At that crucial moment, Brahma—the blessed one, best of mountains and son of Indra—was moved by compassion. Like a wise charioteer, he approached the supreme Lord and spoke in earnest supplication, “Enough of this anger, O Lord! The dwellers of heaven have been destroyed. Be gracious—let all be forgiven, together with the Romajas, O virtuous one.” Hearing these gentle words from Brahma, the supreme attendant, out of respect, became peaceful and pleased. Sensing the shift, the gods, ministers of the god of gods, seized the opportunity. With hands reverently placed upon their heads, they praised him with many hymns. They offered their adoration to Rudra, the auspicious one, lord of the Rudras, the very embodiment of Rudra. They extolled his form as Kālāgni Rudra, destroyer of the bodies of Kāla and Kāma, slayer of the heads of gods and the wicked Dakṣa. The gods confessed, “Because of our association with Dakṣa’s sin, though he acts without blemish, we have been punished by you in battle, O hero, and are blameless. We have all been burned by you, O Lord, and are afraid. You alone are our refuge; protect us who have come for shelter.” Thus praised and pleased, the Lord released the gods from bondage and brought them into the presence of the god of gods. There, the blessed Lord stood in the sky with his attendants, all-pervading Śarva, the great lord of all worlds. Seeing the supreme Lord, the gods led by Viṣṇu, though pleased, were also fearful, and they bowed to Maheśvara. Hara, remover of distress for those who bow, saw their fear and, smiling as he looked at Pārvatī, spoke gently, “Do not fear, all you gods; you are indeed my own people. Only for the sake of granting favor was punishment administered by the compassionate one. Your transgression, O immortals, has been forgiven by us. When we are angry, neither your position nor your life remains.” Thus addressed by Śarva, of immeasurable brilliance, all the gods, freed from doubt, danced joyfully. Their minds became clear and overwhelmed with bliss, and the dwellers of heaven began to compose hymns to Śaṃkara. They sang, “You alone, O God, are the creator, protector, and destroyer of all worlds; you are the supreme Lord, manifest as Kavi, Viṣṇu, and Rudra, whose essence sustains rajas, tamas, and sattva. Salutations to you, who are of all forms, creator of the universe, purifier; to the formless one, who, for the sake of devotees, has assumed a pleasing form. The moon, O Lord of gods, was healed by your compassion, O Śaṃkara; after sinking, it attained happiness from the offering of the sun’s rays. Sīmantinī, whose husband was slain, O Lord, by worshipping you, attained incomparable good fortune and sons from the vow of the moon day. The Lord gave to Śrīkara his own supreme abode; you are invincible by the circle of kings, O Sudarśana. The ocean of compassion rescued Medura along with his wife; by your act, you made Śāradā, once a widow, into one with a husband. You cut off the misfortune of Bhadrāyuṣ and granted him happiness; Sauminī was freed from the bondage of worldly existence by your service. You, O Śambhu, O Lord of the rivers, are the creator, sustainer, and destroyer through the qualities of rajas, sattva, and tamas, out of desire for the welfare of beings. You remove all pride, manifest all brilliance, are hidden within all knowledge and the like, and are the bestower of all grace. From you is everything, and you are everything; in you, O Lord of the Mountain, is all. Protect, protect, protect again—show mercy upon me.” Then, in that moment, Brahmā, with joined palms, bowed and, seizing the opportunity, made a request to the wielder of the trident: “Victory to you, O God, O Great God, remover of the distress of those who bow! In such offenses, who else but you shows favor? Those who were once defeated in battle and will be again—who would not be restored when the Supreme Lord is pleased? Whatever fault was committed here by the gods of gods in the battle, let that be considered an ornament, out of respect for your acceptance.” Thus addressed by Brahmā, the Lord of creation, the God of gods looked at the face of the Goddess and smiled gently. Out of affection for Brahmā, whom he regarded as a son, the Lord restored to the gods, beginning with him who was born from the lotus, their limbs as before. Likewise, to those goddesses—the divine mothers—who were first punished, the Lord of the Mountain restored their original limbs. But for Dakṣa, the blessed one, Brahmā himself, the grandsire, gave him a face of an old goat, in accordance with his sin. Regaining consciousness and seeing that he was alive, Dakṣa became afraid, joined his palms, and praised Śambhu, lamenting greatly: “Victory to you, O Lord, Lord of the universe, bestower of grace upon the worlds! Have mercy, O Great Lord, forgive my offense. You alone are the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the worlds, O Lord; I have now understood especially that you are the Lord of Viṣṇu and all others. By you alone is all this extended, pervaded, and created, not destroyed; indeed, none like Acyuta and others are your superiors, O Lord.” Dakṣa, thus agitated, fearful, and speaking incoherently, was one who had committed a wrong. Having spoken thus, desiring to please his father Brahma, the Lord granted him the imperishable leadership of the Ganas. Thus, by the Lord’s grace, harmony was restored among the gods, their mothers, and even Dakṣa, and all rejoiced in the presence of the supreme God of gods.