For a thousand years, Viṣṇu, taking the form of a mighty boar, plunged downward with all his speed and strength, seeking the root of the infinite liṅga that had suddenly arisen before him and Brahmā. Yet, despite his unwavering effort, he could not glimpse even the faintest trace of its base. At the same time, Brahmā soared upward for a thousand years, striving to reach the liṅga’s end. But exhaustion overtook him, and still, he could not find its limit; in his weariness, he faltered and fell into confusion. At last, Viṣṇu, his eyes troubled and his body worn by his arduous search, rose swiftly upward from the depths, burdened by great hardship. As the two gods met again, their gazes met—filled with wonder and touched by a smile. Yet, both were enshrouded in the māyā of Śambhu, unable to discern what ought to be done or left undone. They stood together, behind, beside, and before the blazing liṅga, bowing down in reverence and pondering deeply: “What is this Self?” At that profound moment, a wondrous sound arose, heralding the appearance of the single-syllabled Brahman—the sacred “Om,” the very signifier of Brahman itself. Yet, so veiled were their minds by the qualities of rajas and tamas that neither Brahmā nor Viṣṇu could recognize this supreme presence. Then, the primordial syllable underwent a transformation, dividing itself into four parts: “a,” “u,” “m,” and a subtle, half-measure beyond these three. The sound “a” manifested on the right side of the radiant liṅga, “u” on the left, and “m” settled in the center. At the summit of the liṅga, the subtle nāda—the half-measure—resounded. Even though thus divided, the supreme syllable, praṇava, remained ever-present. For the sake of manifestation, the two gods could comprehend nothing; the unmanifest praṇava, whose very essence is the Veda, now underwent a further transformation. The “a” became the Ṛg Veda, the imperishable “u” became the Yajur Veda, “m” became the Sāman, and the nāda became the Atharvaṇic revelation. From its essence, the Ṛg Veda established itself in tenfold ways: Brahmā as the foremost among forms, creation within the worlds, earth among the elements, the imperishable Self, withdrawal along the path of kalā, and the five Brahmas. In the lower part of the liṅga, within the triad of causes known as the seed, it granted mastery over sixty-four powers, beginning with aṇimā. Thus, the universe was pervaded by the Ṛg Veda. Next, the Yajur Veda established its own tenfold meanings: sattva among the qualities, Viṣṇu as the first among forms and actions, preservation in the worlds, the mid-region, knowledge among the three principles, establishment in the paths of kalā, the left among the five Brahmas, the middle among the parts of the liṅga, the yoni among the three causes, and the natural sovereignty as it is. Thus, the universe became composed of Yajur. Then, the Sāman Veda revealed its tenfold meanings: tamas among the qualities, Rudra as the first among forms and actions, dissolution in the three worlds, the supreme Śiva among the principles, knowledge and art, the five Brahmas, the portions of the liṅga above the pedestal, the seed within the three causes, the principle of Puruṣa, and sovereignty. Through the Sāman, the universe was thus pervaded. Finally, the Atharva Veda declared the original transcendence of qualities for the Self. Maheśvara and Sadāśiva became directly present in forms and actions, though Śiva, the supreme Self, remains ever beyond action. It is by this power that beings are granted existence and liberated, in those realms where even speech and mind turn back. Above all these is the Unmanā world, beyond the lunar and mundane realms, where Soma with the sacrificial offerings resides, and where the Lord dwells eternally. One who attains this Unmanā world does not return; here abide both peace and that which is beyond peace, and the all-pervading power, even among the arts. There, Puruṣa and Īśāna, Brahma among the five Brahmas, and the summit of the liṅga dwell in the supreme portions of sound. In that realm, the pure, partless Śiva is invoked and worshipped, arising from the bindu, from sound, from power, and beyond even these. Beyond that principle lies the supreme reality, which is not a principle in the highest sense, transcending the three causes, the very source of Māyā’s agitation. It is beyond infinite pure knowledge, beyond Maheśvara, beyond all the lords of knowledge, and even beyond Sadāśiva. From the Lord of all mantra bodies—endowed with three powers, five faces, ten arms, manifest and unmanifest—yet even beyond this, from the half of the bindu, beyond the lords of night, and from that called sound, the journey continues. Beyond the Lord of the central channel, beyond the Lord of the cranial aperture, beyond the supreme power, and beyond the principle of Śiva, is the supreme cause—Śiva himself—causeless, the source of all causes, the object of meditation for all seekers, imperishable. He abides in the midst of the supreme ether, above the supreme Self, endowed with all sovereignty, the Lord of all, without superior. From sovereignty, from Māyā, from impurity, from the human and other planes, from the lower and higher, from the path of supreme purity, and again from pure knowledge, from the highest Unmanā, from the supreme, the highest sovereignty, from the beginningless, boundless, independent, free from excess, and stable—thus, with these tenfold meanings, the Atharva Veda pervades the universe. Because it is greater, the universe is pervaded by the Atharva Veda. The Ṛg Veda declares this as the waking state, which has been spoken. The Yajur Veda proclaims, “By which I am always the revealer of the essence of the Self.” In the same way, the dream state is thus described.