The mighty Lord, resting upon his serpent-bed, entered a deep yogic sleep that lasted for a thousand ages, remaining absorbed in his own radiant glory. During this time, he placed the three worlds—everything that moves and is still—within his own belly. The perfected beings from Janaloka and the great sages praised him, marveling at his wondrous form. From his navel emerged a lotus, its petals facing all directions and adorned with filaments woven by the wind—a most excellent ancestral abode. Upon this lotus was born Brahmā, the god of gods with four faces. Then, from the wax of his ears, arose the powerful Dānavas, Madhu and Kaiṭabha. These mighty beings sought to slay Brahmā, but he, rising from the ocean-bed, defeated and slew those two formidable asuras. In this way, and in countless other forms, the unborn Lord descends to the world. Now, indeed, his 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, the Lord 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 hear further. O best of sages, listen as I briefly declare the incarnation of Hari, undertaken with the wish to relieve the burden of the earth. Whenever unrighteousness increases and righteousness declines, the god Janārdana takes incarnation here, dividing his own form in two, for the protection of the virtuous and the establishment of righteousness. For the destruction of the wicked and other enemies of the gods, and for the protection of beings, he is born age after age. Long ago, O brāhmaṇas, the earth, oppressed by a heavy burden, went to Mount Meru, to the assembly of the dwellers in heaven. There, bowing to all the gods along with Brahmā, the earth, speaking with compassion out of distress, related everything. She explained: Agni is the teacher of gold, Sūrya is the teacher of cows, but for me and all the worlds, only Nārāyaṇa is the venerable teacher. Now, these Daityas, led by Kālanemi, having come to the world of mortals, oppress the people day and night. Kālanemi, who was slain by the mighty Viṣṇu, has now been born as Kaṃsa, son of Ugrasena—a most powerful asura. Ariṣṭa, Dhenuka, Keśī, Pralamba, Naraka, Sūnda the fierce asura, Bāṇa son of Bali, and many other great warriors, evil-hearted and born in the palaces of kings, trouble the earth. Their numbers are beyond count. Numerous divisions of gods, assuming divine forms, have come upon me, opposed by the proud and mighty lords of the Daityas. Thus, O lords of immortals, oppressed by this heavy burden, I am unable to support myself; I make this known to you. O greatly fortunate ones, do what must be done to relieve my burden, so that, overwhelmed, I may not sink into the netherworld. Hearing the words of the earth, all the gods, for the purpose of relieving her burden, prompted Brahmā, who then spoke: "What the earth has spoken is all true, O dwellers of heaven. I, Bhava, and all of you are, in essence, forms of Nārāyaṇa. Among his manifestations, there exists mutual superiority and inferiority, operating through the dynamics of dominance and subordination. Come, let us go to the excellent shore of the Milk Ocean; there, worshipping Hari, we shall fully disclose everything to him. For the sake of the world, he, the soul of all, pervading the universe, descends to earth with but a small portion of himself and establishes dharma." Having spoken thus, the grandsire departed with the gods. Concentrating his mind, he praised the bearer of the Garuḍa banner, offering salutations: "Salutations to you, O thousand-formed, thousand-armed, many-faced and many-footed; salutations to you, inscrutable one, devoted to the origination, dissolution, and preservation of the world. O subtle, supremely subtle, vast in measure, whose greatness surpasses even the greatest; O root and transcendent self of matter, intellect, senses, speech, and their sources—O blessed one, be gracious. This earth, O god, oppressed by mighty demons born of the earth, bound by mountains, approaches you, the ultimate refuge of the worlds, for the purpose of relieving her unbearable burden. Here are we—the slayer of Vṛtra, the Aśvins, Varuṇa, the Rudras, Vasus with the Sun, the Wind, Fire, and others. All the gods, O lord of gods, are assembled here for this task; whatever I have done, O master, command us, for we ever abide by your order, free from faults." Thus praised, the blessed supreme lord drew forth from himself two hairs, one white and one black. He said to the gods: "These two hairs of mine, descending to the earth, will remove the suffering caused by its burden. Let all the gods, with their own portions, descend to earth and wage war against the mad, previously arisen mighty demons. Then, those Daityas on earth will be utterly destroyed, shattered by various weapons; there is no doubt about this. The wife of Vasudeva, Devakī, who is like a goddess, will bear the eighth embryo, which will be my hair, O gods. Descending there, he will slay Kaṃsa on earth, who has arisen from Kālanemi." Having spoken thus, Hari vanished, leaving the gods with his command and the promise of relief for the earth.