Then the Blessed Lord, recalling an ancient boon and pleased by the devotee’s words and virtues, granted him a boon once more. He spoke: “You are all-knowing, the doer of all, honored by all the worlds. Now that you have entered the three worlds, become Viṣṇu, the eternal one. The work of the gods and of Brahmā shall always be yours to accomplish, and omniscience shall be yours without doubt.” Having thus spoken, the divine one established himself in his own true nature, and Viṣṇu, the Lord, remembered his earlier resolve. The Blessed Lord, resplendent in austerity, entered into deep Yogic Sleep. In this supreme state, he gathered within himself all beings that arise from the senses and their objects, and thus, in his highest form, he entered into sleep. From his sleeping form, a magnificent lotus sprang forth from his abdomen. Upon this lotus appeared the earth, adorned with its seven continents, vast oceans, and lush forests. The form of the lotus stretched down to the netherworlds, its sturdy stalk serving as support. Upon the pericarp of the lotus stood the mighty Mount Meru, and at its very center was the abode of Brahmā. Beholding the supreme origin of his own body, the wind residing within was released, and he created the wind equally throughout creation. The Lord then declared: “Bear this conch, the emblem of victory over ignorance, to cut through delusion. Keep always in your hand this sword for the destruction of ignorance. Take up the dreadful wheel of time, O Achyuta, and for the destruction of unrighteousness, bear the mace, O Keśava. Let the divine garland, mother of all beings, rest upon your neck; let the Śrīvatsa mark and Kaustubha gem shine upon you, radiant like the moon and sun. Let the wind be your movement, O hero, and Garuḍa your vehicle, as is proclaimed. May Lakṣmī, the goddess who traverses the three worlds, always be your refuge; may the twelfth lunar day belong to you, and may she take whatever form is desired. “Whoever eats clarified butter on the twelfth day, even with little devotion, whether man or woman, especially attains residence in heaven. This Viṣṇu, as I have described, takes forms to destroy and protect the bodies of gods and demons and creates others from himself. In every age, this all-pervading Person is declared in the Vedānta; let no one of lesser understanding speak of him as a mere mortal. Whoever hears this account of Viṣṇu’s creation, which destroys sin, attains fame in this world and honor in the heavenly realms.” In former times, Brahmā, imperishable and pure, known as the Supreme and the Supreme Beyond, at the beginning of creation, desired to bring forth beings and also considered how to protect them. As he pondered, from his body’s right side appeared a man adorned with white earrings, garlands, and ointments. Seeing him, the Blessed Lord addressed him: “O noble one, take the form of a bull with four legs and protect these beings; be the eldest in the world.” Thus addressed, he stood firmly on four legs in the Kṛta age; in the Tretā age, he stood on three; in the Dvāpara age, on two; and in the Kali age, the Lord protects beings with only one leg. Among Brāhmaṇas, he is established in six forms; among Kṣatriyas, in three; among Vaiśyas, in two; and among Śūdras, in one. The Lord is present everywhere—in all the netherworlds, on every continent and region. He is called four-footed, consisting of substance, quality, action, and species. According to the order of the Saṃhitā, the wise remember him as three-horned. Thus, the primordial and endless Om, two-headed and seven-handed, bound with threefold bonds, is the chief among Brahmins and protects the world. Once, that Dharma, who had been oppressed by Soma of wondrous deeds—Soma who sought to seize Tārā, the wife of his brother Aṅgirasa—became frightened by this powerful and cruel act and departed, entering a dense and terrible forest. With Dharma gone, all the wives of the Asuras, deprived of righteousness, wandered, seeking to seize the dwellings of the gods; the Asuras, too, roamed in the abodes of the gods. When order was thus lost and Dharma destroyed, the gods and Asuras, angered by Soma’s transgression and for the sake of the women, took up various weapons and fought fiercely. Seeing this conflict between gods and Asuras, Nārada, delighted, approached his father Brahmā and spoke to him. Then the Grandfather of all worlds, mounting his swan vehicle, intervened to restrain them and asked for whose sake this battle was being fought. All declared it was because of Soma, and Brahmā, realizing that his own son, Dharma, had been oppressed and had fled to the dense forest, acted swiftly. Brahmā, accompanied by the gods and Asuras, went to the forest. There, along with the gods, he saw Dharma in the form of a radiant bull, shining like the moon and wandering. Seeing him, Brahmā spoke to the gods: “This is my firstborn son, Dharma, greatly oppressed by Soma, who sought to seize his brother’s wife, O great sage. Now, all you gods and Asuras, appease him, so that your states may be preserved equally.” All, delighted, praised that god, understanding from Brahmā’s words that he was as radiant as the full moon. They said: “Salutations to you, moon-like one! Salutations to you, Lord of the world! Salutations to you, divine in form, who shows the path to heaven, who is the very form of the path of action, who is all-pervading—salutations again and again! By you this earth is protected, and the three worlds indeed by you alone; the worlds of men, ascetics, and truth are all protected by you. There is nothing in the world, moving or unmoving, without you; bereft of you, the world instantly perishes. You are the soul of all beings, the very essence of the good; you are rajas among the passionate and tamas among the inert. You are four-footed, O god, four-horned, three-eyed, seven-handed, three-bonded, in the form of a bull—salutations to you! Deprived of you, O god, we all stray from the right path; lead these deluded ones to the true path, for you are our supreme goal.