Adhyaya 107

Śucismitā asks Dadhīca how sacred ash (bhasma) protected Kaśyapa, Jamadagni, and the gods. Dadhīca recounts a calamity at Mount Śokara, where a vast conflagration consumes sages and devas, reducing them to ash. Vīrabhadra arrives to confront the blaze. Guided by Bhāratī/Sarasvatī, he subdues the fire and, using bhasma together with the Mṛtyuṃjaya mantra, performs restoration and revives the fallen. Further trials arise: a colossal serpent and a powerful rākṣasa menace those restored to life. Śiva grants a boon amid the rākṣasa’s austerities, and the narrative culminates in the demon’s defeat and renewed protection. The chapter ends with a Vīrabhadra-remembrance japa to avert rākṣasa/brahmarākṣasa/piśāca afflictions, and a phalaśruti praising sacred ash as life-extending and sin-destroying.