O Goddess, listen as I recount the sacred narrative as revealed in these verses. The merit that arises from performing a thousand horse sacrifices, and the heavy burden of sins accumulated over a thousand previous births—such is the greatness of the act I declare. On the eighth day, the fourteenth day, or on the day of the moon, those who enter into my presence, O Goddess, shall be freed from the cycle of rebirth; they shall not be born again. When that liṅga is worshipped, the merit is counted in tens of billions. By merely touching that liṅga, by praising or worshipping it, whether with desire or without, those who behold it day after day are blessed. Indeed, by simply seeing that divine form, one is not overcome by poisons. Long ago, the serpents were cursed by their mother because they broke her word. She declared that, in the great sacrifice of King Janamejaya, fire would consume them. Fearing for their lives, all the serpents departed to their respective abodes. The serpent named Kambala went to the ancestral realm, while Kaliya, overwhelmed by terror, hid himself in the waters of the Yamuna river. Thus it was, O beautiful one with the lovely smile, that all the great serpent-kings and Nāgas, including Dhṛtarāṣṭra, journeyed to Prayāga. At that time, a young goddess, standing in her mother’s lap, bowed to the Lord and spoke: “O God, our angry mother cursed us in your presence. She foretold that there would be a serpent-sacrifice by King Janamejaya, where we would be destroyed by fire.” Her mother instructed her, “My child, by my command, go to the great Kāla forest. There, worship the Lord of the gods near the great Māyā.” Obeying her mother, Karkoṭa, filled with concentration, went to that place and worshipped the Lord of the gods. Pleased with his devotion, the Lord granted him a boon: “Those cruel Daṃdaśūka serpents, wicked and full of poison, shall not harm you. Today, because of your devotion, you have found favor with me; you shall attain union with me.” From that time onward, the god Maheśvara became known as Karkoṭakeśvara. Whoever, endowed with devotion, worships that god finds relief from afflictions: the diseased are freed from illness, the sorrowful are released from sorrow. Those who regularly behold Karkoṭakeśvara, especially on the fifth or fourteenth day, or on the day of the sun, receive great blessings. Even a woman beset by misfortune always attains good fortune; the ailments of childhood are destroyed, and there is no fear of untimely death. Whatever desire a devoted person contemplates in his mind, O Goddess, that desire is fulfilled, and his sins are destroyed by the Lord’s power. Now, O Goddess, hear of the eleventh liṅga, known as Siddheśvara, the auspicious one. In ancient times, in the Daru forest, there lived Brāhmaṇas accomplished in yoga. Some sustained themselves on vegetables, some on nothing at all, others on leaves. Some delighted in the hero’s posture, others in inhaling smoke as a practice. Still others, composed and resolute, performed rigorous vows such as Kṛcchra and Cāndrāyaṇa. Yet, afflicted by suffering, they pondered, “How will perfection be attained?” Thus, the scriptures once sung by the sages yielded them no fruit. They tried collyrium, medicinal pills, and walking with sandals, seeking liberation in various ways. Their minds, though accomplished, became filled with intense indignation at their lack of success. At that very moment, a bodiless voice spoke to them, saying, “O noble ones, do not disregard the scriptures, thinking them fruitless on earth.” Thus, the divine voice guided them, reminding them not to abandon the path of sacred knowledge. In this way, O Goddess, the power of devotion, the greatness of the liṅga, and the guidance of the Lord were revealed for the welfare of all beings.