From Balā was born Mālikā, and together with her, there arose nine Paulastya rākṣasas, notorious throughout the worlds for their cruel deeds. Yet among the sons of Pulastya, there shone Vibhīṣaṇa, a being of pure soul, renowned for his righteousness, standing apart from his kin who were likened to wild beasts and fanged tigers. Among these descendants also appeared spirits, piśācas, serpents, boars, elephants, monkeys, kinnaras, and those known as kimpuruṣas, each with their own place in creation. In the era of Vaivasvata, Kratu was remembered as childless. Atri, however, had ten wives, all beautiful and devoted. Among them, Ghṛtācī, the tenth Apsaras, bore sons to Bhadrāśva: Bhadrā, Abhadrā, Jaladā, Mandā, Nandā, Balā, Abalā, Gopābalā, Tāmarasā, and Varakrīḍā—these ten daughters were famed in the lineage of Atri. Their husband was Prabhākara. When Svarbhānu eclipsed the sun and darkness covered the world, Prabhākara brought forth light, fulfilling the command, "May it be well for you." Though the sun seemed to fall from the sky, at the word of the Brahmarṣi, the radiant orb remained, and so Prabhākara became known as the Lord of Light. In Bhadrā, Prabhākara begot a glorious son, Soma. In his other wives, he begot sons known as the Svastyātreyas, sages accomplished in the Vedas. Among them, two were especially renowned for their devotion to Brahman and their great energy: Datta, the eldest and best among the Atris, and his younger brother Durvāsas. Their youngest sister was Amala, a knower of Brahman. From his two lineages, four sons were born—Śyāva, Pratvasa, Vavalgus, and Gahvara—who became famous upon the earth. Among the Ātreyas, four branches are remembered: Kāśyapa, Nārada, Parvata, and Uddhata. These were born from the mind of Arundhatī, as the tradition recounts. Nārada, of great splendor and steadfast in celibacy, gave Arundhatī to Vasiṣṭha. Due to a curse from Dakṣa, Nārada, in the fierce battle between gods and demons known as Tārakāmaya, played a unique role. When a terrible drought struck the world, the wise Vasiṣṭha, with the lords of the world, sustained all beings through his austerity, causing food, water, roots, fruits, and herbs to appear, reviving the people with compassion and healing plants. Vasiṣṭha begot a hundred sons in Arundhatī. The eldest, Śakti, begot Parāśara upon Adṛśyantī. When Śakti was devoured by a rākṣasa, from his blood Kālī gave birth to Parāśara, from whom the illustrious Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana (Vyāsa) was born. In the forest, Dvaipāyana begot his son Śuka. Upamanyu was born from Pīvarī, and these were the sons of Śuka: Bhūriśravā, the lord Śambhu, Kṛṣṇa, and Gauras, with Kīrtimatī as their sister—a woman steadfast in her vows and mother of Yoga. Kīrtimatī, wife of Brahmadatta and later of Anuha, bore Śveta, Kṛṣṇa, Gaura, Śyāma, Dhūmra, and Aruṇa, as well as Nīla and Bādarika. These eight are the branches of the great-souled Parāśaras. Now, listen further to the lineage from Indrapramiti: Vasiṣṭha's son Kapiñjala was born from Ghṛtācī. He who is called Trimūrti is known as Indrapramiti, born from the daughter of Pṛthu. From her came Bhadra, from Bhadra came Vasu, and from Vasu, Upamanyu. Many descendants came from Upamanyu. The well-known Kauṇḍinyas are of Mitra and Varuṇa. There are also others called Ekārṣeyas and the renowned Vāsiṣṭhas. These ten are remembered as the branches of the great-souled Vasiṣṭhas. Thus, these are the mind-born sons of Brahmā, renowned on earth, and their noble lineages have been recounted. Born in the families of divine sages, they are capable of upholding the three worlds, and their sons and grandsons number in the hundreds and thousands. Through them, the three worlds have been pervaded, just as the sun pervades with its rays. Then, a question arose: "How was Śakti, along with his brothers, devoured by the rākṣasa? O best of speakers, Sūta, tell us this story." There was a rākṣasa named Rudhira, who, due to Śakti's curse, devoured Vasiṣṭha's son Śakti and his brothers. Prompted by Viśvāmitra and acting on the command of King Kalmāṣapāda, Rudhira consumed the offering of Vasiṣṭha. When Vasiṣṭha heard that his beloved son Śakti, the best among the powerful and a knower of dharma, had been devoured by the rākṣasa along with his brothers, he was overcome with grief. Again and again, the sage cried out, "O son, O son, O son," and together with Arundhatī, he fell to the ground, heartbroken. Hearing that his lineage was lost, Vasiṣṭha resolved to die, remembering his hundred sons and especially Śakti, the eldest and most powerful. In his sorrow, he decided, "I will not live without him." Climbing to the summit, that son of the unborn, wise in all and knower of the self, together with his wife, fell from the height with tearful eyes. As he fell, the earth herself supported him. Even there, the earth, adorned with a wondrous neck and moving with the grace of an elephant, caught the sage in her lotus hands and wept as she carried the crying Vasiṣṭha.