Assuming her own exceedingly beautiful form, the goddess became absorbed in deep contemplation. Driven by a surpassing pride, she renounced all her splendor and engaged in severe austerities, withdrawing from the world to focus on her spiritual practice. Meanwhile, Indra arrived accompanied by Puloma’s daughter, and the other guardians of the directions. The hosts of Gandharvas and Apsarases, the Vasus and other gods, the eleven great Rudras, and the twelve Ādityas, along with Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, serpents, spirits, and other attendants of Śiva, all gathered together. In their thousands, they surrounded Maheśāna and approached him, struck with intense wonder, as if witnessing a terror equal to the world’s end. The goddess, having endured the pain of separation for many nights, finally abandoned her sorrow. She placed her eyes upon the toes of Śiva, her affection shining through her smiling body and graceful throat, and spoke with reverence. She said, “Because all should be worshipped, I too have joined my hands in reverence.” Śiva replied, “O Lady of the Gods, this bewilderment of yours is eternal and innate. Where are austerities and meditations, suited for harsh people? I am Nārāyaṇa, you are Lakṣmī; I am Brahmā, you are Sarasvatī. You are Vāruṇī, I am the lord of serpents; you are Rohiṇī, I am the moon. You are Jāhnavī, I am the ocean; you are Meru, I am the earth. You are wisdom, I am the king of kings; you are tranquility, I am the wind. You are knowledge, I am the one to be known; you are speech, and I am meaning, O Pārvatī. In creation, preservation, dissolution, and the granting of grace, I am the lord. O goddess, with a body sustained by your own will, you are the essence of consciousness and light. That which has no remedy is now being acted upon by me.” Gaurī, as if out of modesty, concealed herself within her own body. Like two meanings united by proximity, they came together. The wondrous form that emerged was the union of Śiva and Śivā. Half the body was adorned with the crescent moon, and half was draped in moonlight. The limbs shone with a single tawny hue, and one breast was visible. Śiva addressed her: “O goddess, let there be no place for anger in you beyond this. Even so, O breast-named one, dwell here beside me. Let all people worship and delight in both enjoyment and liberation. Let her, who grants success in mantras to people, be present here. May it remove all diseases of men and destroy all misfortunes. May it greatly benefit those people who possess devotion and faith. Let it be according to the austerity of those who worship, for as long as the moon and stars endure in the worlds. From today onward, let them bestow their presence for the prosperity of the worlds. Let them always be present here at the Aruṇa-kshetra. You too, O goddess Aruṇā, must remain here, filled with compassion. In this Aruṇa-kshetra, all attainments are easily obtained.” Thus, the daughter of the mountain king performed this act to please the Lord of Śoṇa-giri. The narrator expresses delight in the nectar of the greatness of the Lord of Śoṇa, and then asks, “How did Vajrāṅgada, the king of the Pāṇḍyas, cross over the Śoṇa? How did the two lords of the Vidyādharas, radiant and adorned with garlands, do so?