The seeker, filled with curiosity and awe, asked the goddess, “From this point onward, what other path lies ahead, and what is its nature? What is the descent that awaits us? Please reveal this to me, O divine one.” The goddess replied, “Beyond this lies the outer shell of the cosmic egg, the vast boundary from which subtle particles, known as ‘diamond dust’ and the like, arise and drift.” As they conversed thus, they journeyed together and soon arrived at the shell of the cosmic egg. They moved around it like bees circling a dense, circular mountain wall, marveling at its immensity. Yet, without any effort, they passed through this shell as easily as moving through open sky. For when one’s understanding is established with certainty, movement is as unhindered as that of a diamond—nothing can obstruct it. With her vision unobstructed, the goddess then beheld, beyond the watery covering, the dazzling, radiant realms that exist outside the cosmic egg. She saw that beyond the shell, the water element encircled the egg, ten times greater in extent, enveloping it just as the skin wraps the kernel of a nut. Beyond this watery expanse, the element of fire stretched forth, again ten times greater; from there, the air element was tenfold greater still; and beyond air, space itself extended ten times further. Surpassing even space was the supreme ether, subtle and infinite. In that supreme ether, no notions of middle, beginning, or end exist—just as the tale of a barren woman’s son is but a fiction, so too do such divisions not arise there. This ether is pure, tranquil, without beginning, free from confusion, and devoid of any division into beginning, middle, or end. It abides in the vastness of the Self. If, by supreme strength, the Lord Shiva or the Garuda-bannered one were to rise into that realm, then through deep meditation upon it, one would reach the very end of the pure ether. Likewise, even the wind, moving with single-pointed swiftness, could reach it. Here, the elements—earth, water, fire, air, and even space—each surpasses the previous by tenfold, transcending the lower elements in an instant. Within this supreme ether, he beheld a measureless expanse, and saw this entire world spread out within it as if it were a mere atom. She saw the veiling creations within countless cosmic eggs, each shimmering in the ether like motes of dust dancing in sunlight. In the great ocean of ether, in the waters of supreme emptiness, she witnessed bubbles and clusters arising from the very nature of the great consciousness-fluid. Some of these bubbles fell downward, some moved upward, some drifted sideways, while others remained motionless, fixed in their own awareness. Wherever and however awareness arose within each bubble, in that very place and in that very manner, their forms appeared. Yet, in truth, in that realm there is neither above nor below, neither coming nor going; it is a state entirely different, for it is the arrival at our own true body. There, awareness arises and arises again by its own nature; and by one’s own thoughts, it subsides, much like a web of childish imaginings dissolving away. The seeker then asked, “What could be below, what could be above, what could be across, in this radiant expanse? Tell me, O Brahman, if truly there is no fixed position here.” And the goddess replied, “Here, in this vast, limitless expanse, the cosmic eggs of Brahman, with all their coverings, shine forth like tiny bubbles in the sky. All objects move about without independence; the earth portion of the cosmic egg is what is called ‘below,’ but otherwise, all is void. For ants wandering on a round clod in the sky, the ten directions—downward being their feet, upward their back—are designated as such, according to their own perception. For some, the earth within their hearts is covered by a web of trees and anthills; the clear sky is encircled by the sun, moon, gods, and demons. This world, with its villages, cities, and mountains, has arisen from the desert element, and is enveloped, like a ripe myrobalan fruit by its skin, by the undiminished. Just as elephants roam freely in the Vindhya forest, so, in that supreme expanse, the rivers of universes flow. In that, is everything; from that, is everything; that is everything, and everywhere; and that is always all-pervading, even in the smallest particle. In that ocean of supreme light, composed of pure consciousness, the waves called universes continually arise and subside. Some universes, empty within, remain as the nights of the dissolution of all thoughts; like waves in the ocean, they are cast into the ocean of emptiness. For some, at the end of the cosmic cycle, an inner rumbling sound arises, but it is neither heard nor known by others, whose focus remains absorbed in their own nature. In others, at the very beginning, the desire to manifest arises, like a tender shoot sprouting from a seed moistened by creation. At the time of the great dissolution, some beings—whose refuge is scattered by the sun’s rays—begin to melt away, like drops of frost under heat. Some, not having attained their destined realms, keep falling for an age; until, having disintegrated, they are born again, it is said, as forms made of mere consciousness. Some remain motionless, like a hairball suspended in the sky; their fortunes appear like the subtle vibrations of wind, arising in such a manner. From the practice of the Vedic scriptures, a different course is described for others; for some, the beginning is extended, and their sequence of existence is otherwise established. Some are beings like Brahma and others, some are creators like Vishnu and the rest; some are lords of creatures, while others are beings without any lord. Some are lords of wondrous creations, some dwell among the animal forms; some are filled with a single ocean, devoid of water or anything else. Some are lumps of stone and metal, some move along the paths of worms; some are entirely divine in form, while others are partly human. Some are always enveloped in darkness, thus inhabited by such beings; some are filled with swarms of gnats, possessing the glory of fig fruits. Some beings are always empty within, their essence arising from the stillness of emptiness; others, who are full in this world as we understand it, do not even conceive of such emptiness, like the silent mountains of the sky. Within them is such an inner vastness, a great expanse, which is not bestowed even by Vishnu and the other gods who grant life.” Thus, in this vision, the seeker beheld the infinite diversity and wonder of creation, all arising, abiding, and dissolving within the ocean of supreme consciousness.