As the gods, led by Indra, stood firmly in their respective places, a wondrous event unfolded. In that very moment, the Lord bearing the bull-banner—Mahadeva himself—arrived among them. He appeared in his awe-inspiring, fierce form: the three-eyed, blue and red Virupaksha, the Supreme Lord, stood there in all his glory. Soon, the blessed Sanatkumara, born from the lotus, joined the gathering. He was a great yogi, knower of all times—past, present, and future. Sanatkumara arrived in a celestial chariot so small it was like a speck of dust, yet it shone with the brilliance of the sun. Upon his arrival, this venerable sage bowed his head respectfully to Rudra. Following his example, I too offered my reverence and stood near the wielder of the trident. As I gazed upon this assembly of gods, sages such as Narada and Sanatkumara, and Rudra himself, a question stirred within my heart. O best of kings, I wondered: among all these exalted beings, who should be worshipped in sacrifice? Who is the most excellent, whose satisfaction would ensure the satisfaction of all, including Rudra? Contemplating thus, I turned to Rudra and asked, “O sinless one, among you illustrious gods, who is to be worshipped here in this sacrifice?” When I had spoken, Rudra addressed the assembly of gods. He called upon all the gods, the pure devarshis, the renowned brahmarshis, and me, Agastya, to listen with attention to his words. Rudra declared, “That god who is worshipped by sacrifices, from whom the entire universe arises and into whom it dissolves—along with the gods—is none other than Narayana, the Supreme Lord. Janardana, of the nature of sattva, created himself in a threefold form. With predominance of rajas and tamas, he created Brahma, the lotus-seated, upon the lotus springing from his navel. United with rajas and tamas, he also created me. Sattva is Hari, the Supreme God and the supreme abode. Brahma, born from the lotus, is endowed with sattva and rajas. He is the god with four faces. As for me, I am that which is endowed with rajas and tamas—there is no doubt in this. Sattva, rajas, and tamas—these three qualities are well-known. By sattva, a creature finds liberation, and sattva itself is of the nature of Narayana. When rajas is joined with sattva and predominates, creation occurs—this is the ancient tradition, recited in all scriptures. Any action performed outside the Vedas, even if following some scripture, is considered fierce and is the lowest among men. Whatever action lacks rajas, or is purely tamasic, leads men to miserable states both in this world and the next. By sattva, a creature is liberated, for sattva is of the nature of Narayana, and Narayana is manifest in the form of sacrifice. In the Krita age, Narayana is worshipped in his pure, subtle form; in the Treta age, in the form of sacrifice; and in the Dvapara age, by the Pancharatra rites. In Kali, by the path I have established—through many forms and tamasic means—Janardana, the supreme soul, is worshipped by those whose minds are averse. There is no god beyond him, nor will there ever be. Vishnu is himself Brahma, and Brahma is myself. Even in the three Vedas and in this sacrifice, the offering is established in the Vedas. O best of the twice-born, whoever creates division among us three is of corrupt mind, a doer of evil, and attains a miserable fate. Hear from me, O Agastya, as I recount the past: in the Kali age, men neglect devotion to Hari. All the people of the earth, having worshipped Janardana in times past, attain the Bhuvarloka; those who reside there, having worshipped Kesava, reach heaven and, in time, liberation. Thus, when liberation spread throughout all worlds, those eligible for it—the gods—devotedly worshipped Hari. He, the all-pervading and eternal one, appeared before them and said, ‘Tell me, O foremost of yogis and gods, what is to be done?’ The gods, having bowed to the lord of gods, addressed the Supreme Lord: ‘O God of gods, all people are established on the path of liberation. How then will creation proceed, and who will dwell in hells?’ In response, Janardana said, ‘For three ages and many more, men will approach me. But in the final age, those devoted to me will become rare. I will swiftly create delusion to bewilder the people. And you, Rudra of mighty arms, compose scriptures of delusion—showing little effort but promising great results. Display magic, illusions, and contrary practices. By showing these, quickly delude all people, O great Lord.’ Having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord concealed my true self and then revealed it again. From that time on, people have generally become devoted to the scriptures composed by me. Those who see the path in accordance with the Vedas, recognizing Narayana as one, attain liberation. Those who worship me or Brahma as distinct from Vishnu, O best of the twice-born, are sinful and go to hell. For those who have abandoned the Vedic path, I have shown scripture with doctrines and conclusions, solely for the sake of deluding them. This bondage is the state of the beast; when it falls away, then the Pashupata scripture arises, known as Vedic. I am the very embodiment of the Veda, O sage; my true form is not known through other scriptures or their expositions, but only through the beginningless Veda. I am to be known through the Veda, especially by the Brahmanas, O best of sages.