He is the mighty destroyer of enemies, the one who, with the tip of his tusk, lifted the earth from the depths. Long ago, for the sake of Indra, he conquered the imperishable threefold world. This best among gods, having subdued the earth, bestowed it upon the gods themselves. He took on the form of a lion, and in that fierce guise, he split the earth in two and again restored it. It was he who, in ancient times, slew the powerful and primordial demon Hiraṇyakaśipu. When the end of the age approached, he became the blazing fire, the great Aurva, to bring about destruction. As Hari, he dwelled in the netherworld and drank up the waters of the ocean. He is the thousand-footed Brahman, radiant with a thousand rays, the bestower of countless gifts. He is the god with a thousand heads, spoken of in every age. From his navel sprang the lotus, the ancestral seat of the grandsire Brahmā. In the single ocean, in the world of serpents, there blossomed the golden lotus with its stalk, and by his might, the demons were vanquished in the battle with Tāraka. Assuming a divine form adorned with all weapons and inspired by the indweller of the heart’s cave, he struck down Kālanemi. At the farthest shore of the ocean of milk, within the nectar ocean, he lies absorbed in eternal yoga, enveloped in great darkness. Once, Aditi, through the fervor of her divine austerity, conceived the ancient Indra as an embryo during the churning of the gods. By placing this embryo, he brought forth Indra, who was beset by the hordes of demons. He created steps fashioned from yoga, casting the demons into the waters where they lay defeated, and he made the gods the rulers of the three worlds, establishing Indra as their sovereign. Through the rite of the household fire and the sacred offering, he established the fire, the Veda, consecration, and the sacred fuel as enduring and fixed. He fashioned the sprinkling vessel, the sacrificial ladle, and the ablutions, and with hands turned downward, he made those who partake of the oblations. He designated the gods as receivers of oblations and the ancestors as receivers of ancestral offerings, engaging them in the sacrificial act for the sake of enjoyment, all according to the sacred rites. He created the vessels, the gifts, the consecration, the sacrificial cakes, mortars, the sacrificial post, sacred fuel, ladle, soma, purifiers, and enclosing sticks. He made the sacrificial materials, the various cups, the assistants, the sacrificers, the priests, and the foremost of sacrifices. In ancient times, by his supreme act, he apportioned all these according to the yugas, and by his power, he created the worlds. He established moments, twinklings, measures and divisions of time, the threefold division of time, hours, lunar days, months, days, and the year itself. He made the seasons, the conjunctions of time, the threefold measure in the three worlds, the fields of life, growth, distinguishing marks, and the beauty of form. He brought forth the three worlds, the three gods, the threefold Veda, the three fires, the threefold division of time, the three acts, the three classes, and the three qualities. All the worlds were created by him, with endless action, for he is the creator present in all beings, possessing the qualities of all beings. He delights in people through yoga that begins with the senses, and by yoga, he is both the coming and the going—truly, he is the ordinance, the supreme Lord. For the righteous, he is the path; for those of evil deeds, he is the absence of path. He is the origin and protector of the four classes. He knows the fourfold knowledge, abides in the four stages of life, and is himself the directions, the sky, the earth, the wind, and the fire. He is the light composed of the moon and sun, the lord of the ages, the wanderer of the night, the supreme light heard in the scriptures, the supreme austerity. Some call him the supreme, others the non-supreme; he is the Supreme Self, the god among the Adityas, the destroyer of the Daityas, the all-pervading one. He is the ender at the close of the ages, the destroyer of the destroyers of worlds, the bridge among the bridges of the worlds, and the purest among those who perform pure acts. He is known by those who know the Vedas, the lord of those who possess creative power; he is the embodiment of Soma among the gentle, Agni among those who possess radiance. He is the lord among the Indras, the essence of asceticism among ascetics, humility among the disciplined, and brilliance among the brilliant. He is the form among those worthy of form, the goal among those who have goals. He is the ether-born wind, and from wind arises 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. From flesh comes fat, from fat arises bone, from bone comes marrow, and from marrow, semen is produced. From semen, the embryo is formed, by the action whose root is essence. In this process, the first portion of water is called the lunar mass. The embryo, born of the heat of the womb, is known as the second mass. Semen is to be understood as of the nature of Soma, and menstrual blood as of the nature of fire. Their qualities follow these essences: in the seed, both moon and fire are present; in the phlegmatic group, semen prevails, and in the bilious group, blood. The seat of phlegm is the heart, while bile is established at the navel. The heart, at the body’s center, is said to be the seat of the mind. The space between the navel and the inner cavity is where the god of fire resides. The mind is to be known as Prajapati, and phlegm is manifest as the moon. Bile is considered fire; thus, the world is of the nature of fire and moon. In this way, the embryo develops, growing to resemble a lump. The wind, united with the Supreme Self, enters in and divides itself fivefold within the body, continuing its functions. These are prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, and vyāna. Prāṇa moves, nourishing the Supreme Self within; apāna governs the lower part of the body, udāna the upper half, vyāna pervades throughout, and samāna brings balance to all.