Listen, O wise one, to the wondrous mystery of creation as revealed in the sacred Purana. He who is known as Brahma appears with four radiant faces, the source of all speech and wisdom. As Time itself, he is the Ender of all things. The Supreme Purusha, with a thousand heads, manifests as the Self-born, existing in three states. The qualities—sattva and rajas—are embodied in Brahma; as Time, he is marked by tamas and rajas. In the form of Vishnu, pure sattva alone prevails. Thus, the Lord’s nature is ever threefold, as the qualities increase and transform. As Brahma, he creates the worlds; as Time, he withdraws them into himself. As the Purusha, he remains utterly indifferent, untouched by action. Thus, the Lord’s activity is threefold: creation, preservation, and dissolution. Because of this threefold division, Brahma is called Trigunatmaka, the one of three qualities. And because his manifestation is fourfold, he is known as the Fourfold Manifestation. He is the first among the gods, the primordial, for he existed before all else. Unborn and eternal, he is remembered as the Unborn One. And because he protects all creatures, he is revered as Prajapati, the Lord of Creatures. The golden Meru mountain forms his outer shell; the oceans are the waters of his womb, and the mountains serve as his membrane. Within this cosmic egg lie all the worlds, the entire universe: the moon, the sun, the stars, planets, and the wind—all contained within. Surrounding this egg are waters ten times greater in extent, and these waters themselves are encircled by fire, ten times greater still. That fire is enveloped by air, again tenfold; air is enclosed by space, and space by the primary element. The primary element is surrounded by the Great Principle, which in turn is enveloped by the unmanifest. Thus, this cosmic egg is encased in seven successive coverings. Thus, there are eight fundamental principles, each performing the acts of creation, preservation, and destruction. They arise from one another, sustaining each other as substratum and support, with modifications residing in that which is modified. Just as a tortoise extends its limbs and then draws them back, so too does the unmanifest, having produced all modifications, withdraw them at the end. Everything arises from the unmanifest in accordance with its own nature, but when the time of dissolution arrives, all merges back in reverse order. The three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas—become either balanced or unbalanced through the influence of time. When the qualities are in perfect balance, dissolution takes place; when they are unbalanced, creation unfolds. This dense cosmic egg is the very womb of Brahman, the great field in which Brahman dwells. Brahma is known as the knower of this field. Of such cosmic eggs, know that there are countless millions, existing everywhere—above, below, and all around—due to the all-pervasiveness of primordial matter. In every cosmic egg, Brahmas with four faces, Vishnus, and Shivas are created by primordial matter, and thus attain the presence of Shambhu, the great Lord. Transcending even the unmanifest, the Supreme Lord creates the cosmic egg from the unmanifest; from the egg, mighty Brahma is born, and by him, all these worlds are fashioned. This creation, arising from primordial matter, is the first—initiated without intellect—and at the final dissolution, it is wholly absorbed, being nothing but the Lord’s divine play. That which is remembered as the immeasurable cause—Brahma, primordial matter, the source of all nature—is without beginning, middle, or end, of infinite power, pure, glowing with a deep red hue, and united with the spirit. By its productive nature and the dominance of rajas, it is the cause of the world’s propagation and growth. Having produced eight modifications at the beginning, it absorbs them once more at the end. The existence and renewed activity of all causes established by primordial nature—this occurs solely by the will of the great Lord, whose glory is beyond all nature. Now, O best of the twice-born, you inquire about all the Manus, the various divisions of kalpas, and within them, the intermediate creations and dissolutions. The supreme half of Brahman’s time is considered the measure of a kalpa’s duration; when it ends, another time arises, and then the process of re-creation begins. In every previous birth of Brahma, fourteen great cycles of Manus revolve, day by day. These Manus and kalpas are without beginning or end and cannot be exhaustively described in words, for their number and extent are beyond comprehension. Though all have been spoken of, what fruit is there in repeating them? Thus, they cannot be separately described. Yet, in the present kalpa now unfolding, the cycles of creation and dissolution take place in a condensed and visible manner. The kalpa now proceeding is known as the Varaha (Boar) Kalpa, and in it too, O wise one, there are fourteen Manus. Beginning with Swayambhuva and ending with the seventh, the Sāvarṇis and others—of these, the seventh Manu, Vaivasvata, now reigns. In every Manvantara, the events of creation and dissolution occur in turn; thus, the wise should understand the cycles accordingly. When the previous kalpa had ended and the wind of time began to blow, the roots of trees in the forests were torn up. The worlds, as fragile as blades of grass, were consumed by divine fire. Afterwards, when rain fell upon the earth, the oceans overflowed their bounds. All directions were submerged in the vast flood, and the surging waters, with their tossing waves, covered everything. When the fierce dance of the floodwaters commenced, Brahma, having become Narayana, lay in peaceful slumber upon the waters. At that time, a sacred mantra was recited in his honor: “The waters are called ‘Nara,’ and indeed, the waters are the sons of Nara; since they are his resting place, he is therefore remembered as Narayana.” The accomplished ones, dwelling in the worlds, with hands joined in reverence, beheld the Lord of the gods engaged in the yogic sleep of Shiva. At dawn, the gods awakened him with hymns of praise, just as the Vedas of old awakened the Lord at the time of creation and so forth. Thus, O seeker, is the mystery of creation, dissolution, and the eternal play of the Lord, as revealed by the ancient sages.