When the sage Bharadvāja approached the Blessed Lord with his profound doubts about creation, the Lord responded graciously, illuminating the mysteries of the beginning. He explained that what was once known among the great sages as the Mind-born is in truth the Unmanifest—eternal, imperishable, and undecaying. From this Unmanifest, the divine first created the Great One, known by name. In the unfolding of creation, space appeared first, and from space emerged water. From water arose fire and wind. Then, the self-born Lord brought forth a radiant, divine lotus. This being is known as Ahaṃkāra, the source and very soul of all living beings. The mountains are his bones, the earth’s soil and ink are his marrow. His breath moves as the wind, his energy blazes as fire, and the rivers flow as his veins. The sky forms his head, the earth his feet, and the directions are his arms. This mighty being is none other than the Blessed Lord Viṣṇu, renowned as Ananta. From him, the universe arose, as you have inquired. What other measure could there be? Let your doubt be dispelled in the light of this truth. The realm born from this creation is wondrous, filled with many supports, but it is not attainable by you. There, even the gods themselves shine with a radiance like the sun, blazing with the brilliance of fire. Its vastness and boundlessness make it difficult to comprehend—speak, O noble one, if you wish to know more. This cosmic space is restrained, yet so immense that even the gods cannot measure it. It is said that at the end of darkness lies water, and at the end of water, fire. Beyond fire is space again, and at the end of space, once more, water. The interplay of fire, wind, and water is so profound that even the deities struggle to grasp its full extent. These elements are as subtle as space itself, divided and defined by the sharp edge of truth. Just as there is a measure established in the three worlds and in the ocean, so too is the movement of the Siddhas and the gods limited, according to the name and nature of the great-minded one. Who else, even if of similar kind, could truly know all this? Brahma, the embodiment of Dharma, stands as the foremost and supreme progenitor. You have spoken of Brahma, the ancient one, and indeed, there is doubt about his origin. The earth, called the lotus, serves as the seat for Brahma. Seated at its center, he creates the worlds—he is the creator of the universe. Brahma is situated in the middle of Mount Meru; outside of that, O best of the twice-born, water was first created for the protection of all beings. Through water, the life-forces of all creatures grow and multiply. All of this is to be understood as belonging to Varuna, and when the time came, the waters became still once more. Yet, how was the earth itself created? This is a question that brings great doubt, and the origin of the worlds is a matter of deep inquiry among the wise. The twice-born sages, having renounced food and striving with one another, endured a hundred divine years in their quest for understanding. In that time, the divine river Sarasvati appeared, descending from the sky. It seemed as if the moon, the sun, and the wind had vanished, as if all creation was asleep. From the pressure of the waters, the wind arose, filling the space with its presence. As the wind moved, it produced sound, marking the stirring of the cosmos and the beginning of creation’s unfolding.