It is only right that those who bow down in devotion are protected, and even the remembrance of the sacred removes all impurities from the world. But how, one may wonder, did peace come to all living beings? How did the holy places arise from the auspicious Aruna mountain? In the Dvapara age, this mountain was known as the golden mountain; in the Kali age, it became an emerald mountain. In the Krita age, it stretched for many yojanas and was made entirely of fire. Over time, the illustrious Lord of Aruna, at the request of the gods, became peaceful. Then, the goddess Gaurī turned to the sage and asked, “How did Arunachala become peaceful?” Hearing her question, the sage Gautama began to reply. He recounted that, long ago, the gods themselves offered praise and worshipped Arunachala with sacrifices. They addressed him as the Lord of Arunachala, benefactor of all worlds, the one who is coppery, reddish, and tawny—most auspicious. They chanted, “Salutations to the copper-hued, to the reddish, to Shiva, the supreme Self. O Deva, your form is all; this entire world, both moving and unmoving, is you. May there be abundant rainfall from clouds and from many streams. Waters arising from fire are indeed from you, O supreme Self. Become cool, O Mahadeva, O merciful Lord of the red mountain.” Thus praised by all the gods, who bowed down in devotion and worship, the rivers and streams once again began to flow abundantly. Yet, even then, hundreds of millions of blazing fires from the rising young sun released the waters of the universe, and the rivers with their streams. In this way, sacred places arose everywhere, brought forth by the power of the gods’ prayers. The sage then began to narrate the origin of all these sacred places. Gaurī asked, “O Lord, tell me everything about the origin of the sacred places.” Hearing her words, the Lord of the mountain recalled what had happened long ago. He told her that, at this very place, Indra once bathed and was freed from the sin of killing a Brahmin. The divine Brahma Tirtha appeared again in the southeast corner. In the southern quarter, belonging to Yama, the great Yamya Tirtha expanded. The great Nairrita Tirtha shone in the southwest direction. In the west, the Varuna Tirtha manifested, and in the northwest, the Vayaviya Tirtha was revealed. In the north, it is known as the Soma Tirtha, and in the northeast, it is remembered as the Vishnu Tirtha. Once, the sage Markandeya prayed to Shankara, saying, “May there be a gathering of many sacred fords here in one place.” Hearing his prayer, the Lord of gods, the husband of Uma, came into his presence in a hidden form. He assured the sage, “O great sage, you need not seek any other sacred ford here. For those endowed with devotion, there is always the gathering of all sacred fords in this place.” Thus, long ago, Shankara spoke to Markandeya, declaring that at the time of offering, these sacred places would indeed become visible to people.