The Supreme Reality, without beginning, middle, or end, abides both within and beyond all, being the very source of bliss itself. This eternal presence manifests through three measures and a half-measure, known as ‘nāda’, which is recognized as Brahman. In these measures, Madhava is revealed as the essence of the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas. From the sacred words of the Vedas, the Lord contemplated the soul of the universe. The sage, embodying the Veda, became the source from which pure essence arose. Through this sage, Viṣṇu came to understand the Supreme Lord, while Rudra, free from all distraction, meditated upon Him with both speech and mind. Those who do not reach Him must turn back, for He is expressed by the single syllable—‘Om’—through which the ultimate truth and supreme cause are spoken. This single syllable is the embodiment of truth, bliss, immortality, and the supreme Brahman, higher than the highest. From the syllable ‘a’ emerged the Lord, born of the golden egg. From ‘u’ arose Hari, the supreme cause, and from ‘ma’ came Lord Nīlalohita. The syllable ‘a’ is the creator of all creation; ‘u’ is the deluder; ‘ma’ is the bestower of grace among them. ‘Ma’ is the seed-holder, ‘a’ is the seed, and ‘u’ is Hari, the womb, the lord of both Pradhāna and Puruṣa. The seed-holder and the seed, the womb, and the nāda—all these are Maheśvara. The seed-holder, by his own will, divides himself and becomes established. From this liṅga, the seed ‘a’ of the seed-holder Lord arose and, placed in the womb of ‘u’, expanded in all directions. Out of this union, a golden egg came into being, enveloping the first syllable. For many years, this divine sphere rested in the cosmic waters. After a thousand years, the egg—without origin—split in two, floating upon the waters, as ordained by the Lord known as the First. The auspicious golden shell of the egg formed the heavens above, while the lower part became the earth with its five elements. From this egg was born ‘a’, the four-faced one, the creator of all worlds, the Lord manifest in three forms. Thus, ‘om om’ is chanted, as declared by the best among the Yajur Veda, and the words of the Yajur are honored by the Ṛg and Sāma Vedas. In this way, O Hari, O Brahman, the Vedas proclaimed the Lord of the gods. Having understood this Lord as described in the Vedas, the great ones praised Him with mantras born from the Vedas. Pleased by their praise, the stainless Lord abided within that liṅga. Assuming a divine form composed of sound, He stood there smiling. The letter ‘a’ became His head, His forehead long and radiant. ‘i’ formed His right eye, ‘ī’ His left; ‘u’ His right ear, ‘ū’ His left. ‘ṛ’ was His right cheek, ‘ṝ’ His left, while ‘ḷ’ and ‘ḹ’ were His nostrils. ‘e’ was His upper lip, ‘ai’ His lower; ‘o’ and ‘au’ made up His two rows of teeth. ‘am’ was the palate of the wise Lord of gods. The five letters beginning with ‘ka’ became His five right hands, and those beginning with ‘ca’ His five left hands. The five letters starting with ‘ṭa’ and ‘ta’ formed His feet. ‘pa’ became His abdomen, ‘pha’ His side, ‘ba’ His left side, and ‘bha’ His shoulder. ‘ma’ was the heart of Śambhu, the great yogi, and from ‘ya’ to ‘sa’ arose the seven vital substances of the Lord. ‘ha’ was His self-form, and ‘kṣa’ represented His wrath. Seeing this great Lord Maheśvara with Umā by His side, the blessed Viṣṇu bowed and beheld above the mantra arising from Om, endowed with five kalās. It shone like pure crystal, made of thirty-two beautiful syllables, the very source of intelligence, ever bringing forth all righteous purposes. He saw the mantra springing from Gāyatrī, green in color, with twenty-four syllables and four kalās, capable of bringing all under control and unsurpassed in power. He beheld the Atharvan mantra, black in color, with eight kalās, potent for magical acts, composed of thirty-three auspicious syllables. He saw the mantra of the Yajurveda, pure white, bringing peace, with thirty-five auspicious syllables and eight kalās. He beheld the red-hued mantra with thirteen kalās, together with Bālā and others, arising from Sāma, the first in the world, the cause of creation and destruction. The letters of these mantras totaled sixty-six. Having obtained these five mantras, the blessed Hari recited them. Then, he saw the form of the divisions of time, embodying the Rig, Yajur, and Sama Vedas, the Lord crowned as Ishana, with a primeval human face. His heart was that of Aghora, ever-delightful, with the left side concealed, the ever-auspicious Sadashiva, the immediate foot of the Great God, adorned with the mighty serpent king. Shiva, whose faces and feet are everywhere, whose eyes and hands are everywhere, is the Lord of Brahma—the cause of creation, preservation, and dissolution. Again, He was praised with words of devotion, seeking His blessings. Thus, salutation is offered to Rudra, the One Syllable, the letter ‘A’, the embodiment of the Self, the letter ‘U’, the primal god whose very body is knowledge. Salutation to the third, the letter ‘M’, to Shiva, the supreme Self, radiant with the colors of the sun, fire, and moon, the One to be worshipped by all.