Thus, having received from the Supreme Lord the realization of being the Self of all, Brahmā, in a flash, hastened to meet the Supreme Person. He arrived at the pure and resplendent abode that is the ocean of milk, where, within a celestial palace shining like the sun—adorned with gold and jewels, divine and fashioned by the Lord’s own mind—he beheld a wondrous sight. There, upon the endless serpent-bed, reclined the lotus-eyed Lord Viṣṇu. He possessed four arms, a noble and radiant body, and was adorned with every ornament. In his hands he held the conch and discus; his demeanor was gentle, and his face shone like the orb of the moon, with the auspicious Srivatsa mark gracing his chest. The Lord smiled sweetly and graciously. His feet, reddened by the tender touch of the earth’s lotus-hands, seemed to rest upon the nectar of the milk ocean as he lay in deep yogic sleep. He is known in many forms: as Kālarudra in darkness, as one born of gold in passion, as all-pervading Viṣṇu in purity, and as Maheśvara in transcendence. Beholding that Supreme Person, Brahmā spoke boldly, “I shall consume you, O Viṣṇu, just as you once absorbed yourself.” Hearing these words, the mighty-armed Viṣṇu awakened, looked upon his ancestor, and smiled gently. In that very moment, the great soul Brahmā consumed Viṣṇu, and instantly, by Brahmā’s power, Viṣṇu was created anew, emerging effortlessly from between Brahmā’s brows. At that very instant, the blessed Lord—adorned with the moon—manifested a form to witness both Brahmā and Nārāyaṇa, though his true nature is beyond all form. To grant them incomparable grace, he who had formerly bestowed boons upon them appeared where Brahmā and Nārāyaṇa stood. Filled with delight and awe, they praised the Lord and, out of curiosity and reverence, bowed repeatedly from a respectful distance. Bhava, the blessed Lord and bearer of the Pināka bow, looked upon them with grace and, while they watched, vanished from their sight. Now, I shall declare for each cosmic cycle the cause of Rudra’s manifestation—the means by which Brahmā’s creation proceeds when its continuity is interrupted. In every cycle, after creating beings, Brahmā, born from the cosmic egg, became deeply troubled and confused because his creation did not grow. To relieve his sorrow and increase the progeny, in each cycle, Rudra—the lord of the Rudra hosts—manifests as the embodiment of time. Appointed by the Supreme Lord, Maheśa, blue and red in hue, becomes Brahmā’s son and graciously assists him, though younger in birth. That blessed Lord, master and repository of all energy, is without affliction, the origin without beginning or end, the mighty one who contracts all beings. Endowed with supreme lordship, established in the state of the highest Lord, he acts by his own power and is eternally marked by those divine signs. His name is nameless, his form is that form, capable of performing those deeds, conducting himself accordingly, and upholding those commands. He shone like a thousand suns, adorned with the crescent moon, with serpents as garlands, armlets, and bracelets, and a girdle of sacred munja grass. He blazed with fragments of the skulls of Jalandhara, Brahmā, and Indra, and his tawny matted hair was half-wet with the high waves of the Ganga. Beautiful as a mountain at the edge, pressed by the sprouts of broken tusks, he wore a circular earring on the left side of his ear. Riding the great bull, his voice thundered like a mighty cloud, he blazed like a great fire, and possessed immense strength and valor. Thus, in this terrifying and majestic form, Maheshvara, after imparting knowledge to Brahmā’s daughter, assisted in creation. Therefore, by Rudra’s grace, in every cycle, the perpetual creation of beings proceeds through Prajapati, flowing like a current. Once, when Brahmā requested him to create, the blue-red one, by his own will, mentally created all beings similar to himself. He created beings with matted hair, fearless, blue-throated, three-eyed, free from old age and death, bearing blazing spears and excellent weapons. These Rudras covered the entire fourteenfold world. Seeing these various Rudras, Pitāmaha (Brahmā) addressed Rudra, “Salutations to you, Lord of gods and lords! O red-eyed one, create other beings; may it be well with you. These beings are endowed with death.” Thus addressed, the Supreme Lord smiled and said to Brahmā, “I have no such creation; you create inauspicious beings. But those whom I have created in mind are great souls, of great strength; all of them will act with me and are wholly devoted to sacrifice.” Having said this, Hara, the Lord of all beings, withdrew from the creation of beings along with the Rudras and stood apart. From that time, that god no longer creates auspicious beings; remaining steadfast, with his seed held upward, until the dissolution of beings. Again, when the beings created by Brahmā did not increase, Brahmā considered making creation through union. Since, previously, the race of women had not emerged from the Lord, Pitāmaha was unable to make creation through union. Then, with a mind intent on purpose, he resolved that, for the growth of beings, the Supreme Lord must be asked. Without his grace, these beings would not increase. Thus, having considered, the Soul of the Universe began to practice austerity. Then, the primordial supreme power—limitless, the source of worlds, most subtle, pure, accessible through inner experience, and captivating—manifested. She is devoid of qualities, beyond all manifestation, indivisible, unchanging, more pervasive than space, eternal, and ever abiding at the side of the Lord.