With heartfelt devotion, one who has lost all prosperity performs circumambulation with their very body, never forsaking your lotus feet, O Lord, even through countless births. Thus, when these words were spoken, the moon-crested Śiva joyfully granted the boon to Viṣṇu, saying, “So be it.” Know that this fiery liṅga is the single, ultimate cause of all the worlds. At the end of the age, when the four oceans are churned into turmoil, their waters surging like torrents as vast as elephants and flooding the three worlds, the dissolution of beings begins. Nature returns to its primordial state, and after this great dissolution, when I summon the worlds again to being, all forms of knowledge, every art, and the wealth of the scriptures—preserved in caves and mountain hollows by sages of renowned vows—are restored. These sages, with mantras composed of the five Brahmas and bearing the form of the sacred five-syllabled mantra, worship always with eight liṅgas, revered by the guardians of the eight directions. Here, perfected beings and the lords of the gods themselves, leaving their own abodes, gather together. Thus is the ripened merit of the earth accumulated, joined by hosts of gods who come from the peaks of Kailāsa and Meru. Having heard this wondrous account of the lotus-born from the lips of Brahmā, the lotus-seated one, Sanaka’s heart overflowed with rejoicing and devotion. With folded hands, Sanaka addressed the Lord: “O Lord, master of Aruṇādri, truly, your greatness is astonishing! This glory of yours is marvelous and destroys all sins. Śiva, who is without beginning or end, has taken the form of the red mountain. Even the utterance of the name ‘Śoṇādri’ just once grants liberation, and by it one tastes the nectar of the word ‘Śiva’ and learns the sacred order of his worship.” With compassion, Brahmā, honoring the Lord of Aruṇādri, spoke: “Listen, dear one, to the ancient story of Pārvatī—how she attained supreme bliss by seeking refuge in the Lord of Aruṇādri. There was a divine throne of jewels, adorned with a shining jeweled archway, spread with the rarest precious stones and draped with a canopy of glistening pearls. Garlands of hanging flowers surrounded it, filling the air with the gentle humming of bees. In this sacred forecourt, the great elephant, startled by Pārvatī’s lion-mount, wandered about. Noble animals roamed freely, and the guardians of the directions stood watch. The assembly was graced by Brahmarṣis, gods, Siddhas, and royal sages, and crowded with devoted worshippers of Śiva, adorned with beautiful rudrākṣa beads. The sweet sound of bells mingled with the chanting of the Vedas, filling the air with sacred music. The Blessed Lord himself decorated this place, wishing to show favor to his devotees. With Ambikā by his side, the compassionate Lord joyfully wandered there, delighting Pārvatī with the exuberant dances of the gaṇas. After granting various boons to his devotees, I departed together with her, passing through rows of jeweled palaces. Upon the playful peaks of the golden mountains, amidst groves of golden banana trees, we wandered. The gentle breezes soothed our weariness, and the goddess, beautiful in every auspicious way, shone forth as the very embodiment of delight. Innocent and joyful, knowing her own happiness, she approached with respect, radiant in her devotion.