O noble one, listen as the sacred tale unfolds. There is truly no other god in all the worlds—this is certain, this is certain, O best of sages. In this spirit, the child declared, “I will worship the liṅga; let your sorrow be abandoned here.” Astonishment filled the father and all those who were present, O goddess, for none had witnessed such devotion before. Suddenly, from the very center of the liṅga, a wondrous voice issued forth, O daughter of the Mountain. The divine voice proclaimed, “Freed from the bondage of sin, may they live long.” It further declared, “O illustrious one, those who, having heard the words of the child, do not speak in the presence of the liṅga, will always be free from old age and death. They will obtain the highest desires and become foremost among the gaṇas.” Thus, having received such a rare boon, Kaṃtha approached with joined palms, overwhelmed with gratitude. Indeed, such a boon is extremely rare in the worlds, even among gods, demons, and yakṣas. The child then spoke to Mahādeva, “If another boon is to be granted—” And Parvati, pleased, spoke through the liṅga, “So be it.” By merely seeing this liṅga, a person attains long life. Whoever beholds the liṅga of the Lord of Kaṃthaḍeśvara, the Lord himself, O Gauri, is freed from the bondage of sin and will attain liberation; by uttering my name, all sins are purified. Yet, those men in the world who do not seek this are truly unfortunate—their births are in vain. O goddess, thus have I told you the power that destroys sin. This liṅga bestows great accomplishment and destroys even the terrible sin of killing a Brāhmaṇa. Now, hear another tale. There was Prajāpati Tvaṣṭṛ; his son was Kuśadhvaja. When Tvaṣṭṛ heard that his son had been slain, he, the lord of creatures, was filled with anger and declared, “Today, let the three worlds with the gods witness my power! By whom, intent on his own duty, my son was struck down—let him see my might.” From Tvaṣṭṛ’s energy arose Vṛtra, wreathed in a garland of flames—an enemy of Indra, of unfathomable nature, magnified by his father’s power. Seeing Vṛtra, the great demon, Indra recognized him as the very cause of his own death. At that moment, Vṛtra, the foremost among the powerful, arrived and initiated a fierce battle. The earth was stained red with the blood of wrath, as bodies and armor were shattered and broken. Headless bodies were heaped, and the army of the gods assembled. The very quarters of the sky were reddened by waves of gushing blood. Vṛtra, having bound Vāsava (Indra), then entered the world of the gods. When the lord of the gods was thus bound, Bṛhaspati, wise of mind, beheld Indra and greeted him with blessings. “This is not a favorable time for you, lord of the gods,” he cautioned. “I have seen all the foremost great demons there. Each one alone could defeat you, so I think. Whether seen or heard of, such is their might as I have observed.” Hearing Bṛhaspati’s words, Indra became anxious. “What should be done here? Tell me, O Bṛhaspati. They will come to me, and Vṛtra is exceedingly strong.” To this, Bṛhaspati replied, “In the beautiful great Kāla forest, to the south of Khaṇḍeśvara, worship him there with effort; he will grant you your desire. In the great Kāla forest, O goddess, seeing the supreme liṅga—salutation to the god of gods, to Śaṅkara, to the bull-bannered one, to the most excellent; salutation always to you, who grants all desires.” Thus, O goddess, is revealed the supreme power of Śiva, the destroyer of sin and granter of all boons.