In any beautiful and pleasing place—be it the shore of the ocean, the bank of a river, a cowshed, a mountain, a temple, one’s own home, or another delightful spot—the sacred preparations for worship may begin. Having completed all the necessary preliminaries, with or without a ceremonial pavilion, the teacher should carefully draw the maṇḍala as instructed before, and establish the altar for the sacred fire. With a joyful countenance, the teacher—endowed with all auspicious qualities—enters the worship hall and performs the prescribed daily rites. At the center of the maṇḍala, he conducts the great worship of Maheśa, and once again invokes and worships Śiva in the sacred Śiva vessel. Meditating on the Lord, the protector of the sacrifice, and facing west, he worships with the vessel dedicated to the king of rituals, placing it to the right of the Lord. The teacher, skilled in mantras, places the sacred mantra in the mantra vessel. Having performed all the ritual gestures, he undertakes the prescribed worship of the mantra itself. Then, the best of teachers performs the homa in the Śiva fire, while the other twice-born participants offer their oblations around the main fire-pit. For them, it is prescribed that they offer half the amount of the teacher’s oblation, while the teacher offers into the main fire-pit. Others present recite the Vedas, sing hymns, and utter auspicious words; some, devoted to Śiva, perform japa with proper devotion. Dance, song, instrumental music, and other auspicious acts are performed, and the assembly is worshipped according to the proper rules. After the auspicious day has been announced, and Śaṅkara is worshipped again, the teacher prays to the Lord for blessings upon his disciples, saying, “Be gracious, Lord of gods! Enter my body, O Lord of the universe, ocean of compassion. Through your mercy, release this disciple.” After receiving divine permission, the teacher brings forth the disciple, who has fasted or is consuming only sacrificial food. Whether the disciple eats once a day, has restrained his senses, bathed, performed his morning duties, recited the praṇava, meditated on the Lord, and completed all auspicious rites—he is now ready. The teacher seats the disciple, who should face north, on a seat of darbha grass at the front of the western or southern entrance of the maṇḍala. Standing himself facing east, with body upright and hands joined in reverence, the teacher sprinkles consecrated water on the disciple’s head using the astra gesture. With a flower offering, he strikes the disciple and then binds the disciple’s eyes with half of a new, consecrated cloth. Then, the teacher leads the disciple into the maṇḍala through the entrance. The disciple, guided in this way, circumambulates Śambhu three times. Afterward, offering a handful of flowers mixed with gold to the Lord, the disciple, facing east or north, prostrates himself full-length upon the ground. The teacher then sprinkles the disciple’s head with the root mantra and the astra gesture as before, strikes, and removes the binding from the disciple’s eyes. Upon seeing the maṇḍala, the disciple bows again to the Lord with joined palms. The Śiva teacher, now seated at the southern side of the maṇḍala, seats the disciple to his own left, also on a darbha seat. Having worshipped Mahādeva, the teacher forms the Śiva hand gesture. Imbuing his hand with the radiance of Śiva, the teacher recites the Śiva mantra and, filled with devotion, places his hand upon the disciple’s head. He then performs the full-body support gesture. The disciple, recognizing the teacher as a manifestation of the Lord, prostrates himself before him. After properly worshipping the Lord in the Śiva fire, and seating the disciple as before after the threefold offering, the teacher proceeds. Touching the disciple with the tips of darbha grass, the teacher enters into the disciple by means of knowledge; bowing to Mahādeva, he performs the joining of the subtle channels. Following the method taught in the Śiva scriptures, he causes his breath to exit and enters the disciple’s body, then satisfies the mantras through remembrance. For the satisfaction of the root mantra, ten offerings are made in the prescribed manner, and three for the limbs, each with their respective mantras in proper order. After making the full expiatory offering, the teacher, learned in mantras, again makes ten offerings with the root mantra. Having worshipped the Lord of gods and performed proper purification, the teacher makes the offerings according to rule and uplifts the Vaiśya to his own caste. In the same way, he generates the Kṣatriya status, and then, again, the Brāhmaṇa status for the disciple. Having thus uplifted the Rājanya and made him a Brāhmaṇa, the teacher then generates Rudra-hood in both; and in the Brāhmaṇa, he establishes the name of Rudra. After sprinkling and striking the disciple, the teacher contemplates within himself that his own self is of the nature of Śiva, perceiving it as flashing like a spark. Following the prescribed method, the teacher expels his breath through the channel as instructed, and through that channel enters the heart of the disciple. Entering there, he contemplates the consciousness of the disciple, visualizing it as a shining blue point, purified of all impurity by his own radiance. Taking that consciousness by means of the channel, the teacher, with the gesture of withdrawal, does not establish it with inhalation, but unifies it with his own self. Then, with retention and again with exhalation through the channel as before, he returns it and establishes it in the heart of the disciple. Having received this from Śiva, the teacher gives the sacred thread to the disciple, and after offering three oblations, he then gives the full oblation. The disciple is seated to the south of the deity on an excellent seat covered with kusa grass and flowers, hands joined and facing north. The teacher himself, seated on an excellent seat facing east, assumes the svastika posture and recites the mantras with great and auspicious resonance.