Chapter 3 – The Cosmic Mother, Goddess Shakti
The golden egg floated motionless in the void.
Ray circled it again, studying the dormant creator within.
"So you're just going to sit there?" Ray said to the egg. "I mean, I get it. You're waiting for the right moment. But we've got a whole universe to create here."
Time stretched on. Another Mahayuga passed, marked only by Ray's sense of the cosmic rhythm.
Then, suddenly, the void itself began to shift.
The laws and orders of the universe trembled, converging toward the golden egg. The lotus that had bloomed earlier began to glow with brilliant light.
"Finally," Ray said. "Here we go."
The egg cracked open.
From within emerged Brahma—but not the four-faced, four-armed creator Ray had seen in his visions.
This Brahma had five heads and four arms, holding the Divine Vase of Life, the Mystic Prayer Beads, the Blessed Lotus, and the Vedas.
"Five heads?" Ray said, surprised. "That's different. Last kalpa he had four. Is this some kind of variant? An anomaly in the cycle?"
The unconscious Brahma radiated immense creative energy, an aura so profound it seemed to embody Ray himself—or rather, the unconscious aspect of Brahman that Ray had separated from.
Ray kept his distance, observing. Even though he was Brahman, getting too close to that concentrated unconscious creative force in his current conscious state felt... unwise.
"So this is the creator," Ray observed. "The one who'll actually make everything. And he's got an extra head this time. Wonder what that means for this cycle."
At Brahma's feet, another presence began to form—sacred law and order coalescing into the shape of a great swan.
"Hamsa," Ray recognized. "Brahma's mount. That lazy peacock who'll carry him around during creation."
His gaze shifted to where Vishnu lay on the thousand-headed serpent.
"Shesha's already here as Vishnu's mount. That dragon king's going to be something else once consciousness awakens—multiple authorities, power approaching the great level. Way stronger than that swan."
Ray settled back to observe. Brahma would need time to begin the actual work of creation, and Ray intended to use that interval productively.
"Shakti's still down there," Ray said, looking toward the depths where the feminine energy gathered. "The Cosmic Mother. If she awakens consciousness during this creation phase, I wonder what happens."
He descended through the void, his consciousness moving toward the massive yoni where Shakti's essence concentrated.
Being Brahman itself, Ray could sense everything—the potential within Shakti, the creative forces gathering around Brahma, the subtle shifts in the cosmic order.
"She'll awaken eventually," Ray mused. "But the timing matters. If it happens during Brahma's creation, when wisdom, consciousness, and sensation are being formed..."
Time passed—three million years in what felt like moments.
Then, suddenly—
"ॐ~~"
The primal sound of the universe rang out nine times, shaking all of Brahman and sending massive waves across the cosmic sea.
Ray's attention sharpened.
"That's it! Brahma's starting the creation!"
The five-headed creator had begun his work. From his mouth came the sacred cosmic sound, resonating through the void.
The invisible substances began to form—wisdom, consciousness, sensation.
Ray watched as these elements took shape, spreading through Brahman. And then, something natural happened.
The newly-formed wisdom, consciousness, and sensation didn't just disperse randomly. They were drawn to where consciousness could take root—and the most powerful concentration of potential was at the bottom of the void, where Shakti resided.
"Of course," Ray said, understanding. "She's the Cosmic Mother, the origin of action. Consciousness naturally flows to her."
"Sain~"
A pure, ethereal voice resonated from within the yoni—the third sound of the universe being born.
Ray watched as the gigantic yoni began to shrink, gradually becoming the size of a normal woman. He observed from a distance, curious but not interfering—this was happening on its own, a natural consequence of Brahma's creation intersecting with Shakti's potential.
When the yoni became invisible, golden light erupted. Radiant beams illuminated the void as an exquisite woman emerged from the brilliance.
Her upper body was bare, adorned with nine skulls that modestly covered her chest. Her lower body wore a golden triangular cloth decorated with crystals, agates, and tiny bells that chimed softly. Four pale arms formed intricate mystical gestures.
Her eyes opened, gleaming with divine light, and swept across the void—taking in everything, including Ray's presence.
"Brahman," she said softly, her voice carrying recognition. "You are... awake."
The words weren't spoken aloud—they were understood directly, deity to deity. But more than that, Shakti recognized what Ray was: not just another god, but Brahman itself, conscious and observing.
"I am," Ray replied simply.
Shakti's gaze lingered on him for a moment longer, something like understanding passing through her expression. Then she looked toward Brahma, still creating the universe in the distance.
"The Primordial Brahman Era," she said quietly. "To witness this... to see creation at its beginning..."
She didn't say more, but Ray sensed her gratitude—not directed at him as a separate entity, but an acknowledgment of the cosmic order that had allowed her consciousness to awaken at this moment.
With a single step, golden lotuses manifested beneath her feet, and she moved into the far reaches of the void to explore.
Ray remained where he was, observing.
He could sense the immense power radiating from Shakti—a force that went beyond great divine power. She was a creator-level god, an infinite-consciousness innate deity. Her law and order hadn't completely diminished when consciousness awakened.
"The Cosmic Mother," Ray said to himself. "The source of all feminine energy, all cosmic power. No wonder her presence is so overwhelming."
And throughout it all, Ray's own nature remained unchanged—he was still Brahman, still fully powerful, still observing everything from within the chaos.
"ॐ~"
The primal cosmic sound rang again.
Throughout Brahman, the infinite unconscious gods began to stir. Consciousness was spreading, awakening slowly within those who could receive it.
Under Brahma's resonating sound, the elements of the world began to take form—earth, water, fire, air, ether.
The embryonic universe was emerging from chaos.
Ray watched it all unfold, his consciousness present throughout every layer of creation, hidden in the depths but seeing everything.
"Let's see what you create, Brahma," Ray said quietly. "Let's see what kind of world emerges from all this."
The five-headed creator continued his work, and Ray—eternal, unchanging, fully aware—observed as the first universe began to take shape.