The Earth, in her distress, bowed to the Lord, her eyes full of hope and devotion. She addressed Him, the lotus-eyed One who bears the conch, discus, and mace: “Salutations to You! Today, please lift me up from this state, for I arose from You in the beginning. O Janārdana, You have raised me before, and I am made of You. Just as the sky and all other beings have come forth from You, so too have I.” With heartfelt reverence, the Earth continued, “Salutations to You, Supreme Self, who are the Self of all beings. Homage to You, the unmanifest source of all matter, who are Time itself. You are the creator, protector, and destroyer of all beings; in these acts, You take the forms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra. When the world was submerged in a single ocean and all creation was consumed, O Govinda, You alone were contemplated by the wise.” She praised Him further: “No one truly knows Your highest reality; in Your incarnations, the forms You assume are adored by the dwellers of heaven. Those who seek liberation worship You as the Supreme Brahman; without worshipping Vāsudeva, who could ever attain liberation? Everything that can be grasped by the mind, perceived by the senses, or understood by the intellect—all of it is Your form. I am pervaded, supported, created, and sustained by You; thus, people call me Mādhavī.” The Earth glorified Him, saying, “Victory to You, embodiment of all knowledge! Victory to You, who are both gross and subtle, imperishable and infinite—unmanifest and manifest, O Lord! Victory to You, soul of all, transcendent and immanent, Lord of the universe! You are the Lord of sacrifice, the sinless one; You are the sacrifice itself, the vaṣaṭ-call, the syllable Oṃ, and the sacred fires. You are the Vedas and their limbs, You are the sacrificial person, O Hari; the sun, the planets, the stars, the constellations, and the entire world are You.” “O Supreme Person, You are both with form and formless, visible and invisible. Whatever I have spoken here, and whatever I have not spoken, to all of that, to You, I bow again and again in reverence.” Hearing these praises, the Lord who upholds the earth responded. Resplendent and majestic, He produced a deep, resonant sound, like the sacred chanting of the Sāma hymns, and roared mightily. Then, in the form of the great Boar, with eyes like fully blossomed lotuses, He lifted the Earth with His own tusk and rose up from the netherworld, shining like a great blue mountain covered with lotus leaves. As He ascended, the wind from His mouth scattered the gathered waters, washing the radiant sages such as Sanandana and others, who had taken refuge in the world of Janaloka, cleansing them of all impurity. The waters, churned by the tips of His hooves on the surface of the netherworld, resounded with continuous noise; His breaths dispersed them in all directions, and the perfected beings and yogis who dwelled there moved about. As the great Boar rose, His belly still wet with water, holding the Earth and shaking His body composed of the Vedas, the sages dwelling between the hairs of His body praised Him. The yogis who dwell among people in the world, their minds filled with joy and praise, along with Sanandana and others, bowed their heads low and extolled the steadfast bearer of the Earth, whose gaze was firmly uplifted. They sang, “O Supreme Lord, Keshava, master of the lords of victory, bearer of the mace, conch, sword, and discus! You alone are the cause of creation, destruction, and sustenance; You are the supreme ruler—there is no higher state than Your feet. In Your feet are the Vedas, Your tusks are the sacrificial posts, Your teeth are the rites, and Your mouth is the altar; You are the fire-tongue, Your hairs are the sacred darbha grass—O Lord, You alone are the embodiment of sacrifice. Your eyes are day and night, O great soul; Your head is the supreme Brahman, the refuge of all; Your mane is the collection of hymns, and Your nose is all the offerings, O God. Your snout is the sacrificial ladle, Your voice is the deep tone of the Sāma chants, Your body is the eastern altar, the connection of all sacrifices; You are the hearing of righteous and charitable acts—O eternal soul, O blessed Lord, be gracious.” They continued, “You, who stride over the earth with Your measured steps, are the primal, imperishable form of the universe; we know You as the supreme Lord—be gracious, for You are the master of all that is high and low. O Lord, the earth, placed on the tip of Your tusk, appears as if a lotus leaf, freshly lifted from the mud, clings to a great blue lotus in the pond. The space between heaven and earth, of incomparable extent, is pervaded by Your very form; the universe is filled by Your all-pervading radiance—O Lord, may You exist for the welfare of all. You alone are the highest reality, O Lord of the universe; there is no other. By Your greatness, this entire world, moving and unmoving, is pervaded.” The sages declared, “Whatever is seen here as form is, in truth, Your own self of knowledge; but those whose knowledge is deluded perceive the world as separate. Those without understanding see this entire world as material, and, perceiving it as mere objects, they wander lost in the flood of delusion. But those who know knowledge, whose minds are pure, see the entire world as composed of knowledge, perceiving Your form, O Supreme Lord. Be gracious, O all-pervading Soul of all, for the sake of these worlds; uplift the earth, O lotus-eyed one, who are concealed in this form. O blessed Govinda, filled with Sattva; O Lord of beings, uplift this earth for our sake; grant us Your favor, O lotus-eyed one. May this activity of creation, which benefits the worlds, proceed from You; salutations to You—grant us Your favor, O lotus-eyed one.” Thus praised, the Supreme Soul, the bearer of the earth, swiftly lifted up the Earth and placed her upon the great waters. Amidst the flood of waters, the Earth stood upon Him like a great ship; because of the expanse of His body, the Earth did not sink. Then, having made the Earth level, the primeval Lord, the beginningless Supreme, arranged the mountains upon the Earth according to their divisions. He recreated upon the Earth all the mountains that had been destroyed in the previous creation, by His unfailing power, desiring nothing in vain. Then, having divided the Earth, He formed the seven continents as before, and established the four worlds, beginning with Bhū, just as previously. Thereafter, the god, assuming the form of Brahmā and enveloped in rajas, the blessed Hari with four faces, performed the act of creation. Yet, He is only the instrumental cause in the work of creation; for the powers of creation themselves become the primary causes.