After imparting his wisdom, the sage took his leave, and Indra, king of the gods, mounted his magnificent elephant Airavata and journeyed back to his celestial city, Amarāvatī. But from that moment onward, O Maitreya, the three worlds, along with Indra himself, lost all their prosperity. The herbs and plants withered, and the earth grew barren. Sacrifices ceased to be performed, ascetics abandoned their austerities, and people no longer set their minds upon charity or righteous deeds. The worlds became devoid of vitality; their senses were clouded by greed and other faults. Even for the smallest things, people acted out of desire, O best among the twice-born. Where there is vitality, there is prosperity, and prosperity follows vitality. Without prosperity, how can there be vitality? And without vitality, how can virtues endure? Lacking virtues such as strength and heroism, men are scorned. One bereft of strength and heroism is despised by all. When the three worlds are bereft of prosperity and vitality, a man’s mind is ruined, and he becomes disgraced and infamous. In this state, the Daityas and Dānavas, overwhelmed by greed and deprived of prosperity and vitality, prepared for battle against the gods. The gods, too, deprived of prosperity and vitality, fought back. But the Daityas defeated them, and Indra, along with the other gods, sought refuge elsewhere. Led by Agni, the gods approached the blessed Grandfather, Brahmā. They respectfully told him everything that had transpired. Brahmā spoke to the gods, saying, “Go to the Lord of all, the destroyer of the Asuras, the cause and ruler of creation, preservation, and destruction, the refuge of both the higher and lower worlds. Go to Viṣṇu, the infinite and unconquered Lord of all beings, the cause of both the unmanifest and manifest, and of all effects and causes.” He continued, “Viṣṇu, who removes the distress of those who seek refuge in him, will bestow welfare upon you.” Thus, Brahmā, together with all the gods, proceeded to the northern shore of the Milk Ocean. There, with all the gods assembled, the Grandfather praised Hari, Lord of the higher and lower worlds, with carefully chosen words. They bowed to the all-pervading, all-peaceful, infinite, unborn, and imperishable One—the support of the worlds, the foundation of the earth, the unmanifest, the undivided. They offered reverence to Nārāyaṇa, the subtlest among all that is subtle, the greatest among all that is great, greater than the earth and all else. They bowed to Him in whom all exists, from whom all has arisen, who is the foremost among beings, the god of all creatures, and who is beyond even the highest. They praised Him who is beyond the supreme person, who embodies the supreme self, whom yogis contemplate, and who is the cause of liberation for those who seek release. In whom the natural qualities such as existence do not exist, who is pure—the purest among all—the primeval person, may He be gracious to us. May Hari, whose power is not subject to the measures of time—kalā, kāṣṭhā, nimeṣa, and the like—who is pure, be gracious to us. He who is called the Supreme Lord, though pure, is described by convention; may that Viṣṇu, who is the self of all embodied beings, be gracious to us. He who is both the cause and the effect, and the cause even of the cause, and who is the effect even of the effect—may that Hari be gracious to us. He who is the effect of the effect and the cause, and who himself is the effect of that effect—becoming both cause and effect—we bow to him. He who is the cause of causes, and even the cause of that cause, and the reason for all those causes—we bow to you, Lord of the gods. He who is the enjoyer, the object to be enjoyed, the creator, and what is created, whose nature is both action and result—we bow to that supreme state. That which is pure consciousness, eternal, unborn, imperishable, unchanging, unmanifest, and without transformation—that is Viṣṇu’s supreme state. That which is neither gross nor subtle, nor within the scope of any attribute—that supreme state of Viṣṇu, ever pure, we always bow to. In a mere fraction of whose countless parts this universal power abides—that imperishable form of the supreme Brahman—we bow to him. That supreme state of Viṣṇu, which neither gods nor sages, nor I, nor Śaṅkara know—we bow to Him. That supreme state of Viṣṇu, which disciplined yogis perceive as imperishable in the sacred syllable Om, when virtue and sin are destroyed—that is the supreme state. The powers of that god, beginning with Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, arise from Him who was never before—His supreme state is that of Viṣṇu. “O Lord of all, soul of all beings, all, the refuge of all, imperishable one, Viṣṇu, be gracious to your devotees; let your form be visible to us, your devotees,” they prayed. Hearing this utterance, Brahmā and the gods bowed and said, “Be gracious, come into our sight.” They continued, “That supreme state which even the blessed Brahmā does not know—we bow to you, O sustainer of the world, in whom all abides, O imperishable one.” At the end of their words, the gods and Brahmā, along with all the divine sages led by Bṛhaspati, spoke thus: “He who is the first, the origin of sacrifice, the ancestor of all—him, the creator of the world, the unqualified creator, we bow to.” “O Blessed Lord, Lord of past and future, bearer of the form of the universe, imperishable one, be gracious to those who bow; grant a vision of yourself to all. Here is Brahmā, and likewise Rudra with three eyes, all the Ādityas, Pūṣā together, and Pāvaka with the fires. The Ashvins, the Vasus, Sāva, and the hosts of Maruts, the Sādhyas, the Viśve Devas, and also the lord of the gods, Devendra, are here. O Lord, all the hosts of gods, defeated by the armies of the Daityas, have come to you, bowing in reverence, seeking refuge.” Thus, the gods, led by Brahmā, gathered at the shore of the Milk Ocean, their hearts filled with reverence and hope, seeking the grace and guidance of Lord Viṣṇu.