He who adapts himself to the needs of every age is the very creator of the three worlds, establishing them in their proper order. It is he who brought forth the flow of time itself—moments, twinklings, kāṣṭhās, kalās, and the threefold divisions of time. He fashioned the muhūrtas, the lunar days, the months, the days, the years, and the seasons, as well as the conjunctions and the threefold measure of time. By his will, lifespans were ordained, fields set apart, and all growth and distinctive marks were established. He bestowed beauty of form, intelligence, wealth, valor, and mastery over the sacred scriptures. The three castes, the three worlds, the threefold knowledge, the three sacred fires, the three divisions of time, the three acts, the three māyās, and the three qualities—all arose from him. Through his supreme act, the worlds and the gods came into being, along with all hosts of living beings, for he is the very soul within all. He delights in men through the yoga of the senses, guiding the endless cycle of coming and going, and he is the lord of all diversity everywhere. For the righteous, he is the very path; for those who perform evil, he is the absence of a path. He is the origin and protector of the fourfold social order. He is the knower of the four Vedas and the refuge for those in all four stages of life. He is the directions, the sky, the earth, the waters, the wind, and the fire. He is the two great lights, the moon and the sun, the lord of the ages, the wanderer of the night, the one called the supreme god, and the supreme austerity. He is the highest of ascetics, the supreme self-possessed, the god beginning with the Adityas, and the mighty destroyer of the Daityas. At the end of each age, he is the ender, the destroyer of those who destroy worlds, the bridge among the bridges of the worlds, and the purest among those who act in purity. He is the one to be known by the knowers of the Veda, the lord of those with creative power, Soma among beings, and fire among those radiant with fire. Among men, he is the mind; among ascetics, he is austerity; among the disciplined, he is humility; among the brilliant, he is brilliance itself. He is the form among forms, the ultimate goal even for those who have goals, the wind born of space, the vital breath, and the fire of oblations. By day, the fire of oblations is the vital breath; the vital breath of fire is Madhusudana. Sap becomes blood, and from blood arises flesh. From flesh comes fat, from fat bone, from bone marrow, and from marrow, semen is produced. From semen, by the action rooted in sap, the embryo is formed. Among these processes, water is first, called the lunar mass. The embryo arises from heat as the second mass; semen is of lunar nature, menstrual blood is fiery. These two states follow sap, and in their potency are the moon and fire. Among the phlegmatic, semen arises; among the bilious, blood. The heart is the seat of phlegm, the navel the seat of bile, and the heart, at the center of the body, is remembered as the seat of the mind. Within the navel resides the god of fire; the mind is Prajapati, and phlegm is Soma. Bile is fire; these two, fire and Soma, are said to be the essence of the world, and thus the embryo develops, resembling a mass of water. Then, the wind, united with the supreme self, enters and exists in the body in fivefold form, causing further growth. These are prāṇa, apāna, samāna, udāna, and vyāna. Prāṇa, increasing the supreme self, moves within; apāna moves in the lower body; udāna rises upward; vyāna pervades everywhere; and samāna is present in all the joints. From this, the perception of the elements arises—earth, air, space, water, and fire—accessible to the senses. All the senses are established there, each performing its own function. This is called the earthly body, and the vital self is considered to be the wind. Openings are born from space, and the flow of fluids is set in motion. Fire becomes sight, and its brilliance is called light. The senses and their domains arise from its power. Thus, the eternal Person creates all these worlds. Yet, in this mortal world, how did Viṣṇu, the Lord, come to take on a human form? This is our wonder and our doubt. How did he, who moves among the movers, come to possess a human body? We wish to hear, in proper order, of Viṣṇu’s deeds, for he is described by the Vedas and sages as possessing wondrous qualities. Tell us, O great-minded one, the marvelous origin of Viṣṇu; recount this wondrous story that brings happiness. Let the being of Viṣṇu, renowned for strength and valor, his manifestations and wondrous deeds, be described here. Now, I shall recount the manifestation of the great-souled one, how that blessed one, of great austerity, was born among men. Seventy-seven births have been spoken of, resulting from Bhṛgu’s curse, in which he is born at the end of each age to accomplish the purpose of the gods. Hear from me about the divine body of Viṣṇu. When the law of the age declines and time grows weak, the Lord appears. To establish righteousness, he is born among men, due to the curse of Bhṛgu and the deeds of gods and asuras. How did he, because of the deeds of gods and asuras, obtain another birth? We wish to know how the conflict between gods and asuras occurred. Listen as I recount the story of the gods and asuras as it happened: the mighty demon Hiraṇyakaśipu once ruled the three worlds. In turn, the realm was governed by Bali throughout the three worlds, and there was great friendship between the gods and the asuras.