In the heart of the cosmic waters, upon a radiant lotus, I, Brahma—the four-faced creator—found myself present, along with the Lord of the universe, Vishnu, who reclined serenely upon the great serpent Shesha. There, too, were the formidable demons Madhu and Kaitabha. As I gazed around this wondrous place, I beheld something astonishing: at the very tip of the nail on Her lotus foot, a sublime presence was established. I was filled with amazement and pondered deeply, “What is this mystery before me?” Vishnu, too, was overcome with wonder, as was Shankara, who stood there in awe. In that moment, all of us recognized Her as the Mother of the universe. Time seemed to dissolve as we watched Her. A full hundred years passed in that blissful, auspicious island, where we delighted in countless joys. The goddesses, adorned with dazzling ornaments and radiant with happiness, accepted us as their companions, and we, enchanted by their supreme beauty, became utterly captivated—our minds rejoiced at the sight of their charming forms. At one point, Bhagavan Vishnu assumed the form of a beautiful young woman and began to offer heartfelt praises to the great Goddess, Shri Bhuvaneshvari. With deep reverence, he declared: “Salutations to the Goddess, to Prakriti, to the Creatrix—unceasing salutations! Salutations again and again to the Auspicious One, the Bestower of desires, to Growth, and to Success! “Salutations to You, whose form is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss in this forest of worldly existence! To You, the Creatrix of the five cosmic acts, the Mistress of all worlds—salutations! Salutations to Her who is the form and support of all abodes, who is immutable, to Her who is the essence of the half-syllable, to Hrllekha—salutations! “Now I understand: all that exists is established in You. From You arise the creation and dissolution of this world, O Mother. Your power, manifest in every action, is truly the very essence of all the worlds. You expand all things, mutable and immutable, and reveal them flawlessly to the Purusha at the appointed time. By means of the sixteen and the seven principles, You appear, like a magical illusion, for our delight. “Without You, nothing exists at all; You pervade everything and are ever established. Without Your power, even the Purusha is incapable of action—so declare the wise, O Mother. You constantly delight the entire universe with Your powers, and by Your radiance, You reveal all things. At the time of dissolution, You swiftly absorb all—who indeed can know Your deeds, O Devi, in this world? “O Mother, You have protected us from Madhu and Kaitabha, and have shown us the worlds spread out by Your will. By beholding You, O Bhavani of great power, we have been led to the abode of happiness and the highest bliss. Neither I, nor Bhava, nor Virinchi, O Mother, have comprehended Your inscrutable deeds; who else could possibly know them? How many worlds exist here, O greatly powerful Bhavani, in this creation composed by You? “In this world, we have seen only Hari, Shiva, and Kamalaja, renowned for their power; but in other worlds, O Devi, are there not others? What do we know, O Devi, of Your vast and supreme power? I beg of You, Mother, bowing to Your lotus feet, this one desire: may this form of Yours always dwell in my heart; may even Your name ever be on my lips, and may I always behold the vision of Your lotus feet. “This servant is always to be devoted to You; in my mind, I constantly reflect, ‘You are the Mistress.’ O Goddess, let the unbroken bond between us ever increase, like that between a mother and her child. You know all—the entire expanse of the worlds; Your omniscience is supreme and complete. O Mother of the Universe, what could a mere mortal like me declare to You? Do what is fitting, O Bhavani; let Your intention be done. “People say Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains, and Rudra destroys—this is the well-known order. But is this truly so? O Goddess, it is only by Your will that we are able to act, for we are empowered by Your strength, O birthless one. O Daughter of the Mountain, it is not the earth that supports the world, but Your sustaining power that upholds everything. Even the sun shines, O Giver of Boons, by Your radiance. You, pure and untainted, shine forth as the entire universe. “Brahma, I, and the supreme Lord exist only by Your power; we are all born, not eternal. What other gods, even Indra and the rest, are eternal? You alone, O Mother, are the eternal, ancient Prakriti. If You, O Bhavani, show compassion to the ancient Person, then I know that today I am always in Your presence. Otherwise, I, the Lord, beginningless and actionless, would remain as the self of the universe, but always in darkness, as mere nature. “You alone are knowledge for the wise, power for the strong, fame, beauty, fortune, satisfaction, the giver of liberation, and the very detachment in the world of men. You are the Gayatri, the foremost portion of the Vedas; You are Svaha, Svadha, the blessed one, and the subtle half-syllable with qualities. The Veda itself is prescribed for You, O Bhavani, for the constant revival of the ancient gods. “You create the entire universe solely for the sake of liberation, for those who have attained it no longer possess individual existence. The souls are but parts of You, the sinless, beginningless, and endless one, like waves spreading out from the full ocean. When the soul realizes that all this is Your doing, then it is known that You withdraw everything. Just as a play, created by an actor, ceases when the purpose is fulfilled, so do You, of manifest power, withdraw when Your work is done. “You alone are my savior from the ocean of delusion, O Ambika; I always approach You in distress. When the end comes, fashioned by passions and suffering, protect me at that time. Salutations to You, O Goddess, O great wisdom! I bow to Your feet. Always grant me the light of knowledge, O Giver of all aims, O auspicious one.” When Vishnu, the god of gods, Janardana, finished his praise and fell silent, Shankara—Sharva, the compassionate one—stood before the Goddess with reverence and spoke. Shiva said: “If Hari, O Goddess, is Your manifestation, and then Padmaja (Brahma) is also born from You, why should I not also possess good qualities from You, O Shiva, who are skillful in the creation of all worlds? You are the earth, water, air, and space; You are also the quality of fire. O Mother, You are again those elements and their instruments; You are also intellect, mind, and ego. “Those who say that Hari, Hara, and others created the world do not know. It is only Your three forms that always create the world, both moving and unmoving. The world exists with earth, air, space, fire, water, and their objects and qualities. Without even a fraction of Your power, O Mother, how could all this manifest clearly? “You are all this, both moving and unmoving, imagined as the forms of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. With various playful forms and wondrous displays, You cause things to cease or to delight, O Mother, as You wish. Whenever I, Hari, and the lotus-born desire to create all worlds, O Ambika, we attain this only after receiving the dust of Your lotus feet. “If Your mind is not always softened by compassion, O Ambika, how could I be assigned the quality of darkness, the lotus-born be born of passion, and Hari be endowed with the quality of goodness? If Your mind is not impartial, O Ambika, how is this world made so diverse—filled with ministers, kings, servants, the wealthy and the poor, all mingled together? “Your qualities alone are always capable in creation, preservation, and destruction; by You, Hari, Hara, and the lotus-born are successively fashioned as the causes of the three worlds.” Thus, in that sacred and eternal presence, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, filled with awe and devotion, offered their praises to the Supreme Mother, recognizing Her as the source, the power, and the very heart of all creation.