Hearing the goddess’s sweet, loving, and auspicious words, the god was deeply pleased. In that very moment, he appeared before her, his presence radiant and immediate. There, Ganesha stood in the guise of a guard, holding a golden staff, his tunic studded with precious gems, and a dagger that shimmered like a serpent. Because both Soma, the great god, and Nandi were delighted by Ganesha’s form and service, he came to be known as Somanandi. Pleased by the goddess’s devotion, the god adorned with the crescent moon—Soma—graced Somanandi with divine ornaments, each set with dazzling jewels. Then, with great reverence, Hara, the moon-crested one, seated Gauri, the enchanting daughter of the mountain, upon a splendid couch and adorned her with the finest ornaments, honoring her beauty and presence. As the goddess was thus honored by the god, these profound words were spoken: “The universe is of the nature of Agni and Soma, and also of speech and meaning. Sovereignty itself lies in command, and you, O goddess, are that very command.” Eager to understand, the listeners requested that this be explained properly and in order. The god continued: “Agni is called Raudri, the fierce and fiery form; Soma is Shakti, immortal, the peaceful form of Shakti. That which is immortal is the foundation: it is light, knowledge, and the very essence of art. In all subtle elements, these two—essence and energy—pervade everything. “The activity of energy is twofold: one is solar, fiery in nature; the other, essence, is lunar, watery in nature. Energy consists of lightning and the like; essence is sweetness and the like. By these divisions of energy and essence, all that moves and does not move is sustained. “From Agni arises the immortal; by the immortal, Agni is strengthened. Thus, the powerful principle of Agni and Soma brings benefit to the world. The prosperity of crops comes from offerings; rain is for the growth of crops. Offerings are for rain, and so the world is sustained by Agni and Soma. “Agni blazes upward as far as the lunar nectar; as far as Agni’s place, the lunar nectar flows downward. Therefore, the fire of time is below, and Shakti is above, just as burning is above and flooding is below. This upward-moving fire of time is sustained by the supporting Shakti; likewise, the downward-moving Soma is the seat of Shiva and Shakti. “Shiva is above, Shakti is below; Shakti is above, Shiva is below. Thus, there is nothing here that is not pervaded by Shiva and Shakti. The power of fire is such that, having burned the world again and again, it has reduced it to ash; the potency of fire resides in that ash. “Whoever, knowing the true nature of ash, bathes with it while reciting mantras beginning with ‘Agni’ is released from bondage. The ash, which is the power of fire, when bathed again with Soma by the method of non-union, becomes fit for the authority of nature. But when that ash is bathed everywhere by the method of union, with the nectar-rain of Shakti, it removes the authority of nature. “Therefore, by always bathing with nectar in this way, one becomes a conqueror of death. Having touched the nectar of Shiva and Shakti, how can there be death? He who knows the secret of burning and bathing as described, abandoning the states of Agni and Soma, is not born again. He who burns the body with the fire of Shiva and bathes it with the nectar of Shakti by the path of yoga becomes fit for immortality. “Having placed in the heart this meaning spoken by the god—that the whole universe is of the nature of Agni and Soma—one attains true understanding.” Then, the god spoke further: “I will explain how the essence of speech and meaning in the world has been established, and the knowledge of the sixfold path, briefly and without detail. There is no object without sound, nor any sound without meaning; thus, at the right time, every sound conveys all meanings. “This transformation of nature is twofold: the manifestation of sound and meaning. This is the primal form of Shiva and Shakti, the supreme selves. That power which is of the nature of sound is described by the wise as threefold: gross, subtle, and supreme. The gross is what is heard; the subtle is composed of thought; the supreme is without thought. That power is the supreme power, resting in the principle of Shiva. “By union with the power of knowledge, it is also strengthened by will; as the totality of all powers, it is known as the principle of power. Having become the root-nature of all creation, she is called Kundalini, Maya, and the supreme pure path. She, being of the nature of division, expands as the sixfold path; therein, three are of sound and three are of meaning, as has been declared. “For all people, according to their own purity, the authority for dissolution or enjoyment arises from the division of all the principles. By means of the kalās, those principles are indeed pervaded, just as they are, at the beginning of the supreme Prakriti, through their fivefold transformation. “And those kalās, beginning with Nivritti, are considered sufficient; the paths of mantra, pada, and varṇa are so named by their respective terms. The paths of bhuvana, tattva, and kalā are, in order, established by their meanings; here, the mutual pervasion and non-pervasion of all is explained. “Mantras are pervaded by all padas, since sentences are formed from words; and words, by letters, for the wise declare that a group of letters is called a word. Letters are pervaded by bhuvanas, since they are found within them; and the bhuvanas, in turn, by groups of tattvas, through their arising and outward expansion. They are pervaded in many ways by the causal tattvas, since they are established from them; and here, some bhuvanas arise from within.” Thus, the god revealed the profound unity of Agni and Soma, of speech and meaning, and the interwoven powers of Shiva and Shakti that sustain and pervade the entire universe.