From the Lord’s creative power emerged beings whose very nature was hunger. These creatures, driven by their craving, sought to seize the ambhāṃsi—the waters or vital essences. Among them, some declared, “Let us protect the ambhāṃsi!” These came to be known as Rākṣasas, for, possessed by hunger, they roamed the night. Others, however, said, “Let us enjoy the ambhāṃsi!” and took delight in each other’s company. By this act, they became known as Yakṣas and Guhyakas, mysterious beings who perform secret deeds. The word ‘rakṣ’ means both ‘to protect’ and ‘to seize’; likewise, ‘yakṣ’ is explained as ‘to eat.’ When these beings appeared, one among them was so fearsome that the hair of the wise fell out in displeasure at the sight of him. Some beings, whose heads were severed, ascended upwards, while those who wept for the Lord lost their heads as well. From them descended the creatures known as ‘vālā’. These vālā are remembered as serpent-like, called snakes due to their deficiency, ‘pannagas’ because they fall, and serpents because they crawl. From the Lord’s wrath arose a fierce being, born of fire, who entered the serpents, filling them with poison. Having created the serpents, the Lord—still enraged—produced beings whose essence was anger, tawny in color and fierce in nature, who subsist on flesh. These are called ‘bhūtas’ because they are beings, and ‘piśācas’ because they eat flesh. Then, when the Lord sang with a tranquil mind, the Gandharvas were born—celestial musicians. The root ‘dhayati’ means ‘to drink’; the Gandharvas were born drinking speech, and are thus remembered by that name. After creating eight white, divine species, the Lord, by his will, produced other birds, each according to their own age and nature. Thus, birds were created, and after them, animals in their various groups. From his mouth, the Lord created goats; from his chest, sheep; from his abdomen, cows; and from his sides, Brahmā fashioned more animals. From his feet arose horses, elephants, donkeys, camels, deer, mules, and other species. From the Lord’s hair sprang medicinal plants, those bearing fruits and roots. Thus, after creating animals and plants, the Lord engaged them all in the great sacrifice. The bull, man, sheep, horse, mule, and donkey are called domestic animals. Now, hear of the wild ones: carnivores, two-hoofed animals, elephants, monkeys, birds as the fifth group, aquatic animals as the sixth, and reptiles as the seventh. Buffaloes, wild oxen, antelopes, monkeys, sharabhas, wolves, and lions are also counted among the wild animals. The Lord then created the Gāyatra, Ṛc, Trivṛt, Sāma, Rathantara, and Agniṣṭoma as the first sacrifices from his mouth. He produced the Yajus, Triṣṭubh meter, Chandastoma, Pañcadaśa, Bṛhatsāma, Ukthya, and Dakṣiṇā from his mouth as well. From his western mouth, he created the Sāma hymns, Jagatī meter, Chandastoma, Saptadaśa, Vairūpa, and Atirātra. From his northern mouth came the Atharvāṇa, Āptoryāma, Anuṣṭubh meter, and Savairāja. At the dawn of creation, the Blessed Lord brought forth lightning, thunderclouds, the rainbow, and other luminous phenomena. From his own limbs arose beings of many kinds, high and low, as Brahmā continued to create the progeny of living creatures. First, he brought forth four great groups: gods, asuras, humans, and ancestors. Then, he created all other beings, both stationary and moving. He created yakṣas, piśācas, gandharvas, hosts of apsarases, nāgas, kinnaras, rākṣasas, birds, cattle, wild animals, and serpents. Both the imperishable and the perishable—whatever is stationary or moving—came from him. The actions performed by beings in the previous creation, they took up again in this one. These very actions are repeated as beings are born again and again—whether violent or non-violent, gentle or cruel, righteous or unrighteous, true or false. Shaped by their actions, beings attain states corresponding to those deeds; thus, each is drawn to what suits its own nature among the great elements, the senses, and forms. The Lord himself assigned the functions of beings, though some wise men say that effort is the cause of action. Others call it fate; those who contemplate the elements say it is inherent nature; yet others say that effort, action, and fate all determine the result according to their own nature. But none know it as entirely one, nor as wholly separate, nor as something beyond; thus, it is not simply one, nor merely named differently, nor both together. Those attached to action speak of difference; those established in sattva see with equal vision. The names and forms of beings are the unfolding of what has been made. In the beginning, the Great Lord fashioned, from the words of the Veda, the names of the seers and the rituals prescribed in the Vedas. At the end of the cosmic night, he gives to those who are born then those very same things; such are the creations of Brahmā, whose birth is unmanifest. At the end of the night, those beings are seen, having attained perfection through the mind; such stationary and moving beings are created anew. When these excellent beings, having been created, did not multiply, Brahmā, veiled in darkness, became sorrowful and distressed. He turned his mind toward decisive understanding, and within himself saw that the sole covering of darkness was the cause. Abandoning rajas and sattva, he remained in his own nature. Then, because of that sorrow, the Lord of the world created suffering. Afterwards, he dispelled the darkness, and rajas and sattva covered it. When that darkness was suppressed, a pair was born.