In the ancient wisdom of the sages, it is observed that every action requires an intelligent cause; just as the world, being an effect made up of many parts, depends upon an agent for its existence. Thus, it is understood that only one who is powerful, independent, all-capable, all-knowing, and without beginning or end—one endowed with supreme sovereignty—can be the true agent behind all creation. This being alone is the creator of the universe: the great god, the supreme lord. He is also its protector and destroyer, and the distinct sequence of creation, preservation, and dissolution unfolds under his command. All transformations of the primal substance, as well as the activities of individual beings, proceed solely by the will of this ever-truthful one. Such an eternal conclusion is cherished by the wise, who hold it in their hearts; whereas those of little understanding fail to act in accordance with this profound doctrine. From the dawn of creation to the great dissolution, all that exists endures for a hundred divine years of Brahmā. This span is known as Brahmā’s supreme lifespan, born from the unmanifest; its half is called ‘parārdha.’ When two parārdhas pass and dissolution arrives, the unmanifest, taking the effect of the self, remains absorbed within itself. With the unmanifest established in the self and all transformations withdrawn, both the primary substance and the person remain together, alike in their sameness. These two—darkness and the quality of goodness—abide in perfect equilibrium, neither increasing nor decreasing, endlessly interwoven. In that state, where qualities are equal and distinctions are absent, darkness prevails, and the universe rests in the stillness of a single, windless ocean. Nothing is perceived; all is silent. When the world is unmanifested, only the one supreme lord exists, worshipping through the endless night the supreme Māheśvarī. But when the night passes, the supreme lord, by the power of his illusion, enters both the primary substance and the person, stirring them to activity. Then, by his command, creation arises anew from the unmanifest, and the cycle of coming into being and dissolution of all creatures resumes. Homage is offered to the One who is utterly distinct from all worlds, in whom the entire universe—with all its wondrous and ever-growing desires—is contained within but a fragment of his single power. He is called the Lord of the path and the Self by those who know the way. Before Purusha was established, from the unmanifest, and by the command of the Lord, intellect and its evolutes down to the specific elements, along with all their modifications, arose in succession. From these modifications, Rudra, Vishnu, and the Grandfather Brahma were born—these three gods, the causes of all things. The supreme lord possesses the unobstructed power to pervade all worlds, incomparable knowledge, perpetual lordship, and supernatural powers such as aṇimā. In the three acts—creation, preservation, and dissolution—Maheshvara, with his sovereignty, is their cause and bestower of favor. At the end of a kalpa, owing to rivalry and confusion among them, the lord assigned to each god their respective duties: creation, preservation, and dissolution. These three arise from one another, sustain one another, grow through one another, and are devoted to each other. Sometimes Brahma, sometimes Vishnu, sometimes Rudra is praised, but this does not increase their superiority or lordship. Fools, attached to contention, revile them with words; such people become demons and ghosts, without doubt. Maheshvara, transcending the three qualities and having four emanations, is the foundation of all, the cause of the power that supports everything. This very Self, who, for the sake of play, has created the world, is established as the Lord over Prakriti, Purusha, and the universe. He alone—eternal, without parts, the Supreme Lord—is the support, the essence, and the ruler of all. 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 came the elements, the subtle elements, and the senses; from ego dominated by sattva, the sāttvika (pure) type is produced. That sāttvika creation, called vaikārika, arises all at once: the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action. The eleventh is the mind, which, possessing its own quality, is of dual nature; from ego associated with tamas, the subtle elements of matter are produced. Because it is the first among the elements, it is called the primary element; from this arises only sound, and from sound, space is produced. From space arose touch; from touch, air was produced. From air came form, and from form, fire; from fire, taste was born. From taste, waters were produced; from them, scent arose. And from scent, earth was born. From the elements, all moving and unmoving beings came forth. Due to the presence of Purusha and the favor of the unmanifest, from the Great Principle down to the particular, they produced the cosmic egg. When, within that egg, the effect and the instrument of Brahman were perfected, then the knower of the field, called Brahma, grew greatly therein. He, possessing a body, is the first; he is called the Purusha, the original creator of beings, and in the beginning, Brahma came into being. The image of that Lord is marked by knowledge and detachment; the intellect, producing virtue and lordship, is Brahmi, for the one who is proud in sacrifice. From the unmanifest, whatever he desires with his mind is born; being the master, he transforms it, through the interplay of the three qualities, dependence, and his own nature. Dividing himself threefold, he operates in the three worlds; he creates, devours, and observes, by means of these three, himself. Thus, the eternal cycle unfolds, governed by the supreme lord, whose power, wisdom, and grace sustain all that exists, from the highest gods to the smallest elements, and whose play is the very dance of creation, preservation, and dissolution.