puissant Grandsire,
showing himself unto Mahadeva, addressed him in the following words.

"'"Brahman said, 'O puissant one, the deities will henceforth yield thee a
share of the sacrificial offerings! O Lord of all the deities, let this
wrath of thine be withdrawn by thee! O scorcher of foes, there, those
gods, and the Rishis, in consequence of thy wrath, O Mahadeva, have
become exceedingly agitated. This Being also, that hath sprung from thy
sweat, O foremost of gods, shall wander among creatures, O
righteous-souled one, under the name of Fever. O puissant one, if the
energy of this Being remains all collected together, then the entire
earth herself will not be able to bear him. Let him, therefore, be
distributed into many parts.' When Brahman had said these words, and when
his proper share was appointed of the sacrificial offerings, Mahadeva
replied unto the Grandsire of great energy, saying, 'So be it.' Indeed,
the wielder of Pinaka, viz., Bhava, smiled a little and became filled
with joy. And he accepted the share that the Grandsire appointed of the
offerings in sacrifices. Conversant with the properties of everything,
Mahadeva then distributed Fever into many portions, for the peace of all
creatures. Listen, O son, as to how he did this. The heat that is
perceptible in the heads of elephants, the bitumen of mountains,[1402]
the moss that floats on water, the slough of snakes, the sores that
appear in the hoofs of bulls, the sterile tracts of earth that are full
of saline matter, the dullness of vision of all animals, the diseases
that appear in the throats of horses, the crests appearing on the heads
of peacocks, the eye-disease of the koel,[1403] each of these was named
Fever by the high-souled Mahadeva. This is what has been heard by us. The
liver-disease also of sheep, and the hiccup of parrots are also each
known as forms of Fever. To this must be added the toil that tigers
undergo, for that also, O righteous king, is known as a form of Fever.
Besides these, O Bharata, amongst men, Fever enters all bodies at the
time of birth, of death, and on other occasions. This then that is called
Fever is known to be the dreadful energy of Maheswara. He is endued with
authority over all creatures and should, therefore, be held in respect
and worshipped by all. It was by him that Vritra, that foremost of
virtuous persons, was overtaken when he yawned. It was then that Sakra
hurled his thunderbolt at him. Thunderbolt, penetra