There, in that sacred place, a great bird soared into the sky, carrying meat in its beak. As it wandered on, it came upon the divine river Śiprā, whose waters are abundant and pure. At that very moment, the body of the one it carried fell into the holy waters of Śiprā. Suddenly, the three-eyed Lord—Śiva himself—appeared, his matted locks piled high, his form draped in a tiger skin. Witnessing this wondrous and awe-inspiring manifestation, the messengers of Yama, Lord of Death, were struck with amazement. They bowed and cried out, “Hear us, O great king! O Lord of Dharma, homage to you!” They spoke further: “The ruler of the Kīkaṭas is dull-witted and sinful, a lord among outcastes. Whatever sins there are in this world—even those as grave as the slaying of a Brahmin—he has committed. He is a fool who breaks the boundaries of righteousness and harms those who uphold the proper order of caste and stage of life. This great sinner delights in the punishments of Yama and brings us messengers joy, for his wickedness fills our abodes with souls. All the sinners who have come before, every one of them, have filled the pits of hell. Yet, now, in your realm, O Lord, there is no cry of suffering at all. Only one has come into the world who does not yield to the Lord of Death.” When Dharmarāja, the Lord of Dharma, heard the messengers’ words, he was filled with wonder. He asked, “By what power of merit has this most sinful one attained blessedness?” Then, the answer was revealed: “On earth, in the most sacred place, in the auspicious great forest of Mahākāla, O messengers, those who touch the waters of the Śiprā are freed from sin. By mind, by body, and by speech, many sins are committed by living beings. Yet whoever, at any place, utters the name ‘Śiprā, Śiprā’—whether man, insect, moth, or any creature dwelling in her waters—finds their sins washed away. Even those who have committed great wrongs elsewhere, if at the end they come to the banks of Śiprā, are liberated. When the auspicious month of Mādhava arrives, the best of men immerse themselves in her waters and are purified. “The flesh carried by the wind from the sinful king, Damana, having come into contact with Śiprā, was sanctified. Any pond, well, or lake grants auspicious results, but the Tāpī river is ten times more meritorious; the Godā river even more so. Yet Śiprā is ten times greater still—pure and the destroyer of all sin. Thus, the flesh of Damana, by merely touching Śiprā, was liberated. Such a beautiful and holy river exists on earth in Avanti.” Hearing the words of Dharmarāja, all the assembled hosts were struck with wonder. In the Purāṇas, the supreme greatness of Śiprā is celebrated, as is the liberation of Damana through her grace. Thus ends the fiftieth chapter, “The Greatness of Śiprā,” in the Avanti section of the fifth book of the Skanda Mahāpurāṇa. Just as Amṛtabhavā is famed in Pātāla, esteemed among the serpents, so too is Śiprā revered on earth. Once, Rudra—Lord Śiva—desiring alms, wandered hungry in the world of the serpents. He went from house to house, calling out in a plaintive voice, “Give alms.” His eyes reddened by anger, trident in hand, tormented by hunger, he came upon twenty-one vessels filled with nectar. There, the revered Śambhu, origin of all souls, arrived and emptied those vessels of nectar, then rose up from that place. The serpents were bewildered and exclaimed, “Whose deed is this? What has happened, that the nectar has disappeared from here?