O revered one, listen to this sacred narration. The Supreme Lord, Hari, is the very essence of all radiance, the source from whom all brilliance arises, manifesting in every conceivable form. On earth, he is present in fivefold manner; in water, he is fourfold; in fire, threefold; in wind, twofold; and in space, he is established as the very form of sound. Thus, Hari, the Supreme Person, pervades all that exists. He is the moon, the sun, and fire itself. In him, the entire world ultimately dissolves, and it is in him that all beings find delight and foundation. For this reason, he is praised as Rāma, the very support of the universe. In the vast ocean of worldly existence, where terrible waves of suffering surge and the dreadful crocodile of impatience lurks, one who holds fast to the remembrance of the Lord does not sink. This is why, even amidst the forest of austerities, the Lord is remembered as Rāma, the savior. When the Vedas were lost, it was Hari who assumed the form of a fish to restore them. At the end of the age, when all directions are reddened, he becomes fire, taking on many forms. In every age, O Mādhava, you have taken the form of the Tortoise during the churning of the ocean. Truly, there is none equal to you, O Janārdana, for you are the supreme being. By you, O great soul, this entire universe is pervaded. You know all directions perfectly. How could anyone abandon you, the original and supreme abode, and seek any other refuge? At the beginning, only you existed; from you arose earth, water, the highest form of fire, wind, space, mind, intellect, and all the qualities of consciousness. Everything has its origin in you. You pervade the whole universe; you are eternal, the Supreme Person. O Lord of all the worlds, whose very form is the universe, thousand-armed one, victory to you, O god of gods! Homage to Rāma, of great glory. Thus praised, the best of gods became pleased and revealed his divine form to King Supratīka. The Lord then spoke to him, saying, "Choose a boon, O Supratīka." Hearing these words, the king bowed with reverence and said, "O Lord of gods, grant me union with your supreme form at the time of dissolution." When the king thus spoke, in a moment he attained dissolution into the form of the destroyer of demons. Established in that state, he became liberated, that ruler of the earth, through his many acts of ritual. Śrī Varāha continued: "Thus have I recounted to you this ancient account, as it was related to Svāyambhuva. Even with thousands of others, it is not possible to tell it fully here. O blessed one, I have told you this Purāṇa only in summary, as I remember it. The creation of the ocean's waters and all that occurred here and there is truly immeasurable. Even Brahmā, the self-born, and Nārāyaṇa have recounted this. Who else could do so? It is impossible for us—thus it has been said to you—because of the vastness of that form, only a remembrance of the beginning is possible. On earth, the grains of sand in the ocean are countless; but the acts of creation performed by the Supreme Lord are even more innumerable. This portion concerning Nārāyaṇa has been told by me, O fair-smiling one. This is the account as it happened in the Krita age. What else do you wish to hear?" Then Earth herself inquired: "Having witnessed that great and wondrous event, what fruit or boon did the sage Gauramukha and those jewel-bearing ones receive from the teacher? Who is that illustrious sage Gauramukha, supremely righteous? What did he do upon witnessing Hari's deed?" Śrī Varāha replied: "Having seen the act performed by the Lord in a moment, the sage Gauramukha, desiring to worship the god, went to the forest called Prabhāsa, the most difficult-to-attain holy place of Soma. There, the god who destroys demons is praised by those who contemplate holy places; there, Gauramukha worshipped Hari, the slayer of demons. As he was engaged in worship, the great yogi and sage Mārkaṇḍeya arrived. Seeing him approach from afar, Gauramukha joyfully welcomed him with offerings of water for washing the feet, filled with supreme devotion. Then, as they sat together in the cow-shed, Gauramukha asked, 'Instruct me, O best of sages, what should I do, O great vow-holder?' Thus addressed, the illustrious sage Mārkaṇḍeya, endowed with great austerity, spoke gently to Gauramukha: 'This alone is the great duty—that one should always seek the association of the virtuous. But if there is any action about which you have doubt, ask about that, O great sage.' Gauramukha then asked, 'These are called the Pitṛs, according to the Vedic authorities. Are they common to all castes, or are they distinct and separate?' Mārkaṇḍeya replied: 'Among all the gods, Nārāyaṇa is the original teacher. From him, Brahmā was born, and he too created the seven sages. The Supreme Lord instructed them, "Worship me." At first, they worshipped themselves with their own selves—so the scripture declares. But among those born from Brahmā, engaged in great creative acts, a great transgression was committed, so a curse was pronounced: "You will all become devoid of knowledge—there is no doubt." Thus cursed, those born from Brahmā, after producing sons to continue their lineage, immediately went to heaven. When those Brahmavādins had gone to heaven, their sons quickly satisfied them with offerings made during the śrāddha rites. All those celestial beings—the seven mind-born sons of Brahmā—remain, observing the prescribed piṇḍa offerings as declared in the mantras.' Gauramukha then inquired further: 'Who are those Pitṛs, O Brāhmaṇa, and for what period do they remain? Why are the groups of ancestors established in that world?' Mārkaṇḍeya answered: 'Some excellent ones, who increase the strength of the gods and Soma, are active; they are the seven, beginning with Marīci, and are remembered as the Pitṛs in heaven. Four of them possess form, while the other three are formless. I shall describe to you the creation of their worlds—listen to this. Hear from me in detail their power and great majesty: three of them bear the form of Dharma, and the others are supreme groups. Their names and their worlds I shall declare. The worlds called Saṃtānakas are where the radiant, formless groups of Pitṛs reside—these are the sons of the Lord of creatures. The best among the progeny of Virāṭ are known as the Vairājas. These, having fallen from their worlds, attain the eternal worlds again, and at the end of hundreds of ages, they are born once more as knowers of Brahman. Regaining that memory, they again attain the highest, flawless path of yoga, contemplating the pure course of yoga, from which there is no return.