When one worships and adores Lord Shiva with proper reverence, all his sins are destroyed, and he is honored in Shiva’s own world. Every moment spent in wakefulness during such worship bestows upon him the merit equal to performing an Ashvamedha sacrifice. O Vyasa, the worshipper who performs these rites properly receives, as a blessing, fourteen thousand cows with their calves. Thus concludes the chapter describing the glory of Kutumbeshvara, found in the fifth section of Avantya, which extols the greatness of Avantikṣetra in the grand Skanda Purana. Now, O scorcher of foes, listen as the sacred site of Devaprayaga is described—a place renowned as the destroyer of all sins. This is the supreme abode of the gods, sanctified by a holy ford, situated on the eastern bank of the Kṣiprā river. There, the deity Mādhava is present, known throughout the earth as the bestower of all rewards. In the same place resides Ānanda Bhairava, worshipped by all the gods. One who worships at this site, O Vyasa, is never afflicted by the torments of Bhairavī. In the bright half of the month of Jyeṣṭha, on the tenth day when Wednesday and the Hasta constellation coincide, the pure and supreme birth of the river Gaṅgā takes place. Whoever bathes in those waters on that sacred day obtains the merit of all holy fords combined. Even by merely hearing of this, one’s vows remain unbroken. Consider, O Vyasa, a man devoted to many vows, self-controlled, and accomplished in the Vedas and their branches. Suppose, due to some minor fault, he is unable to complete his vow. One day, a great ascetic arrives at his house as a guest—this was the sage Nārada. The host duly honors Nārada, following all scriptural injunctions. O venerable one, you know all through your eye of wisdom. Tell me, by what association with sin did this breaking of the vow occur? In Mahārāṣṭra lived a well-known brāhmaṇa named Dhanasaṃcaka. He was also called Brahmadatta, a critic of the Vedas and brāhmaṇas, an atheist who denied the gods and sacred fords, and one who took what belonged to others. Because of these actions, his lifespan diminished, and he became destitute. Abandoning theft, he began to travel with wayfarers. At length, the servants of Yama took him to the abode of restraint. There, Dharmaraja, ever devoted to his master, saw him and addressed his attendants: “Hear, all of you, with focused minds. This sinner died on the bank of the Godāvarī; for us, there is no cause to punish him there. Whenever the Sun is in Leo or Jupiter is in Br̥haspati, people come to the banks of the Gautamī. Because of the power of the merit in that place, there is never any cause for us to act.” Thus released by the servants of Yama, the brāhmaṇa again attained the path of Brahman. What, then, is true penance? What is charity? What is the real observance of sacred places and vows? By what merit does the breaking of a vow not occur? It is at the site where Rudra’s lake was revealed by the seer who perceives the truth. O best of the twice-born, at that place exist crores upon crores of holy sites. To the north of that holy region lies Sutīrtha, the fulfiller of all desires. Merely by beholding it, one attains the fruit of all sacrifices. Hearing these words, the brāhmaṇa journeyed to the river Kumudvatī. There, at once, he attained the worlds reserved for the virtuous.