The sages, filled with yearning and reverence, turned to the wise one and asked him to recount in detail the wondrous deeds performed by the Lord when he descended to earth. They wished to hear of his superhuman actions, his conduct that surpassed all understanding, and how the blessed Lord—god of gods, best among the divine—came as Vāsudeva, born into the family of Vasudeva, surrounded by the immortals and adorned by the virtuous and righteous. They wondered why he, the leader of gods and men, the imperishable origin of heaven and earth, left the celestial realms and entered the world of mortals. For what purpose did the divine Self, he who turns the wheel and brings well-being to mankind, take birth among humans? How did the bearer of the discus and mace, protector of cows and all living beings, direct his mind toward humanity? The sages sought to know how Viṣṇu, the Lord who upholds the elements and is the soul of all beings, came to earth and became a cowherd. How was the glorious one, who conquered the worlds in three strides as desired by the gods, held in the womb of a woman on earth? They asked about the one who established the paths of the world, brought forth the three aims of life, and at the end of time, drank up the universe, taking on a form made of water. They recalled how he made the world into a single ocean with his visible and invisible Self, and as the ancient one, assumed the form of a boar. As the destroyer of enemies, he lifted up the earth with the tip of his tusk, and for Indra’s sake, conquered the imperishable threefold world. After conquering the earth, he gave it to the gods, and in the form of a lion, split it in two and again. He slew the mighty ancient demon Hiraṇyakaśipu, and as fire, became the destructive Aurva at the end of the age. As Hari dwelling in the netherworld, he drank up the oceanic waters; he is the thousand-footed Brahman, the giver of a thousand rays and thousands of gifts. He is the god with a thousand heads, spoken of in every age, at whose navel arose the lotus—the ancestral home of the grandsire. In the single ocean, in the world of serpents, was the golden lotus with its stalk, and by him, the demons were slain in battle with Tāraka. Assuming a divine form bearing all weapons, and inspired by the one dwelling in the cave of the heart, he struck down Kālanemi. At the far end of the ocean of milk, in the nectar ocean, he lies in eternal yoga, in the great darkness. Aditi, through her intense divine austerity, conceived the ancient Indra as an embryo from the churning of the gods, and he, by placing the embryo, made Indra who was beset by the hosts of demons. He created steps composed of yoga, cast the demons into the waters where they lay, made the gods lords of the three worlds, and established Indra as lord of the gods. By the rite of the household fire and the act of offering, he established the fire, the Veda, consecration, and sacred fuel as fixed. He made the sprinkling vessel, sacrificial ladle, and ablution, and with hands turned downward, made the partakers of the oblations. He made the gods receivers of oblations, ancestors receivers of offerings, and for enjoyment, engaged them in the sacrificial act according to the rite. He fashioned the vessels, gifts, consecration, sacrificial cakes, mortars, sacrificial post, sacred fuel, ladle, soma, purifiers, and enclosing sticks. He made sacrificial materials, various cups, assistants, sacrificers, priests, and foremost sacrifices. In ancient times, by supreme acts, he apportioned them according to the yugas, and by his power, created the worlds. He brought forth moments, twinklings, measures and divisions of time, the threefold division of time, hours, lunar days, months, days, and the year. He established the seasons, conjunctions of time, the threefold measure in the three worlds, fields of life, increase, marks, and the beauty of form. He created the three worlds, three gods, threefold Veda, three fires, threefold division of time, three acts, three classes, and three qualities. All the worlds were formed by him, with endless action; he is the creator present in all beings, possessing the qualities of all beings. He delights in people through yoga beginning with the senses; by yoga, he is the coming and going, the ordinance, the Lord. He is the path for the righteous, the lack of path for those of evil deeds, the origin and protector of the four classes. He knows the fourfold knowledge, abides in the four stages of life, and is the directions, the sky, the earth, the wind, and the fire. He is the light composed of the moon and sun, lord of the ages, wanderer of the night, heard as the supreme light and supreme austerity. Some call him the supreme, others the non-supreme, but he is the Supreme Self; god among the Adityas, destroyer of the Daityas, the all-pervading one. He is the ender at the close of ages, destroyer of the destroyers of worlds, the bridge among the bridges of the worlds, and pure among those who perform pure acts. He is to be known by those who know the Vedas, lord of those with creative power, the embodiment of Soma among the gentle, and of Agni among those who possess radiance. He is lord among the Indras, essence of asceticism among ascetics, humility among the disciplined, and brilliance among the brilliant. He is form among those worthy of form, the goal among those who have goals; he is the ether-born wind, from wind the vital breath, and from vital breath, the fire that consumes offerings. In heaven, he is the fire that receives offerings; as vital breath, he is Agni, the slayer of Madhu; from essence arises blood, and from blood, flesh is produced. Thus, the sages sought to hear of the Lord’s deeds, marveling at his vast and wondrous manifestations, his eternal presence in all things, and his boundless compassion for the world.