Gathering their courage, the gods approached the divine presence as prescribed by ancient tradition. With their hands joined reverently upon their heads and their foreheads pressed to the ground, they offered worship to the Lord seated upon his bull. They beheld him—gentle, yet formidable—bearing the trident and spear, clothed in the hide of the directions, radiant and pure. Their voices rose in homage: “Salutations again and again to you, O destroyer of Andhaka, Supreme Lord, Lord of the Mountain, Lord of the gods, Supreme Ruler. Salutations to you, master of gods and asuras, Lord of ascetics, Virūpākṣa, Śubha, truly of universal form. Salutations to the Creator, the universal form, destroyer of the daityas, the formless and the beautiful, the one who bears a hundred forms. Salutations to the giver of boons, to the Boar, to the auspicious Tortoise. O Three-eyed One, slayer of Tripura, may you grant us protection.” The Lord beheld the gods before him, their bodies emaciated from hardship. With divine, blazing energy, the threefold Veda, and his inner self, the Lord of gods saw the worship offered by Brahmā and the others. He spoke: “By this divine rite, I have indeed been greatly worshipped. Those steadfast in vows, whether humans or gods, can see me—whether one by one, two or three at a time, or all together, equally for you all. For your welfare, I am going towards Ujjayinī.” The gods asked, “For what reason is the earth trembling and the three worlds thrown into confusion? For the protection of the gods, let the cause be heard.” The Lord explained, “There is an asura named Drohaṇa, powerful and endowed with magical power. The Daityas, mighty and conquerors of enemy cities, are his followers. Desiring to slay Indra and the gods, they have risen up, masters of illusion and secret movement, armed and ready for battle. Their skulls falling and the earth trembling signal their endeavor to destroy the world’s order and stability.” The gods responded, “You are the bestower of grace upon the gods, honored through remembrance of virtues. With divine vision, you are exceedingly praised for your fame and might, O fearsome one. What is attained through meditation cannot be found among others. Austerity, difficult to perform and hard to practice, is accomplished by mind, speech, and body. By you, it has been achieved through great effort, with a body subdued and over a long period of time.” Bowing their faces and kneeling, they addressed the Lord: “O bestower of boons, for us mortals who have come forth, grant protection, O Lord of the gods, giver of fearlessness to your devotees.” The Lord replied, “Even those boons that are exceedingly rare, I will again grant to you, many in number.” When the Blessed One had spoken thus, Brahmā replied, “O Blessed One, we have received the great boon, and it is more than sufficient.” Śiva then said, “In this world, those who are my devotees and those whom I have slain, together with their matted locks and heads, bearing tridents in their hands, are gathered for the purpose of restraining them and for addressing you.” Thus, the gods’ worship, their plea for protection, and the Lord’s response unfolded, marking a moment of divine grace and assurance.