At that moment, all the gods gathered and sent Agni, the fire god, into my presence. As I played, my seed was cast into Agni’s mouth. Carrying it, Agni went and deposited that exceedingly powerful and difficult-to-bear seed. From what remained of that divine seed, beautiful gold was born. When the first offspring of Agni appeared in this wondrous form, O Pārvatī, all manner of beings—Yakṣas, Sādhyas, Piśācas, humans, Rākṣasas, and even birds—caught sight of the gold. For its sake, a great tumult broke out; everyone clamored, “This is mine!” Driven by desire, chief weapons and various arms manifested. The Asuras fought among themselves, humans battled humans, beings clashed with their own kind, and Rākṣasas contended with Rākṣasas. Such was the frenzy that even the bond between parent and child was shattered: sons hated their fathers, fathers hated their sons; sons killed their mothers, and mothers destroyed their sons. Among gods and demons alike, all became exceedingly terrible, wielding spears with razor-sharp points and countless weapons. For the sake of gold, O great goddess, they shed rivers of blood. Swords, spears, maces, and arrows fell upon the earth, and their bloodied bodies lay slain by one another. A vast and terrifying clamor arose, echoing in thousands. With iron clubs, nooses, and fists as hard as thunderbolts, they cried out: “Cut! Break! Run forward! Strike down! Attack!” As this tumultuous and dreadful battle raged, even the oceans were agitated and the mountains trembled. The sages, beginning with the Vālakhilyas, and the gods led by Indra, breathless and battered, began to speak. Hearing their plight, Brahmā, the grandsire of the worlds, asked them, “By whom have you been so battered? Who is this wicked Dānava by whom you have been so grievously afflicted?” Then the gods, along with Brahmā and the others, explained to me the cause of their fear: “We have all been destroyed out of greed, and because of gold.” Upon hearing their words, O beautiful one, I understood. It was he by whom, suddenly, the destruction of the three worlds had been wrought. The slayer of Brahmins is the son of Agni, because of whom so many have died. Indeed, metals will arise from his body—there is no doubt. Meanwhile, Agni, witnessing the deeds of his son, came to me, O goddess, together with Suvarṇa. He pleaded, “O god, this son of yours, O Śaṃkara, must be protected by you. When you are pleased, O great god, he will attain his goal—of this there is no doubt.” Hearing these words from the Pitṛ-devas, out of affection, I then placed the son of Agni upon my lap. I granted him a boon, inviting him to choose a splendid blessing. “I command you,” I declared, “and thus you will attain the highest good.