tears streaming down his face, spoke as a child to his father, his words faltering: "O Lord, what you once gave with effort—the mark of five faces, the sign of sovereignty—because of that, forgive him. He is worthy of your grace. Show him favor for the sake of your ordinance." Thus entreated by Acyuta, the Lord was pleased and, in the assembly of the gods, withdrew Bhairava from punishing Brahmā further. Then the Lord spoke to Brahmā, now bereft of his fifth head: "O Brahmā, you who desire worship, you have assumed lordship through deceit. From this day, you shall never again receive honor in the world—no festivals, no seats of respect." Brahmā, humbled, replied, "O Lord of great glory, be gracious now. I desire only the release of my head as a boon. Salutations to you, O Blessed One, kinsman, source of the universe, patient bearer of all faults, Śambhu, wielder of the mountain bow. Without a ruler, the world would fall into chaos; therefore, punish the deserving and bear the burden of the world, O child." The Lord, granting a boon, said, "Accept this rare and supreme gift: in all Vaitānika and domestic sacrifices, you shall be the preceptor. Without you, sacrifice—even with all its proper parts—bears no fruit." Turning to the ketaka flower, the Lord continued, "O ketaka, you have been wicked and deceitful—go far from here! My worship shall never again include your flower, nor shall it be supreme therein." At the Lord’s command, the divine beings restrained the ketaka, keeping it away from the Lord’s side. The ketaka, remorseful, prayed, "Salutations to you, Lord! Let my birth, rendered fruitless by your command, now be made fruitful, O Father. Forgive my sin. Sin, whether born of knowledge or ignorance, is surely destroyed by remembrance of you. Having beheld you, how could false blame arise for me?" Thus praised by the ketaka, the Lord replied, "It is not fitting for me to bear you; I am one who speaks only the truth." But moved by compassion, He added, "Yet I shall bear you as my own; thus, your birth will be fulfilled. By the pretext of the canopy, you shall be above me." Having thus bestowed grace upon the ketaka, the Lord shone forth in the midst of the assembly, with Brahmā and Mādhava (Viṣṇu) at His side, praised by all the gods. Meanwhile, Brahmā and Mādhava, bowing with joined hands, stood silently to the right and left of the Lord. There, they seated the Lord and His family upon a seat of honor and worshipped Him with pure offerings, worthy of the noble. The masculine, natural form of the Lord was adorned with necklaces, anklets, armlets, crowns, jewels, and earrings—whether these ornaments endured for long or short. Sacred threads, upper garments, garlands, silks, flower wreaths, rings, and anointments of flowers, betel, camphor, sandalwood, and aloe were offered. Incense, lamps, white umbrellas, fans, banners, yak-tail whisks, and other divine items, their splendor beyond speech and thought, were presented. All that was most excellent and fitting for the Lord, whether procured by men or animals, and suitable for the Lord’s banner, was offered in worship. Desiring to reach the highest, the Lord joyfully distributed these offerings to the assembly, giving each separately and in due order. A great tumult arose as these objects were received; and in this way, in ancient times, Śaṅkara was worshipped by Brahmā and Viṣṇu. Pleased, the Lord addressed the two who had bowed before Him, a smile lighting His face and deepening their devotion: "I am satisfied with you today, O dear ones, by this worship on this great day. Therefore, this day will become supremely holy; this lunar date, known as Śivarātri, is dear to me. Whoever, at this time, worships the garlanded liṅga images, truly accomplishes the duties of the world—maintenance, creation, and so on. On Śivarātri, both day and night, one who fasts, is self-controlled, and worships according to the rules and to the best of their ability, without deceit—such a devotee attains the highest grace.