Hear now the sacred story as revealed in the scriptures, of the Supreme Person who is the very embodiment of truth. This Great Lord is the source and the seed of all that exists—He alone pervades the universe, the one and only god. Those who have mastered the Vedas know Him as Mahadeva, the Great God. His wisdom transcends even the wise; He stands beyond all understanding. Once, the sages approached and humbly asked, “O Mahadeva, you who are of universal form, tell us: How do you exist in all things?” In response, the Lord revealed the mystery: “Here, Māyā—the power of illusion—is the cause of manifestation, but even Māyā depends upon the Self. Because of this cause, the world that you see, with all its forms and names, arose from the unmanifest. Yet, in truth, I alone am the supreme Brahman; apart from Me, nothing else exists. “This is the teaching of unity and diversity: though many forms appear, their essence is one. O twice-born sages, the Self is without cause and without fault. In the highest heaven, the unmanifest, eternal, and solitary reality shines forth, untouched. Only by union with Me does one attain that eternal, beginningless, and endless state. “This state abides without beginning or middle, and it is only through ignorance that it seems otherwise. That imperishable, supreme light is the highest abode of Vishnu. That alone is the entire world; knowing this, one is liberated from all bondage. When the wise realize the bliss of Brahman, they are freed from all fear. United with Brahman, they are ever joyful, delighting in the Self, and once they reach that abode, they do not return to the cycle of birth. “That radiant, pure, and sky-like realm is My own. In truth, I am that Brahman, the enjoyer of supreme bliss. Only those who know this attain eternal peace; for others, it remains out of reach. The Lord pervades all; there is nothing to desire apart from Him. This knowledge is most secret and precious, difficult even for yogis to attain. “The supreme reality, self-luminous, is established in the highest sky. It is without qualities, pure consciousness, seen only by the wise. They behold the supreme Brahman, the ultimate sign, as revealed in scripture. There is no knowledge of That, for That is the knower of all. All else is ignorance, for the world is woven of illusion. “The wise declare, ‘That indeed is my Self.’ Having realized the one imperishable reality, they have attained the highest state. Through devotion, they truly see Me, and such souls are to be known as sharing My very essence. This state is one of eternal bliss, undivided, and of the nature of truth. Resting in their own Self, peaceful, they abide in the supreme unmanifest of the Supreme. “The wise know that nirvāṇa, unity with Brahman, and absolute aloneness—kaivalya—are one and the same. He is the Lord, the great god; knowing Him, one is liberated. That which eternally shines, unmoving, is what truly appears to the wise. They behold this unmoving reality, which is the Lord Himself. Those who have understood the deepest meaning of the Vedas meditate upon this truth. And it is the god Śiva alone who shines forth as all.