Hear now the cause for the protection of the gods. There was an asura named Drohaṇa, powerful and skilled in magical arts. The Daityas, mighty and conquerors of their enemies’ cities, gathered as his followers. With fierce determination to slay Indra and the gods, these masters of illusion and stealth armed themselves for battle, rising up in secret. Their ferocity was such that skulls fell and the earth itself trembled beneath their feet. Thus, among them arose a dreadful resolve: to destroy the order and stability of the world. In this time of peril, the gods turned to the one who bestows grace upon them, revered through remembrance of his virtues. With divine vision, he was praised for his fame and might, a fearsome protector. What is attained through the practice of meditation is unique to him, not found among others. Austerity, so difficult to perform and hard to practice, is accomplished by mind, speech, and body. Through great effort and over long years, he had subdued his body and achieved this austerity. The gods bowed their faces, kneeling before the Lord, and spoke: “O bestower of boons, we mortals who have come forth seek your protection. O Lord of the gods, grant us fearlessness, for you are the giver of safety to your devotees.” The Lord replied, “Even those boons which are exceedingly rare, I will grant to you again, many in number.” When the Blessed One had spoken thus, Brahmā responded: “O Blessed One, we have received a great boon, and it is more than sufficient.” Śiva then declared, “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, I have restrained for your sake and to address you. My grace is bestowed upon those devotees who desire devotion. In the great Kāla forest, O sinless ones, the gods came to me. A secret name, composed of two words, will become renowned throughout the world. Indeed, this observance of the skull vow has been proclaimed by me. Kapālapāṇi, satisfied and steadfast in the vow of alms, is honored among all beings, always equal to friend and foe. Self-controlled and unattached, he gathers clay, ashes, and water, dwelling in holy hermitages and sacred fords with his mind fixed on the Lord. Having undertaken the skull vow, I myself practiced it in ancient times. This vow is difficult to sustain and supremely wondrous. Yet, a man, due to hatred and delusion, may abandon the great vow and remain in sin. Therefore, one should neither harm nor revile the great Pāśupata. Whoever, endowed with faith, feeds one who observes this great vow; whoever gives alms filling the skull to ascetics; such acts are supreme. Food offered in the skull is the highest offering, for this path is born of Brahman. Even by conversing with one who upholds this vow, faults and evils may arise. Seeing the remainder, the man who upholds the great vow— In this Kṛta age, all these things are seen directly in the forest. Whoever recites this here in the world, for him this abode—honored by hosts of renowned virtues and destroyer of faults—belongs. And those who desire the world of Rudra should dwell as residents of sacred places.