Hearing his daughter's words, the King of Mountains—Himavat—was filled with profound joy. His heart brimming with happiness, he turned to his radiant-faced daughter and spoke with great affection, “Daughter, I am truly blessed in this world, for Rudra himself, Hara, will become my son-in-law. Through you, O goddess, I will have descendants, and you have elevated me above even the gods themselves.” Then, wishing to fulfill all righteousness, Himavat said, “Wait but a moment until I return.” With these words, the king departed to seek the blessings of Brahmā, the grandsire and lord of the mountains. Arriving before the great-souled creator of all the gods, Himavat bowed deeply and addressed him with reverence, “O gods, this daughter is mine; I wish to give her to Rudra. With your permission, O gods, may I proceed—grant me your approval.” Pleased at heart, Brahmā replied, “Go and give her to Rudra.” Thus, the Grandfather of the worlds blessed the union in the presence of the gods. Receiving Brahmā’s approval, the King of Mountains quickly returned to his abode. Wasting no time, he summoned the gods, the sages, and the hosts of siddhas. He invited Tumburu, Nārada, Hāhā and Hūhū, and called for the Kinnaras, asuras, and even the rākṣasas. Mountains, rivers, rocks, trees, and herbs—all arrived in embodied form, along with the sacred confluence stones, eager to witness the marriage of Himavat’s daughter, Pārvatī, and Śaṅkara. The earth itself became the altar; the seven oceans served as ceremonial pots; the sun shone as the lamp, the moon was present, and the rivers brought pure water for the sacred rites. With all wedding arrangements complete, Himavat sent Mandara Mountain to Rudra, inviting him to the ceremony. At Mandara’s announcement, Śaṅkara swiftly arrived. According to the prescribed rites, the supreme lord took Pārvatī’s hand in marriage, with Soma—the moon god—as witness. The celebration was grand: Parvata and Nārada sang melodious hymns, the siddhas danced with joy, trees showered auspicious flowers, and the celestial women danced in delight. Amidst this joyous festival and the flowing waters, Brahmā, the four-faced lord, absorbed in his own divine state, addressed the maiden: “O daughter, be the foremost woman in the world; through you, let other men also have wives.” Having thus spoken, the Grandfather of all returned to his own city, along with Umā and Rudra. The King of Mountains honored his son-in-law Soma with due respect before bidding him farewell. He also honored all the gods, asuras, and sages with gifts, ornaments, fine garments, and excellent food, and then respectfully dismissed those foremost among the mountains. Freed from sorrow, pure and serene, the great-souled Himavat, having given his auspicious-faced daughter Umā to the best of gods, shone with the splendor of the Grandfather of the worlds at a grand sacrifice. Thus, O best of kings, your noble lineage has been recounted—a lineage unknown even to gods and asuras. The self-born Dakṣa, the lord, and the threefold birth of Gaurī’s marriage have all been narrated. Śrī Varāha continued: For this reason, Gaurī took form as has been told, when the great sage, his mind purified by austerity, asked the protector of creatures. The origin of Gaurī and her marriage—all this has been related as it happened. All these events concerning Gaurī were accomplished on the third lunar day. On that day, one should avoid salt. Whoever, man or woman, observes this fast attains good fortune. Any woman who is unfortunate, or any man who is exceedingly so, upon hearing this, should avoid salt on the third lunar day. By doing so, one attains all desires: good fortune, abundance of wealth, constant health, beauty, and nourishment in this world. Then the protector of creatures asked, “O noble one, how was Ganesha, the Lord of the hosts, born with a form? Please dispel this doubt of mine, which troubles my mind.” The great ascetic replied: “In ancient times, all the hosts of gods and the sages rich in austerity undertook various endeavors, and their righteous actions succeeded without obstacles. But actions that are unrighteous inevitably meet with hindrances. The gods, together with the ancestors, then contemplated how to create obstacles for all unrighteous acts. United in this intent, they invoked this purpose together. While performing their rite, the thought arose among them to approach Rudra, the great-minded one. So they went to Rudra, the preceptor dwelling on Mount Kailāsa, and, with humility and reverence, they addressed him: ‘O God of gods, great lord, wielder of the trident, three-eyed one, you should create obstacles for those who are not distinguished by virtue.’ Thus addressed, Bhava was filled with supreme joy. Fixing his unblinking gaze upon Umā, he pondered, ‘By what reason are forms seen in space? On earth, there is form; in water, there is form; in fire and wind, form is seen—yet space is said to have none. How is this so?’ Thus reflecting, the god smiled. Seeing Umā, the embodiment of knowledge and power, and recalling what was seen in space by Śambhu and what Brahmā had previously declared—that the body belongs to embodied beings—he considered four causes, each pertaining to the four elements: earth and the rest. From the supreme lord’s laughter, a radiant and exceedingly brilliant boy was born, his blazing face illuminating all directions. Endowed with the qualities of the supreme lord, he appeared as another Rudra himself. As soon as he was born, the boy’s splendor, brilliance, and beauty bewildered the minds of the goddesses, for he was possessed of a great soul. Umā, the radiant one, beheld this supreme form of the boy with her unblinking eyes. But seeing the enchanting beauty of the child, the god grew angry, reflecting on the fickle nature of women. Filled with intense wrath, the supreme lord cursed the boy, “O child, you shall have an elephant’s face and a large belly; you shall certainly wear serpents as your sacred thread and belt.” With half a crore of hairs on his own body, the three-eyed, trident-bearing lord, his pores filled with sweat, shook his body in anger and rose up, his wrath undiminished.