In the beginning, before all things, there was the unmanifest—the subtle root and source of all existence. This unmanifest is known as Shiva, and the Linga, which symbolizes Shiva, is remembered as Shaiva. When the sages speak of the highest Linga, they identify it as pradhāna and prakṛti, the primal matter and nature. This supreme principle is beyond all qualities—it has no scent, color, or taste, nor does it possess sound, touch, or any such attribute. It is without qualities, eternal and imperishable, and stands as the very mark of Shiva. Yet, from this unmanifest, which is beyond all attributes, arises the manifest world, endowed with scent, color, taste, sound, touch, and the like. This is the source of the universe, the great element, both gross and subtle, taking the form of all worlds. The Linga, as the cosmic principle, arises spontaneously from the unmanifest. By the power of Māyā, the Lingas of the unmanifest spread forth in sevenfold, eightfold, and again elevenfold forms. From among these, three chief gods emerged, each embodying the nature of Shiva. From one, the universe was created in three ways; by one, it is preserved; and by one alone, it is ultimately withdrawn. Thus, the universe is pervaded by Shiva, manifesting as both the unmanifest and the Linga, each reflecting the other. So it is that Brahma himself becomes the world, and the Lord, unmanifest, is the seed—the supreme ruler of all. There is the seed, the womb, and the seedless; yet even the seedless is called the seed. Among these—the seed, the womb, and pradhāna—the self-named principle exists eternally. The supreme self, the sage Brahma, is eternally wise and pure by his very nature, just as Rudra, who is known in the Purāṇas as Shiva. When Shiva beheld Prakriti, she became Shaivi—imbued with his own essence. At the dawn of creation, she, who had been unmanifest, became endowed with the three gunas—qualities of nature. From her, the universe arose—from the unmanifest to the particular. She is known as the bearer of the universe, called Aja, the unborn, and remembered as Shaivi Prakriti. This unborn mother, red, white, and black, is the single source of many beings. He, delighting in his own form, united with her, the mother and source of all. Another unborn one, after enjoying her, departs; yet the mother of worlds remains established with the unborn. At the command of the unborn, at the time of creation, from her arose Mahat—the great principle—endowed with the three gunas and presided over by Purusha. Urged by the desire to create, Mahat, entering the unmanifest and imperishable, produces the manifest creation, remaining established in itself. From Mahat arises the power of resolve and determination; from this threefold Mahat comes ahamkara, the sense of “I,” predominated by rajas, the quality of activity. Covered by that very ahamkara, now predominated by tamas, the quality of darkness, from Mahat arose the subtle elements—the creators of all beings. From ahamkara comes the subtle element of sound, and from that, the imperishable ether. Ether, possessing sound, envelops it and becomes the cause of sound. From the subtle elements, the creation of the gross elements unfolds. From ether comes the subtle element of touch, and from that, air is born. Next, from air arises the subtle element of form, and then fire; from taste comes water, filled with auspiciousness; and from those, the subtle element of smell, from which earth arises. Ether envelops the subtle element of touch; air, being active, envelops the subtle element of form; Agni, the god of fire, envelops the subtle element of taste; and the waters, full of all tastes, envelop the subtle element of smell. Thus, earth is fivefold in qualities, and from her arise things with less taste. Fire is threefold in qualities, and air, arising from touch, is twofold. Space, or ether, is the god with a single quality and is indivisible. The creation of elements from the subtle elements is to be understood as mutually connected. From the sattvic aspect of ahamkara, called Vaikarika, arises simultaneously the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, and the mind, which partakes of both, enabling the apprehension of sound and the rest. From Mahat down to the particular elements, they produce the cosmic egg; and from that, as a bubble emerges in water, the Grandfather—Brahma—descended. That very Lord, Rudra, is also Viṣṇu, the sovereign who pervades the universe. Within that cosmic egg are contained all these worlds and the entire universe. The egg is enveloped by water, ten times its size; that water, in turn, is surrounded by fire, also ten times greater. The fire is further encased by air, ten times its measure, and the air is surrounded by ether, also ten times greater. The air is enveloped by ether, and from ego arises sound. The great principle, the source of sound, is itself covered by primordial matter. There are said to be seven coverings of the cosmic egg, whose soul is the lotus-seated one—Brahma. Countless millions of such eggs exist in the cosmos. In each of these eggs, four-faced Brahmās, Viṣṇus, and Bhavas are created by primordial matter, having attained the presence of Śambhu, the auspicious one. Thus, mutual dissolution and creation continue up to the end of each cosmic egg, for Maheśvara is the agent of creation, maintenance, and dissolution. In creation, he is endowed with rajas; in preservation, he is established in sattva; and in dissolution, he is abundant in tamas—so he is threefold in order. He is the original creator of beings, their destroyer, and protector; therefore, Maheśvara, Śiva, is the lord even of Brahmā. Sadāśiva, Bhava, Viṣṇu, and Brahmā are all his universal forms. In each egg, the worlds are thus created by the Grandfather. This is known as the natural creation, presided over by the Puruṣa, and the first, auspicious creation arises without deliberation. The time of this primary creation is called a day; and the night of creation, in brief, is the night of the natural dissolution. Such is the eternal cycle of creation and dissolution, presided over by the supreme Lord.