Having come to a profound realization, the devotee addressed the Divine Mother, saying, “O Mother, I now understand that all creation and dissolution arise from You; the entire universe is established in You alone. Your power, manifest in every action, is the very essence upholding all worlds. You expand and reveal both the changing and the unchanging, unfolding everything flawlessly to the Purusha at the right time. Through the sixteen and seven principles, You appear—like a wondrous illusion—for the delight of all beings. Without You, nothing exists; You pervade all and are ever established. Even the Purusha is powerless without Your energy, as the wise declare, O Mother. With Your powers, You constantly delight the whole universe, and by Your radiance, all is revealed. At dissolution, You swiftly absorb everything—who can truly know Your deeds in this world, O Devi? You have protected us from Madhu and Kaitabha, and it is by You that the worlds are spread out. By beholding Your great and powerful form, O Bhavani, we are led to happiness and the highest bliss. Neither I, nor Bhava, nor Virinchi have known the mystery of Your deeds; who else could hope to know them? How many worlds exist in this creation of Yours, O greatly powerful Bhavani? Here, we have seen only Hari, Shiva, and Kamalaja, renowned for their might, but in other worlds, O Devi, are there not others? What do we truly know of Your vast and supreme power? O Mother, I bow at Your lotus feet and beg this one boon: may Your form always reside in my heart, may Your name ever be on my lips, and may I always behold the vision of Your lotus feet. I am ever Your servant, devoted to You. In my mind, I constantly reflect, ‘You are the Mistress.’ Let our bond, like that between mother and child, ever increase. You know everything, the entire expanse of the worlds; Your omniscience is complete. O Mother of the Universe, what can I—a mere mortal—declare to You? Do what is fitting, O Bhavani; let Your intention be done. Though people say Brahma creates, Vishnu sustains, and Rudra destroys, is this truly so? It is only by Your will that we act, 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. Even the sun shines by Your radiance. You, pure and untainted, shine forth as this entire universe. Brahma, I, and the supreme Lord exist only by Your power; we are all born, not eternal. What other gods—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 I am always in Your presence. Otherwise, I, the Lord, though beginningless and actionless, would remain only 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, and satisfaction. You are the giver of liberation and the very detachment in the world. You are the Gayatri, the foremost 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 reviving of the ancient gods. You create the universe solely for the sake of liberation; those who attain it transcend individuality. The souls are but parts of You, sinless, beginningless, and endless, like waves from the full ocean. When the soul realizes all this is Your doing, it is known that You withdraw everything. Just as a play ceases when the actor’s purpose is fulfilled, so do You, O 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, became silent after speaking thus, Shankara—Sharva—standing before the Mother with reverence, spoke. Shiva said, “O Goddess, if Hari is Your manifestation, and Padmaja (Brahma) is also born from You, why should I not also possess good qualities from You, O Shiva, skillful in the creation of all worlds? You are earth, water, air, and space; You are also the quality of fire. O Mother, You are again those elements and their instruments; You are intellect, mind, and ego. Those who say otherwise—who claim Hari, Hara, and others created the world—do not know. It is only Your three forms that always create the world, moving and unmoving. The world exists with earth, air, space, fire, water, and their objects and qualities. How could all this manifest without even a fraction of Your power, O Mother? 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 cease or 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 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 goodness? If Your mind is not impartial, O Ambika, how is the world 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 fashioned as the causes of the three worlds. I, Hari, and the lotus-born have explored the worlds, even by celestial vehicles; tell me, by whom are new worlds created? You create and protect the world, O Mother, and destroy it as You wish by Your own power; You always delight Your spouse, the Purusha, yet we do not know Your path, O Shiva. Mother, grant us the service of Your lotus feet, even to us who have attained the state of youthful devotees; having gained manhood but deprived of Your lotus feet, where could we find happiness? O Mother, I have no desire for anything in this world, abandoning Your lotus feet, O Shiva—even if I were to gain a human body or the lordship of the three worlds. O beautiful one, I have not the slightest pleasure, even after attaining youthfulness near You; how could manhood bring happiness if Your feet are not within sight? O Ambika, may my fame always remain unsullied in the three worlds; having attained youthfulness, I have become acquainted with Your lotus feet, which destroy the cycle of birth. Who, having abandoned the service of Your presence on earth, would desire a kingdom free from thorns? That prosperity soon perishes, for if Your lotus feet are not near, it does not last an age. Those pure sages who are devoted to austerity, forsaking the worship of Your lotus feet, O Mother, are deceived by fate; disgrace is established even in prosperity. Liberation from the ocean of existence does not arise from austerity, self-restraint, meditation, or prescribed sacrifices as much as from devoted service to the dust of Your lotus feet. Show mercy, O Goddess; if You are compassionate to me, tell me the wondrous, pure mantra. When I recited it, I became happy, and the clear, supreme nine-lettered mantra appeared.” Thus, the Lord and the Creator, in deep devotion, praised the Mother of the Universe, recognizing Her as the source, the sustainer, and the ultimate refuge of all creation, whose lotus feet are the highest goal for gods and mortals alike.