Skandapurana 2.7.19.51

The hunter said: / Auspicious Bhāgavata duties directed toward Viṣṇu should be performed, / and especially those pertaining to the month of Mādhava—so it was said by you before. / What is that Viṣṇu like, O brahmin? Or what indeed is his defining characteristic? / What is the proof of his true being? By what means is the lordly Bhagavān to be known? / What are the Vaiṣṇava duties like? By what is that Hari pleased? / Tell me this, O wise brahmin, to me, your servant! / Questioned thus by the hunter, the twice-born said again, / having bowed to Nārāyaṇa, the lord of the worlds, free from affliction: / Śaṅkha said: / Listen, O hunter! I will tell you the stainless form of Viṣṇu, / which is unthinkable [even] by Brahmā and the other sages of cultivated mind. / Possessing full power, possessing full qualities, he is designated the Lord of all; / devoid of [material] qualities, undivided, infinite, his form is being, consciousness, and bliss. / This entire universe, moving and unmoving, incomparable, / which rests on him as supreme support, remains continuously under his control. / Now I shall tell you the defining characteristic of Brahman, the Supreme Self: / From whom arise creation, maintenance, destruction, cycle [of rebirth], regulation, / illumination, bondage and liberation, and livelihood— / that Viṣṇu is called Brahman; he is considered all-pervading by the wise. / They call him directly Brahman, and afterward even Brahmā and the others; / the wise know the word 'brahman' applied to Brahmā and others as accompanied by an epithet. / In no other beings does Brahmanhood exist, for they possess only a single fraction of his power. / This [nature] of his, the great all-pervading Lord, originating [the universe] and so forth, is accessible only through scripture. / And scripture consists of the Vedas, the Smṛtis, the Purāṇa identical in nature to them, / the Itihāsa, the Pañcarātra, and the Bhārata, O wise one! / Only through these can Mahāviṣṇu be known, by no other means whatsoever; / a man who does not know the Vedas never comprehends this Viṣṇu. / Not by the senses, nor by inferences, nor by arguments can the all-pervading Lord, / the god Nārāyaṇa, knowable through the Vedas, eternal, be known. / Having known according to one's capacity his births, deeds, and qualities alone,

the multitudes of living beings, who are always subject to his control, are liberated. / In order that the greatness of Viṣṇu may become pre-eminent, / a power resides in each one among the gods, sages, ancestors, and mother goddesses. / Through direct perception, through scripture, and likewise through inference, / one should first know the best of men in strength, knowledge, and happiness. / Greater by a hundredfold than him one should know a spirit endowed with knowledge and the like; / one should know the human Gandharvas to be a hundred times greater than spirits. / The gods who identify with the elements should be known as a hundred times greater than them; / superior to the gods who identify with the elements are the seven seers alone. / Superior indeed to the seven seers is Agni; from Agni, Sūrya and the others; / from Sūrya, Bṛhaspati; from Bṛhaspati, Prāṇa; from Prāṇa, Indra of great strength; / and superior to Indra is the goddess Girijā; superior to the goddess is Śambhu, the guru of the universe; / superior to Śambhu is Buddhi, the great goddess; superior to Buddhi is Prāṇa, greater in strength. / There is nothing higher than Prāṇa; everything is established in Prāṇa; / from Prāṇa this universe was born; this world is composed of Prāṇa; / everything here is woven upon Prāṇa; indeed, it moves only because of Prāṇa. / They call him the support of all, the Sūtra, having the luster of a dark blue cloud. / By a mere glance of Lakṣmī alone can this Prāṇa maintain his state; / that Lakṣmī possesses only a small fraction of the grace of the God of gods. / There is nothing higher than Viṣṇu, nor is there anyone equal to him in any way. / The hunter said: / How did this Prāṇa, named Sūtra, become superior among living beings? / Or how is this established? How is the superiority of Prāṇa [explained], O lord? / Tell me this, O brahmin: how is the Lord superior to Prāṇa? / Śaṅkha said: / Listen, O hunter! I will tell you the determination as asked, / regarding the superiority of Prāṇa over all living beings as well. / Formerly, the eternal god Nārāyaṇa, during the lotus creation, / having created Brahmā and the other gods, Janārdana said this: / 'I shall place Brahmā in supreme sovereignty as your master and lord, / and whoever is the superior god among you, O lords of the gods, in the position of heir-apparent.

"Install him who is rich in good conduct, endowed with the qualities of valour and generosity."
Having been thus spoken to by the Lord, all the gods, led by Indra,
disputed among one another in this way, saying, "I should be [he]," and "I [should be he]!"
And as they all disputed, some considered the Sun to be supreme;
some considered Indra supreme, others Kāma, while yet others stood silent.
Seeing no resolution, they went to Nārāyaṇa to ask.
Having bowed down, all the immortals said again with folded hands:
"This was deliberated truly by all of us, O Mahāviṣṇu,
[yet] we do not know at all who is the superior god among us.
You alone tell us the decision; for the gods are indeed full of doubt."
Thus questioned by all the immortals, he smiled and said this:
"He upon whose departure from this cosmic body it indeed
falls, and upon whose entrance it surely rises up,
that god is indeed superior; definitely none other at all."
Being thus addressed, all of them then said, "So be it."
First, the ruler of gods named Jayanta departed from the foot.
Then they called this [body] lame, but the body did not fall then:
hearing, drinking, speaking, smelling, seeing, it remained, even without moving.
Afterwards, the lord of creatures named Dakṣa departed from the genitals.
Then they called this [body] a eunuch, but the body did not fall then:
hearing, drinking, speaking, smelling, seeing, it remained, even moving.
Afterwards, Indra, the lord of all immortals, departed from the hands.
They called this [body] handless, but the body did not fall then:
hearing, drinking, speaking, smelling, seeing, it remained, even moving.
From the eyes departed the Sun, the best of the luminous.
Then they called this [body] blind in one eye, but the body did not fall then:
hearing, drinking, speaking, smelling, seeing, it remained, even moving.
Afterwards, from the nose departed the two Nāsatyas, the universal physicians.
They called this [body] devoid of smell, but the body did not fall then:

hearing, drinking, speaking, not smelling at all, it remained, even without moving.
From the ear the quarters departed, but the body did not fall then;
they then called this [body] deaf, but by no means dead:
drinking, speaking, even then not hearing, yet without moving.
Varuṇa then departed from the tongue after that;
then they called it merely devoid of taste, but the body did not fall then:
living, moving, eating, it remained, and likewise knowing and breathing.
Then from speech departed Fire, the lord of speech, the all-pervading.
Then they called this [body] mute, but the body did not fall then:
living, moving, eating, it remained, and likewise knowing and breathing.
Afterwards Rudra departed from the mind, the essence of consciousness.
Then they called this [body] inert, but the body did not fall then:
living, moving, eating, it remained, and likewise knowing and breathing.
Afterwards Prāṇa departed; then they knew this [body] to be dead.
Then, with astonished minds, the gods spoke again thus:
"He who can raise the body that has come to this state,
he alone will indeed be the superior among us, and will become the crown prince."
Having thus agreed, they entered [it] in proper order:
Jayanta entered the feet, [yet] that body did not rise up.