The gods, filled with concern for the welfare of all beings, approached the great Lord Shiva, the God of gods, and addressed him with reverence: “O Lord, you who delight in the good of the world, we bow before you—please show us your favor.” They spoke of their fear: “O best of gods, the worlds cannot withstand the force of your unleashed energy. Endowed as you are with Brahma’s austerity, we ask that you, together with the goddess, practice penance and restrain your power.” They pleaded further: “For the sake of the three worlds, contain your energy within itself. Protect all these worlds—do not render them uninhabitable.” Hearing these earnest words, Shiva, the great Lord of all worlds, replied, “So be it,” and then spoke again: “I shall restrain my energy with energy itself, along with the goddess. Let the gods and the earth find peace.” But Shiva then asked, “This supreme energy of mine, now stirred from its place—who will bear it? Let the best among you gods tell me.” The gods replied to Shiva, the Bull-bannered One: “The energy you have stirred today, O Lord, the earth will bear it.” Thus addressed, Shiva, mighty Lord of the gods, released his immense energy, and the earth—together with her mountains and forests—became filled with it. Again the gods spoke, this time to Agni, the Fire-god: “O Agni, you of great energy, fierce and swift, enter in, accompanied by the wind.” As Agni filled the earth, there arose the White Mountain and the divine Saravana, both shining with the brilliance of fire and the sun. From Agni, Kartikeya, radiant and powerful, was born. At that time, the gods and the hosts of sages worshipped Uma and Shiva with great devotion, their hearts overflowing with joy. Then, O Rama, the daughter of the mountain, Parvati, addressed the gods. Her eyes reddened with anger, she cursed them all: “Because I was restrained, though I joined in hope of a child, you shall not beget offspring in your own wives. From this day forth, may your wives be childless.” Having thus cursed the gods, she turned her wrath to the earth: “O earth, you shall not possess a single form; you shall become one with many forms, like one with many wives. And you, whose mind is clouded, will not know the joy of a son, for you have rejected my son and angered me.” Seeing the gods afflicted by these curses, the lord of the gods, Shiva, set out toward the region guarded by Varuna. There, on a peak born of Himavat, on the northern slope of the mountain, Shiva undertook great austerities together with the goddess Parvati. O Rama, this story was told to you by the daughter of the mountain herself. Now, listen as I recount the origin of the sacred river Ganga. While Shiva was engaged in his austerities, the gods, led by Indra and Agni, approached the Grandfather, Brahma, seeking a commander for their celestial army. They bowed to the blessed Grandfather and spoke: “O Lord, the commander you once appointed is now deep in penance with his wife. For the good of the worlds, please arrange what must be done, for you are our supreme refuge.” Brahma listened to their plea and comforted the immortals with gentle words: “What the daughter of the mountain has spoken is true and pure, and it is not fitting for creatures to have offspring with their own wives. Listen well: this celestial Ganga, in whom Agni will beget a son, will bear the commander of the gods’ army, the destroyer of enemies. The eldest daughter of the king of mountains will honor that son, and he will be greatly esteemed by Uma, without doubt.” Hearing this, all the gods, their purpose fulfilled, worshipped Brahma. Then, traveling to jewel-adorned Kailasa, they appointed Agni to fulfill their wish for a son. They said to him, “O god, accomplish this task for us: release your energy into Ganga, the daughter of the mountain.” Agni agreed. Approaching Ganga, he said, “O goddess, bear this embryo; it is dear to the gods.” Hearing these words, Ganga assumed a divine form, and Agni’s energy, seeing her greatness, dispersed in all directions. Fire anointed the goddess on all sides, and all the streams of Ganga became full. But Ganga, overwhelmed, spoke to the assembly of gods: “O gods, I cannot bear the blazing energy that has arisen from you.” Burned by its fire and greatly disturbed, she was addressed by Agni: “Let this embryo be placed here, on the slopes of the Himalayas.” Hearing Agni’s words, Ganga released the radiant embryo from her streams. O sinless one, the mighty and radiant embryo emerged, shining with the brilliance of molten gold. Gold, gleaming like the sun, reached the earth, as did radiant silver; copper and black iron also arose from its sharpness. There, her impurity became tin and lead, and as these substances reached the earth, the abundance of various metals increased. Thus, through divine intervention, the commander of the gods’ army was born, and the sacred sources of metals and the river Ganga herself were sanctified for all time.