In the beginning, for the sake of manifesting the universe, the two great gods—Brahmā and Viṣṇu—found themselves unable to comprehend anything. All was shrouded in the unmanifest, and in that profound stillness, the primordial praṇava—the sacred syllable Om, whose very essence is the Veda—underwent a mysterious transformation. From this transformation, the unmanifest praṇava revealed its inner structure: the sound ‘a’ became the Ṛg Veda, the imperishable ‘u’ gave rise to the Yajur Veda, the ‘m’ manifested as the Sāman, and the subtle nāda, the resonant hum, became the Atharvaṇic revelation. Each Veda, emerging from the praṇava, established its own domain and meaning within the cosmos. The Ṛg Veda, from its core, set forth its essence in tenfold ways: it gave rise to Brahmā, the foremost among forms, embodying the quality of rajas and the creative function; it presided over the creation of worlds and the earth among the elements; it represented the imperishable self and the withdrawal along the subtle path of kalā; it was present in the five Brahmas, in the lower part of the liṅga, and in the triad of causes known as the seed; it conferred mastery over the sixty-four powers, beginning with aṇimā. Thus, through these ten meanings, the Ṛg Veda pervaded the universe. Next, the Yajur Veda established its own tenfold meanings: it embodied sattva among the qualities, manifested as Viṣṇu, the first among forms and actions, and upheld the function of preservation in the worlds. It governed the mid-region, held knowledge among the three principles, and was established in the subtle paths of kalā. It was the left among the five Brahmas, the middle among the parts of the liṅga, and the yoni among the three causes. It also represented natural sovereignty. By these, the universe became composed of Yajur. Then the Sāman Veda asserted its own tenfold meanings: it was associated with tamas among the qualities, Rudra as the first among forms and actions, and the dissolution of the three worlds. It was the supreme Śiva among the principles, present in all forms of knowledge and art, in the five Brahmas, and in the upper portions of the liṅga above the pedestal. The seed resided within the three causes, and it contained the principle of Puruṣa and sovereignty. Thus, by the Sāman, the universe was thoroughly pervaded. Afterward, the Atharvanic revelation declared the original transcendence of all qualities for the Self. Here, Maheśvara became directly present, as did Sadāśiva, manifesting in forms and actions, even though Śiva, the supreme Self, is ever beyond action. It is by Him that beings are granted existence and that creatures are liberated. In the worlds, speech and mind themselves retreat, unable to reach Him. Beyond this, there is the Unmanā world, which lies above the lunar world and the mundane realm. It is there that Soma, with the sacrificial offerings, and the eternal Lord reside. Above even the Unmanā world, one who attains never returns; there abide both peace and that which is beyond peace, and the all-pervading power, even among the arts. That supreme Puruṣa, that Īśāna, is Brahmā among the five Brahmas, the very summit of the liṅga, and the highest portion of sound. There, the pure, partless Śiva is invoked and worshipped, and from that place arise the bindu, the sound, the power—and even beyond these. Beyond all these principles lies the supreme reality, which is not a principle in the highest sense, transcending the three causes and being the very source of Māyā’s agitation. It is beyond the infinite pure knowledge, beyond Maheśvara, beyond all the lords of knowledge, and even beyond Sadāśiva. From the Lord of all mantra bodies, who is endowed with three powers, five faces, and ten arms—manifest and unmanifest—there is yet something further. Beyond that, from the half of the bindu, beyond the lords of night, and beyond that which is called sound, there lies a still higher principle. Beyond all, from the Lord of the central channel and from the Lord of the cranial aperture, and even beyond these, from the supreme power and the principle of Śiva, the supreme cause is found. Śiva himself is that supreme cause—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 any superior. From sovereignty, from Māyā, from impurity, from the human and all other beings, from the lower and the higher, from the path of supreme purity, from pure knowledge, from the highest Unmanā, and from the supreme, beginningless sovereignty—He is beyond all. Boundless, not dependent on anything else, free from excess, ever stable—thus, with these tenfold meanings, is the Atharvanic revelation established. Because it is greater, the Atharva Veda pervades the universe. The Ṛg Veda declares this state as the waking state. By this, the essence of the Self is always revealed, as the Yajur Veda proclaims, and the dream state is thus described. The Sāman Veda speaks of deep sleep, wherein knowledge is transformed into the object of experience. All this is declared by me. By my meaning, O Shiva, this is called tamasic. The Atharva Veda speaks of the ‘fourth’ state—turīya—and also that which is beyond even the fourth. It is by me that these are declared; thus, I am called the one beyond the path. The threefold path—comprising the path itself—is known as the knowledge of Shiva, the Self. This threefold nature, accomplished by the three Vedas, must be purified by the seeker who aspires to the supreme state. The state beyond the path, called the fourth, is liberation itself, the highest goal. That which is beyond is due to the absence of qualities, the purifier of the path. The sound which measures both, and the end of all sounds, is of my own nature. Therefore, by the freedom of my own meaning, the Supreme Lord is foremost; all that exists is due to the predominance of qualities. Both the collective and the particular are encompassed by the syllable Om; thus, this single, imperishable syllable is Brahman, the signifier of all meanings. By that Om, Śiva first creates the entire world; for Śiva is Om, and Om is remembered as Śiva. There is no real difference between the signifier and the signified, for Rudra is beyond thought, and speech together with mind are but his vehicles. Those who cannot attain that turn back, for the signified is expressed by the single syllable. From the single syllable ‘A’, the Self is named Brahman.