All things in the universe move about without independence, each compelled by forces beyond themselves. The earth portion of the cosmic egg is known as ‘below,’ yet apart from this, everything else is void, an expanse without boundaries. Imagine ants wandering atop a round clod suspended in the sky; for them, the ten directions are simply the orientation of their feet downward and their backs upward, and so directions are designated according to their perception. For some, the earth within their hearts is shrouded by a web of trees and anthills, while the clear sky is encircled by the sun, moon, gods, and demons. The world, with its villages, cities, and mountains, arises from the desert element and is enveloped, like a ripe myrobalan fruit by its skin, by the undiminished, ever-present reality. Just as elephants roam freely in the Vindhya forest region, so too, in that supreme expanse, the rivers of universes flow. Everything is contained within that, everything arises from that, and that is everything, everywhere, always all-pervading—even in the tiniest particle. In the ocean of supreme light, composed of pure consciousness, waves called universes continually rise and fall. Some beings, 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 others, at the end of the cycle, an inner rumbling sound arises, but it is neither heard nor known by those whose taste is absorbed in their own nature. In others, at the very beginning, the desire to manifest arises, like a tender shoot emerging from a seed-capsule 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 as forms made of mere consciousness. Some remain motionless, like a hairball suspended in the sky; their fortunes appear like the vibrations of wind, arising in such a manner. Through the practice of Vedic scriptures, a different course is described for others; for some, the beginning is extended, and their sequence of existence follows another path. Among these are beings like Brahma and others, 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 are among animal forms; some are filled with a single ocean, devoid of water or anything else. Some are lumps of stone and metal, some exist within the paths of worms; some are entirely divine in form, others are partly human. Some are always enveloped in darkness and 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 according to our understanding, do not even conceive of such emptiness, like the silent mountains of the sky. Within them is an inner vastness, a great expanse, which is not bestowed even by Vishnu and the other gods who grant life. In each cosmic egg, there is a portion of earth that acts by its very nature as a magnet, drawing the elements together, just as a jewel attracts iron. The origin of creation is beyond the reach of our minds; therefore, O wise one, I do not have the power to describe that world. Just as intoxicated yakshas dance unseen by each other in the vast, dense darkness of a great forest, so too, within the supreme sky, countless great worlds arise and shimmer. Thus reflecting, the two of them left the world and beheld their own palace, as if it were a city lying silent in deep sleep. They saw the great royal corpse, heavy with garlands of flowers, and beside the corpse, the subtle body formed from the play of the mind, seated nearby. The place was filled with people overcome by the deep sleep of three dark nights, and the air was thick with the fragrance of incense, sandalwood, camphor, and saffron. Seeing him, Lila, eager to enter her husband’s world-cycle again, fell here itself, her body formed of mere thought, into that very sky. She entered a certain expanse—the world-cycle created by her husband’s thought—breaking through the covering of the world and the shell of the cosmic egg. Together with that goddess, she reached once more the vast pavilion of the cosmic egg, now covered again, and swiftly entered it in the same way. She beheld the world, born of her husband’s thought, as a muddy marsh of existence—a swan seeing a mountain-lotus sullied by the dark waters of ignorance. The two goddesses entered that sky, and the world made of sky, within the cosmic egg, just as an ant enters a ripe wood-apple through a hole. Passing through other worlds, mountains, and the mid-space, they reached the earth, crowded with mountain ranges and oceans. They saw Jambudvipa, adorned by Mount Meru, with its nine-petaled interior; there, in the land of Bharata, was the realm of Lila’s husband. Meanwhile, in that realm, on that adorned earth, a certain king, whose domain extended to the borders, performed an act of conquest. Because all the beings of the three worlds had gathered there to witness the excitement of the battle, the sky became extremely crowded. The two queens, arriving without fear, saw the sky filled with hosts of celestial beings, adorned as if by clouds. It was populated by Siddhas, Charanas, Gandharvas, and Vidyadharas, surrounded by heavenly nymphs eager to capture the heroes. There were spirits, demons, and ghouls dancing with blood and flesh in their mouths, and Vidyadhara women whose hands overflowed with showers of flowers. The scene was encircled by Vetalas, Yakshas, and Kumbhandas, respectfully observing the duels, and by mountain peaks seized for defense against falling weapons. The region of the sky was filled with flying weapons and fleeing hosts of spirits, illuminated by the eager warriors and the radiant soldiers of Indra.