The sacred offering to the holy grass and the gathering of the initiated have been described, and it is said that this holy place, renowned throughout all the worlds, grants both enjoyment and liberation. Now, listen as I reveal its true nature—auspicious and a destroyer of sin. On the southern side of the Vindhya mountains stands the mighty Sahya mountain. From its base emerge revered rivers, beginning with the Godā, Bhīma, and Rathī; there also flows the pure Virajā and the river Ekavīrā. The greatness of this mountain cannot be fully described by anyone. In that sacred region, O Nārada, listen carefully, for I am about to reveal a secret more hidden than the hidden, directly proclaimed in the Veda. It is auspicious, yet unknown even to sages, gods, ancestors, and demons. For your satisfaction, I shall declare it—a teaching which, when heard, grants all desires. The supreme Person is to be known: unmanifest and imperishable. From that arises another, perishable, endowed with nature. From the formless, the embodied Person was born. From him, the waters arose, and from the waters, the Person again emerged. From those two, the lotus was born, and upon that lotus, O sage, I came into being. Before me existed earth, wind, space, water, and fire—these were the first divinities. I saw only these, and nothing else, neither moving nor unmoving; at that time, the Vedas did not exist, nor could I perceive anything. Since I was born from him, I could not see him either. Then, as I remained silent, I heard a supreme voice. "Brahman, create the world, both the stationary and the moving." In response, I spoke these words, O Nārada: "How shall I create? Where shall I create? With what shall I create this world?" Then that divine voice, the nature called the Mother—prompted by Viṣṇu, the Lady of the Universe, the One who is the world—spoke to me. "Perform sacrifice; then power will arise in you, without doubt. Sacrifice indeed is Viṣṇu—this is the eternal teaching, O Brahman." What could be unattainable for those who perform sacrifice, in this world or the next? Again, I asked the goddess: "Where and with what should it be done? Tell me that, O greatly fortunate one. How should the sacrifice be performed?" She answered: "The goddess embodied as Om, mother-like, pervading the universe—on the field of action, worship here the Lord of sacrifice, the Person of sacrifice." That alone shall be your means; with it, O virtuous one, worship him. Sacrifice, svāhā, svadhā, mantras, brāhmaṇas, offerings, and the like—Hari alone is all; by that, everything of Viṣṇu is attained. Again, I asked the goddess, "Where is the land of action established?" At that time, O Nārada, neither the Bhāgīrathī nor the Narmadā existed. Nor did the Yamunā, Tāpi, Sarasvatī, or Gautamī; neither the ocean, nor any river, nor any pure lake or stream. That power spoke to me again and again: On the southern side of Mount Sumeru, and likewise on the southern side of Himavat, and also south of the Vindhya and Sahya ranges, at all times and in all ages, the land of action arises, auspicious in its dawn. Hearing these words, I left the great mountain Meru, came to that region, and wondered where I should remain. Then the bodiless voice of Viṣṇu spoke to me: "Go from here, stay here, or sit here; here, indeed, make your resolve for the sacrifice. That sacrifice of yours will be completed." And when I made the resolve for sacrifice, O best of gods, whatever all the Vedas declare regarding the rites, I performed accordingly. The Itihāsas and Purāṇas, and whatever else is within the range of words, came forth from my own mouth and entered the sphere of memory. The entire meaning of the Vedas was known to me in that very instant; then I recalled the famous Puruṣa Sūkta. All the sacrificial implements described there I prepared; in the manner prescribed, I arranged the sacrificial vessels. Standing in that place, purified, self-controlled, and initiated, O sage, that region became known by my name. My sacred place of worship is renowned as Brahmagiri, O great sage, extending up to eighty-four yojanas. My sacred place lies to the east of Brahmagiri; in its midst is the altar, and to its south is the gārhapatya fire. There I arranged the āhavanīya fire as well; without a wife, the sacrifice does not succeed, as indicated by the scriptures. I divided my own body in two, O sage; with the former half, my wife was born for the accomplishment of the sacrifice. With the other half, I myself, as heard in tradition, became the husband. The excellent season of spring I prepared as clarified butter, O Nārada. Thus, I arranged the fuel as summer, and autumn as the offering; the season of rains, O son, I then prepared as the sacrificial grass. There, the seven meters became the enclosing sticks, and the divisions of time—kalā, kāṣṭhā, and nimeṣa—were considered the fuel, the vessels, and the sacred grass. Then, time itself, without beginning or end, became manifest as the sacrificial post, O sage, and the binding rope for the sacrificial animal. The cords of the three qualities—sattva and the others—became the bonds, but there was no sacrificial animal present. Then I spoke the Vaiṣṇava speech, bodiless: "Without a sacrificial animal, this sacrifice cannot be completed." At that moment, the goddess, eternal and bodiless, spoke to me.