Hearing the anguish of the Earth, who cried out, “O illustrious ones, let my burden be lifted, lest I, overwhelmed, sink into the netherworld,” the assembled lords of the gods were moved to act. They turned to Brahmā, seeking guidance for the relief of Earth’s suffering. Brahmā addressed the gods, affirming, “Just as Earth has spoken, so it is, O dwellers of heaven. I, Śiva, and all of you are truly of the essence of Nārāyaṇa. The powers that arise among us—superiority and inferiority, the states of oppressor and oppressed—exist only in relation to one another, all belonging to Him. Let us therefore go to the sacred shore of the Milky Ocean. There, by worshipping Hari, we shall lay all matters before him. For the sake of the world, that all-pervading soul, the very essence of the universe, descends to earth in a portion of his pure being to uphold righteousness.” Thus resolved, Brahmā, the Grandfather, led the gods to the Milky Ocean. With focused minds, they approached and praised the bearer of Garuḍa, Lord Hari. Brahmā offered his reverent praise: “O Lord, you are indeed the two forms of knowledge, higher and lower, as declared by tradition. Both with and without form, these are your manifestations. You are the twofold Brahman, subtle and gross, O all-knowing one; the Brahman of sound and the supreme Brahman, the very essence of all that is Brahman. You are the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda, and the Atharvaveda; instruction, ritual, etymology, meter, and astrology are all your forms. The histories and Purāṇas, grammar, Mīmāṃsā, the science of logic, and the treatises on dharma—all these, O transcendent one, are you. “Whatever is spoken about the self, its body, and its qualities, O primal Lord, is nothing but the true nature of the self. You are the unmanifest, indescribable, inconceivable, without armor, of form without hands or feet, pure, eternal, and supreme beyond the highest. You hear without ears, see without eyes, are of many forms yet formless; without feet or hands you move swiftly and grasp, you know all and are the object of all knowledge. “Subtler than the subtlest, you are the true form in all. For those who perceive you, supreme knowledge arises, and for the wise, nothing else is upheld but your most excellent form, O supreme self. You are the support of the universe, the protector of the worlds; all beings dwell within you. Whatever was and whatever will be, you alone, subtler than the subtle, are beyond nature. “The one Lord, fourfold, is the fire that receives offerings; you bestow radiance and glory upon the world. With infinite forms and eyes everywhere, you, O creator, establish the threefold step. Just as one fire, unchanged in essence, blazes in many ways through various transformations, so you, present everywhere in a single form, manifest all forms without exception, O Lord. “That one supreme, highest state of yours, which the wise see as knowable through knowledge, is unique; apart from you, O supreme self, there is nothing else—no other true form, no past or future. You are of manifest and unmanifest nature, possessing both collective and individual forms; all-knowing, all-pervading, endowed with all power, knowledge, strength, and prosperity. You are neither diminished nor increased, self-dependent, without beginning, sovereign; untouched by fatigue, sloth, fear, anger, desire, and the like. Faultless, supreme, beyond attainment, unseated, imperishable order; Lord of all, the supreme support, the essence of all radiance, imperishable. “O Supreme Person, whose meditation is free from all coverings and supports, whose abode is great majesty—salutations to you. There is no taking of a body from cause or without cause, nor from cause and non-cause; it is only for the protection of dharma.” As Brahmā concluded his praise, the unborn Lord, Hari, revealed his universal form and, delighted, spoke to Brahmā: “O Brahmā, if you and the gods desire anything from me, speak it fully and know that it is already accomplished.” Seeing Hari’s divine, universal form, Brahmā, filled with awe and reverence, praised him again before the gods: “Salutations, salutations to you a thousand times, O thousand-armed, with many faces and feet; salutations to you, immeasurable one, who causes the creation, destruction, and maintenance of the world. O Lord, subtle beyond the subtlest, vast beyond measure, heavier than the heaviest, supreme soul beyond the root of matter, intellect, and senses—be gracious. “O God, this earth, bound by mountains and oppressed by great demons born of the earth, comes to you, the refuge of the worlds, for relief from her burden, O unfathomable one. We are here—Indra, the foe of Vṛtra, the two Aśvins, Varuṇa, Rudras, Vasus, Sūryas, Vāyu, Agni, and others who bring happiness. All the gods, O Lord of the gods, are ever ready to carry out your commands; whatever task you assign, we shall fulfill, always at your service.” Thus praised, the supreme Lord drew from himself two hairs, one white and one black. He said to the gods, “These two hairs of mine, descending to the earth, will bring relief from the burden of the world. Let all the gods descend to earth with their own portions and wage war against the frenzied, great demons who have arisen. Those demons on earth will be utterly destroyed; there is no doubt—they will be shattered by my descent. The wife of Vasudeva, Devakī, who is like a goddess, will bear the eighth embryo—my hair—O gods. Descending there, he will slay Kaṃsa on earth and the reborn Kālanemi.” Having spoken thus, Hari vanished. The gods, no longer able to see him, bowed to the great sage and ascended to the summit of Meru, then descended to earth. At that time, the sage Nārada declared to Kaṃsa, “The eighth embryo of Devakī, O sustainer of the earth, will be born.