In the beginning, for the sake of sacrifice, the Creator brought forth Soma. From Soma, the sky emerged; from the sky, the earth took form, followed by fire, the sun, the very act of sacrifice, Vishnu, and the lord of Shachi. These deities, along with the other gods, gathered and offered hymns of praise to Rudra, singing songs dedicated to his glory. With a gracious countenance, the great Lord Rudra appeared before them. Yet, in his divine play, Rudra veiled their understanding and bewildered the gods. Confused, they asked him, “Who are you?” Rudra, the blessed one, replied, “I alone am the ancient one. I shall always be; there is none apart from me. I alone am the entire universe, and I sustain it with my own radiance. There is none greater or equal to me. Whoever truly knows me is liberated.” Having spoken thus, Rudra vanished from their sight. Though the gods could no longer see him, they continued to praise the Lord with hymns, their devotion undiminished. Desiring to draw closer to him, the immortals undertook the Pāśupata vow as prescribed in the Atharvaśiras. They covered their bodies with sacred ashes, dedicating themselves to the Lord. Moved by their sincerity, the Supreme Lord, the Lord of beings, decided to grant them his grace. Accompanied by his attendants and by Umā, the Lord manifested himself in their midst. This was the very form that sinless yogis—ever wakeful, breath controlled—perceive within their hearts. The foremost among the gods beheld this supreme power, the Shakti who follows the will of the Lord, revealed to them as she is to yogis who have transcended worldly existence and attained the highest Śaiva state. She, the left-eyed one of Maheśa, stood at his left side. The ever-perfect ones and the lords of the gaṇas also saw her. Then, together with the goddess, the gods offered their praises to Maheśvara. With ancient Purāṇic chants and divine hymns, they extolled the Bull-bannered Lord. Seeing their devotion, the Lord’s heart was filled with compassion. He spoke kindly, “I am pleased.” The gods, their minds overflowing with joy, bowed deeply to the Lord and, with great reverence, asked, “O Lord, by what path should you be worshipped on earth? Who is entitled to your worship? Please reveal this truth to us.” Hara, best of gods, gazed with a smile at the goddess and then revealed his own supreme and awe-inspiring form—terrible, radiant like the sun, and transcendent. He appeared endowed with all lordly qualities, surrounded by powers, forms, limbs, planets, and gods. He stood with eight arms and four faces, and his form was wondrously half-female. The gods, led by Vishnu, marveled at this vision. In that moment, they understood: the god is the sun, the goddess the moon, and together they are the essence of the five elements and all that moves or stands still in the universe. Having realized this, the gods bowed to him and offered arghya—ceremonial water of welcome. They praised him: “To you, of vermilion hue, perfectly formed, adorned with golden ornaments, lotus-eyed, holding a lotus, and the very cause of Brahmā, Indra, and Nārāyaṇa, we offer the most excellent arghya. It is filled with precious gems, gold, water, saffron, kuśa grass, and flowers, presented in a golden vessel—O Lord, be gracious.” They saluted Śiva, the peaceful one, with his attendants, the primal cause; to Rudra, to Vishnu, to Brahmā, and to the sun-formed one. “Whoever, with concentrated mind, worships Śiva in the solar circle and offers the finest arghya at dawn, noon, and dusk—such a devotee, reciting these verses that are the very essence of the scriptures, will find nothing unattainable and will surely attain liberation.” Therefore, the gods declared, one should always worship Shiva in the form of the sun, for the sake of righteousness, desire, wealth, and liberation, with mind, action, and speech. Then Maheshvara, seated within the sacred circle, imparted to the gods the supreme scripture of all traditions. Having done so, he vanished from their sight. The gods, knowing that the right to worship belonged to Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas, bowed to the Lord of gods and departed as they had come. A long time passed, and the scripture faded from the world. Then Maheshvari, seated upon her husband’s lap, questioned him about it. Prompted by the goddess, the moon-crowned Lord raised his hand and once again revealed the supreme scripture of all traditions. By the command of the supreme Lord, that scripture was spread throughout the world by Agastya the teacher, Dadhichi the great sage, and myself. In every age, the Lord himself descends to earth, bearing his trident, to re-establish the continuity of knowledge and liberate his followers. Among those who have carried this tradition are Ṛbhu, Satya, Bhārgava, Aṅgirā, Savitṛ, the twice-born, Mṛtyu, Śatakratu the wise, and Vasiṣṭha, the foremost sage; Sārasvata, Tridhāmā, Trivṛta, Śatatejas, Dharma himself, and Nārāyaṇa, as tradition recalls; Svara, Rakṣa, Āruṇi the wise, and Kṛtaṃjaya; Kṛtaṃjaya, Bharadvāja, Gautama the poet; Vācaḥsravā the sage, Sūkṣmāyaṇi the pure, Tṛṇabiṃdu the sage, Kṛṣṇa, Śakti, and Śākteya the superior; Jātūkarṇya, Hari himself, and Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana the sage. Let the incarnations of Vyāsa and the masters of yoga be heard in order. In the Linga tradition, the incarnations of Vyāsa in each Dvāpara age are those of noble vows, as are the incarnations of yoga teachers and the disciples of the trident-wielder. In every place, the Lord’s disciples are four, filled with great energy, and their disciples and grand-disciples are in the hundreds and thousands. Through their influence, by carrying out Shiva’s commands and similar acts, the fortunate are liberated, being deeply devoted and filled with unwavering faith.