In ages past, the Supreme Lord, known as Hari, descended to the world in many wondrous forms. In his eighth incarnation, Urukrama was born to Nābhi and Merudevī. At the earnest request of the sages, he assumed a ninth form as a royal sovereign. When the great flood of the Cākṣuṣa epoch threatened to engulf all, he became a mighty fish, preserving creation. Later, when the gods and demons churned the cosmic ocean using Mandara Mountain as their churning rod, he appeared again—first as Dhanvantari, the bringer of nectar and healing, and then took yet another form. The fourteenth descent was as Nṛsiṃha, the Man-Lion, who destroyed the powerful Daitya king. In his fifteenth incarnation, he became Vāmana, the dwarf sage, and attended the sacrifice of Bali, the generous but ambitious king. Seeing kings who were hostile to Brahmanical order, the Lord descended once more in his sixteenth form. In the seventeenth, he was born to Satyavatī through the sage Parāśara, assuming a human-divine form to fulfill the work of the gods. In his nineteenth and twentieth births, he incarnated among the Vṛṣṇis, guiding and protecting them. Then, at the twilight of the Kali age, to bewilder the enemies of the gods, he manifested yet again. Thus, at the eighth twilight, when the line of righteous kings was nearly extinct, the Lord continued his descents. O twice-born, the manifestations of Hari, the very abode of all existence, are truly countless. From him arise creation, preservation, and other acts, and all such divine deeds are to be honored with vows and sacred observances. Now, you have asked, "How was the Garuḍa Purāṇa revealed to you by Vyāsa?" Sūta replied: There I beheld Vyāsa, immersed in deep meditation upon the Supreme Lord. Approaching him with reverence, I bowed and took my seat, then questioned that greatest of sages. I believe that because you, too, meditate upon Him, you have come to know that all-pervading One. "Listen, Sūta! I shall tell you the Garuḍa Purāṇa. But tell me, how did you, along with Dakṣa, Nārada, and the foremost sages, receive this sacred teaching?" Sūta continued: I, together with Nārada, Dakṣa, Bhṛgu, and others, after offering our salutations, received the essence of the Garuḍa Purāṇa and the teachings of Rudra from the Lord himself. You ask, "How did Hari formerly speak to Rudra in the presence of the gods?" I journeyed to Mount Kailāsa with Indra and the other deities. Bowing low, I inquired, "O Lord, are you meditating on Śaṅkara?" Desiring to hear the most essential and subtle truth, Rudra spoke these words before the assembly of gods: "For the worship of Viṣṇu, O Grandfather, I observe vows and disciplines. Viṣṇu, the victorious, the lotus-naveled Hari, who is beyond all embodiment—him I contemplate with my whole being as my very Self. The divine qualities exist in the Lord of beings as clusters of jewels strung on a thread, subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest. He is the One whom the sacred words, mantras, and Upaniṣads proclaim. In the Purāṇas, he is called the Primeval Person, and among the twice-born, he is revered as Brahmā. In him, these worlds shimmer, like birds gliding upon the waters. The gods, yakṣas, rakṣasas, and serpents all worship him. The moon and sun are his eyes—I contemplate that god. The wind is his breath—I contemplate that god. In his vast belly rest the four oceans—I contemplate that god. He is the beginningless origin of the universe—I contemplate that god. From his mouth was fire born—I contemplate that god." Thus, through these sacred exchanges, the profound glories of the Lord and the essence of the Garuḍa Purāṇa were revealed.