Hear now the sacred tale, as revealed in the ancient verses. It is taught that the recitation of mantras must be performed with care: in a low voice, four times, and audibly, eight times. Yet, those who bear the burden of grave sins will receive only half the merit from such recitation; for lesser sins, so it is declared, the reduction is the same. When a single sin has been committed—such as slaying a Brahmin, drinking liquor, theft of gold, and the like—the merit is halved, and there should be no doubt about this. If a Brahmin has committed a grave transgression, such as violating the teacher’s bed, he must undertake a special purification. He should take the urine of a Kapila cow, accompanied by the Rudra-Gāyatrī mantra, O twice-born ones. With the mantra 'gandhadvāre', he should take fresh cow dung; with 'tejo'si śuktam', clarified butter, as prescribed by the wise. With 'āpyāyasva', he should take milk; and with 'dadhikrāvaṇa', fresh curd from a Kapila cow, O Pitāmaha. With 'devasya tvā', he should collect water using kuśa grass, placing it in a golden vessel—or, with the Aghora mantra, in a silver one. Alternatively, a copper or lotus-leaf vessel may be used, or a pure palāśa leaf, with a bundle of kuśa grass, adorned with all kinds of gems, and gold placed therein. He must recite the Aghora mantra one hundred thousand times, offering oblations with ghee and other substances—ghee, cooked offerings, sacred sticks, and sesame seeds. Barley and rice should be offered separately, each seven times; if these materials are unavailable, ghee alone suffices. After offering oblations to the Lord with the Aghora mantra, and bathing with the same, O twice-born, he should then bathe the Lord with eight droṇas of ghee, and purify himself thereafter. Having fasted for a day and night, and bathed, he should drink the kuśa mixture before Śiva, recite the Brahma mantra, and perform the prescribed purification. Thus, even one who has committed the killing of a Brahmin, a fetus, a hero, a teacher, or betrayed a friend’s trust—a thief, a gold thief, one who violates the teacher’s bed, a habitual drunkard, one attached to outcast women, or who violates another’s wife—one who destroys Vedic offerings, kills a cow, kills mother or father, drives away the gods, or destroys the liṅga—and other sins, whether mental, verbal, or physical, even if committed by the thousands—having done this, one is immediately freed, even from hundreds of births. This secret is revealed by the grace of Aghoreśa. Therefore, a twice-born should always recite for purification from all sins. Now, O foremost sages, another cycle of Brahmā is described, known as Viśvarūpa, wondrous indeed. When dissolution had ceased and creation arose again, Brahmā, desiring sons, meditated upon the Supreme Lord. Then appeared the great sound, Sarasvatī, of universal form, adorned with the garland and garments of the cosmos, wearing the sacred thread of the universal sacrifice. She bore the universal turban, universal fragrance, was the mother of all, and the great bee; in such a form, the Blessed One meditated upon Īśāna, the Supreme Lord. Pure as crystal, adorned with all ornaments, Pitāmaha, with a concentrated mind, meditated upon Him. He worshipped the god Īśāna, the Lord of all, the omnipresent ruler: "Om Īśāna, salutations to you; Mahādeva, salutations to you." Salutations to you, Īśāna, Supreme Lord of all knowledge; salutations to you, Īśāna, Bull-bannered Lord of all beings. Lord of Brahmā, to you; to Brahmā, to the one of Brahmā's form; salutations to the Lord of Brahmā—may Śiva, Sadāśiva, always be auspicious for me. "O Lord of gods, embodiment of Om, Sadyojāta, salutations again and again; I take refuge in you, I have sought you—salutations to Sadyojāta. Salutations to you in non-being and being, and also in neither excessive being; O source of being, Lord of existence, O radiant one, favor me. Salutations to you, Vāmadeva, to the eldest and the bestower of boons; salutations to Rudra, to Time, to the measurer—salutations again and again. Salutations to you, O Vikaraṇa, of the color of Time, the colored one, the strong one, always among the strong; salutations always to you, O Vikaraṇa. Salutations to you, destroyer of strength, the strong one, of Brahmā's form, Lord of all beings, and subduer of creatures. Salutations to you, O god of exalted mind, O radiant one; salutations to Vāmadeva, to the gentle one, to the great soul. Salutations to the eldest and the best, to Rudra, the bestower of boons, to the destroyer of Time; salutations to you, O great soul." Thus, with this hymn, he worshipped the Lord of gods, the Bull-bannered one; whoever recites it even once here will go to the world of Brahmā. Or, if he causes it to be heard by twice-born men at a śrāddha, he attains the highest state. Thus, Pitāmaha was there, absorbed in meditation and offering salutations. The Blessed Lord spoke: "I am pleased with you; what do you desire?" Then, having bowed, Pitāmaha addressed Maheśvara with purified speech. The Blessed Lord spoke to Rudra, pleased in mind: "This universal form of yours, the universal cow, is the most auspicious ruler. I wish to know this, O Supreme Lord: who is this blessed Goddess, four-footed and four-faced? How is she described as four-horned, four-mouthed, four-tusked, four-breasted, four-armed, four-eyed, and of universal form? What is her name and lineage? Whose is she? What is her power and her actions?" Hearing these words, the Lord of gods, the Bull-bannered One, spoke to the divine bull and to Brahmā, self-born: the secret of all mantras, pure and bestowing nourishment.