For the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord, one attains that eternal state; indeed, without following this path, a person does not reach perfection. Having thus reflected, the seekers once again bowed in reverence to Hrishikesha and addressed him with humility and longing. “O Supreme Person,” they said, “we wish to hear from you how this world comes into being. Who is the controller of all? Please, tell us.” Hrishikesha, the Lord, responded in a voice as deep as the ocean, speaking of the origin and dissolution of all beings. He explained that the true controller is infinite and immeasurable, facing all directions, the one whom the wise call Pradhana and Prakriti—the primal substance and nature. This Prakriti is without age, unchanging and imperishable, eternally abiding in its own essence. All beings, he said, are rooted in the great form of the Self. In the beginning, before even time existed, there was the unmanifest Brahman. The dissolution known as ‘prākṛta’ endures until the universe emerges anew, and in that state, there is neither day nor night—not even in a figurative sense. The unmanifest, pervading all beings, is the supreme inner ruler and Lord. By his supreme yoga, the Supreme Lord stirred this unmanifest into motion. Entering into it with the power of yoga, he agitated it so that creation might begin. He remained in the state of Pradhāna, contracting and expanding, and from this, the great seed arose—containing both Pradhāna and Puruṣa. From this seed, intelligence, steadfastness, memory, and consciousness came forth. Out of the Mahat, the great principle, the threefold ego-sense was born. From this ego-sense emerged the self, the individual, and the living being, from whom all actions arise. The senses, the gods, and all the worlds are his offspring—the one by whom all are born, act, and perceive the elements and their origins. The senses are said to be of the fiery type, while the ten gods are of the pure type. Thus, the subtle elements were created, and from these elements, all beings came into existence. From that arose space, hollow and characterized by sound. From space, wind was produced, whose quality is touch. From wind came fire, which possesses the quality of form. From fire arose waters, the reservoirs of taste. From water, aggregation—the earth—came into being, its quality being scent. Then, air possessing two qualities—sound and touch—came into existence. Next, fire arose with three qualities: sound, touch, and form. From fire, water with four qualities, including taste, was produced. Finally, from water came earth, which has five qualities and is the grossest among the elements. Through mutual interpenetration, these elements support one another, but they are unable to create living beings in their entirety without coming together. From the great principle down to the particulars, they formed the cosmic egg. From these particulars, the great egg arose—vast and resting upon the waters. Within this primordial egg, the knower of the field, called Brahma, manifested. He, the prime creator of beings, was the first to appear as Brahma.