With deep reverence, the king addressed the Lord as Aruṇācalanātha, the ocean of the nectar of compassion. Each day, he anointed the deity with various sacred substances, beginning with the five nectars, and offered worship with kalhāra flowers and streaming musk essence. In this way, for three years, the self-controlled king served Aruṇācalanātha with unwavering devotion. One day, he beheld a wondrous vision: a figure resembling a mountain of mist, mounted upon the noble bull. Surrounding him were illustrious Brahmarṣis like Vasiṣṭha and great sages such as Nārada. The atmosphere was filled with surging waves of compassion and abodes of lotus essence. Having seen the Lord of gods, the king prostrated himself, placing his eight limbs upon the ground in humble adoration. With hands joined atop his head, the king made his request to the Lord: “I alone have acted thus; let my transgression be forgiven.” Speaking with utmost humility, he appealed to the ocean of mercy. The Lord, in turn, assured him that all arrangements were made exceedingly well for all creatures. He reminded Purandara: “Once, O Purandara, you dwelt atop the peak of Kailāsa. For a moment, your pride slipped away, and you were abashed by restraint. O wielder of the thunderbolt, you were instructed by me to descend to earth. Then, by that power, this field became my abode. Now, through your constant worship day and night, the sky, wind, fire, water, earth, sun, moon, and man—all are transformed by time. Time indeed changes beings, objects, and even the path itself. Some waves arise from my boundless ocean of consciousness and bliss. Speech, fortune, patience, faith, wisdom, Svāhā, Svadhā, and others—all these emanate from me. This is my great power: Gaurī, the illusion, the mother of the world. Endowed with this power, creation, preservation, dissolution, and movement occur. Freed from delusion, consider my greatness.” Thus enlightened, the king, endowed with the Lord’s form, attained sovereignty over the earth. Again, as Purandara, he enjoyed divine pleasures for a long time. Nandikeśvara then said: “Having spoken thus, the god vanished; the king Vajrāṅgada, accomplished, remained. Thus, O holy one, I have told you of the flourishing of devotion to Śiva. What need is there for lengthy words here? Circumambulation of Śoṇa mountain suffices. During the solstice, equinox, and other auspicious occasions, there is no sacred place greater than Aruṇa, nor any deity superior to Aruṇeśvara.” As Nandikeśvara spoke these words, the son of Mṛkaṇḍu was filled with delight throughout his body. Now begins the third section, Arbuda-khaṇḍa. Vyāsa said: Om, homage to the infinite, the subtle, the one approached through knowledge, the creator. All the Manvantaras and the various kinds of creation are established. Now, the sages wish to hear the supreme glory of the holy places. In ancient times, their number was vast—three crores and a half crore. Sacred fields, rivers, mountains, and streams were likewise innumerable. Among them, Arbuda is named, O sinless one, as the remover of all sins. All holy places purify through bathing, giving, and other rites, as is proper. And thus the question arose: How did the glory of Vasiṣṭha become renowned upon the earth?