Understanding the profound meaning of the mantra, one should practice devotion with proper reverence, for the entire world—both that which moves and that which stands still—is the servant of the Lord. Narayana, glorious and resplendent, is the master and lord of all worlds; he is mother, father, son, kin, abode, refuge, and the ultimate goal. The blessed Lord of Shri, endowed with all auspicious qualities and able to fulfill every desire, is spoken of in the scriptures as “without qualities,” yet remains the sovereign of the universe. Inferiority arises only through association with natural, defective qualities, and false worldliness is discussed in Vedantic teachings. All that is seen in this world is impermanent—even the cosmic egg, the very foundation of creation, is destined for destruction. This impermanence of all natural forms is thus revealed, and, O great goddess, it pertains to the origin of Hari from Prakriti. For the joy of divine play, Vishnu, the Lord of gods and master of sport, fashioned the worlds, first with four, then ten oceans and islands. With four kinds of beings and lofty mountains, this beautiful and complete cosmic egg emerges from Prakriti. It is endowed with ten qualities and covered by seven sheaths, within which time revolves in its various forms—kala, kashtha, and more. Through time alone, the world is created, sustained, and dissolved; a single day of Brahma equals a thousand cycles of the four yugas. Brahma’s lifespan extends through an equal number of nights and years, born from the unmanifest, and when his end arrives, all is destroyed. The worlds within the cosmic egg are consumed by the fire of time, and all beings are absorbed back into the Prakriti of Vishnu. The elements that form the coverings of the egg dissolve into Prakriti, which, sheltered by Hari, supports all the worlds. Through her, the blessed Lord continually brings about creation and dissolution, for the sake of divine play; thus, the world-illusion is woven by the Lord of gods. Ignorance, Prakriti, and Maya—always composed of the three gunas—are the eternal causes of creation, maintenance, and dissolution. Yoganidra, the great illusion, Prakriti with the three gunas, the unmanifest and primal matter, all belong to Vishnu, the master of divine play. The cycles of creation and dissolution always arise from Prakriti; the abode of countless Prakritis is a dense, unfading darkness. Above, at the boundary, is Viraja—endless and eternal. By her, the entire world is upheld in both gross and subtle states. Within her, expansion and contraction mark the remembered states of creation and dissolution; thus, all beings are contained within Prakriti. Then, all becomes void, absorbed into the great Prakriti—this is the supreme form of Prakriti’s glory. Now, O delight of the mountains, hear of the threefold glory: between Pradhana and the supreme sky flows the Viraja river. This auspicious river, whose waters are born from the sweat of the limbs of the Vedas, flows onward; beyond her, in the highest sky, lies the eternal threefold being. There is the immortal, eternal, everlasting, infinite, supreme abode—pure, composed of sattva, divine, imperishable—the very abode of Brahman. It shines with the radiance of countless millions of suns and fires, undecaying, composed of all the Vedas, pure, untouched by creation or dissolution. Innumerable, ageless, eternal, free from waking, dreaming, and other states; golden, it is the abode of liberation, bringing the bliss of Brahman. Without equal or superior, without beginning or end, auspicious and wondrous in brilliance, delightful, it is an ocean of perpetual bliss. Endowed with such qualities from the beginning, that supreme abode of Vishnu is not illumined by sun, moon, or fire. Upon reaching it, one never returns; this is the supreme abode of Hari. That supreme, eternal, imperishable abode of Vishnu cannot be described, even in hundreds of millions of aeons. Neither I, nor the Creator, nor the assemblies of great sages are able to describe the abode of Hari. In that abode dwells the imperishable Lord; whether one knows it or not, O friend, it remains so. That imperishable, Vedic mystery, in which all the gods are seated—he who knows it, what more is gained by reciting hymns? Those who know it, dwell together there. Sages always behold that supreme abode of Vishnu—imperishable, eternal, divine, O goddess, spread out like an eye. It cannot be entered by Brahma, Rudra, or other deities; only through knowledge and the path of scripture is it seen by the foremost yogis. Neither I, nor Brahma, nor the gods, nor the great sages truly know it. Having considered the meaning of all the Upanishads, I shall declare it to you, O virtuous one. In the supreme abode of Vishnu, called the abode of auspiciousness, cows with abundant horns dwell, and its people are supremely happy. Here, that supreme abode of bow-bearing, cowherd Vishnu shines—radiant with cows and cowherds, called the abode of happiness. It is of the color of the sun, beyond all darkness, the imperishable light—the foundation of the worlds of Brahman, pure sattva, eternal. On this eternal earth, in that supreme abode, the two eternally youthful ones stand awake, radiant and ancient. From them, their sisters—youthful and beloved of Vishnu—arose; here dwell the ancient Sādhyas and all the eternal gods. They attain heaven, possessing greatness and auspicious appearance; there, wise Brahmins, awake, shine forth. Wise Brahmins, desiring companionship, reach that abode; that supreme abode of Vishnu is called liberation.