In the beginning, the supreme Lord, through the power of supreme yoga, stirred both Pradhāna and Puruṣa—the primordial substance and the cosmic spirit. Entering into them, he became Maheśvara, the great Lord. From Maheśvara, the Lord of all worlds, there arose three gods, eternal and supreme, mysterious in nature, and embodying all beings within themselves. These three gods are not separate from the three qualities—sattva, rajas, and tamas; they are the very essence of the three worlds and the three sacred fires. They are deeply interdependent, devoted to one another, sustaining and interacting with each other at every moment. Ever paired and mutually supporting, they are never apart, not even for an instant, and never abandon each other. The supreme Lord stands as the highest God, with Viṣṇu transcending even the great, while Brahmā, endowed with the quality of passion, becomes active at the dawn of creation. The supreme is known as Puruṣa, and Prakṛti is also remembered as supreme. Prakṛti acts only when stirred by Maheśvara, who governs her in every way. The great Lord enters her and abides there for a long time, making her the very domain of prosperity. When the qualities of Pradhāna become unequal, the time of creation begins. Before being governed by Īśvara, Pradhāna is of the nature of both existence and non-existence. Then, Rudra, accomplished in understanding both cause and effect, appears first—unmatched in brilliance and wisdom, unmanifest yet illuminating all. The one who possesses a body is the first and is called the Person. From him arises the blessed Brahmā, the four-faced Lord of creatures. Perfected in both cause and effect, thus he manifests. The great God alone, established in threefold form, abides in this manner. Endowed with incomparable knowledge, sovereignty, righteousness, and detachment, these forms possess qualities without equal. From the unmanifest, whatever is desired arises through their mind, for they have mastery over the three qualities and their inherent dependence. Brahmā, with his four faces, is known as the creator; as Time, he is the ender. The thousand-headed Person, the self-born, exists in three states: as Brahmā, he creates worlds; as Time, he withdraws them; as the Person, he remains indifferent—these are the three states of the Lord of creatures. Brahmā is like the one born from the lotus; Rudra is like the fire of time; and the Person, with lotus-like eyes, is the form of the supreme self. Maheśvara, being one, becomes twofold, then threefold, and then manifold, creating and transforming bodies. By his own play, with various forms, actions, appearances, and names, Maheśvara creates and transforms all beings. Because he exists in threefold manner in the world, he is called threefold in quality; when divided into four, he is known as the fourfold emanation. Whatever he attains, whatever he takes, whatever objects he enjoys, and whatever his constant state is—therefore, he is called the self. He is called the seer because he pervades all; embodied, he is the lord of that body; as the master of all, he is Viṣṇu, for he enters all beings. He is called Bhagavān because he possesses divine qualities; pure, he is remembered as Śiva; supreme, because he is most exalted; and protector, he is remembered as Om. He is all-knowing because he knows all; he is all because he pervades everything; dividing himself threefold, he sets the three worlds in motion. With these three, he himself creates, devours, and protects. Being the first, he is called the original god; being unborn, he is remembered as the unborn. Because he protects all beings, he is called the Lord of creatures; among the gods, the great god is remembered as Mahādeva. Because he pervades all and is the lord of the gods, he is called Īśvara; vast as the universe, he is remembered as Brahmā; as being itself, he is called Bhūta. He is the knower of the field because of his knowledge of all that exists; being one, he is remembered as the sole one; because he dwells in the city of the body, he is called Puruṣa. Without beginning and existing before all, he is the Self-born; because he is to be worshipped, he is called the Sacrifice; he is the Seer, renowned for his mighty vision. He is called the Stepper because of his movement, and the Protector because he preserves; he is known as Āditya, Kapila, the Eldest, and is remembered as Agni. He became the golden embryo, and from gold was born as an embryo; thus, in this Purāṇa, he is described as Hiraṇyagarbha, the Golden Womb. Even the time of the Self-born, the soul of the universe, cannot be measured—not even in hundreds of years. The supreme period of Brahmā is called a parārdha, when the reckoning of time ceases; the remainder of his time is another, which is dissolved at its end. Countless billions of days have passed in previous kalpas, and the same number remain for the future. Now, listen to the account of the present kalpa, called Vārāha. O twice-born, of those kalpas, this present one is the first, in which the fourteen Manus, beginning with Svāyambhuva, have appeared. In the past, present, and future, these Manus govern the entire earth, with its seven continents and mountains. For a full thousand yugas, the great lords protect the earth and its people through their austerities. Hear now the details of these. With each Manvantara, all the intermediate periods are also described, and so it is with each kalpa. The past kalpas, with their secondary creations and lineages, and likewise those yet to come—one who knows should reason about them in this way. At first, only water existed, for the earth had disappeared; in that calm, single expanse of water, nothing at all could be perceived.