By the power of sattva, which establishes all beings, the Supreme Lord—soul of all, the great Self, the source of all—rested in the milk ocean, whose waters are like nectar. There, in deep yogic slumber, he was beheld by Brahmā, the Grandfather of all. Upon seeing the blessed Janārdana, Brahmā addressed him, saying, “By your grace, just as before, I will absorb you, for I am you.” But the blessed one only smiled and awakened Brahmā from his sleep. The mighty-armed Lord gazed at Brahmā with a gentle smile and then entered into him. In that moment, Brahmā, the egg-born, was absorbed by the great soul. Then, from between Brahmā’s brows, he created Acyuta—thus manifest, Hari stood before Brahmā in his presence. At that time, Rudra, the source of all the gods, appeared in a fierce form, just as he had been granted by boon to the two. Then Viṣṇu, the soul of the universe and supreme Lord, arrived to bestow his incomparable grace upon both Brahmā and Hari. The two gods, Brahmā and Hari, seeing Bhava—the very origin of all deities, blazing like the fire of time—praised him from afar. With great reverence, they bowed to Śarva, the fierce, matted-haired bestower of boons. Bhava, the blessed Lord, having shown his favor to Brahmā and Janārdana, the Lord of the world, disappeared from their sight. When the great god Maheśvara had departed, Janārdana, having bowed to him, turned to the lotus-born Brahmā and spoke. Janārdana said, “The supreme Lord, master of the universe, Śaṅkara, is all-pervading. He is the Lord of all, the refuge for both of us—he is Maheśvara. O Brahman, I am born from the left side of the great-souled Śaṅkara, and you yourself are born from the right side of the god Bhava. The sages, seeing me, call me the chief principle, the primal nature, the unmanifest, the unborn; and they call you the Puruṣa. Thus, they declare Mahādeva to be the cause of both of us, the imperishable master and lord of all worlds.” Then, at the command of that immortal Lord, the lotus-born Brahmā praised and bowed to Rudra, who is the granter of boons and worthy of worship. Thereafter, Janārdana assumed the form of a boar and, as before, lifted the earth that was submerged in water. The Lord recreated the rivers, streams, and oceans as they had been, and carefully leveled the earth, making it free from depressions and elevations. Taking the form of a mountain, he established all the mountains upon the earth and created the four worlds, beginning with Bhū, just as in times past. The blessed one, best among the wise, resolved to create and produced the principal beings: those born from eggs, the divine beings, and humans as well. The mighty Lord, ever compassionate and undepressed, first created Sananda and Sanaka, granting them his favor. He then created Sanātana, the most virtuous, who attained the highest through renunciation, as well as Marīci, Bhṛgu, Aṅgiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, and Kratu. He brought forth Dakṣa, Atri, and Vasiṣṭha through the power of yoga, and from him arose resolve, dharma, and indeed adharma. Thus, these twelve progenitors were created by Brahmā, whose own birth is unmanifest. In the beginning, Sanātana produced Ṛbhu and Sanatkumāra as well. These two, divine and born with upward-flowing energy, were foremost among the wise, versed in Brahman, and equal to Brahmā himself—knowing all and encompassing all. Having thus created the principal and first beings, the lotus-born creator established the duties of the ages and the universal order. Later, the great sage, having heard what was spoken by Śakra, his father, again questioned the lord of the gods, bowing with joined palms. He said, “O blessed Śakra, all-knowing, worshipped by the gods, lord of Śacī, master of the universe, thousand-eyed, great lord—how did the blessed one, born from the lotus, establish the duties of the ages? Please tell me everything, for I bow before you.” Hearing these words of the great-souled Śilāda, Śakra replied, describing in detail the duties of the ages as he had witnessed them. “Know,” he said, “that the first is the Kṛta age, followed by the Tretā age. After that comes Dvāpara, and then Tiṣya—these four are the ages in brief. “Kṛta is characterized by sattva, Tretā by rajas, Dvāpara by both rajas and tamas, and Kali by tamas; thus, the nature of the ages should be understood. Meditation is supreme in the Kṛta age; sacrifice is praised in Tretā; pure worship in Dvāpara; and only giving is extolled in Kali. “The Kṛta age consists of four thousand years, with its twilight periods of hundreds of years as well. In the Kṛta age, the lifespan of people who eat stones is four thousand years. When the Kṛta age and its twilight have passed, only a quarter remains of the age’s duties everywhere. The excellent Tretā age is lacking one fourth; Dvāpara is half of Kṛta; Tiṣya is said to be half of that. The twilight periods are three hundred, two hundred, and one hundred years, and the twilight portions are likewise—so it is in each cycle, in every age. “In the first, the Kṛta age, dharma stands on four feet, eternal; in Tretā, it stands on three; in Dvāpara, on two. In Tiṣya, it is deprived of three feet, supported only by sattva. In Kṛta, the origin of pairs is direct, and sustenance is full of essence.” Thus, the story of the creation of the worlds, the gods, and the duties of the ages was revealed, establishing the eternal order for all beings.