The Lord, Nārāyaṇa, is the one with a thousand heads, all-seeing and all-knowing, the very source from which everything arises. He is not separate from the universe—He *is* the universe itself, imperishable and the supreme state beyond all change and decay. Nārāyaṇa, known also as Hari, stands beyond everything, eternal and unbounded. This entire universe is none other than that Person, and it is by Him that all things are sustained and held together. As the Lord of the universe, He is the ruler of all souls, eternal and ever-auspicious, unchanging through all time. Nārāyaṇa is the great object of knowledge—the very soul within all beings and the highest goal to which all aspire. He is the supreme light, the ultimate Self; Nārāyaṇa is the supreme Brahman, the true essence underlying all that exists. In every way, Nārāyaṇa is supreme. To meditate upon Him is to reach the highest object of meditation, for the act of meditation itself is Nārāyaṇa. Everything that can be seen or heard in this world, every single thing without exception, is also Nārāyaṇa. He pervades and dwells both within and without all things. Infinite and undecaying, He is the seer, the one who perceives all, the end of the vast ocean of existence, and the benefactor of the entire universe. Within the human body, the heart lies just above the navel, at the end of the downward passage. It resembles the shape of a lotus bud, facing downward. This heart shines brightly, filled with a garland of flames, and serves as the great abode of the universe. It is continuously covered by layers, like sheaths, which envelop its radiance. At the end of the heart’s cavity, there is a subtle space, within which all things are established. In its very center, there is a great fire, radiant in all directions, facing everywhere at once. Within this sacred fire dwells the One who enjoys the first portion, dividing nourishment, undecaying and wise. He lies across, above, and below, with rays of light that endlessly extend. He warms His own body from the soles of the feet to the crown of the head, and in the heart’s midst, a subtle flame stands upright, finer than the finest. This flame shines like a streak of lightning in the midst of a blue raincloud—slender as the filament of a rice grain, yellow, and dazzling like a brilliant atom. Within that flame abides the Supreme Self. He is Brahma, He is Shiva, He is Hari with Indra; He is the imperishable, the supreme, the self-luminous sovereign. He is truth, reality, the supreme Brahman, the Person who is both dark and tawny, whose energy flows upward, whose eyes are wondrous and extraordinary. Again and again, salutations are offered to the One whose very form is the universe. Om. Let us contemplate Nārāyaṇa, let us meditate on Vasudeva; may that Vishnu inspire and guide us always.