Witnessing the terrible act of a woman’s slaying, the great sage Bhṛgu was overcome with anger. It was Viṣṇu who had committed this deed, and Bhṛgu, deeply grieved by the killing of his own wife, pronounced a curse upon Viṣṇu. “Because you, who know the law, have killed a woman—one who is never to be slain—you shall be born among humans seven times.” Thus, by the power of Bhṛgu’s curse, Viṣṇu was destined to descend to earth again and again, taking human birth whenever righteousness declined, for the welfare of all beings. After delivering this curse, Bhṛgu approached the lifeless body of his wife. He took up her severed head and placed it upon her body. With a vessel of water in hand, he spoke solemnly: “Now I shall restore you, who were slain by Viṣṇu, to life. If all the righteousness I have practiced is true, or even if it is not, by that very truth—if indeed I speak truly—live again.” When Bhṛgu uttered this vow, the goddess was revived. He sprinkled her with cool water, saying, “Live.” She awoke as if from deep sleep, and all beings rejoiced to see her return to life. From every direction, unseen voices rang out in praise: “Excellent! Excellent!” The revival of Bhṛgu’s wife before the eyes of all was a wonder to behold. Bhṛgu, calm and unshaken, had brought her back from death. Yet this marvel disturbed Śakra, Indra, who was troubled by the power and austerity of Kāvyas, Bhṛgu’s son. Indra could find no peace, fearful of what might come from such ascetic might. Staying awake, wise Indra spoke to his daughter, Jayantī. “This Kāvyas performs fierce austerity, not for my sake. Because of his unwavering resolve, I am deeply troubled, O daughter. Go to him, honor him with pleasant services to ease his fatigue, and with attentions to delight his mind. Serve him with utmost care and never be negligent.” Jayantī, the virtuous daughter of Indra, approached Kāvyas as he meditated, weakened but steadfast. She served him precisely as her father had instructed, soothing him with gentle words and praises. At the proper times, she offered him comfort with soft massages, attending to him with devotion for many years. When the thousand-year vow of austerity—marked by living amidst smoke—was completed, Jayantī asked Kāvyas to choose a boon. Pleased, he spoke: “What you have accomplished, none other has done. Therefore, by your austerity, wisdom, learning, and strength—by your brilliance—you shall surpass all the gods. All the knowledge I possess, O Bhṛgu’s son, and all the limbs and secrets of the sacrificial Upaniṣads, whose beginning and end are unknown to any, will be revealed to you. You shall become the foremost among the twice-born.” Thus, granting these boons again and again to Bhārgava, Kāvyas received invincibility, lordship over wealth, and immunity from harm. Filled with joy at these blessings, a divine hymn welled up within him in praise of Maheśvara, the great Lord Śiva. Standing with reverence, he offered his homage to the blue-red throated one. He saluted Śitikaṇṭha, the radiant drinker of wine, the one who delights in destruction and disappearance, the very embodiment of time, Lord of the world. He praised the matted-haired one, the swift, the god of gods, the excellent pilgrimage, the cause of all. He honored the crowned, the well-formed, the thousand-eyed, the generous, the ascetic clad in bark, the source of wealth, Rudra. He offered homage to the short one, the loose-haired, the commander, the red one, the poet, the aged king, the playful companion of Takṣaka, the lord of mountains, the sun-eyed, the steadfast ascetic, Jāmbava, the well-shaped, the skilled-handed, the archer, Bhārgava himself. He praised the thousand-armed, the one with a thousand spotless eyes, a thousand bellies, a thousand feet and heads, of many forms, the creator, Bhava, the universal form, the white one, the person. He saluted the sword-bearer, the armored, the subtle, the destroyer, the copper-colored, the formidable, the fierce, and the auspicious. He honored the tawny, the spotted, the reddish-brown, the ruddy, the great god, Śarva, the universally-formed, the auspicious one. He praised the golden, the excellent, the best, the middle, the wielder of Pināka, the swift, the brilliant, the red one. He offered homage to the drum, the one-footed, the worthy, wisdom itself, the deer-hunter, the serpent, the steadfast, the terrifying. He praised the one of many forms, the fierce, the three-eyed lord, the tawny, the sole hero, death, Tryambaka. He saluted the lord of dwellings, the stringless, Śaṅkara, the auspicious, the forest-dweller, the cave-dweller, the ascetic, the celibate. He honored Sāṅkhya, Yoga, the meditator, the initiated, the hidden, Śarva, the honored, the garlanded. He praised the wise, the virtuous, the righteous, the auspicious, the restrainer, the clever, the Brahmin-like, the great sage. He honored the four-footed, the pure, the righteous, the swift, the crested, the skull-bearer, the fanged, the universal sacrificer. He saluted the irresistible, the brilliant, the radiant, the wise, the cruel, the deformed, the dreadful, the auspicious. He praised the gentle, the virtuous, the righteous, the auspicious, the invincible, the dead-bodied, the eternal, the everlasting. Thus, with a heart overflowing with devotion and awe, Kāvyas celebrated the infinite forms and glories of the great Lord Maheśvara.