They say that true knowledge arises from direct understanding, and the Supreme Lord is the very abode of all knowledge. Because He is beyond all limitation and subjugation, the wise refer to Him as Īśvara, the Lord. Those who have realized the nature of reality, as well as those devoted to the divine, have explained this supreme and unsurpassed principle using words with many meanings, each striving to express the highest truth. In the beginning, it was the Great Principle—Mahat—that, stirred by the desire to create, brought forth the process of creation. This Mahat acts through two functions: intention (saṃkalpa) and determination (adhyavasāya). From the interplay of the three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—when rajas predominates, ego (ahaṅkāra) arises. Enveloped by the Great Principle, creation begins with the subtle elements, which are external manifestations. From this ego, when tamas prevails, the creation of the subtle elements unfolds, beginning with the elements themselves—this is said to be of the nature of darkness. The principle of the elements, transforming, first produced sound alone, and from sound arose space, which is hollow in nature and whose special attribute is sound itself. Space, characterized only by sound, then gave rise to air through transformation; air’s unique quality is touch, but it also envelops sound. From air, light (or fire) arose, and its attribute is form. Air, possessing only touch, now also enveloped form. Light, undergoing further transformation, produced taste alone, and from this, waters came into being, which possess all tastes. Waters, characterized solely by taste, were enveloped by fire, which possesses only form. When waters underwent transformation, they produced smell. From this process, aggregation arose, whose attribute is considered to be smell. In every element, its subtle quality is present, and thus subtlety is recognized. Because these elements initially denote non-differentiation, they are called non-differentiated. Due to their states of tranquility, fierceness, and delusion, they are again called non-differentiated. This creation of the subtle elements should be understood as arising mutually from the Vaikārikā ego, which is predominated by sattva. From this sattvic Vaikārikā ego, the creation manifests simultaneously: the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action. These organs are the instruments, and over them preside the ten Vaikārikā deities. The eleventh is the mind, which, by its own quality, is of dual nature. The five organs of knowledge are the ear, skin, eyes, tongue, and nose—each endowed with intellect and designed to perceive sound, touch, form, taste, and smell, respectively. The five organs of action are the feet, anus, genitals, hands, and speech, whose functions are movement, excretion, pleasure, craftsmanship, and speech. Space, characterized solely by sound, was penetrated by touch, and thus air became twofold, possessing both sound and touch. When form entered, both sound and touch were present, and fire became threefold, possessing sound, touch, and form. When taste was added, waters became fourfold, characterized by taste, sound, touch, and form. Finally, when smell entered, these qualities united and entered the earth, making earth fivefold and the grossest among the elements. Within these, distinctions of peacefulness, fierceness, and delusion are remembered. Through mutual interpenetration, the elements support one another. Within earth lies everything, enveloped by worlds, realms, and mountains. The distinctions among the elements are grasped by the senses, and because they are fixed, they are remembered. Each subsequent creation acquires the attribute of the preceding one. As long as those qualities persist, whatever is considered their attribute may be perceived—such as someone detecting fragrance in water and calling it a property of water. But know that this property truly belongs to earth, though it appears in water and air due to their association; thus, these seven great elements, by mutual association, share each other’s qualities. Because they are presided over by the Purusha and through the favor of the unmanifest, these great elements, culminating in their specific forms, produce the cosmic egg. That egg, arising all at once like a bubble in water, came into being from the specific elements; vast in size, it rests upon the waters. The egg is surrounded on the outside by a layer of water, which is ten times its own measure. That water is itself encircled by fire, ten times greater. Fire, in turn, is surrounded by air, ten times greater, and air is encircled by ether, again ten times greater. Ether is enclosed by the principle of the elements, which is then surrounded by the Great Principle. The Great Principle is, in turn, enveloped by the unmanifest. Within this cosmic egg, the divine presences abide: Śarva dwells in the skull of the egg, Bhava in the waters, Rudra—the blessed one—in the midst of fire, and Ugra is remembered as being in the air. Bhīma is situated in the midst of the earth, Maheśvara in the ego, and the blessed Lord Īśa in the intellect—everywhere, the Supreme Lord is present. With these seven natural coverings, the egg is enveloped, and, having covered one another, these eight principles remain established. At the time of creation, having remained thus, they consume each other; being mutually produced, they support one another. In the relationship of support and supported, these modifications reside in the modified. The Supreme Maheśvara, beyond even the unmanifest, is the source of the egg, which arises from the unmanifest. From the egg, that very Lord was born, the Purusha, radiant like the sun. In him, the means for all creative work was perfectly established by his own will. He is the first embodied being, called the Purusha. From his left side arose Viṣṇu, honored by all the gods. From the will of the Supreme Lord, the goddess Lakṣmī was born; from his right side came Brahmā, the teacher of the world, with Sarasvatī. Within that egg are contained these worlds, and this entire universe: the moon and sun, their constellations and planets, and the wind—all reside within it.