Deluded by the power of Māyā, Indra and the other gods approached Shri, the radiant goddess, and addressed her with reverence, “O goddess with wide, lotus-like eyes, please tell us truly—who are you? We earnestly seek to know.” As they gazed upon the goddess, Narada and the other sinless sages spoke, their hearts filled with awe. The goddess replied, “My beloved ones, I am the endless Māyā, the very force by which this entire world is deluded. O best of the twice-born, it is I who create, I who devour, and I who delude. Yet those who come to know and discern the true Self are able to cross over this vast ocean of illusion. “Brahma, Ishana, and all the other gods—their powers arise from me. Even before, in an auspicious age, Padmavāsinī, the goddess of fortune, sprang forth from me. She, as Mohini, shines with the brilliance of millions of suns and bewilders all embodied beings. “This Māyā must be overcome, as must all other embodied beings on earth. Who, indeed, can cross this Māyā, so difficult to conquer and fashioned by the gods themselves? There is, however, a distinguished twice-born sage renowned as Indradyumna. Having received the divine Samhitā from my own mouth, he guided the foremost of sages. Recognizing those sages as established in my power, he sought refuge in me alone. “He is known as Indradyumna; you remember your previous birth. Having attained that knowledge which belongs to me, you will enter into me at the end of your journey. When the age of Vaivasvata passes, you will enter into me for the sake of your destined task. According to the law of time, you will dwell with me on the sacred isle of Śvetadvīpa. “By my command, O best of sages, you were born again in a family of Brāhmaṇas. That which is known as the supreme Brahman is concealed within the forms of knowledge and ignorance. Through vows, fasting, discipline, gifts of gold, and offerings to Brāhmaṇas, Indradyumna worshipped Mahādeva, who dwells in the hearts of yogis. Mahādeva revealed his own divine form, which had arisen from Viṣṇu. Praising him with various hymns, Indradyumna, with joined palms, humbly asked, ‘Please, tell me the truth of the matter as it really is.’ Smiling gently and recalling Viṣṇu, the goddess spoke to the beloved Brāhmaṇa, “I am the one supreme Māyā, whose essence is Nārāyaṇa. Through me, I am the supreme Brahman; that Viṣṇu is the highest Lord. Neither by knowledge alone nor by the yoga of action am I attained. But by worshipping the Infinite with knowledge, you will attain liberation.” Bowing his head to the goddess, with palms joined in reverence, Indradyumna spoke again, “O goddess, it can indeed be known; tell me, O supreme Lady.” She replied to the sage, “Nārāyaṇa himself will grant you knowledge.” Remembering Viṣṇu, the Supreme beyond the supreme, the goddess vanished on the spot. Thereafter, Indradyumna worshipped Hṛṣīkeśa, the dispeller of the distress of those who bow before him. Then the great yogi, Viṣṇu, appeared before him, clad in yellow garments and pervading the entire universe. Indradyumna fell to his knees, praising the Lord whose banner is Garuḍa. He exclaimed, “O Kṛṣṇa, O Viṣṇu, O Hṛṣīkeśa, obeisance to you, the soul of the universe! To you, the cause of creation, preservation, and destruction, O one of infinite power! Obeisance to you, the Puruṣa; obeisance to you, whose form is the universe itself!