Nārada spoke, instructing the adept in the sacred art of preparing the maṇḍala for the accomplishment of the mantra. He explained that the practitioner should carry out this work in the abode of the deity or a similar pure place, having first worshipped Hari and Īśvara upon a cleansed ground or within a house, and always within the bounds of a properly drawn maṇḍala. On a square field, the adept must begin by drawing the maṇḍala and other auspicious figures, marking designated compartments for mercury and gold with auspicious symbols on every side. The lotus seat, central to the design, is to be composed of thirty-six compartments, arranged in rows on the outer portion. From two points, passageways are to be formed, and from two more, doorways are to be set in the cardinal directions. Rotating the lines, the practitioner marks the lotus field before him, and by rotating half the lotus, he marks a twelfth part on the outside. Dividing the remainder, he rotates it further, creating four circular fields: the central field first, then one for the filaments, the third for the joints of the petals, and the fourth for the tips of the petals. Lines are then stretched from the corners to the midpoints of each direction, reaching to the very ends. At the tips of the filaments, the positions for the joints of the petals are measured, and with lines dropped at these points, eight leaves are drawn. The measure from the end of each petal joint is placed in the middle, and using this, the tip of the petal and its extremity are carefully rotated and marked. The spaces between and to the sides are then considered, and within the filaments, pairs are drawn between the petals, repeating the process as needed. This general form of the lotus is described as having twelve petals. With half the measure of the central part, the design is rotated in order, always beginning from the east. At the sides, through this rotation, six coils are formed, resulting in twelve fish figures and, with them, a double-petaled lotus. If the five-leaved form is to be accomplished, the adept draws additional double lines, forming the limbs in the four directions as prescribed. At three corners, the elements for the feet are placed, and at two others, pairs are set; the limbs are marked in all four directions. Then, two rows are erased in the directions to create the streets, and in each of the four directions, four doorways are fashioned. Beside each doorway, the wise practitioner adorns the space with eight embellishments, and on each side of these, the same number of secondary adornments are made. Near these secondary adornments, the corners are marked, and in each direction, two compartments are considered in relation to the central compartments. On the outside, four compartments are marked on each side for further adornment, and three are erased on each side of every petal. In reverse order, the secondary adornments are also created, considering three compartments each for the inner and outer corners, divided in two ways. By these steps, sixteen compartments are formed, and the circle is completed. In the section of twelve, the lotus now boasts thirty-six petals, and the street is marked accordingly. One row, as before, is used for the adornment of both the outer and inner doorways. The circle’s diameter is measured as twelve finger-breadths, or one hand; if two hands, then the measure is one hand, increasing by the doorway as the work progresses. The altar itself is to be square, adorned with a wheel and a lotus design. Half the lotus is created with nine divisions, and the navel is considered with three. Eight doorways are made, and the rim is set at four finger-breadths. The field is divided into three, with two marked within for the accomplishment of the inner sound, drawing the lines by striking them. Within this design, shapes like blue lotus petals or citron fruit may be drawn, or elongated lotus leaves, as desired. The outer rim is revolved, set between the lower joints, and the root of each petal is revolved, placed in the middle of the joint. Standing at the center of each petal, the central stick is revolved evenly, so that the remaining petals, equal and citron-shaped, are properly accomplished. The field is divided into seven, making fourteen divisions; when further divided in two, there are one hundred, and indeed ninety-six more. With these four, the auspicious mark is drawn at the center of the compartments, distributed around to mark the streets and in the directions as well. Again, for the streets, the lotuses are smoothed all around, and in the central compartments, two in each direction are erased for the neck. On the outside, four are erased, then three and three more; at the side of the neck, outside, one adornment is prescribed. At the outer corners, three spaces are cleansed within each of the seven boundaries, making the maṇḍala ninefold, so Hari is worshipped in these nine arrangements. Thus prepared, the maṇḍala is described as having one thousand and twenty-four compartments, with sixteen at its very center. After drawing the auspicious enclosure and cleansing the side row, the adept marks the eight auspicious enclosures in the directions, each with sixteen compartments. In the same way, after cleansing the row, sixteen more auspicious enclosures are drawn, and the surrounding row is cleansed and arranged accordingly. At the directional doors, twelve compartments are made, three by three in order; after erasing six, four remain in the center and on the sides. Four are inside, two outside, all cleansed for beauty; for the secondary doors, three are placed inside and five outside. All is cleansed for beauty, arranged as before, and at the outer corners, three compartments within each of the seven boundaries are cleansed. In this thirty-fivefold arrangement, the supreme Brahman is worshipped in the center. In the lotus from the east, Vāsudeva and others are worshipped in their proper order. Varāha is worshipped in the eastern lotus, and then, in succession, the arrangements are worshipped up to the twenty-sixth. As prescribed, the entire arrangement is to be worshipped in a single lotus, in proper order; and thus, the wise regard this as the true sacrifice.