O King, as the journey continued, the prince’s second shadow—an ominous sign of his lingering sin—did not leave him. Undeterred, he pressed on, traveling first to the sacred Pushkara forest and then onward to the holy heights of Amarakantaka. His pilgrimage led him to Prabhāsa, where Soma is revered, and to the land known as Kṛmijāṅgala. He wandered further, reaching Rudrakoṭi and then Virūpākṣa, and onward to Pañcanada. In this way, the lord of men roamed the breadth of the earth, growing weary from his endless search for purification. A thousand years passed in this tireless wandering until, at last, he arrived at Mount Arbuda. There, he beheld many groups of ascetics and learned brāhmaṇas, all accomplished in the Vedas. Ascending the mountain, he came to the sacred site called Raktānubandha. It was there, on that holy ground, that he noticed something remarkable: the second shadow, which had haunted him as a mark of the sin of killing a woman, had vanished. The foul odor that had clung to him disappeared, and his radiance grew bright and resplendent. Praised in all directions by bards, he prepared to return home, his spirits lifted. But as he crossed beyond Raktānubandha and Soma’s holy place, the second shadow reappeared upon his body. Stricken with sorrow, he quickly returned to Raktānubandha. Recognizing the profound sanctity of this place, the noble king bestowed generous gifts upon the foremost brāhmaṇas and entered the sacred fire in an act of supreme devotion. In that moment, he ascended a celestial chariot and cast off his mortal body, attaining the world of Śiva. Among all holy places, Raktānubandha became known as the most supreme and purifying, renowned throughout the earth from that time onward. Thus, it is celebrated as Raktānubandha. It is said that whoever bathes there at the sun’s crossing, or performs śrāddha in Gayā, the field of the ancestors, achieves great merit. O best of kings, it is also prescribed that the gift of a cow be made during an eclipse of the moon or sun. Pulastya then spoke: “O foremost of kings, after honoring Raktānubandha, one should proceed to the great Vināyaka.” At this, King Yayāti asked, “How did Vināyaka attain greatness there in ancient times?” In reply, the sage recounted that, for her own amusement, the goddess once created a delicate child. However, due to the absence of ointment, the child was born headless, though its other limbs were whole. Parvatī then instructed Skanda, “Bring ointment quickly, for the sake of the head; may this be auspicious for you.” At Gaurī’s command, ointment was procured and applied to the body. Yet Parvatī warned repeatedly, “Do not touch me.” Because of this, the child’s leadership and power arose especially from his limbs. He appeared threefold deep, four-armed, and sevenfold red. When Gaurī saw him, threefold wide and wondrous in form, she was greatly astonished. By the goddess’s power, the child was brought to life and immediately rose up. Seeing his marvelous form, Parvatī joyfully called him “son” again and again. The goddess then declared, “This one is born from the ointment of my own body. The head that Skanda has joined is proclaimed by you all to be great. Because of this, leadership is established in his body.” Thus, O daughter of the mountain, he was granted lordship over all the Gaṇas. Those mortals who, before beginning any endeavor, honor this Lord of the Gaṇas will find success. To mark this, Skanda presented Vināyaka with a small axe for his play. Thus, the greatness of Raktānubandha and the glory of Vināyaka were established upon the earth.