With deep reverence, salutations were offered to Śambhu, the remover of all the world’s distress, whose radiance outshines a thousand blazing suns and the swiftest winds. Praise was also given to the wielder of the discus, the upholder of all knowledge, ever pure and free from sin, who is perpetually honored by the gods. Homage was then paid to the beginningless, infallible God, crowned with Śeṣa, the All-pervader, the Great Lord of beings, of the winds, of the earth, of the universe itself—unceasingly revered with every breath. The Lord of the waters, Nārāyaṇa, benefactor of the universe, all-seeing and all-knowing, was extolled as the Moon and the Sun, the Infallible Hero of inconceivable form, immortal and imperishable. To Nārāyaṇa, whose blazing discus counters the flames of fire, the protector whose faces are everywhere, prayers were offered: “O remover of the gods’ distress, immortal and imperishable, protect me, Infallible One, for I have sought your refuge.” The devotee beheld the Lord’s countless faces, with the ancient Brahmā at the center—the source of all worlds—and offered salutations to Him as the Grandfather of creation. “O God of gods,” the devotee reflected, “through countless cycles of existence, you are sometimes revealed to those who seek the true path and whose minds are purified by knowledge. So what is the use of my words, attempting to address you?” He who knows the Lord as the one beyond nature is the knower of all, the foremost among the wise; yet, even among them, the Lord’s qualities cannot be distinctly separated, for His vast form is exceedingly subtle. The Lord is beyond speech, mind, and senses; He is not bound by action nor limited to any single act, nor subject to the bonds of worldly existence. “How, then, O God of gods, can you be truly known?” the devotee wondered. His form, both manifest and unmanifest, is incomparable and realized only by those of pure mind who perform sacrifices that sever worldly bondage. Then, He is seen as the four-armed one. That supreme, wondrous form is not even known by the gods; thus, Brahmā and others worship His ancient aspect, as described in the stories of His incarnations. Not even the lotus-born creator of the universe, Brahmā, knows the Lord’s form completely. Yet, one purified by austerity may know Him as the ancient sage, the first being. Though the lotus-seated Brahmā is called the father, the source of the ancients, even one like him cannot truly know the Lord—those devoid of austerity cannot comprehend Him. Even Brahmā and the foremost among the wise cannot know Him. The ignorant, lacking devotion, may desire understanding, but wisdom does not arise in them, nor do they truly possess the Vedas, even if so reputed. For the knowers of the Veda, discernment arises through many births by the Lord’s grace. For one who has attained Him, there is neither human existence, nor the path of gods and gandharvas, nor even liberation. The Lord is Viṣṇu in form, exceedingly subtle, yet also gross—the fulfillment of all duties. He is both gross and subtle, easily attained, but those who act contrary to Him fall into hell. What more can be said of Him, who pervades the universe, filling ether, self, moon, fire, sun, earth, and wind, assuming forms corresponding to the elements, His own nature pervading all? The devotee prayed, “O Lord, thus accept this praise of mine, especially from your devotee. As you have commanded, create the creation, and grant me omniscience. Salutations to you, O Viṣṇu.” Even if a man possessed four faces or ten million mouths and a pure mind, he could not fully describe the Lord’s countless and various qualities; thus, the devotee pleaded for grace. To one engaged in meditation, with a purified intellect and a mind devoted solely to Him, the Lord always dwells in the heart. “Salutations to you; nothing exists apart from you.” Thus, the devotee openly composed this hymn, knowing the Lord as all-pervading, and prayed: “By the method of traversing the cycle of worldly existence, purify me, O Acyuta, granting me absolute liberation.” Śrī Varāha then spoke: When Rudra, whose energy is immeasurable, had thus praised the Lord, the Lord, pleased, replied with a voice as deep as thunder. Viṣṇu said, “Choose a boon, O god of gods, O consort of Umā. There is no difference between us; we are both one and the same.” Rudra replied, “I have been appointed by Brahmā to create beings, O Lord. Therefore, grant me knowledge—threefold—for the generation of beings.” Viṣṇu responded, “You are omniscient, without doubt, a repository of eternal knowledge; you will always be the most highly revered among the gods.” With joy, Umāpati spoke again, “Grant me another boon, O god, one renowned among all beings. Assume a form, O Keśava, and worship me; bear me, O Lord of gods, and accept a boon from me, so that I may become more highly worshipped than all the gods.” Viṣṇu agreed, “In incarnations for the sake of the gods, when I take human form, I will indeed worship you, and you, in turn, will grant me boons.” “As you have said, ‘Bear me,’ O god of gods, O consort of Umā, so I, becoming a cloud, will bear you, O god, for a hundred years.” Having spoken thus, Hari himself became a cloud, lifted Maheśvara from the water, and spoke these words: “O Lord, these ten and one primal beings, called the Vairājas, have gone to the earth and are known as the Ādityas. The twelfth portion of myself, named Viṣṇu, has descended to earth and worships you, O Śaṃkara.” Having said this, Nārāyaṇa created the sun from his own portion, and, like a sound, vanished beyond comprehension. Rudra then declared, “Thus, this god Hari, all-pervading and the creator of all, once granted me a boon; therefore, among the gods, I am the foremost. There is no god superior to Nārāyaṇa, nor has there been, nor will there be. This is the secret of the Vedas and Purāṇas, O best of sages, which I have revealed to you, as Viṣṇu is worshipped here.” Śrī Varāha continued: Once again, all the sages approached Rudra, the ancient, eternal, unchanging, imperishable one of universal form, unborn, auspicious, three-eyed, and wielder of the trident, with a question. The sages said, “You are supreme among all gods and for us, O Lord of the gods. Therefore, we ask you a single question; you alone are worthy to answer.” “Please tell us, out of compassion, O god of gods, O consort of Umā, the measure and extent of the earth, the breadth of the mountains, the expanse of the oceans and rivers, and the dimensions of the cosmic egg.” Rudra replied, “In all the Purāṇas, the earth realm is described in detail, especially in the northwest, as the domain of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Bhava, and others. Now I will briefly explain to you the extent of the earth; listen, O knowers of dharma, as I speak.” He began: “That supreme self, realized through all knowledge, free from impurity, subtle beyond thought—Nārāyaṇa—pervades all worlds and their light. His broad chest is adorned with yellow garments; He bears the earth and is characterized by qualities such as smallness, greatness, length, shortness, leanness, redness, and more. His form is pure consciousness. That blessed Lord, manifesting in three ways—sattva, rajas, and tamas—created the waters. Lying in yogic sleep, He produced a lotus from His navel. In that lotus, the repository of all the Vedas, appeared Brahmā, the inconceivable supreme Lord, the lord of creatures.” “Brahmā first created Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumāra, and others devoted to knowledge, and later Manu Svāyambhuva, Marīci, and the rest, up to Dakṣa. From Manu Svāyambhuva, created by the blessed Lord, the vast expanse of the world is described. Manu had two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. Priyavrata had ten sons: Āgnīdhra, Agnibāhu, Medha, Medhātithi, Dhruva, Jyotiṣmān, Dyutimān, Havyavapu, Matsya, and Savanānta. Priyavrata established seven of his sons as rulers over the seven continents: Āgnīdhra over Jambūdvīpa; Medhātithi over Śākadvīpa; Jyotiṣmān over Kuśadvīpa; Dyutimān over Krauñcadvīpa; Vapuṣmān over Śālmaladvīpa; Havya over Gomeda; and Savanānta over Puṣkara.” “Savanānta’s two sons, Mahāvīta and Dhātakī, ruled regions known as Gomeda and Dhātakī, respectively. Dhātakī’s region is Dhātakīkhaṇḍa, and Kumuda’s is Kaumuda. Vapuṣmān, lord of Śālmaladvīpa, had three sons: Sakuśa, Vaidyuta, and Jīmūta, each ruling their respective regions. Similarly, Dyutimān had seven sons—Kuśala, Manugu, Goṣṭha, Uṣṇa, Pīvara, Udyānda, and Munidundubhi—who ruled the seven great regions of Krauñcadvīpa. Jyotiṣmān, lord of Kuśadvīpa, had seven sons: Udbhida, Veṇumāna, Rathopala, Ambana, Dhṛti, Prabhākara, and Kapila. Medhātithi, lord of Śākadvīpa, had seven sons: Śānta, Bhaya, Śiśira, Sukha, Udaya, Ānanda, and Śivakṣema.” “Āgnīdhra, lord of Jambūdvīpa, had nine sons: Nābhi, Kiṃpuruṣa, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Ramyaka, Hiraṇmaya, Kuru, Bhadrāśva, and Ketumāla, each ruling their own region: Nābhi’s region was Hemavanta and Hemakūṭa; Kiṃpuruṣa’s was Naiṣadha; Harivarṣa’s was Merumadhya; Ilāvṛta’s was Nīla; Ramyaka’s was Śveta; Hiraṇmaya’s was Uttara; Kuru’s was Śṛṅgavata; Bhadrāśva’s was Mālyavanta; Ketumāla’s was Gandhamādana. Thus were the worlds established in the Svāyambhuva Manvantara. In every cycle, the earth is governed and maintained by seven rulers—this is the constant nature of the kalpa.” Rudra continued, “Now, I will tell the story of Nābhi’s lineage. Nābhi, by Merudevī, begot a son named Ṛṣabha, whose son was Bharata, the eldest. Ṛṣabha gave the southern region of the Himālaya, called Bhārata, to his son Bharata. Bharata’s son was Sumati. After giving the kingdom to his son, Bharata too went to the forest. Sumati’s son was Tejasa, whose son was Satsura.