From the great being Virāja, Śatarūpā gave birth to a son named Vīra. Vīra’s own union with Kāmyā brought forth two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda. Kāmyā, renowned as the best of daughters and herself the child of Kardama, lord of creatures, bore four sons: Samrāṭ, Kukṣi, Virāṭ, and Prabhu. Atri, the illustrious progenitor, accepted Uttānapāda as his son. From Uttānapāda and his wife Sūnṛtā, four sons were born. Sūnṛtā, celebrated as the daughter of Dharma, was known for her beauty and was brought into the world through a horse sacrifice. She became the auspicious mother of Dhruva. Uttānapāda, lord of creatures, begot four sons with Sūnṛtā: Dhruva, Kīrtimān, Āyuṣmān, and Vasu. Among them, Dhruva became famed for his resolve. Desiring immortal fame, Dhruva undertook severe austerities that lasted three thousand divine years. Pleased by his devotion, Brahmā granted Dhruva a place equal to his own—an immovable position in the heavens, standing before the Seven Sages. Witnessing Dhruva’s greatness, prosperity, and unshakable pride, Uśanas, the revered teacher of gods and demons, once spoke in wonder: “Behold the power of his austerity! Behold his learning! How marvelous! Today, the Seven Sages themselves stand with Dhruva before them.” From Dhruva came two sons, Śliṣṭi and Bhavya. Śliṣṭi’s union with Succhāyā produced five virtuous sons: Ripu, Ripumjaya, Vīra, Vṛkala, and Vṛkatejas. Ripu’s wife Bṛhatī bore Cakṣuṣa, radiant in every way. Later, Puṣkariṇī, wife of the noble Vīraṇya (son of the lord of creatures), gave birth to Cākṣuṣa Manu. O best of sages, Manu and his wife Naḍvalā, daughter of Vairāja Prajāpati, had ten mighty sons. Their names were Kutsa, Puru, Śatadyumna the austere, Satyavāk, Kavi, Agniṣṭut, Atirātra, Sudyumna—these nine, and the tenth, Abhimanyu, renowned for his strength. From Puru, six illustrious sons were born to Āgneyī. From Aṅga came sons named Sumanas, Svāti, Kratu, Aṅgirasa, and Maya. Aṅga also fathered Veṇa, born of Sunīthā, as his only son. But Veṇa’s misdeeds stirred great anger among the sages. For the sake of the people, they churned Veṇa’s right arm, and from this act emerged a great king. Seeing him, the sages rejoiced, proclaiming, “Here indeed are the people!” This king, born armed with bow and armor and blazing like fire, would perform great deeds and attain lasting fame. He was Pṛthu, son of Veṇa, who protected the earth and was the first to be consecrated with the rājasūya sacrifice. From Pṛthu also emerged the skilled Sūta and Māgadha. By his hand, O best of sages, the earth—likened to a cow—was milked for crops, sustaining all. Desiring the welfare of all beings, gods, sages, ancestors, Dānavas, Gandharvas, Apsarases, serpents, virtuous people, plants, and mountains each milked the earth in their own vessels, receiving the sustenance they sought. Thus, the earth gave milk as each desired, and by this they lived. Pṛthu had two sons, righteous and vanishing at the end of sacrifice. From Antardhāna and Śikhaṇḍinī was born Havirdhāna; from Havirdhāna and Āgneyī came six sons named Dhiṣaṇa: Prācīnabarhiṣ, Śukra, Gaya, Kṛṣṇa, and Vrajājina. Among them, Prācīnabarhiṣ, the blessed one, was a great Prajāpati, lord of those who move upon the earth, and nurturer of the people. Prācīnabarhiṣ took as his wife the daughter of the ocean, Savarṇā. After great austerity, Prajāpati was born to Savarṇā. From Savarṇā, Prācīnabarhiṣ had ten sons, all called Pracetas, masters of archery, who practiced unbroken righteousness. For ten thousand years they performed austerities, lying in the ocean’s waters. While the Pracetas were absorbed in their penance, the trees on earth, left unchecked, grew rampant, causing a decline in living beings. The wind could not blow, the sky was blocked by the dense trees, and for ten thousand years, creatures could not move. Hearing of this, the Pracetas, empowered by asceticism and filled with wrath, released wind and fire from their mouths. The wind uprooted the trees and dried them, and the fierce fire burned them—thus, the trees were destroyed. When only a few branches remained, Soma, the lord of plants, approached the Pracetas and spoke gently: “Restrain your anger, O kings, all of you Pracetas. The earth has been made devoid of trees; let the fire and wind subside. Here is a maiden, radiant and of excellent complexion, a jewel among the trees; foreseeing the future, I have held her in my womb. She is Māriṣā, created for the trees—let her be your wife, O greatly fortunate ones, and the enhancer of the Soma lineage. By half of your energy and half of mine, a wise lord of creatures named Dakṣa will be born from her. Endowed with your fiery energy, he will, like fire itself, restore and increase the creatures on this earth, which has been mostly burned.” In this way, the line of creation and the restoration of the world continued, blessed by the wisdom and compassion of the sages and the gods.