Hear now the wondrous narrative as revealed in the sacred verses. The Supreme Lord spoke: “I am all beings, and truly, I am all the gods. Among serpents, I am Śeṣa, the endless one; among all the birds, I am Tārkṣya, the mighty Garuḍa. I am Death, known as Time, for all beings and all worlds. I am Dharma itself, and I am the power of austerity for those who dwell in every order of life. All the divine rivers are my forms—the ocean of milk and the vast sea are manifestations of my being. That which is the supreme truth, I alone am the Lord of all creatures. I am Sāṃkhya, the wisdom of discernment; I am Yoga, the path of union, and I am that supreme state beyond both. I am worship and ritual, and I am celebrated as the Lord of knowledge. I am the light that illumines, the wind that moves, the earth that supports, and the sky that encompasses all. I am the waters and the oceans, the stars in the heavens, and the ten directions themselves. I am the rain that nourishes, the moon that cools, the raincloud that pours, and the sun that shines. In the ocean of milk, I am present, and in the sea, I am the submarine fire hidden beneath the waves. When I become the consuming fire, I drink the watery oblation offered in sacrifice. I am the ancient one, the supreme, and I am also the ultimate goal sought by all. I am the origin of what has been, what will be, and what is now. Whatever you see, O sage, and whatever you hear, all this is my manifestation. Whatever you experience in this world, remember—know all that as me. The universe was created by me before, and even now, it is I who will create it again. Behold me. In every age, O Markandeya, I create the entire world anew. Understand, Markandeya, that all this—all that exists—is truly my own form. If you desire to hear my teachings, dwell happily within my womb, for Brahmā himself abides in my body, together with the gods and the sages. Know me as the union of the manifest and the unmanifest, the foe of the asuras. I am the single-syllabled mantra, and also the three-syllabled, the liberating one. Beyond the three aims of life, I am Om, the signifier of their meaning. Thus spoke the wise Lord of the ancient Purāṇa. Then, the Supreme Lord swiftly drew in the great sage Markandeya through his mouth, and the best of sages entered into the Lord’s belly. There, in that secluded place, Markandeya happily listened to the imperishable Swan, the eternal Lord. I myself, assuming various forms, moved in the great ocean, with the moon and sun vanished, wandering slowly. The Lord, called the Swan, created and roamed the world as time unfolded. He, the radiant one, became the waters themselves, practicing austerity and concealing his true form, taking birth among the race of aquatic beings. Then, that great-souled, exceedingly powerful one, intent on the creation of the world, reflected upon the five great elements and the universe. As he reflected, the wind was stilled and the ocean rested, in a subtle, deep, and water-filled world, devoid of space. He, who rests in the waters, slightly agitated the ocean. Then, by the endless waves, a subtle fissure arose in ancient times. From that fissure, sound emerged, and from sound, wind was born. Having found an opening, the wind—unshakable—grew strong. As the powerful wind increased, the ocean was stirred by its force. In the churning waters, the Lord of fire, Vaiśvānara, the fire of the dark path, arose. Then fire began to dry up the abundant waters. As the ocean diminished, a great opening appeared, and the sky expanded. The pure waters, born from the radiance of the Self, are like the essence of immortality. From the presence of openings, space arises, and from space, wind is born. From the friction of these two, fire arises, born from wind. Seeing this, the great God, the revealer of the great elements, was pleased. Beholding the elements, the Blessed Lord, for the supreme purpose of creating the worlds, contemplated the many-formed birth of Brahmā. At the end of a thousand cycles of four yugas, the Soul of the Universe, having many births, is called the offering of Brahmā. The knowledge that rains down on earth for the sake of the universe, from the twice-born lords whose souls are purified by austerity, becomes supreme among yogins. Recognizing him as endowed with yoga and perfect sovereignty, the knower of yoga appointed the Lord of the Universe in the supreme state of Brahmā. Then, in those great waters, the Lord Hari—the infallible one, creator of all worlds—delights in play within the waters, according to the proper order. At that time, he produced a single lotus, sprung from his navel, with a thousand petals, spotless, shining like the sun, golden in hue. Its blazing flames shone like the sacrificial fire, radiant with the pure brilliance of the autumn sun. The splendid lotus, of noble luster, appeared near the great soul’s beautiful chest. Then he created the foremost among those endowed with yoga, radiant with great splendor—Brahmā, the creator of all worlds, facing in every direction. Within that golden lotus, vast for many leagues, filled with all the qualities of radiance, and adorned with the marks of the earth, the knowers of ancient lore declare that this lotus is the supreme form of the earth, said by the great sages to have arisen from Nārāyaṇa. That Padmā is the goddess Rasā, who is called the earth; those who are teachers of the essence of the lotus know those divine mountains. These are Himavat, Meru, Nīla, Niṣadha, Kailāsa, Muñjavān, and Gandhamādana. Also the sacred Triśikhara, the lovely Mandara, Udaya, Piñjara, and the Vindhya mountain. These are the abodes of the hosts of gods and the great-souled siddhas, and of those of virtuous conduct who bestow all desired fruits. Between these lies the region known as Jambūdvīpa, whose form is that of Jambūdvīpa itself, where indeed the sacrificial rites are performed. From these mountains flows water, like the divine nectar of immortality, and hundreds of divine, delightful rivers and sacred fords are known throughout the land. Thus, O seeker, is the glorious unfolding of creation as revealed by the Supreme Lord.