O sages, listen with attention as the story unfolds of the Supreme Reality and Her wondrous play. She, the divine substratum of all, is the very ground upon which all existence rests. Because of Her, the Supreme Lord is described as having four emanations, and in each of the four Vedas, this Great Lord is revealed in four distinct forms. Rudra, connected with the boundless infinite, is thus known as the Supreme Self. Therefore, the Blessed Lord is called by many names: Time, Hari, Life-breath, and the Great Lord. Among Vedic scholars, this Time is sung as Agni, Hara, and Rudra. All things fall under the sway of Time; none can master it, for Time is subject to no one. It is through Time that the yogin enters into the other principles of existence. Through Her, the Lord—supreme magician—sets the world in motion, revealing at every moment the universal form of the Great Lord. Three powers shine forth: the power of knowledge, the power of action, and the power of life-breath. All of these arise through Māyā, the infinite, beginningless power, who is Herself the source of all. The Lord, master of all powers, is both Time and the maker of Time. Time establishes the universe itself, and the world depends utterly on Time. Of Ananta, the all-pervading Lord, of Śambhu, the Master who is Time itself, there is one supreme, infinite, partless, auspicious Śiva power. All other potent powers arise from this supreme source. Those yogis who see truly, who contemplate the heart of reality, perceive no separation between these powers. Yet, for the sake of teaching, this distinction is explained in the Purāṇas by those learned in Brahman. The Lord, the enjoyer of all, is known as Kapardin, the blue-red one. The mind is called Īśānī, and must be approached with discernment. This truth is declared throughout all the Vedas by those sages who see reality, and is established by the knowers of Brahman in the Vedānta as well as in the Vedas themselves. Yogis, in their deep meditation, behold that supreme state of the great Goddess—not once, but again and again, they witness Her highest state. This supreme state is merged in the infinite Prakṛti, the primal nature, and it is the very domain of self-realization. By seeking refuge in the Lord, the Goddess destroys all the sufferings of worldly existence. Therefore, one should take refuge in Śivātmikā, the essence of Śiva, who is the very self of all beings. Once, with his wife beside him, Himavat, the Lord of the mountains, sought refuge in Pārvatī, the supreme Lady. At that time, Menā, the wife of Himavat, addressed the Lord of the mountains, saying: “She, our daughter, was born from the austerities of both of us for the welfare of all beings. She appeared adorned with matted hair, bearing four faces and three eyes, radiant beyond measure. She is both with attributes and without, manifest before all, and yet beyond both existence and non-existence.” Overwhelmed and awestruck, Himavat, with hands joined in reverence, spoke to that Supreme Lady: “O gentle one, I do not know you as you truly are; I beseech you, tell me of your true nature.” She, who grants fearlessness to yogis, addressed the great mountain: “I am unique, imperishable, and one. The seekers of liberation behold me alone. I am the embodiment of eternal sovereignty and knowledge, the source from which all activity springs. Now, I grant you divine sight—behold my sovereign form.