Witnessing the awe-inspiring manifestation before them, the gods, asuras, great serpents, siddhas, and sādhyas—led by Hari and Brahmā—found renewed courage and strength. With determination, they dispersed in all directions, their minds set on protecting the asuras. Once they had departed, the divine Narasiṃha stood revealed. He was the god of a thousand forms, all-pervading, with a thousand arms and a thousand eyes—his eyes themselves being the moon, the sun, and fire. Pervading all existence, he was the master of illusion, standing as an embodiment of cosmic power. The foremost among the gods, stationed throughout the worlds and upon the world-mountains, together with Brahmā, the Sādhyas, Yama, and the Maruts, gathered to praise him. Their voices rose in reverence: “You are the Supreme beyond the supreme Brahman, the essence beyond all essences. You are the supreme light among all lights, the supreme self, the one who pervades the universe.” They extolled him as gross, subtle, and most subtle, composed of the sound-Brahman; auspicious, transcending speech, unsupported, beyond duality, free from disturbance. “You are the enjoyer of sacrifices, the very form of sacrifice, the giver of fruits to sacrificers, O Lord. You have assumed the forms of the fish and the tortoise and are established in the world.” They recalled his deeds: “Assuming the forms of the boar and the lion, you have stood firm, and for the protection of the gods, you slew the lord of the Daityas. By the pretext of a brahmin’s curse, you have descended playfully; for there is nothing other than you, O Lord—all that moves and does not move is you.” “You are Viṣṇu, you are Rudra, you are indeed the Grandfather. You are the beginning, you are the end—and you, O Lord, are indeed us. You alone are the entire universe; what is the use of further speech, O Lord? By your māyā you exist in many forms, yet you are the non-dual essence, O Master.” “How shall we praise you, O God of gods, Lord of beasts? Even when praised with various hymns and manifold feelings, you remain the Lord.” They proclaimed that whoever recites or reflects on this hymn to Nṛsiṃha with devotion will not attain peace or another birth for their soul. If one causes all the twice-born to hear it, he is honored in the world of Viṣṇu; meanwhile, the gods with Indra and Brahmā worship the Lord Śiva. Approaching him, they praised him entirely, informing the one in the form of a beast; Brahmā and the others quickly praised the Supreme Lord. For their own protection, they took refuge in the ultimate cause—the great god dwelling on Mandara, sporting with Umā. He was served by hosts of Gaṇas and Gandharvas, Siddhas and groups of Apsarases. Together with the gods, Brahmā, greatly afraid and with faltering speech, bowed down flat on the ground and praised the Supreme Lord: “Salutations to you, the ender of time! Salutations to you, Rudra, the wrathful! Homage to Śiva, to Rudra, to Śaṅkara, to you who are auspicious. You are fierce, the controller of all beings; you are our Śiva. Homage to Śiva, to Śarva, to Śaṅkara, the remover of suffering. Homage to the maker of delight, to the all-pervading, to Viṣṇu, to Brahmā. Homage to the ender, to you, to the husband of Umā. Homage to the golden-armed, directly to the lord of gold; homage to Śarva, to the one of all forms, to the Person—repeated homage.” “To you, devoid of manifestation as existence or non-existence, the cause of the great, the eternal, of universal form, the ever-born, homage to you. Born in many ways in the world, great in power—repeated homage to you: to Rudra, to Nīlarudra, to Kadrudra, to Pracetas. Salutation to the One who is Time, who takes the form of Time, who seizes the limbs of Time; to the most generous God, to the blue-throated One, I bow to You.” “Homage to You, the most exalted, the constant destroyer of the enemies of the gods; to the Savior, the Supreme Savior, the Deliverer—again and again, I bow. To the god with tawny hair, to Śambhu, the Supreme Self, to the benefactor of the gods, to the benefactor of beings—I bow to You. To Śambhu, to the wrath of Pārvatī, to the one who assumes the form of Rudra, to the matted-haired One, I bow to You; to the dark-throated One, I bow. To the golden One, to the Great Lord, to the illustrious blue-throated One, I bow again and again; to the One whose body is smeared with ashes, to the Lord of skulls and staff.” “Salutations to the short One, to the tall One, to the dwarf—I bow again and again; to the fierce trident-bearer, to the terrible One, I bow repeatedly. To the formidable One, to the One with a terrible form, to the One delighting in terrible deeds; having become the slayer at the forefront, I bow, and also to the slayer from afar. To You who bear the bow, the spear, the mace, and the plough, I bow; to the discus-bearer, the armored One, ever the destroyer of the deeds of demons. To the immediate One, to the One of immediate form, to the One just born, I bow; to the leftward One, to the left-formed One, to the left-eyed One, I bow. To the One of human form, to the One who is the sole Supreme Person, I bow.” “To the Giver of the aims of human life, to the Lord, to the Supreme Creator, to the Ruler, I bow to You; to the Lord, I bow again and again. To Brahmā, to the One of Brahmā’s form, I bow; to You, who are directly Śiva; having assumed the form of Viṣṇu and Narasiṃha, the Maker of the universe. Having slain Hiraṇyakaśipu with Your own sharp nails, together with many demon lords, for the sake of the world’s welfare, O Lord. Assuming the lion’s womb, You trouble the entire world; whatever is to be done here, O Lord of gods, do that—be present here.” “You are fierce among all the wicked, You are our controller, You are auspicious for us; with the form of Kālakūṭa and others, protect us who have taken refuge. O Lord of the universe, the pure is indeed a sport for You; by Your opening and closing of the eyes are our dissolution and creation. If You open Your eyes, O Brahman, there is no destruction; if not, O Śiva, we are tormented, O God, by the immeasurable radiance of Hari. For the welfare of all worlds, You wish to destroy this essence.” Thus addressed, the god, smiling, spoke to those gods, his presence filling them with hope and reverence.