Śveta, the eminent sage, stood steadfast as Death itself—terrible, fearsome, and bearing a noose—appeared before him. Unmoved, Śveta declared, “What can death do to me, since I am the death of death?” At these words, the terror of the worlds, Time personified, regarded Śveta with a smile and said, “Come, come, Śveta! What fruit do you hope to gain from this rite? Is it Rudra, the Blessed Lord, Viṣṇu, or Brahmā, the Lord of all, whom you seek? Who can save one whom I have seized, O best of Brāhmaṇas? What use is this fierce rite of yours to the Lord, O Brāhmaṇa? I have come to take you, for your time on earth is at its end. Within a moment, you will be in the realm of Yama.” Hearing these words, mingled with righteousness, Śveta cried out in distress, “Alas, Rudra! Rudra! Rudra!” His eyes, brimming with tears, turned to Mahādeva, looking to the Lord of Time for refuge. Agitated and overcome, he called out, “What can you do, O Time, if Vṛṣadhvaja, the Lord, is present? In this liṅga resides Śaṅkara, Rudra, the source of all the gods. For those devoted to existence—great-souled ones like me—what use is your power, O mighty-armed one? Go as you have come.” Śveta’s steadfastness only enraged Time further. The sharp-toothed, terrifying being let out a thunderous lion’s roar, clapped his hands again and again, and bound Śveta with his noose, declaring, “You are bound by me, O best of Brāhmaṇas! Today I am taking Śveta to Yama’s abode. What has your Rudra, the Lord of gods, done for you? Where is your devotion, your worship, and the fruit of your worship? Where am I, and where is my fear? Śveta, you are truly bound by me. In this liṅga, O white one, your Rudra, the great Lord, is established; that unmoving Mahādeva—how is the great Lord to be worshipped?” At that very moment, Sadāśiva himself appeared, smiling, to slay the twice-born who had come to kill—to destroy Death, the enemy of Smara, the sacrificer, Hara. Swiftly, the supreme Śiva, the three-eyed Tryambaka, emerged, accompanied by Ambikā, Nandin, and the lords of the gaṇas. In an instant, Śiva restored life, and the mighty Time, beholding Bhava out of fear, fell prostrate before the sage. Śiva roared mightily, and by his very gaze, he slew the ender of death. The lords of the gods lamented loudly before Maheśvara; they bowed to Ambikā and Umā, and the great sages rejoiced. From the heavens, celestial beings showered beautiful, cool, and fragrant flowers upon the head of Bhava, the sage. Witnessing the slaying of Death, the astonished son of the mountain bowed to the imperishable Śiva, Śaṅkara. With the innocence of a child, the vanquished Death pleaded, “Be gracious,” to the Lord of sages, to Maheśvara, and to the leader of the gaṇas, the attendant of Maheśvara. The Blessed Lord, showing favor to the best of the twice-born, entered him. Seeing Death’s destroyed and hidden form, he acted at once. Therefore, O twice-born, worship Mṛtyuñjaya—Śaṅkara, the conqueror of death—with devotion. He grants both liberation and enjoyment to all. What is the use of much talk? Renounce all else and worship Bhava; with supreme devotion to him, you will become free from sorrow. Thus addressed by Brahmā, the speakers of Brahman said, “May devotion to the Lord of gods, to Rudra, the wielder of the bow, arise in us. By what austerity, O god, or by what sacrifice, or by what vows, do the twice-born become devotees of the Blessed Lord?” Brahmā replied, “Not by gifts, nor by austerity, nor by knowledge, nor by sacrifices, oblations, vows, Vedas, yogic scriptures, or restraints—devotion to Śiva, the supreme cause, comes only by his grace.” Hearing these words, all the supreme sages, weary along with their wives and sons, bowed to the Grandfather. Thus, Pāśupata devotion grants success in dharma, desire, and wealth. It grants victory to the sage and bestows conquest over all death. In ancient times, Dadhīci, by devotion, conquered Hari, the lord of immortals. I myself struck down decay with my foot and attained the firmness of a thunderbolt; even death was conquered by me through the praise of Mahādeva. By the grace of Mahādeva, death was conquered by me, just as the sage with a white body also overcame death. “O Lord,” the sages asked, “tell us how, by the grace of Bhava, the dwellers of the Devadaru forest sought refuge in the Divine.” The blessed, self-born Lord spoke to those great souls, radiant with the power of their austerities, saying, “This god is Mahādeva, to be known as the Great Lord; beyond him, no higher state is ever attained. He is the Lord of the gods, the seers, and the ancestors; at the end of a thousand ages, he dissolves all embodied beings. As Maheshvara, he becomes Time and withdraws all beings; by his own power, he alone creates all creatures. He is the one with the discus and the thunderbolt, marked by the Srivatsa; in the Krita age, he is called the Yogi, in the Treta, the Sacrifice. In Dvapara, he is the fire of time; in Kali, he is known as the Banner of Dharma. These are the forms of Rudra, as recognized by the learned. One should worship the liṅga that is square outside, eight-sided within the pedestal, and perfectly round and beautiful above.” In this way, the greatness of devotion to Śiva and his power to conquer even death was revealed, and the sages learned the supreme path of worship and refuge in the Great Lord.