Once, a deep and sacred question arose: “How did you, together with Dakṣa, Nārada, and the foremost sages, come to receive this holy teaching?” In response, the sage spoke reverently: “I, along with Nārada, Dakṣa, Bhṛgu, and others, after offering our salutations to Him, received the very essence of the Garuḍa Purāṇa and the teachings of Rudra from that divine source, just as I have now.” A further inquiry followed: “How did Hari of old speak to Rudra in the presence of the gods?” The sage recounted, “I journeyed to the sacred Mount Kailāsa, accompanied by Indra and the other deities. There, we bowed in devotion and asked, ‘O Lord, are you meditating on Śaṅkara?’” Desiring to hear the most profound and subtle truth, even beyond the subtlest essence, Rudra, together with all the gods, spoke thus: “O Grandfather, for the worship of Viṣṇu, I observe vows and disciplines. Viṣṇu, the victorious, the lotus-naveled Hari, who is beyond all embodiment—with my whole being, I contemplate that God as my very self. “In the Lord of beings, all qualities reside like clusters of radiant jewels strung upon a thread—subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest. He is the one whom words, recitations, and the Upaniṣads proclaim. In the Purāṇas, He is called the Primeval Person, and among the twice-born, He is known as Brahmā. All these worlds shimmer within Him, like flocks of birds upon the water. The gods, yakṣas, rakṣasas, and serpents all worship Him. “The moon and sun are His eyes; I contemplate that God. The wind is His very breath; I contemplate that God. In His 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. 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 divine resident of Śvetadvīpa. Among us, Rudra spoke to the Supreme Lord. In the same way that Vyāsa once questioned me, so too did the blessed Bhava inquire of Hari, saying, “O Hari, tell me, Lord of gods! Who is truly the god of gods, who is the supreme ruler? By what virtues, by what disciplines, and by what righteous worship is He attained? From which god was the world born, and who sustains the world? Tell me of creation and dissolution, of lineage and the cycles of Manus. O Hari, reveal all this to me, and whatever else there may be.” Then, Hari spoke to Rudra, imparting the eighteen branches of knowledge, and declared: “Indeed, I am the god of gods, the lord of all worlds and their rulers. O Rudra, when I am worshipped, I grant the highest state. I am the seed of the world’s existence; truly, O Shiva, I am the creator of the universe. Through my descents, beginning with the Fish and others, I protect the entire world. I am the creator of heaven and all else; indeed, I myself am heaven and the others. “I am the knower, the hearer, the thinker, the speaker, and that which is to be spoken. I am meditation, the offering of worship, and I am indeed the sacred diagrams. O Shambhu, I am all knowledge; O Shiva, I am the essence of Brahman. I am directly righteous conduct; I am dharma, and truly, I am the Vaishnava path.” Thus, the supreme teachings were revealed by Hari to Rudra, and the sages received the essence of this wisdom, ever to be cherished and remembered.