From the great sage Kaśyapa and his wife Danu were born sons of extraordinary might: Svarbhānu, Vṛṣaparvā, and Vipracitti. These Dānavas, led especially by Vipracitti, possessed immense power. Their progeny—sons and grandsons—were so numerous that they could not be counted. Among them, Prabhā became known as the daughter of Svarbhānu, while Śacī was born to Pulomā. There were also daughters of Vaiśvānaras: Upadīpti, Hayaśirā, Śarmiṣṭhā, Vārṣaparvaṇī, Pulomā, and Kālikā. Marīci, with his many wives, fathered a vast host—sixty thousand sons who delighted the Dānavas. In addition, Marīci begot another fourteen hundred children, residents of the golden city Hiraṇyapura, all renowned for their great austerity. Among these, the mighty Paulomās and Kālakeyas were invincible to the gods while they dwelled in Hiraṇyapura. Yet, by the grace of the Grandfather (Brahmā), those who were slain by Arjuna, the wielder of the Gandiva bow, were destroyed. Still, many other fierce and powerful Dānavas remained. Vipracitti, united with Simhika, had sons of great valor, and from the unions of Daityas and Dānavas were born more children, all fierce in might. These were the Simhikeyas, thirteen in number: Vamsha, Shalya, the powerful Nala, Bala, Vātāpi, Namuchi, Ilvala, his sister Anjika, Naraka, Kālanābha, Saramāna, Svarakalpa, and others—foremost among Danu’s lineage. Their descendants too were countless. Among these clans, the Nivātakavachas emerged from the Daitya Saṃhrāda, born through great austerity. Three crores of these sons resided in Maṇivati, invulnerable to the gods, but they too were eventually slain by Arjuna. From Tāmrā were born six illustrious daughters: Krauñcī, Śyenī, Bhāsī, Sugrīvī, Śucigṛdhrikā, and Gṛdhrī. Krauñcī gave birth to owls and their kin; Śyenī to hawks; Bhāsī to herons; Gṛdhrī to vultures; Śuci to aquatic birds; and Sugrīvī to the best of the twice-born birds. Horses, camels, and asses are also said to spring from Tāmrā’s line. Vinatā bore two celebrated sons: Garuḍa, the foremost among those who fly and fierce in his deeds, and Aruṇa. Surasā gave birth to a thousand serpents of immense energy. The lineage of Kadru produced a thousand powerful serpents, many with multiple heads, who moved through the sky and possessed great souls. Among the Nāgas, always the chief were Śeṣa, Vāsuki, and Takṣaka. Other renowned Nāgas included Airāvata, Mahāpadma, Kambala, Aśvatara, Elāpattra, Śaṅkha, Karkoṭaka, and Dhanaṃjaya, as well as Mahānīla, Mahākarṇa, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Balāhaka, Kuhara, Puṣpadaṃṣṭra, Durmukha, and Sumukha. Also notable were Śaṅkha, Śaṅkhapāla, Kapila, Vāmana, Nahuṣa, Śaṅkharoma, and Maṇi. Their progeny, sons and grandsons, numbered in the hundreds and thousands. Among them were fourteen thousand fierce, wind-eating serpents. The entire Krodha lineage consisted of those with fangs, and from the earth came terrestrial, avian, and aquatic creatures. Surabhi gave birth to cows and buffaloes, while Irā produced all kinds of trees, creepers, vines, and grasses. Khasā brought forth the yakṣas and rākṣasas, and from the sage were born the apsarases. Ariṣṭā produced the mighty and illustrious gandharvas. Thus, both stationary and moving beings, all descendants of Kaśyapa, were described, their numbers stretching into the hundreds and thousands. O revered brahmins, this is the creation remembered in the Svārociṣa Manvantara, as well as in the great sacrifices of Vaivasvata and Vāruṇa. Now is told the creation of beings by Brahmā, who, after offering oblations, brought forth the seven mind-born brahmarṣis. The Grandfather himself established these sages as his sons. Then, O twice-born, conflict arose between the gods and the Dānavas. Diti, grieving the loss of her sons, sought to please her husband Kaśyapa. With devotion and proper worship, she soothed his mind. Pleased, Kaśyapa offered her a boon of her choosing. Diti asked for a son, powerful and mighty, who could slay Indra. Thus entreated, the great ascetic granted her the boon. He told her: “Your son will slay Indra, if you carry the embryo for a hundred years, steadfast in purity and observant of your vow.” Diti, pure and foremost among women, began this arduous observance. Kaśyapa, having implanted the embryo in Diti, departed, restraining the mighty hosts of the gods and withdrawing his irresistible energy. He went to the mountain for ascetic practice, firm in his vow. Meanwhile, Indra, the slayer of Pāka, waited, seeking to find a flaw in Diti’s practice. When a hundred years had nearly passed, the infallible Indra perceived an opening.