From the ineffable source, the elements arose, becoming perceptible to the senses: earth, wind, space, water, and, as the fifth, fire. These five elements, the building blocks of all creation, came forth through the Lord’s power. Within the living being, the senses found their places—each established in its own domain. The body, it is said, is of earth; the vital self, of wind. From space were born the bodily openings; from water, the flows and fluids; light became the eyes, and consciousness itself is remembered as the mind that governs all. Villages, sense-objects, all things experienced by beings—these too arise from his power. Thus does the eternal Person, the Purusha, create the worlds, bringing forth all that is. Yet a great wonder and doubt arose in the minds of the sages: “How did Viṣṇu, the Supreme Lord, come to take human birth in this mortal world? How did the swiftest, the pathless, assume a human form? This is the supreme marvel, spoken of by gods and demons alike.” With reverence, they implored, “O great sage, tell us the wondrous origin of Viṣṇu, whose strength and power are renowned, whose brilliance knows no measure. Speak to us of the true nature of Viṣṇu, whose deeds astonish the universe—how this god, supreme among gods, the remover of distress, came to be.” For Viṣṇu is all-pervading, Lord of the universe, supreme ruler of all worlds, the god who creates, sustains, and dissolves creation, the bringer of happiness to all beings. He is imperishable, eternal, infinite—free from increase or decay, untouched, without qualities, subtle, changeless, and stainless. Unbound by any limitation, established solely in pure existence, unchanging, all-pervading, eternal—he is the supreme Self, everlasting. He is unmoving, pure, all-pervading, ever content, independent, whose purity is praised, and whose greenish hue was seen in the Kṛta age. Among the gods, he is called Vaikuṇṭha; among humans, he is known as Kṛṣṇa. Such is the profound course of his actions, the wondrous play of the Lord. A longing arose to hear of what was past and what is to come—of the blessed Lord, unmanifest yet manifest in signs. Nārāyaṇa is indeed the infinite Self, the inexhaustible source; having become Nārāyaṇa, Hari existed as the eternal one. From him were created Brahmā, Śakra, Rudra, Dharma, Śukra, and Bṛhaspati—the Lord, whose essence is the primordial, long ago created Brahmā. He, the primeval Person, in a former cycle, created the progenitors. Thus, that blessed Viṣṇu, Lord of all worlds—why did Hari come to the mortal world, into the Yadu lineage? The sages, with hearts full of devotion, bowed to the Lord of gods, Viṣṇu—the all-powerful, the primeval Person, eternal and imperishable. They honored him who is the essence of the fourfold manifestation, who is both without qualities and with qualities, the most excellent, the greatest, the immeasurable. His limbs are sacrifice, his limbs are all things; he is desired by gods and others. There is nothing subtler, nor anything greater than him. It is he who pervades this entire universe, all that moves and does not move. Unborn, manifest and unmanifest, seen and unseen, distinct from all—he is the source. Creation and dissolution, after bowing to Brahman, the primeval god, are realized through meditation. Salutations to Viṣṇu, the changeless, pure, eternal Supreme Self, whose form is ever one, the victorious. Homage to Hiraṇyagarbha, to Hari, to Śaṅkara, to Vāsudeva, to the Deliverer, the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the worlds. Salutations to Viṣṇu, whose nature is one and many, both gross and subtle, manifest and unmanifest, the cause of liberation. To him, the root cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, the very essence of the universe—salutations to Viṣṇu, the Supreme Self. They bowed to him who is the foundation of the universe, subtler than the subtlest, abiding in all beings, the infallible, the Supreme Person. His essence is knowledge, utterly pure in the highest sense, abiding as the true nature of all things, though perceived variously due to delusion. To Viṣṇu, the devourer at dissolution, the Lord in creation and preservation, the beginningless, the ruler of worlds, unborn, imperishable, and undecaying, they offered praise. The sage then spoke: “I shall recount, as spoken by the blessed Lotus-born Father, when asked by the foremost sages and yakṣas. He who, uttering the Ṛk and Sāman hymns with his many mouths, purifies the three worlds—having bowed to that Lord, who emerged from the single ocean, I will declare the complete doctrine of Brahman, the one of unmanifest birth. By him, with creation in view, dharma and other principles were made manifest. The waters are called ‘nārā’ by those who see the truth; those waters were his former resting place, and therefore he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. That god, the blessed one, pervading all, is the mighty Nārāyaṇa. Brahman exists in fourfold form: with qualities and without qualities. There is one indescribable, pure form, which the wise behold. Her body is encircled by a garland of flames; she is the supreme goal of yogis, both far and near, to be known as transcending the qualities. She is called Vāsudeva, seen with detachment; her form, color, and other attributes are not products of imagination. She always abides, pure, with a single, well-established form. The second, called Śeṣa, supports the earth below with his head. That one, dominated by tamas, is said to have taken the form of animals. The third form, engaged in the protection of creatures, performs action. But the one endowed with abundant sattva should be known as the establisher of righteousness; the fourth, lying in the midst of the waters, rests upon the serpent-bed. Thus, O sages, is the mystery of the Supreme Lord—his forms, his actions, his descent among mortals, and his eternal, unchanging nature.