filled with devotion towards Narayana, Narada suddenly appeared before those two gods.  After those two deities had finished their adoration to their deities and the Rishis, they looked at the celestial Rishi arrived at their retreat.  The latter was honoured with those eternal rites that are ordained in the scriptures.  Beholding that extraordinary conduct of the two original deities in themselves worshipping other deities and Pitris, the illustrious Rishi Narada took his seat there, well pleased with the honours he had received.  With a cheerful soul he cast his eyes then on Narayana, and bowing unto Mahadeva he said these words.

“Narada said, In the Vedas and the Puranas, in the Angas and the subsidiary Angas thou art sung with reverence, thou art unborn and eternal.  Thou art the Creator.  Thou art the mother of the universe.  Thou art the embodiment of Immortality and thou art the foremost of all things.  The Past and the Future, indeed, the entire universe has been established on thee!  The four modes of life, O lord, having the domestic for their first, ceaselessly sacrifice to thee that art of diverse forms.  Thou art the father and the mother and the eternal preceptor of the universe.  We know not who is that deity or that Pitri unto whom thou art sacrificing to-day!

“The holy one said, This topic is one about which nothing should be said.  It is an ancient mystery.  Thy devotion to me is very great.  Hence, O regenerate one, I shall discourse to thee on it agreeably to the truth.  That which is minute, which is inconceivable, unmanifest, immobile, durable, destitute of all connection with the senses and the objects of the senses, that which is dissociated from the (five) elements—­that is called the in-dwelling Soul of all existent creatures.  That is known by the name of Kshetrajna.  Transcending the three attributes of Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas, that is regarded as Purusha in the scriptures.  From Him hath followed the unmanifest, O foremost of regenerate ones, possessed of the three attributes of Sattwa, Rajas, and Tamas.  Though really unmanifest, she is called indestructible Prakriti and dwell in all manifest forms.  Know that She is the source whence we two have sprung.  That all-pervading Soul, which is made up of all existent and non-existent things, is adored by us.  Even He is what we worship in all those rites that we perform in honour of the deities and the Pitris.  There is no higher deity or Pitri than He.  O regenerate one, He should be known as our Soul.  It is him that we worship.  This course of duties followed by men has, O regenerate one, been promulgated by Him.  It is His ordinance that we should duly perform all the rites laid down in respect of the deities and the Pitris.  Brahman, Sthanu, Manu, Daksha, Bhrigu, Dharma, Yama, Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, Vasishtha, Parameshthi, Vivaswat, Shoma, he that has been called Karddama, Krodha, Avak, and Krita,—­these one and twenty persons, called Prajapatis, were first