By merely hearing this divine and wondrous tale, a mortal attains great spiritual fruit. Yet, one who continually upholds this sacred story is destined for the world of Rudra himself. Whoever recites it daily, with a mind absorbed in me, and, O Goddess, who recites it with devotion and inspires others to do the same, ensures that obstacles are dispelled from their home. This hymn, endowed with the fruits of merit, was composed by the Four-Faced One himself. With me, the beloved of the cave, he journeyed to the cave of Kailāsa, riding upon the bull. Whoever studies this account in its entirety, understanding its characteristics, the best among the twice-born, attains the radiant solar realm. Desiring to hear more, the assembly humbly requests, “We wish to hear in full the detailed account of your majesty and virtues.” For it was you who once bound mighty Bali, the lord of the three worlds. After this deed, all the gods gathered to behold the eternal Lord. The Siddhas, Brahmarshis, Yakshas, Gandharvas, and Apsarases—all approached the great-souled one and offered praises to the Supreme Person, Hari. “By your grace, the three worlds have attained imperishable welfare,” they declared. Thus addressed by the gods, Siddhas, and supreme seers, Viṣṇu spoke: “Listen, O best of gods, and I will reveal the cause—how, together with Brahmā, I created the worlds through māyā. Long ago, when the three worlds were shrouded in darkness and unmanifest by me, I assumed a form with a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet. Then, from afar, I beheld one of boundless radiance—a four-faced, supremely yogic Person, shining with golden brilliance. In a mere moment, that Supreme Person arrived. I questioned him, ‘Who are you? From where have you come? And why do you stand here? Tell me, O Lord.’ Thus addressed, Brahmā replied to me. As we conversed, each of us desired victory over the other. Suddenly, we both beheld a wondrous, ever-increasing flame that astonished us. That flame pierced both heaven and earth, forming a circle of fire. Within it appeared an unmanifest liṅga, radiant and the size of a span—indescribable, inconceivable, sometimes visible, sometimes not, endowed with immense and ever-increasing brilliance. Its terrible form seemed to split apart the heavens and the earth. We resolved, ‘Let us discern the end of this great liṅga.’ Having made this agreement, one of us went upward, the other downward. Yet, I could not find its end and became afraid. Returning to that great ocean, I found myself bewildered by his māyā, my awareness lost. It became clear: He is the origin and dissolution, the imperishable Lord of all worlds. To him, the great and unmanifest, we offer our obeisance. Salutations to you, eternal master of accomplished yoga! Salutations to you, foundation of all the worlds!