Having performed great austerities, the son of Janārdana approached the illustrious Śaṅkara and humbly spoke: "Viṣṇu is born from your left side, and I am born from your right side." He explained that together with him, Acyuta—the infallible one—created the entire world. As the very essence of the universe, Acyuta, assuming the form of a cloud, bore them both, sustaining all day and night. Viṣṇu, the preserver, brought forth the god of gods, the teacher of the world, and the mighty one declared, "O Śaṅkara, I am your devotee, even more so than I am of Nārāyaṇa." With reverence, he pleaded, "Be gracious, O Lord, soul of all, and grant me everything." By Śaṅkara’s grace, the blessed one instantly attained the state of being the soul of all. With haste, he approached and beheld the Supreme Person, dwelling in a pure abode within the single, all-encompassing ocean, shrouded in a terrifying darkness. This was a divine place, adorned with gold and jewels, created by the mind and unattainable by the wicked—only the virtuous could reach it, and even Sanaka and the other sages had never seen it. There, the unborn one gazed upon the Person whose heart was the very abode of the worlds, reclining upon the endless serpent-bed, his eyes like lotuses in full bloom. He bore the conch, discus, mace, and lotus in his four arms, adorned with every ornament, his form radiant like the moon’s orb. Marked by the Śrīvatsa, his gracious face shone, and Janārdana’s lotus feet were tinged red by the gentle touch of Lakṣmī’s hands. This was the Supreme Self, the Lord, who is the darkness of time itself, and by the quality of rajas, sets in motion the play of creation for all the worlds. By sattva, he establishes all beings, the supreme Lord, the soul of all, the great Self. There he lay, in the milk ocean, made of nectar, in deep yogic sleep. Upon seeing him, Brahmā spoke to the blessed Janārdana: "By your grace, as before, I will absorb you, for I am you." But the blessed one, smiling, awakened the Grandfather. The mighty-armed Lord looked at Brahmā, smiled gently, and entered the egg-born one, who was then absorbed by that great soul. Then, from between Brahmā’s brows, he created Acyuta once more; Hari thus stood before him. Meanwhile, Rudra, the source of all gods, appeared in a fierce form, as previously granted by boon to the two. Viṣṇu, the soul of the universe and supreme Lord, arrived to bestow incomparable grace upon Brahmā and Hari. The two gods came together and beheld Bhava—the Lord from whom all gods are born—blazing like the fire of time. They praised Śarva, the fierce, matted-haired one, and from afar, bowed with great reverence to the bestower of boons. Bhava, the blessed Lord, having shown favor to Brahmā and Janārdana, the Lord of the world, then disappeared on the spot. When the great god Maheśvara had departed, Janārdana, having bowed to him, addressed the lotus-born Brahmā: "The supreme Lord, master of the universe, Śaṅkara, is all-pervading; he is the Lord of all, the refuge for both of us, Maheśvara. O Brahman, I am born from the left side of the great-souled Śaṅkara, and you are born from the right side of the god Bhava. The sages, seeing me, call me the chief principle, the primal nature, the unmanifest, the unborn; and you, they call the Puruṣa. Thus, they declare Mahādeva as the cause of both of us, the lord of all worlds, the imperishable master." Then, at the command of that immortal Lord, the lotus-born Brahmā praised and bowed to Rudra, the boon-giver, worthy of worship. Thereafter, Janārdana, assuming the form of a boar, lifted the earth, which was submerged in water, just as he had done before. The Lord created rivers, streams, and oceans as before, and carefully shaped the earth, making it level and free from depressions and elevations. Taking the form of a mountain, he established all the mountains upon the earth and created the four worlds, beginning with Bhū, as before. The blessed one, best among the wise, resolved to create and produced the principal beings: those born from eggs, the divine beings, and humans as well. The mighty Lord, compassionate and undisturbed, first created Sananda and Sanaka, granting them his favor. He then created Sanātana, the best among the virtuous, who attained the highest through renunciation, as well as Marīci, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu. Through the power of yoga, he created Dakṣa, Atri, and Vasiṣṭha, and brought forth resolve, dharma, and even adharma. These twelve progenitors were created by Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest. At the beginning, Sanātana produced Ṛbhu and Sanatkumāra as well—two divine beings, born with upward-flowing energy, foremost and versed in Brahman, like Brahmā himself, all-knowing and all-encompassing. Thus, having created the principal and first beings, the lotus-born creator established all the duties of the ages and the universal order. Later, having heard what Śakra had spoken, my father, the great sage, again approached the lord of the gods with joined palms and deep reverence. He addressed the blessed Śakra, all-knowing, worshipped by the gods, lord of Śacī, master of the universe, thousand-eyed, the great lord: "How did the blessed one, born from the lotus, establish the duties of the ages? Please tell me everything, as I bow before you." Hearing these words from the great-souled Śilāda, Śakra spoke, describing in detail the duties of the ages as he had witnessed them.