I offer praise to the Supreme Self—changeless, pure, and eternal—whose form is ever one, to Viṣṇu, the unconquerable Lord of all. Salutations to Hiraṇyagarbha, to Hari, to Śaṅkara, to Vāsudeva, the savior who performs the acts of creation, preservation, and dissolution. Reverence to the One whose forms are both singular and manifold, whose essence is both gross and subtle; salutations to Viṣṇu, who is manifest and unmanifest, and the very cause of liberation. To the ageless and immortal root of all creation, preservation, and destruction, I bow; to Viṣṇu, the Supreme Self. With humility, I bow to the very foundation of the universe—subtler than the subtlest—who abides in all beings, to Acyuta, the Supreme Person. The essence of knowledge, utterly pure in its ultimate reality, is established as the true nature, though it may appear distorted to us by delusion. Viṣṇu devours the universe at the time of dissolution, is the Lord in preservation and creation, all-knowing, ruler of worlds, unborn, imperishable, and immutable. The primordial, most subtle Lord of the universe, having bowed to Brahmā and others, is the knower of histories and Purāṇas, and has mastered the Vedas and their branches. Bowing to the master, the son of Parāśara—who knows the essence and truth of all scripture—I will now speak this Purāṇa, ever in accordance with the Vedas. I will narrate as it was once spoken by the revered lotus-born Pitāmaha, when he was asked by Dakṣa and other eminent sages. Listen, for I will fully relate a tale that destroys sin, wondrous and rich in meaning, drawn from extensive sources. Whoever always upholds or frequently listens to this tale, maintaining their lineage, is honored in the heavenly realm. At the beginning, there was the unmanifest cause, eternal, consisting of both existence and non-existence. From this, the Lord fashioned the universe as Pradhāna and Puruṣa. Know, O best of sages, that Brahmā, of immeasurable energy, the creator of all beings, is devoted to Nārāyaṇa. From Mahat arose ego, and from ego, the elements were born; from the elements, the divisions of beings arose—thus is the eternal creation. Now, hear as it is recited according to understanding and tradition, the detailed account that increases your glory. This has been recounted for the merit and fame of all the steadfast. Then, the self-born Lord, desiring to create various beings, at first created the waters. Into these waters he placed his seed; thus the waters are called 'nārā,' and it is said, "the waters are indeed the offspring of Nara." These waters became his first resting place, and so he is remembered as Nārāyaṇa. Upon these waters floated the golden-hued egg, and within it Brahmā was born by himself—the self-born one. The golden-hued Lord dwelt there for a full year. Then, he split the egg into two, making heaven and earth, and between these two halves, the Lord created the sky. He placed the earth, submerged in the waters, and established the ten directions. There he created time, mind, speech, desire, anger, and pleasure. Desiring to create beings, he fashioned creation in that form and produced the progenitors: Marīci, Atri, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu. The great-energied one also created Vasiṣṭha, making seven mind-born sages. These seven are called Brahmās, as established in the Purāṇas. Of these seven, whose essence is Nārāyaṇa, Brahmā of old, out of anger, created Rudra. He also created Sanatkumāra, the illustrious one, eldest even among the ancients. Among the seven sages, these were born: the progenitors and the Rudras. Skanda and Sanatkumāra, having concentrated their energy, remain, and their seven great lineages are adorned with divine hosts. Active in rites and progeny, adorned by great sages, he also created lightning, thunderclouds, red rainbows, and Indra’s bows. He created birds at first, and then Parjanya, the rain-god. He fashioned the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma hymns for the accomplishment of sacrifice. He generated the Sādhyas, the gods as they are known. High and low creatures emerged from his limbs. When Prajāpati was creating the offspring of the waters, the beings did not increase at that time. So, he divided his own body into two; with one half he became male, and with the other, female. In her, he produced beings of two kinds. By his greatness, he pervaded heaven and earth. Viṣṇu created Virāj, and from Virāj came the cosmic man. Know this cosmic man as Manu; his period is called a Manvantara. The second period is said to be the interval of the mind-born Manu. That mighty Virāj, the lordly person, created beings; his progeny, born of Nārāyaṇa’s creation, were themselves not born from a womb. Whoever knows this original creation, endowed with long life, fame, and virtuous offspring, attains whatever state he desires. Having thus created beings, the lord of creatures, Āpava, obtained as wife Śatarūpā, who was not born from a womb. By the greatness of Āpava, who stood enveloping the heavens, Śatarūpā was born through righteousness alone. She, having performed severe austerity for ten thousand years, accepted as her husband the man blazing with ascetic power. That self-born man, O sages, is called Manu; his seventy-one yugas are known here as a Manvantara.