At the dawn of each age, the same beings and states of existence reappear, just as they had before, following the eternal cycles. When the wise creator brought forth living beings, he observed that they did not multiply as intended. To address this, he conceived intelligence that would guide them toward purposeful action. He enveloped the qualities of rajas and sattva, allowing them to exist in accordance with their own natures. With the influence of tamas subdued, a pair came into being. Then, Brahmā set aside his own radiant form. With one half, the Lord created a woman, and with the other, a man named Virāj. The woman, by her greatness, pervaded both heaven and earth and was firmly established. From the man Virāj, who was born from the unmanifest, a son came forth. The goddess, known as Śatarūpā, undertook severe and arduous austerities. From Virāj, Śatarūpā bore two sons. Of these, Manu gave his daughter Prasūti in marriage to Dakṣa. Yajña and Dakṣiṇā, by whom the world was nourished, were also born. In the era of Svāyambhuva, the gods called them Yāmā. Dakṣa created daughters, and their names are to be heard with care: Buddhi, Lajjā, Vapu, Śānti, Siddhi, Kīrti, and Trayodaśī. From these came eleven younger daughters, all fair-eyed: Saṃtati, Anasūyā, Ūrjā, Svāhā, and Svadhā among them. The sages—Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu, foremost in dharma—took the daughters beginning with Khyāti as their wives. From Dhṛti was born a son named Niyama; from Tuṣṭi, Saṃtoṣa arose. Kriyā gave birth to Daṇḍa and Samaya. Lajjā’s son was Vinaya; Vapu’s was Vyavasāyaka. Yaśas, the son of Kīrti, was also born. These are the sons of Dharma, and thus this creation of Dharma, which leads to happiness, has been described. Yet from Nikṛti and Anṛta were born Bhaya and Naraka. From Bhaya came Māyā, and from Māyā, Mṛtyu, the taker of beings. From Mṛtyu arose disease, old age, sorrow, thirst, and anger. These beings have neither wives nor sons—all are celibate by nature. Thus, O foremost of sages, the creation has been described in brief. Then, bowing to Vishnu, the bestower of boons, the sages approached him with their doubts. They implored, “Please resolve our questions. How did the earth become the son of Brahmā, whose own birth is mysterious? Tell us about the Lord of beings, born from the cosmic egg, and explain Brahmā’s sonship and his origin from the lotus.” In the beginning, all was a single, boundless ocean. There were no gods, nor sages. Upon Shesha, the great serpent, the Supreme Person rested in sleep. With a thousand arms and all-knowing, he was contemplated by the wise—resplendent, embodying yoga, abiding in the hearts of yogis. From his navel arose a pure lotus, the very essence of the three worlds.