Salutations were offered to the wild and fearsome one, Bhairava, whose hair stood upright in a terrifying display. Homage was given to him who destroyed the Daru forest, wielding a sharp trident in his mighty hands. To the one who holds a fierce staff, whose mouth blazes like the submarine fire hidden in the depths, reverence was shown. He was praised as the destroyer of Dakṣa’s sacrifice, the one who instills fear throughout the world, the matted-haired, the fierce lord—supreme among all the gods. At that time, O goddess, though invisible to the eye, Candra—the Moon god—offered heartfelt praise to this great Lord. Pleased by these hymns, Śiva spoke gently, “Speak, Soma, what is your desire?” With humility, Soma replied, “By your grace, O Lord, I wish for brilliance, radiance, form, and beauty. Let me regain my former state through your favor, O great Lord.” Śiva, ever compassionate, granted this boon, explaining, “That which you seek was once attained by the king of the twice-born through the grace of this very liṅga. Therefore, in all the three worlds, this place is renowned as Someśvara. Those who perform meritorious deeds here attain the supreme state. Freed from the endless cycle of birth and suffering, they merge into me.” He continued, “But those who neither see nor worship the god Someśvara miss this blessing. Someśvara alone is to be worshipped, for he is the destroyer of leprosy and the very foundation of all worlds. Whoever worships Someśvara becomes free, enjoys life without fear, and dwells long in my own realm. When the Someśvara liṅga is worshipped with golden flowers, O beloved goddess, it brings the power to destroy all sin.” Śiva concluded, “This, O goddess, is the secret I have revealed to you—the power that washes away all sin. Even by merely seeing Someśvara, even in a dream, how could anyone fall into hell?” He then spoke of a coming time: “Once, O goddess, in the Kali age, in the era called Vārāha, people will arise who are without proper boundaries, without foundations, homeless and atheistic. They will neither worship the gods nor the Brahmins, and their deeds will be contemptible. Enmity will bind them, and they will delight in mutual slaughter. Brahmins will abandon their dharma, eating anything and embracing falsehood. In the sixteenth year of life, men with gray hair will be seen, their bodies already marked by age and sin.” “Such men and women, stained by their misdeeds, will arise. Some will be split open with axes, their heads cleaved, and cut apart with saws. Others will be pierced with sharp iron spikes, tormented by fire, or thrown into heated cauldrons and burned in heaps of flames. Bound in iron chains, they will hang with faces downward, suffering the bites of worms, sharp bees, and mosquitoes. Some, having been cut, will run about seeking water, tormented by unquenchable thirst.” “By the limbs with which men perform sinful actions, they will be punished. Those who look upon their teacher, the gods, or Brahmins with anger will have their eyes pierced and torn with iron spikes. Their ears, too, will be filled with iron spikes. Those who listen to slander against their teacher will be struck with iron implements, and the tongues of those who speak wickedness will be split hundreds of times by blades glowing like fire. The mouths of those devoted to slander will be struck again and again.” “The wicked who kill for the sake of the gods, and those of evil mind who embrace another's wife, will be seized and punished by the fierce servants of Yama. Thus, the consequences of sin are severe, yet the grace of Someśvara offers liberation and peace to those who seek him with devotion.