The Lord, in His boundless compassion, granted her a rare and precious boon—one whose essence was seldom found, even among all others. With this gift, she was blessed with good fortune, honor, love, and dignity, becoming the most excellent and revered among all, praised and worshipped by the Lord Himself. Having spoken thus, the Lord of the worlds created that profound consciousness. The goddesses, who had been worshipped by those whose service she received, undertook great austerities. For a thousand divine years, they performed penance upon the Himalayas. Sarasvati herself engaged in austerity on Mount Gandhamadana, while Lakshmi performed divine penance for a hundred ages at Pushkara. Savitri, after her austerity at Malaya, became worthy of worship by the twice-born. In ancient times, Shankara undertook austerity for a hundred manvantaras, and Vishnu, after performing penance for the same duration, became the protector. Shesha, with devotion, completed austerity for a manvantara, and Vayu, after a hundred divine ages of penance, was purified. In this manner, through Krishna’s austerity, all the gods were worshipped. Thus, everything has been revealed to you, encompassing both the Purana and the Agama. At this point, Narada inquired, “O Lord, you have described the natural dissolution at the time of its fall. It is said that during this dissolution, the earth was not seen. Where did she remain when she disappeared? How did she become blessed, honored, the support of all, and victorious?” Shri Narayana replied, “Manifestation and disappearance occur in every dissolution. Listen now to the origin of the earth, auspicious and inauspicious in every way. Some say she arose from the marrow of Madhu and Kaitabha. Long ago, these two addressed Vishnu, pleased by their valor in battle. During their lifetime, the earth became clearly manifest, and she is known as Medini. Hear the opinion they stated. I will tell you the origin, meaningful and accepted by all. From the great cosmic body, which lay in the waters for a long time, Vishnu entered into all the pores of its hairs. In each and every pore, the earth remained firmly within the cavities. At the time of creation, she manifested, emerging from those waters. In each universe, the earth appears accompanied by mountains and forests. She is joined with the Himalayas and Meru, and with the planets, the moon, and the sun. Endowed with holy pilgrimage sites and the sacred land of Bharata, she is the foundation of all worlds. Below her lie the seven netherworlds, and above them is the world of Brahma. Thus, all the worlds are indeed created upon the earth. All these worlds, whether artificial or natural, are perishable. In the creation beginning with the great cosmic being, all was fashioned by Krishna Himself. That goddess who presides over the earth was worshipped by the gods in the form of Varahi. The scriptures acknowledge her as the wife of Vishnu in his boar form.” Narada then said, “By the Boar, Varahi, who is the support of all, was united with him.