At the dawn of creation, when Shiva beheld Prakriti, she became known as Shaivi—his own. Though previously unmanifest and subtle by nature, at this primal moment she was endowed with the three gunas: sattva, rajas, and tamas. From her, the entire universe arose, moving from the unmanifest to the particular, and she came to be revered as the bearer of the cosmos. This Shaivi Prakriti, also called Aja—the Unborn—is remembered as the mother of all worlds. This Unborn Mother, whose essence is red, white, and black—the single source of countless beings—was united with Shiva, who delighted in his own form and lay with her, the very source and mother of all. Another unborn one, having enjoyed her company, departed; yet the Unborn Mother, the very foundation of the worlds, remained established with the Unborn. By the command of the Unborn, at the appointed time of creation, the principle known as Mahat emerged from her. Mahat, endowed with the three gunas and presided over by Purusha, sought to create. Urged by this desire, Mahat entered into the unmanifest and imperishable, producing the manifest world while remaining rooted in itself. From Mahat arose the faculty of resolve and determination, and from Mahat—threefold in quality—came ahamkara, the sense of “I,” predominated by rajas. When ahamkara, covered by tamas, arose from Mahat, it gave birth to the subtle elements, which in turn became the creators of all beings. From ahamkara emerged the subtle element of sound, and from that, the imperishable ether. Ether, possessing the quality of sound, enveloped it and became the very cause of sound. From these subtle elements, the creation of the gross elements unfolded: from ether came the subtle element of touch, and from that, air. From air came the subtle element of form, and then fire; from taste, water, which is auspicious; and from those, the subtle element of smell, and from that, earth. Ether enveloped the subtle element of touch, while air, active by its very nature, enveloped the subtle element of form. The god Agni (fire) directly enveloped the subtle element of taste, and the waters, full of all tastes, enveloped the subtle element of smell. Thus, earth possesses five qualities, and from her arise things with less taste; the blessed fire is threefold in qualities, and air, born from touch, is twofold. Space, or ether, is the deity with a single, indivisible quality. The creation of the elements from their subtle counterparts is thus a process of mutual connection. From the sattvic aspect of ahamkara, known as Vaikarika, arose simultaneously the five organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, and the mind—each for apprehending sound and the rest of the sensory world. From Mahat down to the particular elements, all contributed to the formation of the cosmic egg, and from this egg, like a bubble rising in water, the Grandfather Brahma descended. That very Lord, Rudra, is also Vishnu, the sovereign who pervades all. Within the cosmic egg are contained these worlds and the entire universe. The egg itself is enveloped by water, ten times its size; that water is surrounded by fire, also ten times greater; fire is encased by air, again ten times larger; and air is surrounded by ether, ten times greater still. Thus, air is enveloped by ether, and from ego arises sound; the great principle, source of sound, is itself covered by primordial matter. The wise speak of seven coverings of the cosmic egg, whose soul is the lotus-seated Brahma. Countless millions of such eggs exist, each containing its own worlds. In every egg, four-faced Brahmas, Vishnus, and Bhavas are created by primordial matter, having attained the presence of Shambhu. Thus, mutual dissolution and creation continue until the end of each egg. Maheśvara—Shiva—is the agent of creation, dissolution, and maintenance. In creation, he is endowed with rajas; in preservation, he is established in sattva; and in dissolution, he abounds in tamas—thus, his order is threefold. He is the original creator, destroyer, and protector of beings; therefore, Maheśvara, Shiva, is the lord even of Brahma. Sadāśiva, Bhava, Vishnu, and Brahma are all his universal forms, and in each cosmic egg, the worlds are created by the Grandfather Brahma. This process is called the natural creation, presided over by Purusha, and the first, auspicious creation arises without deliberation. The time of this primary creation is called a day, and its night is the period of natural dissolution. During the day, the Lord brings forth creation; at night, he causes dissolution. For him, this day and night are only figurative—they do not truly exist for the Supreme. During the day, all transformations, forms, universal deities, lords of beings, and great sages remain. At night, all are dissolved, and at its end, they come into being again. Thus, his night is of such a nature, as is the variation of his day. At the end of a thousand cycles of four yugas, there are fourteen Manus. Four thousand years make up a Krita Yuga, and the twilight at its end is one hundred years, with a similar portion. For the other yugas—Treta, Dvapara, and Tishya—the twilights are three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred years, respectively. The portion is six hundred years, excluding the twilight of Krita, and so the three, two, and one thousand years for the other yugas are without their twilight portions. The measure of time for these ages is as follows: fifteen twinklings of the eye make one kāṣṭhā for a healthy person. Thirty such kāṣṭhās make one kalā; thirty kalās make one muhūrta. Fifteen muhūrtas constitute a night, and likewise a day. For the ancestors, a night and day together make a month, with their division explained again: for them, the dark fortnight is their day, and the bright fortnight is their night. Thirty human months are considered one month for the ancestors. Thus, the story of creation, the unfolding of time, and the ever-turning cycle of dissolution and rebirth continues, all presided over by the supreme Lord, who is both the source and the end of all that exists.