1426.  The four Sacrificial fires are Treta, Avasathya, Dakshina, and Sahya.

1427.  Silpika is one who is not well-skilled, or is ill-skilled, in the arts.  It implies a common artisan.

1428.  Dhatri is adikartri or Vishnu.  Vidhatri is the four-headed.  Brahman Sandhatri is he who joins all things into one; the second Vidhatri means the designer of destinies.

1429.  The identity of Maheswara with Narayana or Krishna is here preached.  In his incarnation of Krishna, Vishnu sported with the children of the cowherds of Vrinda and sportively lowed as a cow.  He also protected the kine of Vrinda from floods, poison, etc.  Govrisheswara is Nandi, the attendant of Mahadeva.

1430.  The word Go in Gomargah is used to signify the senses.

1431.  Durvaranah is explained by the commentator as ’irresistible when coming as Death.’  Durvishah is ’destroyer of all kinds of poison in thy form of Amrita.’  Durdharshah is incapable of being frightened.  Durvishah is incapable of being measured.

1432.  Vishagnipah is drinker of poison and fire.  Siva is represented as the acceptor of all things that are rejected by others.  In this consists his true divinity, for to the Deity nothing in the universe can be unacceptable or worthy of being cast off.  The ashes of the funeral pyre are his, the poison produced by the churning of the ocean was his.  He saved the universe by swallowing the poison on that occasion.

1433.  Tushitadyapah is the correct reading.  Thou protectest him who is the adya of the tushita, i.e., thou protectest Brahman himself.

1434.  The commentator explains that what is meant by Mahadeva’s staying ‘alone’ is that he is the knower, the known, and knowledge.  ’On the other side of the ocean’ means ’on the other side of desire and attachment, etc.’  ‘Overwhelming many thousands of persons’ means overwhelming all creatures,’ i.e., transcending them by his energy and knowledge.

1435.  Of course, Yogins are spoken of.

1436.  The eclipses of both the Moon and the Sun are caused, according to the Pauranic mythology, by Rahu devouring the Moon and the Sun at certain well-known intervals.  Rahu is an Asura whose head only is still alive.  Vide Adi Parva, On Churning of the Ocean.

1437.  Garbhah means embryos or infants in the womb.  The deities ere referred to by this word, for they are embryos that have been born in Mahadeva, Patitah has twattah understood after it.  Anu means ‘after’ i.e., ‘after Brahman’s creation.’

1438.  These Beings are Rudras or portions of the great Rudra.

1439.  Tasmaih paramgatah,—­param is utkrishtam i.e., Renunciation and other superior practices.  Tasmai is ‘for the sake of That,’ i.e., for Iswarah.

1440.  Hence in this, the present Kalpa too, I am obliged to do the same, for all Kalpas must be similar in respect of the events that transpire in them.