Behold the wondrous city, its houses supported by pillars of gold and encrusted with radiant jewels, the very ground beneath one's feet gleaming with gems and glowing like padmarāga stones. Everywhere, pārijāta flowers lay in abundance, and the air thrummed with the presence of yakṣas and kinnaras, their celestial forms moving freely through this resplendent realm. When the ascetic spoke thus to me, O King, my heart overflowed with amazement. Eager to learn more, I questioned him further, saying, "O venerable one, your world is beyond compare! I have seen the realms of Brahmā, Indra, and many others, yet never have I witnessed a world such as this. It is entirely new to me, O sage of great austerity, endowed with wealth, splendor, power, and palaces heaped with jewels. "I have seen sacred lakes and pure pools, all adorned with lotuses. Your world, O sage, is truly a marvel. How did such a world come into being, and how are you established here in this way? Tell me, I pray, who you are, O foremost of sages. "How did I behold you, O great sage, on the shore of a lake in the Ilāvṛta region? That lake, that humble hut—what is your place in this world of golden palaces?" Thus did I address him, and the eminent sage replied to me, recounting the truth of all that had transpired. Hear now his words. The ascetic said, "I am Nārāyaṇa, the eternal God who is the very form of water, by whom this entire universe is pervaded—the three worlds, all that moves and all that does not. That very form of the Supreme God, Parameṣṭhin, which you have seen—I am he, called Varuṇa, yet truly I am the supreme Nārāyaṇa himself. "In former times, you worshipped me faithfully for seven births. Therefore, when the three worlds met their destruction, you alone were chosen by me." As he finished speaking, sleep overcame me and I fell to the earth, but in the very same moment I rose again. O King, as I looked about, I saw that sage and that shining city; and then, by my own self, I found myself standing on the summit of Mount Meru. There I beheld the seven oceans, the principal mountain ranges, and the earth with its seven continents. Even to this day, O virtuous one, I remain absorbed in meditation upon that supreme world, my heart ever yearning, "When shall I attain that realm?" Thus, O King, I have told you the wondrous story concerning the Supreme Lord and the transformation of my own body. What more would you wish to hear? Bhadrāśva then asked, "O venerable one, what did you do before you saw that world? Was it a vow, an austerity, or righteousness that you undertook to attain it? For who among the wise would seek worlds without first worshipping Hari with devotion? When Hari is worshipped, all worlds are as if held in the palm of one's hand." Reflecting thus, O King, I worshipped the eternal Viṣṇu for a hundred years, performing sacrifices rich in gifts. After a long time, as I was engaged in sacrifice to Janārdana, the Lord of gods and embodiment of sacrifice, the gods themselves, led by Indra, were summoned and arrived together. While the gods stood in their proper places, the Lord bearing the bull-banner—Mahādeva, the three-eyed, blue and red Virūpākṣa—also arrived, manifesting in his fierce and supreme form. Seeing all the assembled gods, sages, and great serpents, the blessed Sanatkumāra, born from the lotus, appeared. That great yogi, who knows past, present, and future, stood in a celestial chariot the size of a speck of dust, shining like the sun. Having arrived, Sanatkumāra bowed his head to Rudra, and I too, bowing, stood near the wielder of the trident. Beholding all these gods, sages like Nārada, Sanatkumāra, and Rudra gathered together, a question arose in my mind: Who among these is to be worshipped in sacrifice? Who is the most excellent, and by pleasing whom would all—including Rudra—be satisfied? Thus pondering, I respectfully asked Rudra, "O sinless one, among you excellent gods, who should be worshipped here in this sacrifice?" When I had spoken thus, Rudra addressed me in the assembly of the gods. He said, "Let all the gods, the pure devarṣis, and the renowned brahmarṣis listen to my words; and you too, Agastya of great wisdom, hear what I say. "That god who is worshipped by sacrifices, from whom this entire universe arises and into whom, along with the gods, it always dissolves—Nārāyaṇa, the supreme god, Janārdana of the nature of sattva—he, the Supreme Lord, created himself in a threefold form. "Endowed with rajas and tamas, the mighty one, with rajas predominating over sattva, created Brahmā, the lotus-seated, upon the lotus arising from his navel. Joined with rajas and tamas, he also created me. That sattva is Hari, the god, and Hari is the supreme abode. "He who possesses sattva and rajas is Brahmā, born from the lotus; he who is Brahmā is the god, and that god is four-faced; what is endowed with rajas and tamas—that am I; there is no doubt in this. "Sattva, rajas, and tamas—this triad is so called. By sattva, a creature is liberated, and sattva is of the nature of Nārāyaṇa. Through rajas, joined with sattva, creation occurs when rajas predominates; this is the paternal tradition, recited in all scriptures. "Whatever action is outside the Vedas, performed following a scripture, is known as fierce, and is said to be the lowest among men. Whatever action is deficient in rajas, and whatever is purely tamasic, that leads men to a miserable state in this world and the next. "By sattva, a creature is liberated, and sattva is of the nature of Nārāyaṇa; and Nārāyaṇa, the blessed one, is manifest in the form of sacrifice." Thus, O King, you have heard the wondrous account of the Supreme Lord, the nature of the worlds, and the path of worship that leads to liberation.