Those who had renounced worldly existence and attained the supreme Śaiva state beheld her—the left-eyed consort of Maheśa—standing gracefully at his left side. Alongside them, the ever-perfect beings and the lords of the gaṇas also witnessed her presence. Then, together with the goddess, the assembly of gods began to praise Maheśvara. They offered divine hymns dedicated to Maheśvara, chanting ancient Purāṇic verses. Seeing the gods gathered in devotion, the Bull-bannered Lord was moved with compassion. He spoke gently, “I am pleased,” his words naturally sweet. Filled with joy, the gods bowed deeply to the Bull-bannered Lord and respectfully asked him the most important question: “O Lord, by which path should you be worshipped on earth? Who is entitled to your worship? Please tell us the truth of this.” Hara, the best of gods, gazed with a smile at the goddess and revealed his own form—a form both terrible and solar, supreme in its majesty. Endowed with all lordly qualities and filled with radiant light, he was surrounded by powers, forms, limbs, planets, and gods. He appeared with eight arms, four faces, and a wondrous half-female aspect. Witnessing such a marvelous manifestation, the gods, led by Viṣṇu, understood: the god is the sun, the goddess is the moon, and the five elements, along with all that moves and does not move, are composed of them. Having spoken thus, the gods bowed to him and offered arghya. They addressed him: “To you, who are of vermilion hue, perfectly formed, adorned with golden ornaments, lotus-eyed, holding a lotus, and the cause of Brahmā, Indra, and Nārāyaṇa, we offer the most excellent arghya—filled with precious gems, gold, water, fine saffron, kuśa grass, and flowers, presented in a golden vessel. O Lord, be gracious.” They offered salutations to Śiva, the peaceful one, with his attendants, the primal cause; to Rudra, to Viṣṇu, to Brahmā, and to the sun-formed one. Whoever, with concentrated mind, worships Śiva in the solar maṇḍala and offers the finest arghya in the morning, at noon, and in the evening—such a person should bow and recite these verses, which are the essence of the scriptures. For a devoted soul, nothing is unattainable, and liberation is assured. Therefore, one should always worship Shiva, who is in the form of the sun, for the sake of righteousness, desire, wealth, and liberation, with mind, action, and speech. Then, seeing the gods assembled, Maheshvara, seated in the circle, imparted the supreme scripture of all traditions and, having done so, vanished from their sight. The gods, knowing that the right to worship belonged to Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas, bowed to the Lord of the gods and departed as they had come. After a long time, when that scripture had disappeared, Maheshvari, seated on the lap of her husband, questioned him. Prompted by the goddess, the god adorned with the moon raised his hand and spoke, revealing once again the supreme scripture of all traditions. By the command of the supreme lord, that scripture was propagated in the world by myself, Agastya the teacher, and Dadhichi the great sage. The Lord himself descends to earth in the cycles of ages, bearing the trident, and for the liberation of his followers, establishes the continuity of knowledge. Many great sages were named as bearers of this tradition: 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 heard in tradition; Svara, Rakṣa, Āruṇi the wise, and Kṛtaṃjaya; Kṛtaṃjaya, Bharadvāja, Gautama, the foremost poet; Vācaḥsravā the sage in person, Sūkṣmāyaṇi the pure, Tṛṇabiṃdu the sage, Kṛṣṇa, Śakti, and Śākteya the superior; Jātūkarṇya, Hari in person, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana the sage. Let them hear the incarnations of Vyāsa and the masters of yoga in order. In the Linga tradition, the incarnations of Vyāsa in the Dvāpara age are those of noble vows; likewise, the incarnations of yoga teachers and the disciples of the wielder of the trident. In each place, the Lord’s disciples are four, possessing great energy; their disciples and grand-disciples number in the hundreds and thousands. Through their influence in the world, by carrying out the commands of Shiva and similar acts, the fortunate are liberated, being deeply devoted with utmost faith. In all cycles of ages, under the guise of yoga teachers, the goddess asked the Lord to reveal the incarnations of Śarva and his disciples. He named Śveta, Sutāra, Madana, Suhotra, Kaṅka, Laugākṣi, Mahāmāya, and Jaigīṣavya. Dadhivāha, Ṛṣabha, the sage Ugra, Atri, Supālaka, Gautama, and the sage Vedaśirā; Gokarṇa, Guhāvāsin, another called Śikhaṇḍin, Jaṭāmālī, Aṭṭahāsa, Dāruka, and likewise Lāṃgulī; Mahākāla, Śūlī, Ḍaṇḍī, Muṇḍīśa, Saviṣṇu, Somaśarmā, and Lakulīśvara. These, in this Varāha Kalpa, during the interval of the seventh Manu, numbering twenty-eight, were teachers of yoga in each age. Each of these had four disciples of tranquil mind; beginning with Śveta and ending with Ruṣya, their names were given in order: Śveta, Śvetaśikha, Śvetāśva, Śvetalohita, Dundubhi, Śatarūpa, Ṛcīka, and Ketumān; Vikośa, Vikeśa, Vipāśa, Pāśanāśana, Sumukha, Durmukha, Durgama, and Duratikrama; Sanatkumāra, Sanaka, Sanaṃda, Sanātana, Sudhāmā, Virajā, Śaṃkha, and Aṇḍaja. Thus, the tradition of Shiva’s worship, his teachings, and the lineage of his disciples was established and preserved, shining forth through the ages for the liberation of the devoted.