From Ripu, Bṛhatī bore a son named Cakṣuṣa, who shone with radiance in every way. In turn, Cākṣuṣa Manu was born to Puṣkariṇī, the wife of Vīraṇya, himself a great-souled son of the lord of creatures. O best of sages, Manu then took as his wife Naḍvalā, daughter of Vairāja Prajāpati, and to them were born ten mighty sons: Kutsa, Puru, Śatadyumna the austere, Satyavāk, Kavi, Agniṣṭut, Atirātra, Sudyumna, and Abhimanyu, the tenth, renowned for his strength. From Puru, Āgneyī bore six illustrious sons. Among them, Aṅga became the father of Sumanas, Svāti, Kratu, Aṅgirasa, and Maya. Aṅga also had a son named Veṇa, his only child, born of Sunīthā. Yet Veṇa’s ways were unrighteous, and his misconduct stirred great anger among the sages. For the sake of the people, they churned Veṇa’s right arm, and from this churning emerged a great king. Rejoicing, the sages declared, “Here indeed are the people!” This king, Pṛthu, son of Veṇa, was born with armor and bow, blazing like a burning fire. He protected the earth and became the first lord to be consecrated with the rājasūya sacrifice. From Pṛthu also arose the skilled Sūta and Māgadha. By Pṛthu’s command, the earth, in the form of a cow, was milked for crops, sustaining all beings. Desiring the welfare of all creatures, the gods, sages, ancestors, Dānavas, Gandharvas, Apsarases, serpents, the virtuous, plants, and mountains each milked the earth in their own vessels, receiving the nourishment they sought. Thus, each received milk as they desired, and by this, all were sustained. Pṛthu himself had two sons, righteous and destined to vanish at the end of the sacrifice. Śikhaṇḍinī bore Havirdhāna from Antardhāna, and from Havirdhāna, Āgneyī bore six sons known as Dhiṣaṇa: Prācīnabarhiṣ, Śukra, Gaya, Kṛṣṇa, and Vrajājina. Among them, Prācīnabarhiṣ was blessed and became a great Prajāpati, nurturing the people and ruling over those who moved upon the earth. Prācīnabarhiṣ took as his wife the daughter of the ocean. At the end of his great austerities, a son, Savarṇa, was born to her. From Savarṇa, Prācīnabarhiṣ had ten sons, all called Pracetas, masters of the science of archery. United in righteousness, the Pracetas performed severe austerities for ten thousand years, lying in the waters of the ocean. During their long penance, the trees, left unguarded, spread unchecked across the earth, causing a decline in living beings. The wind could not blow, and the sky was blocked by the trees; for ten thousand years, creatures were unable to move. Hearing of this, the Pracetas, empowered by their penance and filled with wrath, released wind and fire from their mouths. The wind uprooted and dried the trees, and the fierce fire burned them, bringing about their destruction. When only a few branches remained, Soma, the lord of the moon, approached the Pracetas and spoke gently: “Restrain your anger, O kings. The earth has been stripped of trees—let the fire and wind subside. Here is a maiden, radiant and beautiful, like a jewel among the trees. Knowing what was to come, I have kept 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 your energy and half of mine, a wise lord of creatures named Dakṣa will be born from her. He will restore and increase the creatures on this earth, which has been mostly burned.” At Soma’s words, the Pracetas calmed their anger and, in accordance with righteousness, accepted Māriṣā as their wife. From Māriṣā and the ten Pracetas was born the mighty Dakṣa, a lord of creatures endowed with great energy and a portion of Soma. Dakṣa then created both immobile and mobile beings, bipeds and quadrupeds, by his mind. Afterwards, he created women. He gave ten daughters to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, and the rest to Soma; to the king, he gave those known as the Nakṣatras. From these unions were born the gods, birds, cows, serpents, Dānavas and Daityas, Gandharvas, Apsarases, and many other beings. From that time onward, O best of the twice-born, creatures have been born from sexual union. Previously, it is said, beings arose from will, sight, and touch. Thus have we heard of the origin of the gods, Dānavas, Gandharvas, serpents, Rākṣasas, and the great-souled Dakṣa. It is said that Dakṣa, of auspicious vows, was born from Brahmā’s thumb, and his wife from Brahmā’s left thumb. The sages then asked: “How did that great ascetic regain the state of Prācetasa? And how did the grandson of Soma become his father-in-law?” O twice-born ones, know that the origin and dissolution of beings is eternal. The wise and the learned are never confused by this eternal cycle.