He bestowed upon Dvaipāyana the supreme, eternal Brahman, entrusting him with the highest and most enduring wisdom. For the establishment of the true principles of the world, he gave the most wondrous teachings to five great disciples. Among them were Jaimini, Sumantu, and Vaiśampāyana, each receiving their share of sacred knowledge. To Sūta, renowned for his wondrous deeds, humility, righteousness, and purity of conduct, this wisdom was also imparted. O sage, you yourself, wise and supremely righteous, approached your teacher with questions. Endowed with supreme devotion, you circumambulated him reverently, seeking to learn. This took place at the great sacrifice dedicated to Savitṛ, where the sacrificers and sages had purified themselves. According to sacred ordinance and scriptural prescription, you conducted yourself with great wisdom. Witnessing this, the assembled sages were filled with delight and joy in their hearts. Having respectfully greeted all the sages and approached the command of the king, you, Sūta, with the consent of the assembly, took your seat upon the beautiful, well-spread seat prepared for you. Filled with happiness, composed and steadfast in humility and concentration, the sages, united in the highest joy, addressed you, the son of Sūta. They said, “We wish to see here, O wise one, the most virtuous and eminent sage. You, Sūta, are devoted to that sage and also to the great-souled Vyāsa. Your mind is firmly set, O lord, to bestow the true teaching out of compassion. Whenever we ask, O wise one, you are worthy to tell us everything. We wish to hear, endowed with righteousness and purpose, what you have heard from Vyāsa.” Thus addressed, you, supremely wise and modest in reply, spoke the highest teaching. “Because your intention is to listen, this is certainly true and settled. Whatever you desire to know, you are worthy to learn here.” Again, the sages addressed you, Sūta, their eyes filled with tears of longing and devotion. “Therefore, show us entirely the origin of this world.” Thus respectfully questioned, the great-souled Romaharṣaṇa, pleased by Dvaipāyana, spoke to the best of the twice-born this sacred narrative. “I shall now declare the Purāṇa as spoken by Mātariśvan. Here you will hear of creation and dissolution, of genealogies and the ages of Manus. I will recount the process, the first section, and the collection of narratives—these four sections I have briefly described. The Purāṇa was first heard by Brahmā among all the scriptures. Its limbs include the Dharmaśāstra, the vows, and the disciplines as well. From the great principle down to the particular, the resolve to create is revealed. The covering of the cosmic egg, the ocean, and the radiance of the waters are described, along with the elements, the great principle, and the great one enveloped by the unmanifest. Here, too, the origin of rivers and mountains is recounted. The praise of the tree of Brahman and the narration of Brahmā’s birth are declared. The states of Brahmā, whose birth is from the unmanifest, are described. You will hear of Hari resting upon the waters, and likewise the raising up of the earth. The constellations, the positions of the planets, and the abodes of the perfected beings are set forth, as well as the division of the heavenly realms and the places where the virtuous dwellers in truth reside. Thus, I begin to unfold the sacred Purāṇa, as it was received and as it is to be shared.