For ten vast kalpas, all the gods dwelling in Janaloka persist together, their destinies bound by what must inevitably unfold. Yet, after this immense duration, they begin to perceive the flaws inherent in their existence, and their activities come to a halt. Recognizing these limitations, they depart from Janaloka and ascend to Tapoloka—a realm from which there is no return. Ultimately, in Brahmaloka, united with the ancient sages, they reach the final dissolution. Such cycles have no true beginning, for time itself is without origin, and so too are all the countless enumerations of creation and dissolution. These cycles sweep along with them ancestors, sages, gods, and the ṛṣis, all moving together through the great cosmic order. Kalpas and manvantaras arise and pass away by this sequence and method, each following the other in an endless procession. At the end of every manvantara comes dissolution, and after dissolution, creation arises anew. The vastness and intricacy of these cycles defy description—even hundreds of years would not suffice to recount them in order. Still, to aid understanding, the reckoning of a manvantara is given in human terms: the twice-born sages count thirty crores as its full measure, with an additional twenty thousand, setting aside any excess. With a divine year added at the beginning, the time of the next Manu is thus spoken of, and further, fifty-two thousand more are to be included. A full thousand yugas together make a single day of Brahma. At the dawn of each such day, Brahmas are placed at the forefront, accompanied by gods, sages, and even demons. He, the supreme creator, brings forth all beings again and again, throughout the kalpas and beyond. Thus is the junction of all manvantaras to be understood. Each manvantara is marked by the four yugas—Kṛta, Tretā, Dvāpara, and Kali—each remembered in its turn. The venerable Lord imparted this knowledge of authority to Manu, describing the cycles as they pertain to past, present, and future. Now, let the transition from one manvantara to the next be explained. In the fullness of time, by the inexorable force of destiny, each cycle comes to its proper end. The Seven Sages, the gods, the ancestors, and the Manus themselves—when their appointed span is exhausted—become anxious, perceiving the transformation of their own state. When a manvantara concludes, those deities who are to become the future rulers of the next manvantara are born afresh. As each manvantara closes, this is said again in the Kali age, just as the wise declare that the Krita age is always preceded by Kali. When one manvantara ends and another begins, the Seven Sages and Manu are established anew, in accordance with the dictates of time. For the celebration of the manvantara, and always to maintain the continuity of creation, they are set in place whenever pairs arise, when medicinal plants have appeared, when means of livelihood commence, and when righteousness is established. Even in villages and cities where distinctions of caste and stage of life have not yet arisen, the Seven Sages and Manu are established to ensure the flow of creation. Thus, when the former ones perish, new ones are born just as before. Along with them arise serpents, spirits, ghosts, Gandharvas, Yakshas, and Rakshasas—all brought forth at the dawn of a new manvantara. The Seven Sages and Manu, indeed, are always established at the beginning of each cycle, upholding the eternal order of the universe.