In the midst of his deep contemplation, Brahma, the Lotus-born Creator, approached the Supreme Goddess with humility and reverence. He was troubled by a profound doubt about the true nature of reality, the distinction between what is seen and unseen, and the ultimate source from which all arises. He confessed, “O Divine Mother, when I examine the object of knowledge thoroughly, I find that the supreme person emerges from you alone—there is no other, no third. Yet, my heart is troubled. The Vedas, the eternal scriptures, cannot be false or imagined; this contradiction has weighed heavily upon me. The Vedas proclaim a single, non-dual Brahman—tell me, is that Brahman yourself, or is it another? Please, dispel my doubt.” Brahma admitted his mind was unsteady and clouded, caught between the ideas of duality and unity. He implored the Goddess, “By the merit of my past deeds, I have come to your feet. Only your words can remove my confusion. Are you male or female? Tell me truly, for by understanding your supreme power, I hope to be delivered from the ocean of worldly existence.” Hearing Brahma’s earnest plea, the primordial Bhagavati, the Supreme Goddess, spoke with gentle compassion: “O Creator, know this truth—there is always oneness between myself and that which you call the Supreme; I am that, and that am I. Any sense of difference arises only from confusion in the mind. He who perceives the subtle distinction between us, truly wise, is freed from worldly bondage—there is no doubt of this. “Brahman is truly one, without a second, eternal and ancient. Yet, when the desire to create arises, duality appears again. Just as a single lamp, when reflected or limited by something, appears as two, so too the distinction between us is like a shadow or a reflection in a mirror. Difference arises at the time of creation, O Unborn One, for the sake of manifestation. This division into seen and unseen exists only when duality is imagined. “In truth, I am neither woman, nor man, nor neuter when creation dissolves. When creation exists, the mind imagines difference again. I am intellect, prosperity, fortitude, fame, memory, faith, intelligence, compassion, modesty, hunger, thirst, and forgiveness. I am beauty and peace, thirst and sleep, drowsiness, old age and youth; I am knowledge and ignorance, desire and longing, power and powerlessness. “I am the fat, the marrow, and the skin; I am sight, speech, truth and falsehood. I am the supreme, the intermediate, and the seeing speech, and all the subtle channels within the body. What is there in this world that is not myself? What exists apart from me? O Lotus-born, know with certainty that all is truly myself. Tell me, what exists that is devoid of these forms of mine? Thus, O Creator, in this creation I pervade all. “Among all the gods, I am the underlying basis of their various forms. I become power itself and perform mighty deeds. I am Gauri, Brahmi, Raudri, Varahi, Vaishnavi, Shiva; also Varuni, Kauberi, Narasimhi, and Vasavi. When all effects arise, I enter them and perform every action, establishing their cause. “In water, I am coolness; in fire, heat; in the sun, light; in the moon, chill. Wherever there is desire, I manifest accordingly. Without me, O Creator, nothing can move; all living beings in the world depend on this truth. Even Shankara is powerless to slay demons without me; the world calls a man without power exceedingly weak. People do not say one is without Rudra or Vishnu, but all call a powerless man base among men. One who is fallen, stumbling, fearful, or subdued by enemies is called powerless in the world; none is ever called ‘non-Rudra.’ “Know that power is the cause; as you wish to create, when joined with power, the agent accomplishes everything. So too Hari, Shambhu, Indra, Agni, the moon, the sun, Yama, Tvaṣṭā, Varuṇa, and Vāyu—all depend on power. The earth stands firm only when endowed with power; without it, she cannot support even an atom. Likewise, Śeṣa, Kūrma, and all the guardians of the directions accomplish their tasks only when joined with me. “I drink up all water, I consume fire, I still the wind; today, as I wish, so I act. O Lotus-born, never doubt the reality of all principles, nor question their existence. Sometimes there is non-existence or destruction, just as a pot is absent in a lump of clay or in its shards. If someone asks, ‘Where is the earth?’ know that its atoms have simply changed form. “The principle is described in seven ways: as eternal, momentary, void, both permanent and impermanent, with agent, with ego, and as the foremost. Receive, O Creator, the great principle and its offspring, the ego; then create all beings as you did before. Let them go to their own abodes, having been fashioned, and dwell there; let them perform their tasks, inspired by divinity. “Now, O Creator, receive this power—beautiful, lovely-faced, named Mahāsarasvatī, endowed with the quality of passion and excellence. Clad in white garments, adorned with divine ornaments, seated upon a splendid seat, she shall be your companion in play. This noble lady will always be at your side; do not disregard her power, for she is most worthy of worship and dear to me.” Thus, with these words, the Supreme Goddess revealed the profound unity of all existence and the inseparability of power and the divine, guiding Brahma to the realization that she herself is the source, sustenance, and ultimate truth behind all creation.