Hear now the sacred account of the Supreme, as revealed in the ancient scripture. The eternal Lady of the worlds, inseparable from Viṣṇu, is the revered mother of all creation and the beloved consort of the Lord. She is Śrī, the very foundation upon which the universe stands, indicated by the syllable ‘ru’. The wise say that by the syllable ‘ma’, the servant of both—the knower of the field—is described. This knower is the abode of knowledge, the very quality of knowledge itself, a consciousness that stands beyond nature. Ever aware, never inert, changeless and of a single form, this being possesses its own true essence. Minute yet eternal, it pervades all, and its nature is consciousness and bliss. It is the sense of ‘I’, imperishable, the knower of the field, ancient and of many forms. Such a being cannot be burned, destroyed, dried, or dissolved; it is imperishable, endowed with these qualities from the very beginning, existing as the remainder of the Supreme. By the syllable ‘ma’, the living being—the knower of the field—is always described as subordinate, a servant only of Hari and never of any other. Thus, servitude alone is established for this being in the middle. In this way, the meaning of the praṇava (sacred syllable) has been explained. The explanation of the praṇava, together with the rest of the mantra, reveals that the servant of the Supreme has no independence here. Therefore, one should remove great ego and pride by the mind; even actions done by one’s own means are to be set aside. The syllable ‘ma’ stands for ego, while ‘na’ negates it; thus, liberation from ego is attained by the mind. By the mind, all accomplishments are achieved; otherwise, one meets destruction. Yet, when accompanied by reverence, even a little ego is permitted. For one possessed by ego, there is no happiness at all; the self deluded by ego sinks into blind darkness. Therefore, independence is not permitted by the mind; one must live dependent upon the Supreme Lord. The conscious being has no agency in the means; all movement, whether fixed or mobile, occurs only by the resolve of the Lord. Thus, one should abandon all actions based on personal ability, for by the Lord’s power, nothing is unattainable for Him. Entrusting the burden to that glorious Lord, one should act only for Him; Hari, the Supreme Self, is the master, and the soul is always His. One should dedicate even desire to that very Lord, and by the mind alone, abandon the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ that has been acquired. The notion of ‘I’ in the body is the root of transmigration and bondage to action. Therefore, the wise should, by the mind, renounce both great ego and pride. Now, O auspicious Girijā, hear the meaning of the term Nārāyaṇa. ‘Nārā’ means the aggregates of selves, and their goal is that Supreme Person. These very aggregates are His path; therefore, He is called Nārāyaṇa. All sentient and insentient entities are seen and heard in the world. He who pervades and abides in all, eternally—He is called Nārāyaṇa. ‘Nārāḥ’ are the assemblies of all beings, and their goal and support is Him; thus, He is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. The wise know that the principles are born from ‘nara’, and so are called ‘nārāṇi’. These very aggregates are His path; hence, He is named Nārāyaṇa. At the end of the aeon, He absorbs the entire world and sustains it, and by Him it is again created—He is truly Nārāyaṇa. The entire moving and unmoving world is called ‘nāra’, and His abode and goal is that; thus, He is Nārāyaṇa. ‘Nāra’ is the assembly of beings, and for them, He is both path and destination. Therefore, the sages always call Him Nārāyaṇa. From Him the worlds arise, like great foam on the vast ocean, and into Him they again dissolve—thus, He is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. He who is eternal in the eternal abode, ever-liberated, enjoying supreme bliss—He, the Lord of all the worlds, is indeed called Nārāyaṇa. Nārāyaṇa is the Supreme Brahman; the highest truth is Nārāyaṇa. Whatever is seen or heard in this world, whether within or without, all is pervaded and sustained by Nārāyaṇa. He is the sinless Supreme Person, dwelling within all beings, the one divine, ever-eternal Hari, Nārāyaṇa, the infallible. He is the seer and the seen, the hearer and the heard, the toucher and the touched, the meditator and the meditated upon. He is the speaker and the spoken, the knower and the known, the sentient and insentient world—all that is Hari, the glorious Lord, known as Nārāyaṇa. The Purusha has a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; having pervaded all worlds in every direction, He extends beyond them by ten fingers’ breadth. Whatever has existed and whatever will exist, all is Narayana, Hari; He is the lord of immortality and the Virat Purusha who subsists by food. That very Purusha is Vishnu, Vasudeva, the infallible Hari; He is golden, the blessed one, immortal, eternal, and auspicious. He is the master of the universe, the lord of all worlds, the sovereign; He is Hiranyagarbha, Savita, Ananta, and the great lord. The names ‘Bhagavan’ and ‘Purusha’ are used for Him; Vasudeva, the soul of all, exists without any attributes. The Lord, Bhagavan Vishnu, is the supreme self, the friend of the world; He alone is the ruler of the moving and unmoving, and the highest goal of ascetics. He who is spoken of as the syllable at the beginning of the Vedas and established at their end, whose essence is merged in nature, that supreme one is the great Lord. That form is indeed Vishnu, that is Narayana, Hari; He alone is the eternal Purusha, the supreme self, the great Lord.