O gentle goddess, thus have I revealed to you the wondrous power of Khandeshvara, who destroys all sins. Now, listen as I tell you of Pattaneshvara, the Lord of the City, who bestows success upon all who seek him. Once, on the sacred slopes of Mount Mandara, within a beautiful cave, you questioned me, asking, “For what reason did you leave the delightful Kailasa mountain?” That place echoed with the melodious songs and music of Siddhas, Charanas, Gandharvas, and Kinnaras, and was alive with the calls of cuckoos, chakoras, and flocks of curlews. In the vast, wild forest of Mahakala—overgrown with many shrubs and creepers, and teeming with bears, monkeys, jackals, and other creatures—you wondered, “How did the Lord come to dwell here? This is my curiosity.” In that lovely cave on Mandara, you pressed me for answers. I told you: “The Mahakala forest is so delightful that it surpasses even heaven itself. And Pattana, O daughter of the mountain, is endowed with incomparable virtues; in the arts of song and music, it rivals the very abode of the gods.” At that very moment, the divine sage Narada appeared before us. For your sake, and out of a desire for amusement, I questioned him: “In which hermitage were great austerities performed? O best of sages, tell me of any marvel you have witnessed.” Narada, who had journeyed to many sacred fords and shrines across the blessed Jambudvipa, began to recount the story of the city. He described a wondrous city, adorned with hundreds of palaces, where everything was arranged as one wished. Gentle breezes, fragrant with the scents of flowers from every season, drifted through its precincts. The city shone with the brilliance of diamonds, sapphires, beryl, and moonstones. Indra, Agni, Yama, Varuna, Vayu, Soma, and Ishana themselves attended it, and even the ever-joyful gods yearned for that city. The directions were illumined by the radiance of the self-restrained, shining like the sun and fire. There, virtuous Brahmins devoted to Shiva and Kshatriyas intent on Vishnu resided. The Lord himself appeared in many forms—sometimes shining, sometimes red, sometimes yellow, sometimes of other colors. At times, he blazed with the light of a thousand suns; at other times, with the brilliance of a single sun. In that holy place, birth, death, old age, disease, and all manner of suffering were dispelled. O Devi, thus have I described to you this sin-destroying power. This concludes the thirty-second chapter, called “The Greatness of Pattaneshvara,” from the section on the eighty-four Lingas in the Avanti Khanda of the Skanda Mahapurana. Know well that this holy place destroys sin, brings merit, and always bestows prosperity. Long ago, in the Rāthantara Kalpa, there was a mighty lord of the earth—a king of righteousness, noble heart, and great valor. He was impartial to enemy, son, and friend alike, and understood the duties that belonged to all. He had a beloved—dearer to him than life itself. As soon as he was born, she took him firmly in her lap. This child, endowed with memories of past births, remained content in his mother’s embrace. Observing a mysterious smile on his face, she asked, full of concern, “What is this, my child? Why do you smile so?” The child replied to his mother, “All beings pursue their own interests. This one, having become invisible, is the second to steal a newborn. And you, mother, out of love for your son, now also seek your own advantage.” Thus, O goddess, the story unfolds, revealing the subtle truths of love, attachment, and the pursuit of self-interest, even in the bonds of deepest affection.