When the Divine Mother, transcending all qualities, addressed Shiva, her words were immortal and filled with wisdom. She said, “O Shiva, take Haragauri, the enchanting Mahakali, as your own. Having established your abode on Kailasa, delight as you wish. Let tamas be your primary quality, with sattva and rajas as your secondary ones. For the destruction of demons, enjoy the play of rajas and tamas, but also practice austerity and remember the Supreme Self. “O sinless one, always accept the peaceful quality of sattva. In every way, you three—Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—are the causes of creation, preservation, and destruction. Nowhere in this world is there any substance devoid of these three qualities; whatever appears as substance is indeed composed of them. That which is seen as without qualities has never existed, nor will it ever exist in this world. The Supreme Self is indeed without qualities, but is never an object of perception. “O best of Shiva, I am both with qualities and without qualities, depending on the circumstance. I am always the cause, O Shambhu, and never the effect. With qualities, I am the cause; without qualities, I am near the Spirit. The great principle, ego, the three qualities, as well as sound and the rest—these all move about day and night as cause and effect. “Ego is my effect, established in threefold form; from ego arises the great principle, which is called intellect. The great principle is the effect, with ego as its cause, and from ego, the subtle elements are always produced. Ego gives rise to the five elements, from which everything arises, along with the five organs of action and the five organs of knowledge. The five great elements and the mind as the sixteenth—this group of sixteen is both effect and cause. “The Supreme Self, the original Person, is neither effect nor cause. Thus, O Shambhu, is the origin of all at the beginning. In brief, I have explained to you the origin. Now, O best ones, proceed by the chariot for my purpose. Whenever you find yourselves in difficulty, remember me and I will grant you my vision. Always remember me, O gods, as the eternal Supreme Self. By remembrance from both sides, success in action is certain.” Brahma then said, “Having thus spoken, the Devi dismissed us, gifting us with well-prepared powers. To Vishnu, she gave Mahalakshmi; to Shiva, Mahakali; and to me, Mahasarasvati. From her own place, she sent them forth. Having reached another realm, we became embodied beings, reflecting on that wondrous form and its supreme power. We arrived at the great chariot and found ourselves established there. There was no island, nor the goddess, nor the ocean of nectar as before. Having reached that vast chariot, we came to the presence of the lotus in the great ocean, where Madhu and Kaitabha were slain by the enemy of Mura, difficult to overcome. Brahma continued, “Thus, I saw that goddess of such immense power, and so did Vishnu and Shiva. Each of us beheld our respective goddesses separately.” At this point, Vyasa narrates that Narada, greatly pleased after hearing his father Brahma’s words, asked him a question: “O Grandfather, please tell me about that primal, imperishable, qualityless, unchanging, and unfailing Person who is both seen and experienced. What is the true nature of the qualityless power that appears as threefold? Reveal to me the true form of that power and of the Person as well. For what purpose did I perform severe austerity on Svetadvipa? There, I saw accomplished souls and ascetics free from anger. O Prajapati, the Supreme Self did not appear within my vision, though I performed intense austerity again and again. Father, you have seen the delightful power with qualities; tell me, what are the qualityless power and the qualityless Person like?” Vyasa continues, “Thus questioned by Narada, Prajapati, the Grandfather, smiled and replied truthfully: ‘O sage, the form of the qualityless cannot be an object of sight, for whatever is seen is perishable—how can the formless be seen? The qualityless power and the qualityless Person are both difficult to reach; they are to be known by knowledge and contemplated by sages. Know that Prakriti and Purusha are both without beginning or end; they are attained through faith, never through lack of faith. ‘Understand that the consciousness present in all beings is the Supreme Self—it is the eternal light, pervading everywhere, manifesting in various forms. Both power and the Person are all-pervading and omnipresent; in this world, nothing exists apart from them. They are always to be contemplated within the body, always united and imperishable; both are of one form, conscious selves, qualityless, and pure. That power is the Supreme Self, and the Supreme Self is considered that power; O Narada, no one knows any subtle distinction between them. ‘Even after studying all the scriptures and Vedas, one cannot know the subtle difference between them without detachment. All this world, moving and unmoving, is produced by ego; how could it exist without that, even after hundreds of aeons? How can one with qualities see the qualityless with the eyes? Reflect with your mind on the one with qualities, O wise one. When the tongue is covered by bile, it perceives only the bitter taste, not the true flavor; so, too, with the eyes and form.