O Lord, you are the very essence of all sacred histories and Purāṇas, the foundation of grammar, the heart of Mīmāṃsā, the science of logic, and the treatises on dharma. All these are but your own manifestation, O transcendent one. Whatever is spoken about the self—its body and its qualities—is nothing other than a revelation of your true nature, O primal Lord. You are the unmanifest, beyond description and conception, without any armor or covering. Though you possess no hands or feet in form, you are pure, eternal, and supreme, transcending even the highest realms. You hear without ears, see without eyes, and though you are formless, you manifest in countless forms. Without hands or feet you move swiftly and grasp all things; you know everything and are the very object of all knowledge. Subtler than the subtlest, your true form is present in all. For those who perceive you, supreme knowledge dawns; and for the wise, nothing else remains but your most excellent form, O supreme self. You are the support of the universe, the protector of all worlds, and all beings dwell within you. Whatever was and whatever will be, you alone exist, subtler than the subtlest, beyond the realm of nature. You, the one Lord—fourfold in manifestation—are the very fire that receives offerings, bestowing radiance and glory upon the world. With infinite forms, eyes everywhere, you, O creator, establish the threefold step. Just as one fire, unchanged in its essence, blazes forth in many forms through various transformations, so too do you, present everywhere in a single form, manifest all forms without exception, O Lord. That one supreme, highest state of yours, which the wise know through knowledge, is unique and incomparable; apart from you, O supreme self, there is nothing else—no other true form, no past or future. You are both manifest and unmanifest, 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, or desire. Faultless and supreme, beyond attainment, unseated, the imperishable order, Lord of all, the supreme support, the very essence of all radiance, imperishable. O Supreme Person, whose meditation is beyond 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 both cause and non-cause; it is only for the protection of dharma that you assume form. Having heard this praise, the unborn Lord revealed his universal form, delighting in his mind, and spoke to Brahmā: “O Brahmā, if you and the gods desire anything from me, speak it fully and know that it is already accomplished.” Then Brahmā, beholding Hari’s divine universal form, again praised him among the gods, whose hearts were filled with awe and reverence: “Salutations, salutations to you a thousand times, O thousand-armed one, with many faces and feet; salutations to you, immeasurable one, who creates, destroys, and maintains 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, approaches you, the refuge of the worlds, for the removal of its burden, O unfathomable one. “We are here—Indra, the enemy of Vṛtra, the twin Aśvins, Varuṇa, Rudras, Vasus, Sūryas, Vāyu, Agni, and others who bring happiness. All the gods, O Lord of the gods, are always ready to carry out your command; whatever task you assign, we shall fulfill, ever 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 mad, previously arisen great demons. Then 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. When he became invisible, the gods bowed to the great sage and ascended to the summit of Meru, then descended to earth. The sage Nārada then declared to Kaṃsa that the eighth embryo of Devakī would be born. Hearing this from Nārada, Kaṃsa was filled with rage, and he confined Devakī and Vasudeva in his house under strict guard. Just as Vasudeva had previously promised Kaṃsa, so too did he now, O Brahmin, hand over his sons. The six sons, known as the offspring of Hiraṇyakaśipu, were, by the will of Viṣṇu, drawn into Devakī’s womb through the power of sleep. Yoganidra, the great illusion belonging to Viṣṇu, by whom the world is deluded, was addressed by the blessed Hari: “O Sleep, by my command, go to the lower realms and, one by one, transfer the six sons into Devakī’s womb. After those six are slain by Kaṃsa, then a portion of mine, called Śeṣa, will become the seventh in her womb, as a partial manifestation. “In Gokula, Vasudeva’s other wife Rohiṇī resides; the embryo from Devakī should be transferred by you, O goddess, into her womb at the same time. Because of the fear and oppression of the Bhoja king, people will say that Devakī’s seventh child was miscarried. Because of the transfer of the embryo, that hero, shining like the peak of the white mountain, will be known in the world as Saṅkarṣaṇa. Then I shall be born in the auspicious womb of Devakī; but you must quickly go to Yaśodā, carrying my brilliance.” Thus, the Lord orchestrated the descent of his own powers and the gods, preparing for the deliverance of the earth and the destruction of evil.