At the close of each age, when the cycle of time turns, new creators of mantras and Brāhmaṇa texts are born into the world. These are the sages and seers who compose the sacred scriptures and the sciences of the Vedas, each suited to the epoch in which they arise. Especially in the interval of the Vaivasvata Manu, in every Dvāpara Yuga, time and again, such sages appear to renew and preserve the sacred knowledge. In the seventh Dvāpara, it was Svayambhū, the self-born, who divided the Vedas themselves, ensuring their preservation and transmission. In earlier ages, the task of Vyāsa—of dividing and arranging the Vedas—was taken up by different great beings: in the third Dvāpara, it was Uśanas; in the fourth, Bṛhaspati; in the seventh, Indra himself; and in the eighth, it is Vasiṣṭha who is remembered for this role. In the eleventh Dvāpara, Sanadvāja appeared for three years to fulfill this sacred work. The fifteenth saw Traiyyāruṇi, and the sixteenth, Dhanañjaya. From Ṛjīṣa was born Bharadvāja, and from Bharadvāja, Gautama. Haryavana gave rise to Vena, and from Vena came Vājaśravā. Tṛṇabindu was the father of Tataja, and from Tataja came Jātūkarṇa. From Jātūkarṇa, Dvaipāyana is remembered. Looking ahead to future times, in the Dvāpara age yet to come, Dvoṇi will be born from Dvaipāyana. In those future ages, too, there will be many branches and expositions of the Vedic tradition, each adapted to the needs of the time. Through their austerity and dedicated action, these sages attain greatness, and by their deeds, their fame endures. The immortal essence of Brahman, the ultimate reality, pervades all; Brahman itself is called the immortal. It is named Brahman because of its vastness, its greatness, and its power to expand and encompass all things. Salutations are offered to that Brahman, which is present in the Atharva, Ṛk, Yajus, and Sāman Vedas. Salutations again to that excellent Brahman, the supreme secret known to the great. Through its manifestation and activity, the true purpose of human life is accomplished. Yet, Brahman is also that which is unmanifest, unthinkable, the very nature of existence—eternal, undivided, pure, imperishable, and of manifold forms. In the Kṛta Yuga, the age of truth, there is no need for action; thus, there can be no actions left undone. In that age, whether something is heard or unheard, good or not good, it is all the same. Brahman may be seen, heard, or even smelled in any manner, for it pervades all experience. What Brahman has not revealed, who indeed is worthy to seek that out? Whenever any deed is performed by anyone, that person regards it as his own. In truth, whenever anything is done, by anyone, in any way, and in any place—whether with detachment or with excess, in knowledge or in ignorance, in what is dear or not dear—the fruits and directions of those actions, whether upward, transverse, or downward, belong to that unseen doer alone, the supreme Brahman. In the Tretā age, each soul experiences the results of actions individually, again and again. These teachings were first spoken by Brahmā himself at the beginning, during the interval of Vaivasvata Manu. The sages, born from one another, compose the Saṃhitās, the Vedic collections, and these traditions, having occurred in the past, arise again and again. In every age, these branches of sacred knowledge are spread out anew by the lineages of sages, and among their descendants, these branches come forth repeatedly. In this manner, the process should be understood regarding both the past and the future. What has happened before recurs in the present interval, and from the former, the latter may be known; from the present, both past and future are understood. Thus, the gods, together with the ancestors, the seers, and the Manus, all play their part in this eternal unfolding of sacred knowledge and cosmic order.