Just as a skilled goldsmith can shape gold into a beautiful earring, and a potter fashions pots from eternal clay, so too are the workings of creation and the cosmos. The gold and the clay themselves are everlasting, enduring beyond the forms they temporarily assume. In the same way, the supreme Brahman is eternal, as is Prakriti, the primal nature. Yet, to obtain gold or clay, the goldsmith and potter are required—so too, Brahman stands supreme over Prakriti, guiding all manifestation. O Narada, some have said that Brahman itself is both Prakriti and Purusha, the source and the witness. This Brahman is the highest abode, the cause from which all other causes arise. Untouched and ever-present, Brahman exists as the silent witness and the Self of all beings. Its power is Prakriti, the very seed and source of all forms and creation. Yogis, intent on realization, meditate always upon this Brahman as the very form of light. When they meditate without envisioning the Person, whose radiance would not be wondrous? Yet, the Vaishnavas, in their devotion, meditate upon a captivating personal form, resplendent in a circle of light that shines with the brilliance of ten million suns. In that divine realm, there appears a beautiful square, measuring a hundred million yojanas, perfectly visible and circular like the radiant disc of the moon. This abode is situated fifty million yojanas above the everlasting Vaikuntha, filled with wish-fulfilling cows and graced by the circle of the rasa dance. There, a hundred gleaming peaks rise, crowned with golden domes, more splendid and desired than any other, and surrounded by a hundred million delightful hermitages. Among these stands the most beautiful hermitage, adorned with a hundred temples, radiant with the effulgence of the Kaustubha gem. The doors are crafted from the finest jewels and decorated with mirrors, while sixteen gates glow with the light of jeweled lamps. Within this wondrous abode dwells the supreme Lord, adorned with marvelous and varied ornaments. His eyes shine like the midday sun in autumn, his beauty and playfulness surpassing even a hundred million Cupids. He smiles gently, holding his flute, ever auspicious and praised by all. His body is anointed with fragrant sandalwood and adorned with the Kaustubha gem. He stands in the graceful tribhaṅga pose, bedecked with dazzling jewels and rubies, his arms and ankles adorned with gem-studded armlets, bracelets, and anklets. His enchanting teeth gleam like rows of pearls. He is beheld and surrounded on all sides by the gopīs, who further adorn him with exquisite ornaments of precious gems. Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva, Ananta, Dharma, and other great beings joyfully worship him. He is the lord of the rāsa dance, the delight of the gods, resting upon the bosom of Rādhā. This Supreme Self, this Lord, is ever to be meditated upon by us all. He is formed by his own will, beyond qualities and desires, transcending all nature. He is the Lord of all, worshipped by all, the bestower of every accomplishment and boon. Clad as a cowherd, he is ever surrounded by his cowherd companions. He is the inner self of all beings, present everywhere, all-pervading and manifest, the soul of all and the supreme Brahman. Thus is he called Kṛṣṇa, for ‘Kṛ’ is the universal syllable and ‘ṣṇa’ the primal sound—together, the name of the all-pervading Lord.