Hear now the sacred tale as revealed in the Purāṇa. There is a Supreme God, worshipped by all sacrifices, from whom the entire universe takes birth and into whom, along with the gods, it ultimately dissolves. This is Nārāyaṇa—Janārdana—the Supreme Lord, whose very nature is pure sattva. Out of his own will, this Lord manifested himself in a threefold form. With rajas and tamas joined to his nature, and rajas predominant over sattva, the mighty Lord created Brahmā, the lotus-seated one, upon the lotus that sprang from his own navel. In the same way, joined with rajas and tamas, he created me as well, O master. Sattva is Hari, the Supreme God; Hari is the highest abode. He who is endowed with sattva and rajas is Brahmā, sprung from the lotus; Brahmā is the god with four faces. That which is endowed with rajas and tamas, that am I—there is no doubt in this. Sattva, rajas, and tamas—these three are well-known. By sattva, creatures are liberated, and sattva is of the nature of Nārāyaṇa. When rajas is joined with sattva, creation occurs, especially when rajas predominates. This is the ancient tradition, spoken of in all the scriptures. Any action performed outside the Vedas, even if based on some other scripture, is considered fierce and is the lowest among men. Actions deficient in rajas, or purely tamasic, lead men to misery both in this world and the next. It is by sattva that a being is liberated, and sattva is the very nature of Nārāyaṇa, who is manifest in the form of sacrifice. In the Krita age, Nārāyaṇa is worshipped in his pure and subtle form; in the Treta age, he is worshipped through sacrifice; and in the Dvapara age, by the rites of the Pāñcharātra. In Kali Yuga, by the path I have established, with many forms and by tamasic means, Janārdana, the supreme soul, is worshipped by those whose minds are turned away. There is no god beyond him, nor will there ever be. He who is Viṣṇu is himself Brahmā, and he who is Brahmā is myself. Even in the three Vedas and in all sacrifices, the offering is established in the Vedas. O best of twice-born, whoever creates division among us three commits evil, is of corrupt mind, and attains a miserable fate. Now, O Agastya, hear from me how, in the Kali age, men fail to cultivate devotion to Hari. All the inhabitants of the earth, having worshipped Janārdana in times past, attain Bhuvarloka; those who reside there, having worshipped Keśava, reach heaven and gradually attain liberation. When liberation pervaded all the worlds, those eligible for it—the gods—devoted themselves to worshipping Hari. The all-pervading and eternal Lord appeared before them and said, “Tell me, O foremost of yogis and gods, what is to be done?” The gods, bowing to the Lord of gods, addressed him: “O God of gods, all people are established on the path of liberation. How, then, will creation proceed? Who will dwell in the hells?” Thus addressed, Janārdana replied, “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 these, quickly delude all people, O great Lord.” Having spoken thus, that Supreme Lord immediately concealed and then revealed my true self. From that time onward, O best of beings, people have generally become devoted to the scriptures composed by me. Those who follow the path in accordance with the Vedas and see the god Nārāyaṇa as one attain liberation. Those who worship me or Brahmā as distinct from Viṣṇu, O best of 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 to delude them. This bondage is the state of the beast; when it falls away, then the Pāśupata scripture, known as Vedic, arises. I am the embodiment of the Veda, O sage; my true form is not known through other scriptures or their explanations, but only through the beginningless Veda. I am to be known through the Veda, especially by the Brāhmaṇas, O best of sages. I am the three ages, as are Brahmā and Viṣṇu; the three arise from the qualities of nature, the three Vedas, the three fires, the three worlds, the three twilights, the three castes—sacrifices too are threefold. This world is bound in three ways. Whoever knows thus, O best of sages—Nārāyaṇa as the supreme, Brahmā born from the lotus as the secondary, and me as the other—knows that I alone am foremost by quality; the rest is delusion. Agastya continued: Thus addressed, the gods, the sages, and I, O king, bowed to that Lord Pinākin. As we bowed our heads to the god, we saw within the body of Rudra the lotus-seated Brahmā. And in his heart, we beheld Nārāyaṇa, subtle as a speck of dust yet shining with the radiance of blazing gold, appearing from the body of Bhava. Seeing this, all the officiating sages with me were astonished. They raised cries of victory and chanted the Sāma, Ṛc, and Yajus hymns. Then they asked that Lord, “O Supreme Lord, what is this? In your single form, the three forms are perceived.” Rudra replied, “In this sacrifice, whatever oblation is offered by the great sages with me as its aim, we three, O best of poets, each receive a share. O eminent sages, there is no diversity of disposition among us; those with clear vision perceive correctly, but in contrary matters, many see differently.” Thus is the mystery of the threefold Lord, ever united, revealed.