After three hundred years had passed in unwavering austerity, the great god—pleased by such devotion—bestowed upon the seeker the supreme weapon known as Pāśupata. The Bull-bannered Lord, Shiva himself, smiled kindly and spoke: “With this weapon, you shall be unconquerable among all embodied beings.” Then he continued, extolling the sacredness of a particular water-reservoir: “This holy place is revered throughout the three worlds, by all beings, both moving and unmoving. Whoever, with a focused mind, performs the śrāddha rites here on the full moon day will receive the complete fruit of offerings to their ancestors.” The god reminded of a time when Rāma, stricken by grief for his father, destroyed the kṣatriyas. There, at this very site, Rāma joyfully satisfied his ancestors twenty-one times, moved by the wounds he saw on his mother’s body. He declared, “Because my father, an ascetic and twice-born, was slain by kṣatriyas, I shall offer water to him—having made the earth devoid of kṣatriyas.” Therefore, Shiva urged, one should diligently perform śrāddha at this sacred place in every way. Thus concludes the fifty-ninth chapter, known as “The Glory of Rāmatīrtha,” in the third Arbuda section of the seventh Prabhāsa book of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. In that region, through the negligence of a king, a crore of sacred fords—tīrthas—came into being. When the terrible age of Kali arises on earth, O King, there will be thirty million and a half million holy places inhabited by beings. Similarly, there is a crore of tīrthas in Puṣkara and in Kurukṣetra, all guarded by the gods and Indra himself. Whenever distress or fear arises, especially from the touch of mlecchas on all sides, three crore tīrthas will manifest on earth. Therefore, one should strive with every effort to bathe at these holy places. All acts performed there—bathing, recitation, offering oblations, whatever they may be—carry immense merit. Thus ends the fiftieth chapter, “The Description of the Power of Koṭitīrtha,” in the same section of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. It is told that a tīrtha capable of removing the sins of people was created by the Lord of the Night—Soma, the Moon. This was promised, O King, at the time of a lunar and solar eclipse. In those days, the moon, filled with fear before the formidable demon Rāhu, pierced the peak of a mountain to create an excellent opening, seeking refuge. After a long time, Maheśvara (Shiva) was pleased with the moon’s devotion. Rāhu, the powerful son of Siṃhikā, was naturally difficult to subdue. Now, O best of gods, Rāhu had consumed nectar and become immortal. While the gods, who had once been defeated, were drinking the nectar, Rāhu too partook of it, thus freeing himself from death. Eventually, reconciliation was made, and Rāhu was established among the grahas (planets). Out of fear of Rāhu, the moon had pierced the mountain’s peak, and so the moon prayed to Shiva: “Grant me your favor, O destroyer of desire.” Shiva replied, “Rāhu, given to anger, will surely seize you. When the eclipse approaches, rites of bathing, giving, and similar acts should be performed. By these acts, you will not suffer the slightest distress.” Shiva further declared, “When the eclipse occurs, by my word, the place known as Candrodbheda will become a renowned holy site in the world. When the eclipse draws near, whoever bathes here—or even on a Monday, bathes or beholds this place—will be blessed.” In this way, the greatness of these holy sites and the power of sacred acts performed there were revealed, blessed by the words and deeds of the gods themselves.