Hear now the sacred narrative as revealed in the venerable scriptures. There is One by whom this entire universe is pervaded—everything that moves and does not move, all that is seen and unseen, manifest and unmanifest, yet unborn and distinct from all. This Supreme, the source of creation and dissolution, is realized through deep meditation, after bowing in reverence to Brahman, the primeval god. Salutations are offered to Viṣṇu, the changeless, pure, eternal Supreme Self, whose victorious form is ever one. Homage is also paid to Hiraṇyagarbha, to Hari, to Śaṅkara, to Vāsudeva, to the Deliverer—He who creates, sustains, and destroys the worlds. Viṣṇu is both one and many, gross and subtle, manifest and unmanifest; He is the very cause of liberation. To Him, the root cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution, the very essence of the universe, salutations are due. Having bowed to Him, the foundation of all, subtler than the subtlest, abiding in all beings, the infallible Supreme Person—He whose essence is pure knowledge, abiding as the true nature of all things, though perceived in many ways due to delusion. To Viṣṇu, the devourer at the time of dissolution, the Lord during creation and preservation, the beginningless, the ruler of the worlds, unborn, imperishable, and undecaying, we offer our homage. Now, let me recount what was formerly spoken by the blessed Lotus-born Father, Brahmā, when asked by the foremost among sages and yakṣas. He, with many mouths uttering the Ṛk and Sāman hymns, purifies the three worlds. Bowing to that Lord, who emerged from the single ocean, we remember Him whose hosts of asuras do not rob the sacrifices of the pious. Thus, I shall 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 wise know that the primordial waters are called 'nārā.' Those waters were His first resting place; thus, He is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. That blessed god, pervading all, is the mighty Nārāyaṇa. Brahman exists in fourfold forms: with qualities and without qualities. Among these, there is one indescribable, pure form, which only the wise behold. Her body is encircled by a garland of flames; she is the supreme goal of yogis, both far and near—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, and is dominated by tamas, taking the form of animals. The third form, engaged in the protection of creatures, performs action and is endowed with abundant sattva—she is the establisher of righteousness. The fourth, lying in the midst of the waters, rests upon the serpent-bed, with rajas as her quality, always creating the world—this is the third form of Hari, intent on the protection of creatures. She establishes righteousness unfailingly on earth and destroys the arrogant asuras who seek to abolish dharma. She protects the gods and gandharvas devoted to righteousness, and whenever righteousness declines and unrighteousness rises, she manifests herself. In former times, as the Boar, she drove away the waters with her snout and lifted up the earth with a single tusk, like a lotus. Taking the form of Narasiṃha, she slew Hiraṇyakaśipu. Others, such as Vipracitti and the leading Dānavas, were also destroyed. Assuming the form of Vāmana, she subdued Bali by her power of illusion. Having conquered the sons of Diti, she traversed the three worlds. Born in the lineage of Bhṛgu, she became the mighty son of Jamadagni. As Rāma, remembering his father’s murder, she destroyed the kṣatriyas. Likewise, becoming the son of Atri, the glorious Dattātreya appeared and taught the eightfold yoga to the great-souled Alarka. Becoming the son of Daśaratha, that mighty god was Rāma, who slew Rāvaṇa in battle, the terror of the three worlds. When the god of gods, Lord of the universe, slept in the single ocean, the mighty one, lying upon the serpent-bed, entered yogic sleep for a thousand ages, remaining established in his own glory. Having placed the three worlds, with all that moves and is still, within his belly, he was praised by the perfected beings from Janaloka and the great sages. From his navel arose a lotus, adorned with petals facing all directions, joined with filaments of wind—a most excellent ancestral abode. There Brahmā was born, the god of gods with four faces. Then, from the wax of his ears, were born the Dānavas Madhu and Kaiṭabha—mighty and powerful, they sought to slay Brahmā, but rising from the ocean-bed, he slew those two formidable ones. In this way, and in countless other forms, does the Unborn One descend into the world. Now, indeed, this present descent is in Mathurā. That sattvic form also descends as an incarnation, known as Pradyumna, established in the act of protection. Whether abiding among the gods, as a human, or in the animal realm, it always assumes the nature appropriate to that state, by the will of Vāsudeva. When worshipped, O best of twice-born, she grants desired wishes. Thus I have described the Lord, who, though accomplished, took human birth as Viṣṇu. Now, O best of sages, hear further as I briefly declare the incarnation of Hari, undertaken with the wish to relieve the burden of the earth.