"'Bhishma said, "Then Narada, that holy Rishi, that friend of Narayana,
recited the following narrative of the discourse between Sankara and his
spouse Uma.

"'"Narada said, 'Once on a time the righteous-souled lord of all the
deities, viz., Mahadeva with the bull for his device, practised severe
penances on the sacred mountains of Himavat that are the resort of
Siddhas and Charanas. Those delightful mountains are overgrown with
diverse kinds of herbs and adorned with various species of flowers. At
that time they were peopled by the different tribes of Apsaras and crowds
of ghostly beings. There the great god sat, filled with joy, and
surrounded by hundreds of ghostly beings who presented diverse aspects to
the eye of the beholder. Some of them were ugly and awkward, some were of
very handsome features, and some presented the most wonderful
appearances. Some had faces like the lion's, some like the tiger's and
some like the elephant's. In fact, the faces of those ghostly creatures
presented every variety of animal faces. Some had faces resembling that
of the jackal, some whose faces resembled the pard's, some like the
ape's, some like the bull's. Some of them had faces like the owl's; some
like the hawk's; some had faces like those of deer of diverse varieties.
The great god was also surrounded by Kinnaras and Yakshas and Gandharvas
and Rakshasas and diverse other created beings. The retreat to which
Mahadeva had betaken himself also abounded with celestial flowers and
blazed with celestial rays of light. It was perfumed with celestial
sandal, and celestial incense was burnt on every side. And it echoed with
the sounds of celestial instruments. Indeed, it resounded with the beat
of Mridangas and Panavas, the blare of conchs, and the sound of drums. It
teemed with ghostly beings of diverse tribes that danced in joy and with
peacocks also that danced with plumes outspread. Forming as it did the
resort of the celestial Rishis, the Apsaras danced there in joy. The
place was exceedingly agreeable to the sight. It was exceedingly
beautiful, resembling Heaven itself. Its entire aspect was wonderful and,
indeed, it is indescribable in respect of its beauty and sweetness.
Verily, with the penances of that great deity who sleeps on mountain
breasts, that prince of mountains shone with great beauty. It resounded
with the chant of the Vedas uttered by learned Brahmanas devoted to Vedic
recitation. Echoing with the hum of bees, O M