Salutations are offered to the great Śaṅkara, the soul of the universe, whose boundless power manifests as action, time, and nature itself. All that exists is governed by his command, which none can transgress. The question arises: How does the Supreme Lord, having first created and then withdrawn the entire world, enact his supreme play by the force of his will? What was the first to come into being? By whom is all this pervaded? By whom is all consumed, whose vast belly contains all creation? Power is the first to arise, transcending even the state beyond peace; then follows māyā, and then the unmanifest, all emanating from Śiva, the Lord endowed with power. From power springs the state beyond peace, then, in order, the state of peace; from peace arises knowledge, and from knowledge, the state of foundation. From this foundation, withdrawal comes forth. Thus, the Lord’s creation unfolds in sequence. In the natural order, these states arise; in reverse, they dissolve. There is no other creator beyond this fivefold process. Therefore, the entire universe is pervaded by these five energies. The unmanifest cause, established by itself, is the intended principle. It is agreed that this cause creates everything—from the great principle down to the particulars—yet neither the unmanifest nor the self possesses agency. Nature is insentient, and the person is unknowing; thus, everything from the primary substance to the atom is without consciousness. An intelligent cause is required for action, for the world, being an effect composed of parts, depends on an agent. Therefore, the one who is powerful, independent, all-capable, all-knowing, without beginning or end, and endowed with supreme sovereignty—he alone is the creator of the world, the great god, the supreme lord. He is also the protector and destroyer of all, and thus the sequence of creation, preservation, and dissolution is distinct. The transformation of the primary substance and the activity of the person occur solely by the command of the ever-truthful one. This eternal conclusion abides in the minds of the wise; those of little understanding do not act relying on this doctrine. From the beginning of creation until the great dissolution, all endures for a hundred divine years of Brahmā. This span is called the supreme lifespan of Brahmā, who is born from the unmanifest; half of this period is called ‘parārdha.’ At the end of two parārdhas, when dissolution arrives, the unmanifest, taking the effect of the self, remains within itself. When the unmanifest is established in the self and transformation is withdrawn, both the primary substance and the person remain together in similarity. These two—darkness and the quality of goodness—remain in equilibrium, neither increasing nor decreasing, mutually interwoven and endless. In that state of equality, with no distinction, when darkness prevails, and the stillness of a single windless ocean reigns, nothing is perceived. When the world is unperceived, only the one supreme lord exists, worshipping the entire night—the supreme Māheśvarī. But when the night has passed, the supreme lord, by the power of illusion, enters both the primary substance and the person and stirs them. Then again, by the command of the supreme lord, creation arises from the unmanifest, and the coming into being and dissolution of all beings takes place. Homage is given to the One who is utterly distinct from all worlds, in whom the entire universe—with all its wondrous and ever-greater desires—is contained within but a fragment of his single power. The knowers of the path call him the Lord of the path and the Self. Before the Purusha was established, from the unmanifest, by the command of the Lord, intellect and the other evolutes down to the specific elements, along with their modifications, arose in succession. From those modifications, Rudra, Vishnu, and the Grandfather Brahma were born as the causes of all things—these three gods. He possesses unobstructed power to pervade all worlds, incomparable knowledge, perpetual lordship, and supernatural powers such as aṇimā. In the three acts of creation, preservation, and dissolution, Maheshvara, with his sovereignty, is the cause and bestower of favor to them. At the end of a kalpa, due to their rivalry and confusion of understanding, he assigned to each of them, individually, the conduct of creation, preservation, and dissolution. These three arise from one another, sustain one another, grow through one another, and are devoted to one another. Sometimes Brahma, sometimes Vishnu, sometimes Rudra is praised; yet by this, neither their superiority nor their lordship is increased. Fools, attached to contention, revile them with words; such people become demons and ghosts, without doubt. The god Maheshvara, transcending the three qualities, having four emanations, is the foundation of all and the cause of the arising of the power that supports all. This very Self, who, for the sake of play, has created the world, is established as the Lord over these three—Prakriti, Purusha, and the universe. He who is beyond all, eternal, without parts—the Supreme Lord—he alone is the support, the essence, and the ruler of all that exists. Therefore, Maheshvara, as well as Prakriti and Purusha, Sadashiva, Vishnu, and Brahma—all arise from the all-pervading Shiva. From Pradhana, first arose growth, fame, intellect, and the great principle; from the agitation of the great principle, ego arose in three forms. From ego arose the elements, the subtle elements, and the senses; from the ego dominated by sattva, the sāttvika or pure type is produced. That sāttvika creation, called vaikārika, arises all at once: the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action. Thus, the wondrous unfolding of creation, preservation, and dissolution is eternally enacted by the Supreme Lord, whose command alone governs all.