Both groups of sages were deeply learned in Brahman, accomplished in yoga, and stood as foremost among the wise. In those times, Gaṅgā—the sole purifier of all the worlds—was born from the mountain king, Himavat. The supreme glory of the goddess Gaṅgā had already been properly described, and now, as you have explained it, it is time to listen to the account of Manu’s creation. Śatarūpā bore two sons, each knowledgeable in dharma and of great might. One among them, a devoted follower of Lord Nārāyaṇa, attained the highest abode. From Śliṣṭā, he begot five sons, all faultless and endowed with noble character. After worshipping Lord Viṣṇu, Janārdana, at the sacred place of Śālagrāma, these sons, devoted to Nārāyaṇa, pure in heart, and upholders of their own duty, took birth. In the wife of Prajāpati, the great-souled Vīraṇa, and in the daughter of the exceedingly mighty Prajāpati Vairāja, were born illustrious sons: Agniṣṭut, Atirātra, Sudyumna, and Abhimanyu, as well as Aṅga, Sumanasa, Svāti, Kratu, Aṅgirasa, and Śiva. Among them was he who became renowned as Pṛthu, the mighty protector of beings. By the command of Brahmā, and alongside the powerful Indra, the Sūta—the reciter of the Purāṇas—was born. This Sūta was Hari himself, appearing in a form of illusion. That ancient being, who arose in times before, was none other than myself, O best of sages. By the grace of Hari, the Supreme Person, I was made to hear the Purāṇa. For those like me, the telling of the Purāṇa became a livelihood by divine command. Pṛthu, the universal sovereign of great splendor and steadfast in his own duty, journeyed to Mount Govardhana, where he performed austerities, having mastered his senses. There, the god Dāmodara himself appeared and spoke to the king. After uttering a single word, Hṛṣīkeśa returned to his own divine nature. Thus, Pṛthu ruled his kingdom with justice, O Madhusūdana. In time, Khikhaṇḍana, Havirdhāna, and Antardhāna were born—righteous, beautiful, and accomplished in the Vedas and their branches. By the force of destiny, the knower of dharma, Antardhāna, resolved to renounce worldly life. At a certain time, he went to the slopes of the Himalayas, a region frequented by perfected beings. There, he beheld both the attainable and unattainable abodes of yogins—realms inaccessible to those hostile to Brahman. The area was adorned with hermitages of siddhas and was filled with groves of lotuses and water-lilies. Amidst this beauty, he discovered a most auspicious and delightful hermitage, filled with joy. He worshipped Mahadeva with flowers such as lotuses and water-lilies, and gazing upon the radiant Lord, he praised the Supreme Lord with various hymns to Śambhu, drawn from the Vedas. There, he saw the illustrious Śvetāśvatara, foremost among the great Pāśupatas, his self subdued by austerity and wearing a white sacred thread. Approaching him, Antardhāna bowed with his head at the sage’s feet, palms joined, and spoke: “Today I have seen the Lord of Yogis, the best among knowers of yoga. What shall I do? I am your disciple. Protect me, O sinless one.” Śvetāśvatara, seeing his sincerity and the faults worn away by austerity, accepted him as his disciple.