As the assembly of divine powers stood gathered upon the field—the symbolic body—Gauri, radiant and auspicious, declared, “Primacy resides in me.” With these words, she withdrew from the field, leaving her presence behind. Yet, even in her absence, the field endured, now overseen by the speech-deities who remained. At that moment, Ganapati, known as Akasha, spoke forth: “Nothing of the body remains distant, deprived of me.” After imparting this truth, he too departed from the body in due course. Despite his separation, the body was not destroyed; even without Akasha, it did not disintegrate. Observing the field now devoid of its cavities, yet still intact, all the bodily elements gathered and proclaimed, “There is no sustaining of a body apart from us.” With this assertion, they too departed, leaving the field behind. Even as these elements withdrew, the body was still protected by Purusha, the indwelling spirit. Witnessing this, Skanda, known as Ahamkara—the principle of ego—spoke, “Without me, even the emergence of the body cannot occur.” He too departed, standing apart from the body. With Ahamkara gone, the field seemed liberated, unbound. Bhanu, the sun, known as Aditya, grew angry and exclaimed, “How can this field exist even for a moment without me?” Departing in his turn, he found the body did not decay. Then Kama and the group of Matris—the Mothers—arose and said, “There is no existence of the body apart from me.” They too departed, yet the body remained undiminished. Next, Maya, called Durga, spoke in anger: “Without me, there is no existence for this.” She vanished, yet the body endured. The directions themselves—the four quarters—arose and declared, “There is no function without us, certainly.” They departed in an instant. Dhanapati, the wind, then spoke: “When I depart, what existence is there for the body?” He withdrew from the head, yet the field remained. Vishnu, as the mind, announced, “This body cannot endure even for a moment without me.” He vanished, but the body persisted. Dharma, the principle of righteousness, spoke: “I have protected all this. Now, with my departure, how will this be?” He departed, yet the body did not decay. Finally, Mahadeva—the unmanifest, leader of beings—spoke: “A body deprived of me, called Mahat, cannot exist.” Shambhu departed, yet the body remained undiminished. Witnessing these departures, the fathers and mothers said, “As long as we have dwelt here, this body has gradually decayed because of us.” Having spoken thus, they abandoned their bodies and disappeared. All these forces—fire as life-breath, apāna as downward breath, ether and the elements, the field (body), ego, the sun, desires, wood, wind, Vishnu, Dharma, Shambhu, and the objects of the senses—were released from the body. Yet, the field remained, protected by Soma, the personified moon. When Soma, possessing sixteen parts, was established in the imperishable, the field, endowed with qualities, arose and wandered as before. Seeing the body restored and guarded by the all-knowing one, all the presiding deities of the body assumed a state of detachment. Then, all these powers praised the supreme Lord, the god, and each returned to their own place. They addressed him, saying, “You are fire, you are also the life-breath, you are apāna, you are Sarasvatī; you are ether, the lord of wealth, you are the elements of the body. You, O god, are the sense of ego, you are the sun, the eightfold group of deities; you are Māyā, the earth, Durgā, you are the directions, you are the lord of the winds. You are Viṣṇu, you are also Dharma, you are the victorious, you are the unconquered; in the form of the meaning of the imperishable, you are known as the Supreme Lord.” They wondered, “With us departed, how will this be? Thus, this body has been abandoned by us. O god, by you, that supreme state is protected; we should not disturb the place, since you yourself, O creator, have established it.” Pleased by their praise, the god responded, “For the sake of play, you have been created by me. What separation can there be from me, who has accomplished my purpose, by you? Still, I now grant to each of you two forms. In activities concerning beings, remain in formlessness; in the world of the gods, with form. At the end of time, quickly enter dissolution. Bodies should not be made again by me at any time; and likewise, I now give you names for your forms.” He continued, “Agni will be called Vaiśvānara; the two Aśvins will be the life-breaths prāṇa and apāna; Gaurī and the daughter of the snowy mountain will be so as well. This group beginning with earth will become Gajavaktra (elephant-faced); these elements of the body will become various beings; the sense of ego will become Skanda, known as Kārttikeya. Bhānu, in the form of the sun, will be both with and without form as the eyes; this group beginning with desire will again become the Mothers. This body, composed of Māyā, is the fortress; at the end of the cosmic cycle, it will remain. There will be ten maidens, and these forms are the aspects of Varuṇa. This one is Vāyu, the Lord of Wealth, who will remain at the end of the cycle. This one is the mind, called Viṣṇu—there is no doubt about it. Dharma too will become Yama, without doubt; and the great principle, Mahat, will become the blessed Mahādeva. The objects of the senses will become the ancestors, without doubt; this Soma, becoming himself, will always be the companion of all the immortals.” Thus, the supreme Lord established the roles and forms of all the powers, ensuring their presence in both formless and manifest states, protecting the order of creation, and maintaining the cosmic balance through his own imperishable essence.