Hearing the words spoken to him, the great sage Vāmadeva addressed the king with authority, saying, “O king, by my command, go to the great Kāla forest.” He explained that this place, renowned in all the Vedas, is known as a destroyer of countless sins. Obedient to Vāmadeva’s words, the king journeyed to that sacred forest. There, he beheld the lord with matted locks—Śiva, the god of gods, worshipped by the entire world. Filled with devotion, the king offered his salutations again and again to Śiva, the universal form, praising him ceaselessly. He bowed to the one with matted hair, to Rāma, to the doer who is seized by Māyā; to the enjoyer, to the smoky one, to the one whose essence is the sky. He offered salutations to the great darkness-sun, to the destroyer of enemies, to the golden-hued one, and to the bewilderer of the bewildered. The king also praised the beautiful one worshipped by the gods, the deformed one, the one beyond nature. Thus, at that time, O goddess, the great god Maheśvara was glorified. Śiva appeared, his entire body smeared with holy ashes, radiant with the enjoyment gifted by the serpent. His matted locks shone like strings of pearls, and they were bound with the hoods of the king of serpents—white, yellow, and other colors as well. Then, the daughter of the mountain, Pārvatī, spoke these words to the king: “The sin that had become matted within you has departed through seeing me.” Addressed thus by the Lord of gods, King Vīradhanvan, praised by the celestial hosts, ascended a heavenly chariot created by his own desire. Therefore, the liṅga there is known by the name Jaṭeśvara, for sins that have become matted are instantly destroyed upon seeing him. Those who always worship Jaṭeśvara, the god of gods, O goddess, and all others—gods, gandharvas, yakṣas, rākṣasas, and men—will obtain whatever rare desires they wish for. They will gain unrivaled freedom from enemies and fulfillment of all their wishes; they too will become free from sin and suffering. Those who behold Jaṭeśvara with devotion day by day are freed from disease if they are ill, and released from suffering if they are afflicted. Whoever recites the greatness of Jaṭeśvara, O Pārvatī, attains all desires and, at the end, reaches my abode. A pregnant woman who does so will obtain a healthy son, adorned with the ornament of the Vedas. This is auspicious, life-giving, and a great support for righteousness and desire. Whatever brings poor food, contact with wicked people, or causes a shortened life—whoever recites this auspicious tale of Jaṭeśvara at śrāddha rites will be protected from such misfortune. This, O goddess, is the power I have told you, which destroys sin. By merely beholding Jaṭeśvara, one is freed even from the sin of killing a Brahmin. Long ago, in the Tretā Yuga, O goddess, Rāma—the foremost among wielders of weapons—was born from the womb of Reṇukā as Rāma himself. Once, at the command of the sage Jamadagni, his father, and having heard the words of his brothers and mother as well, he was told: “You shall become invincible among all the lords of the earth. Take up the axe, O son, firm and born from the blaze of fire.” Then, after some time, King Kārtavīryārjuna appeared, setting the stage for further deeds and stories to unfold.