After Rudra had spoken, Brahmā, the grandsire of all the worlds, looked upon him with affection and a gentle smile. He addressed Rudra warmly, saying, “Certainly, O god, Paśupati will become renowned throughout the world. This deity will bear your name, and you will be worshipped by all gods and beings.” Having spoken thus, Brahmā, wise and discerning, then turned to Daksha and said, “Give Gaurī to Rudra, whom you had previously prepared.” In the presence of Brahmā, Daksha gave the maiden Gaurī, of supreme beauty, to the great Rudra. Rudra accepted her with proper rites, showing great respect and honoring Daksha’s wishes. When the daughter of Daksha had been accepted, Brahmā, the grandsire, granted Rudra his abode, Kailāsa, before all the gods. Rudra then departed with his attendants to Mount Kailāsa. The gods, joyful at the union, returned to their own realms, while Brahmā and Daksha went to the city of the progenitors. As Rudra, the supreme lord, resided at Kailāsa, Gaurī became angry, recalling her father’s enmity against Rudra. She reflected on how Daksha had previously wronged her, having destroyed the sacrifice. Resolving, she said, “I shall assume another body. By performing austerities, I will be born in his house. But how can I return to my father Daksha, whose family has been ruined?” With these thoughts, the beautiful daughter of Bhava went to the great mountain Himavat to undertake severe penance. Over a long period, she wore away her body through intense austerities, and, consumed by the fire of her own resolve, she was reborn as the daughter of the mountain. She became renowned by the names Umā and Kṛṣṇā, and, having attained a beautiful form, she was auspicious in Himavat’s house. Again, she performed intense austerity, remembering the three-eyed god, declaring, “He alone is my husband,” and remained steadfast in her penance. While she was engaged in this severe penance on Himavat, over a long time, her devotion propitiated the god. Maheśvara came to her hermitage, taking the form of an old brāhmaṇa, his limbs slack with age, stumbling at every step. With difficulty, the best of the twice-born approached her and said, “O good lady, I am hungry; give me food suitable for a brāhmaṇa.” The auspicious maiden Umā, daughter of the mountain, replied, “O brāhmaṇa, I will give you fruits and such; quickly bathe, O brāhmaṇa, and then eat whatever you wish.” Thus addressed, the brāhmaṇa went to the great river Gaṅgā nearby, intending to bathe, and entered the water. While Rudra, in the form of a brāhmaṇa, was bathing, he became a fearsome, illusory makara—a crocodile—terrifying to behold, and seized the brāhmaṇa, who was actually himself, with his own power. Seeing himself seized by the powerful makara, he manifested another aged form to Umā and spoke, “O maiden, I am no longer a brāhmaṇa; run and save me quickly, before I am further harmed; you must rescue me.” Umā, Pārvatī, considered, “Himavat is my father, Śaṅkara is my husband; purified by penance, how can I touch the brāhmaṇa? If I do not pull him out, who is held in the water by the makara, then I will surely incur the sin of killing a brāhmaṇa; of this there is no doubt. In other transgressions, one can atone for the sin, but for killing a brāhmaṇa, there is no such expiation.” Having thus reasoned, she quickly went, though fearful, seized the brāhmaṇa with her hand, and pulled him from the water. At that moment, the lord of beings, Hara, revealed himself. The very Lord Rudra, whom the daughter of the mountain had worshipped and for whom she undertook austerities, now stood holding her hand. Seeing him, the goddess became bashful, recalling her previous renunciation. With beautiful brows, deeply embarrassed, she spoke not a word. Observing Gaurī’s silence, Rudra, as if smiling, took her hand and said, “O gentle one, how can you abandon me here? If you make this act of taking my hand in vain, then I will speak to the daughter of Brahma for the sake of marriage.” “Let there not be any jest in this,” replied the goddess, supreme and beyond, and though shy, she spoke these words with a smile: “O God of gods, Lord of the three worlds, all this effort is for you. In a previous birth, you, O great Lord, were worshipped by me as my husband. Now, O God, you alone will be my husband, no other. But my father, the lord of mountains, is my master; I will go to him. With his permission, you may then take my hand according to custom.” Having spoken thus, the radiant goddess approached her father, Himavat, with joined palms and addressed him: “In a previous birth, Rudra, destroyer of Daksha’s sacrifice, was my husband. Now, through austerity, I have meditated upon him as the goal of my heart. He, the lord of the universe, came to my hermitage in the form of a Brahmin, asking for food. When I told him to go bathe, he went to the Jahnavi. There, assuming the form of an old Brahmin, Shankara was quickly seized by a crocodile and, speaking words unbefitting a Brahmin, addressed me. Out of fear of the sin of Brahmin-killing, father, I took his hand; as soon as I did, Shankara revealed his true form. Then the god spoke to me, who had come for the hand-taking: ‘O goddess, endowed with austerity, do not hesitate in any way.’ Thus addressed by the great-souled Shankara, having sought your permission, O lord of gods, I have come to ask you. Now, whatever is proper, let it be done quickly.” Thus, with devotion and humility, Pārvatī sought her father’s blessing, so that her union with Rudra, the supreme lord, might be fulfilled according to custom and dharma.