In ancient times, as the branches of trees stretch in every direction—some reaching upward, others downward—so too did the branches of the wish-fulfilling trees spread across the earth. These wondrous branches, once belonging to divine trees that granted every desire, gradually transformed into the timber of human homes, taking on the nature of wood as people adapted to their needs. But with the destruction of these trees and the loss of their honey, the wish-fulfilling trees vanished entirely. Bereft of their magical sustenance, people suffered greatly. Hunger and thirst afflicted them, and sorrow weighed heavily upon their hearts. Yet as the Treta age began, a glimmer of hope appeared. When other means of survival failed, abundant rains blessed the land. Water flowed into low places, filling them and making it accessible once more. The streams, blocked by the rainfall, formed channels in the valleys, allowing small amounts of water to reach the earth’s surface. From the union of earth and water, plants sprang forth—fourteen kinds, both cultivated and wild, grew without the need for sowing or plowing. Trees and shrubs bearing flowers and fruits appeared according to the seasons, marking the first emergence of medicinal plants in the Treta age. Through these medicinal plants, people found sustenance and survived. But soon, desire and greed arose among them. Driven by these impulses, they claimed rivers, fields, mountains, trees, shrubs, and medicinal plants for themselves, each according to their strength and means. Because of this selfishness, the medicinal plants suffered; many vanished at once. Once again deprived and confused by hunger, the people sought refuge in Brahma, the supreme lord. Understanding their plight and seeing the earth depleted, Brahma made Mount Sumeru the calf and milked the earth, bringing forth grains upon her surface. Thus, seeds—both cultivated and wild—were produced anew. Seventeen groups of medicinal plants ripened with fruit: rice, barley, wheat, millet, sesame, priyangu, udara, koradusha, chinaka, masha, mudga, masura, nishpava, kulattha, adhaka, and chanaka—these were the ancient varieties of cultivated plants. Fourteen kinds of medicinal plants, both cultivated and wild, also arose: rice, barley, wheat, millet, sesame, priyangu, kulattha, shyamaka, nivara, yava, tila, gavedhuka, kuruvinda, markataka, and venu-yava. Yet even when these plants were sown, they did not always sprout. So Brahma, the self-born Lord, established the accomplishment of work by hand. From that time, agriculture began, and cultivated plants were produced through human effort. When agriculture was perfected, the Lord established proper boundaries for the plants, guided by justice and their qualities. He also set forth the duties of the classes and stages of life for all beings, ensuring the right upholding of dharma and wealth. The place of Brahmanas engaged in rites became known as Prajapatya; for Kshatriyas who stand firm in battle, Indra’s abode; for Vaishyas who follow their duty, Maruta’s place; and for Shudras engaged in service, Gandharva’s realm. The eighty-eight thousand ascetic sages shared the place of those who dwell with their teachers. The seven seers were remembered as forest-dwellers; householders as Prajapatya; renunciants as the abode of Brahman; and yogis as the immortal place—thus, the arrangement of places was established. At this point, Kraustuki addressed Markandeya: “O Lord, you have told me in detail about the origin of the cosmic egg, and the birth of Brahma within it. Now, I wish to know: at the end of dissolution, when all is withdrawn, does the creation of beings still exist?” Markandeya replied: “When the entire universe dissolves into Prakriti, learned ones call this the Prakritika dissolution. The manifest world and its modifications are withdrawn and rest in their own nature; Prakriti and Purusha remain together in their essence. At this time, tamas and sattva are balanced, neither excessive nor deficient, interwoven with each other. Just as oil is present in sesame seeds or ghee in milk, so too is rajas present, accompanying tamas and sattva. For as long as Brahma’s lifespan lasts—two parardhas—this is a day of the Supreme Lord; an equal period is his night during dissolution. At dawn, the beginningless source of the universe awakens, the cause of all, inconceivable and supreme, acting without another. The Lord of the universe enters both Prakriti and Purusha, stirring them through supreme yoga, being the highest Lord. Just as intoxication stirs young women, or the spring wind causes agitation, so did He, embodied as Yoga, enter and stir them. When primordial matter was thus agitated, Brahma arose within the cosmic egg, just as I have described. He who was the agitator before, the Lord of Prakriti, remains established in the state of Pradhana, both in contraction and expansion.” Thus, the cycle of creation, sustenance, and dissolution unfolds, guided by the wisdom and grace of the Supreme Lord.