Hear now, O noble one, the wondrous account of creation as revealed in the ancient Purāṇa. All the gods, the ancestors, Brahmā himself, and all beings within the cosmic egg—indeed, all are born from Viṣṇu, as the Vedas declare. From Him have arisen Agni, the twin Aśvins, Gaurī, the elephant-faced Gaṇeśa, the serpents, Kārttikeya, the radiant sun, the Matṛs, and Durgā as well. The very directions, Kubera the lord of wealth, Viṣṇu, Yama, Rudra, the moon, and the ancestors—all these beings have their origin chiefly in the Lord of the universe. From the body of Hiraṇyagarbha they all emerged; yet, each, filled with their own pride, went their separate ways throughout the cosmos. Among these mighty beings, a great tumult arose in the assembly of the gods, a sound like the roaring ocean: “I alone am worthy! I alone am to be worshipped!” Each proclaimed their own supremacy. As they contended, Agni, the fire-god, rose and declared, “Sacrifice to me, meditate on me!” He asserted, “Surely this body of the progenitor would perish without me, for I am the great I.” Having spoken, Agni departed from the body. Yet, even with his departure, the body remained undiminished. Then the twin Aśvins, who embody the vital breaths and dwell within the body, proclaimed, “We are the foremost, the best to be worshipped.” They too left the body and went elsewhere; but still, the body endured, maintained by the indwelling spirit. Next, Gaurī spoke: “Primacy resides in me.” Without further words, the auspicious goddess departed. Yet even without her, the body remained, its functions governed by the deities of speech. Then Gaṇapati, known as Akasha, spoke: “Nothing of the body remains distant, deprived of me.” He too departed after some time. Still, the body was not destroyed, even without the principle of Akasha; it did not disintegrate. Seeing the body deprived of its cavities but still intact, all the bodily elements spoke: “There is no sustaining of a body apart from us.” With that, all the elements left. Yet, even with their absence, the body remained, guarded by the Purusha, the indwelling self. Seeing this, Skanda, known as Ahamkara (the sense of ego), proclaimed, “Without me, even the emergence of the body cannot occur.” He too departed and stood apart. With him gone, the body seemed as if liberated. Witnessing this, Bhanu, the sun-god called Aditya, became angry. “How can this field exist even for a moment without me?” he cried, and departed. Yet the body did not decay. Then Kama and the Matṛs, the Mothers, arose and said, “There is no existence of the body apart from me.” They too departed, but the body remained. Maya, called Durgā, spoke in anger, “Without me, there is no existence for this,” and she vanished as well. Then the directions themselves arose and declared, “There is no function without us, certainly.” The four quarters came and departed in a moment. Dhanapati, the wind, said, “When I depart, what existence is there for the body?” and withdrew from the head. Viṣṇu, as the mind, then spoke: “This body cannot endure even for a moment without me.” He too vanished. Dharma, the principle of righteousness, said, “I have protected all this. Now, with my departure, how will this be?” He departed, yet the body did not decay. At last, Mahādeva, the unmanifest, leader of beings, spoke: “A body deprived of me, called Mahat, cannot exist.” Shambhu too departed, but the body still remained. Seeing this, the ancestors and mothers said, “As long as we have dwelt here, this body has gradually decayed because of us.” With these words, they abandoned their bodies and disappeared. All these—fire as life-breath, apāna as the downward breath, ether, all the elements, the body, ego, the sun, desires, wood, wind, Viṣṇu, Dharma, Shambhu, and the sense objects—all are by the Lord’s power. Released by these, the body remained as it was, protected by Soma, the person in the form of the moon. When Soma, possessing sixteen parts, was established in the imperishable, the body, endowed with qualities, arose and wandered as before. Seeing the body as it was, guarded by the all-knowing one, all the presiding deities of the body became detached from it. Then, with hearts full of reverence, they praised that supreme Lord, the god, and each returned to their own place. They said: “You are fire, you are the life-breath, you are apāna, you are Sarasvatī; you are ether, the lord of wealth, and all the elements of the body. You, O god, are the sense of ego, you are the sun, the eightfold group of deities; you are Māyā, the earth, Durgā, the directions, and the lord of the winds. You are Viṣṇu, you are Dharma, you are the victorious, you are the unconquered; as the imperishable meaning, you are known as the Supreme Lord. With us departed, how will this be? Thus, this body has been abandoned by us. O god, by you that supreme state is protected; we should not disturb the place, since you, O creator, have established it.” Thus praised, the supreme god was greatly pleased and said, “For the sake of play, you have all been created by me.