Let us contemplate that divine being from whose head heaven itself arose, from whom lineage and tradition flow forth. In ancient times, Rudra, the great lord, addressed the resident of Śvetadvīpa. Among the assembled gods, Rudra spoke directly to the supreme lord. Just as Vyāsa once questioned me, so did the blessed Bhava approach with inquiry. “O Hari,” Rudra asked, “tell me, lord of gods! Who is the god of gods, who is the true ruler? By what virtues, by what disciplines, and by what righteous worship is he known? From which god was the world born, and who sustains it? Tell me of creation and dissolution, of lineage, and the cycles of Manus. O Hari, reveal all this, and whatever else there may be.” Then Hari, the lord, spoke to Rudra, imparting the wisdom of the eighteen branches of knowledge. Hari 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 realms; 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. O Rudra, I am restraint, discipline, and the various vows. Long ago, Garuda the bird worshipped me on earth through austerity. My mother Vinata, O Hari, was made a slave by the serpents. I will free her from slavery, just as I have become your vehicle. Just as I am the composer of the Purana collections, so you should act,” Vishnu instructed. “You will free your mother Vinata from the slavery of the serpents. You will become a mighty being, a vehicle, and the destroyer of poison. Whatever form of mine has been described will also manifest for you. Just as I am renowned as the fortune of the gods, O son of Vinata, so too are you to be praised in your Garuda form.” Thus addressed, Garuda spoke to Kashyapa, O Rudra, as he inquired. Absorbed in another thought, Garuda revived another with knowledge. Hear, O Rudra, the teaching spoken by Garuda himself, which is of my own essence. Thus, the sage heard from Brahma about the lotus-born Rudra and Vishnu. Among the sages listening, the worship of the gods at the beginning of creation was described. The duties of varna and ashrama, as well as those concerning charity and kingship, were explained. The limbs, dissolution, and the supreme knowledge of dharma, desire, and wealth were set forth. In the Garuda Purana, all this was declared by the blessed Garuda. Having become the vehicle of Hari and the cause of creation and its sequences, Garuda, whose hunger seized the cosmic egg within the belly of Hari, performed these acts. Kashyapa revived a tree burned by Garuda, through the power of Garuda’s teaching.