Without your presence, O Devi, even the most elaborate sacrifices, with all their rituals and offerings, bear no fruit. It was at this moment that the great Lord addressed the deceitful ketaka flower, who had acted as a false witness. The Lord spoke sternly, “O ketaka, you are wicked and deceitful—depart from here! Never again shall your flower be used in my worship, nor shall it hold a place of honor among my offerings.” As the Lord declared this, all the assembled gods prevented the ketaka from coming near, keeping it at a distance from his presence. Deeply humbled, the ketaka offered salutations to the Lord, and with a sorrowful heart pleaded, “O Lord, O Father, let my birth, made fruitless by your command, now be made fruitful. Forgive my transgression. For sin, whether committed knowingly or in ignorance, is destroyed by remembrance of you. When one beholds you in this way, how could blame falsely fall upon me?” Hearing this plea, the Lord, praised by ketaka in the midst of the assembly, replied, “It is not proper for me to bear you, for I am ever truthful, O Lord.” Yet, moved by compassion, he continued, “But I shall bear you as my own—thus your birth will not be in vain. By the pretext of the canopy, you shall be above me.” In this way, the Lord showed favor to the ketaka, and together with Vidhi (Brahmā) and Mādhava (Viṣṇu), he shone resplendent in the assembly, praised by all the gods. Meanwhile, Vidhi and Mādhava, having bowed to the Lord, stood silently at his right and left, their hands joined in reverence. 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—some enduring, some fleeting. He was further decorated with sacred threads, upper garments, garlands, silks, flower wreaths, rings, and anointments of flowers, betel, camphor, sandalwood, and aloe. Incense, lamps, white umbrellas, fans, banners, yak-tail whisks, and other divine offerings—whose splendor surpassed the limits of speech and thought—were also presented. They worshipped the Lord with whatever was most excellent and fitting, whether obtained from men or animals, and suitable for the Lord’s banner. Desiring the highest good, the Lord joyfully distributed all these offerings to those assembled, giving each their share in proper order. A great tumult arose as the gifts were taken, and there, in ancient times, Śaṅkara (Śiva) was worshipped by Brahmā and Viṣṇu. Pleased, the Lord turned to the two who had bowed, and with a smile that deepened their devotion, he said, “Today I am satisfied with you, dear ones, because of this worship on this great day.” “Therefore, this day will become supremely holy; this lunar date, known as Śivarātri, is especially dear to me. Whoever, at this time, worships the garlanded liṅga images accomplishes the duties of the world—maintenance, creation, and so forth. One who, on Śivarātri, fasts, is self-controlled, and worships according to proper rule and to the best of his ability, without deceit—such a person receives in a single night the fruit of worship performed for an entire year.” “This is the time when my dharma increases, just like the waxing moon; it is the festival of my establishment, the auspicious path for my devotees. When I first appeared as a pillar of light, that time falls in the month of Mārgaśīrṣa, under the Ārdrā constellation, in its early part. Whoever beholds me, accompanied by Umā, or sees my image or the liṅga during Ārdrā in Mārgaśīrṣa, is dearer to me than one who remains hidden in a cave.” “On that auspicious day, even a mere sight of me is enough to grant the highest fruit; and if worship is performed, the result is beyond words. On that ancient battlefield, when I manifested in the form of the liṅga, the very place where the liṅga appeared became established as sacred. This pillar, without beginning or end, will appear as small as an atom so that the world may see and worship it.” “This liṅga grants both enjoyment and liberation; by seeing, touching, or meditating upon it, beings are freed from the cycle of birth. This liṅga, which rose up like a mountain of fire, will become renowned as Aruṇācala. Here, many great sacred bathing places will arise; and by dwelling or dying here, living beings attain liberation. All auspicious festivals and gatherings will occur here, and whatever is given, offered, or recited here will yield a millionfold merit.” “This field is greater than all my other sacred fields; here, even by mere remembrance, embodied beings attain liberation. Therefore, this field is supremely excellent, filled with all auspiciousness, and bestows liberation upon all. By worshipping me here, as the Lord in the liṅga, one attains residence in my world, nearness to me, likeness to me, and even sovereignty. These five—union, residence, nearness, likeness, and sovereignty—are considered the fruits of such rites, and all of you will swiftly attain every desired object.” Having thus bestowed his grace, the Lord restored the armies of Vinīta and Vidhimādhava, which had been destroyed in their previous battle. He revived them completely with a stream of nectar from his own power, and, wishing to remove the enmity between the two, he spoke to Brahmā and Viṣṇu: “I alone possess two forms: with attributes and without attributes; no one else has this, and thus, all others are not supreme. Formerly, before you, I appeared as the pillar-form without attributes and as the child-form with attributes; the state of Brahmā is said to be without attributes, and the state of Lordship is with attributes. Both are perfected only in me, not in anyone else; therefore, neither of you nor anyone else possesses true Lordship.” In this way, the Lord revealed his supreme nature and bestowed his blessings upon all, filling the assembly with peace and divine radiance.