By a mighty command, a careful blockade was ordered to be constructed at the very gate of heaven. In the wake of this, the gods were expelled, their dominion over heaven lost; they found themselves conquered and cast out from their celestial home. With the gate of heaven firmly blocked, Indra and the other deities were seized by great fear, uncertain and troubled by their exclusion. In their presence, the full account of how the gate had been barred was explained, leaving the gods bewildered and anxious. Entry into heaven had become all but impossible; they wondered in distress, “By what means can we now reach such a heavenly realm?” Indra and his companions lamented, “O Grandsire, without heaven, joy does not arise for us.” Moved by their sorrowful words, Brahmā addressed the assembly. He reminded them of the One who is to be praised, worshipped, and saluted—the Maker of creation and destruction, the Protector, the Creator, the All-capable One, and the Supreme Refuge of all. “Therefore,” Brahmā declared, “with all your effort, seek refuge in Śiva. Indra, gather all the gods and go swiftly as I command. At the gate of heaven stands a supreme liṅga, O Vāsava; worship it at once, for the Lord will grant your desire.” Hearing Brahmā’s counsel, the gods’ hearts filled with joy. They hastened to the heavenly gate and beheld the supreme liṅga, the bestower of heaven’s entrance and of great merit. United in reverence, they worshipped, and by that sacred act, all the gods regained access to heaven as before. Then Brahmā addressed his attendants, “All of you, excellent Gaṇas, whom I have instructed, now return.” He affirmed, “The god who grants access to the gate of heaven has indeed been seen by the gods, without doubt.” At once, Indra and the hosts of gods reached the heavenly threshold. Brahmā proclaimed, “He who bestows the heavenly world will become renowned on earth. Those who see Śiva, Lord of the Gate of Heaven, in this world—even those who glimpse him by chance—acquire the merit equal to a thousand horse sacrifices. The sins accumulated across a thousand previous births are destroyed. On the eighth or fourteenth day, or on the day of the moon, O goddess, those who enter my being shall not be born again.” He continued, “When that liṅga is worshipped, ten billion thousands are uplifted. By touching, praising, or worshipping that liṅga—whether with desire or without—those who see it day after day are blessed. By merely seeing him, one is not overcome by the power of poisons.” Amidst these divine events, the serpents faced their own fate. Because they had broken their mother’s word, the serpents were cursed by her wrath. It was foretold: in the great sacrifice of King Janamejaya, fire would consume them. Fearing for their lives, all the serpents departed to their respective abodes. Kambala retreated to the ancestral realm, while Kaliya, overwhelmed by dread, hid himself in the waters of the Yamuna. In time, all the serpent-kings and Nāgas—including Dhṛtarāṣṭra—journeyed to the sacred region of Prayāga. Among them was a maiden who, standing in her mother’s lap, bowed and spoke: “O god, in your presence, our angry mother cursed us. She declared there would be a serpent-sacrifice by King Janamejaya. And you, my child, by her command, must go to the great Kāla forest and worship the Lord of the gods near the great Māyā.” Obedient and focused, Karkoṭa traveled to that sacred place, worshipping the Lord of the gods with deep concentration. Pleased by his devotion, the Lord granted him a boon. Yet, there remained those cruel Daṃdaśūka serpents, wicked in conduct and filled with venom, whose fate was yet to unfold.