In the beginning, there is One—He who is the cause among the waters, awakening them through His very action. It is He alone who brings forth all that is. Through His will, beings take on bodies of many forms, entering various wombs to be born anew. Most of their actions are pure, and yet, again and again, with each cycle of creation, they emerge with fresh names and forms. These beings come forth as He meditates and wills their existence, for His intention is true and potent. Those who are born in this way are endowed with abundant goodness and great energy. Yet, all of them are also subject to passion; they are vigorous and easily angered. As passion and darkness grow within them, these beings become known as householders, living amidst the world. Among those destined for death, both the deceitful and the honest are born, mingling together in the great cycle of life. It is at this point in the cycle that the origin of sexual union arises. The pure objects of the senses—sound and the rest—each possess five distinct characteristics. Thus, generation after generation, these beings fill the world, their numbers ever increasing. Yet, their satisfaction is never complete, so they wander, caught in the conflicts born of their desires. Driven by longing, they seek the perfection of the mind, moving wherever their wishes lead. In that earliest age, at the dawn of the cycle, there was neither righteousness nor unrighteousness; such things did not yet exist. This first age, the Krita Yuga, spanned four thousand years as counted by the gods. As time passed and people became renowned, their numbers grew into the thousands. They lived upon mountains and within the oceans, never settling in fixed abodes. Always free to act as they wished, their hearts were joyful and unburdened. In that time, there was neither fear nor harshness; such was the natural practice of dharma. The era was wholly blissful, with neither excessive heat nor cold. These people rose upon the earth, emerging through meditation from the netherworld. Their bodies required no ritual purification, and they possessed the vigor of enduring youth. Birth and appearance were equal for all, and they delighted together in perfect harmony. There was no distinction among them—not in form, lifespan, skill, or activity. The doors to both good and evil deeds were closed, so there was no engagement in action. Living among one another, they were free from both desire and aversion. Mostly happy and without sorrow, they were the fortunate ones born in the Krita age. For those without longing, enjoyment of the senses arose only through the mind. At that time, they neither harmed nor supported one another; all lived in peaceful coexistence. But as the ages turned, conflict arose in the Dvapara age, and with the coming of the Kali age, theft appeared among men. Know that Kali is the most impure of the ages, its qualities and conduct shaped by the darkest of the modes. The Krita Yuga itself consists of four thousand years, and these are counted as human years. When the Krita age passes, it is followed by a twilight period, marking the end of that era. When the twilight too has elapsed, the Krita Yuga comes to its close, and that time completely disappears. In the age that follows—the Treta Yuga—perfection is again attained, though the eight perfections begin to diminish, each one fading in turn. This pattern repeats in all the cycles of creation, in every Manvantara, as the four Yugas follow one another in their ordained succession.