In the course of time, the Supreme Being, Hari, took birth among the Vṛṣṇis in his nineteenth and twentieth incarnations. As the age of Kali approached its twilight, he descended once more, this time to bewilder the enemies of the gods. At the eighth twilight, when the line of kings had nearly vanished from the earth, these sacred descents of Hari, the very abode of existence, continued—innumerable and beyond count. From Hari arise all acts of creation, preservation, and dissolution, and these divine manifestations are to be honored through vows, disciplines, and sacred observances. Turning to the origins of this wisdom, the sages inquired: “How was the Garuḍa Purāṇa revealed to you by the revered Vyāsa?” Sūta replied, “There, I beheld Vyāsa himself, immersed in deep meditation upon the Supreme Lord. After offering my respects, I sat before that best of sages and questioned him. I believe that because you, too, meditate upon that all-pervading One, you possess true knowledge of Him.” “Listen, O Sūta,” he was told, “I shall recount to you the Garuḍa Purāṇa. Tell me, how did you, along with Dakṣa, Nārada, and the foremost sages, come to receive this sacred teaching?” Sūta explained, “I, together with Nārada, Dakṣa, Bhṛgu, and others, after bowing in reverence, received the essence of the Garuḍa Purāṇa and Rudra from Him, just as I have now.” The sages further asked, “How did Hari in former times speak to Rudra amidst the company of the gods?” Sūta narrated, “I journeyed to Mount Kailāsa with Indra and the other deities. There, after offering our respects, we asked, ‘O Lord, are you absorbed in meditation upon Śaṅkara?’” Desiring to hear the highest and most subtle truth, Rudra, with the assembled gods, spoke thus: “For the purpose of worshipping Viṣṇu, O Grandfather, I observe sacred vows and disciplines. Viṣṇu, the victorious one, lotus-naveled Hari, who is beyond all embodiment—him I contemplate with my entire being as my very self.” Rudra continued, “All qualities dwell in the Lord of beings as clusters of jewels strung upon a thread—subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest. He is the one whom the Vedas, the sacred recitations, and the Upaniṣads proclaim. In the Purāṇas, he is called the Primeval Person; among the twice-born, he is known as Brahmā. In him, the worlds shimmer like birds upon the waters. The gods, yakṣas, rākṣasas, 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 belly rest the four oceans; I contemplate that god. He is the beginningless source of the universe; I contemplate that god. From his mouth was fire born; I contemplate that god. From his head arose heaven; I contemplate that god. From him proceed all lineage and tradition; I contemplate that god.” Thus, long ago, Rudra addressed the resident of Śvetadvīpa, the supreme lord, in the presence of us all. Just as Vyāsa questioned me, so did the blessed Bhava, Rudra, inquire of Hari: “O Hari, tell me, lord of gods! Who is the god of gods, who is the ruler? By what virtues, by what disciplines, and by what righteous worship may he be attained? From which god was the world born, and who sustains the world? Tell me of creation and dissolution, of lineages and the cycles of Manus. O Hari, reveal to me all this, and whatever else there may be.” Thus unfolded the sacred dialogue, the source of the Garuḍa Purāṇa, as handed down by the ancient sages.