From the sacred union of Gayatri, born from half the cosmic body and learned in Brahman, arose Shatarupa, the goddess of Manu, whose name means “a hundred forms and senses.” Together, they brought forth pleasure, mind, austerity, intellect, and the confusion of directions. From Shatarupa, Manu begot seven children. These sons, wise ones like Marici and others, were born from Manu’s mind, and for them, the world was once filled with all knowledge. Then Manu created Vamadeva, the wielder of the trident, and Sanatkumara, the illustrious sage, who is even older than the elders. Blessed Vamadeva shaped the four varnas: from his mouth, he created Brahmins; from his arms, Kshatriyas; from his thighs and feet, Vaishyas and Shudras. He also created lightning, thunder, clouds, red rainbows, and meters, and at first, Parjanya, the rain-god, followed by all these phenomena. The lord then created the Sādhyas, the three-eyed ones, and eighty-four crore beings who were free from old age and death. Vama also created mortals, but Brahma restrained him, for such a creation—free from old age and death—was not to exist. That creation which possesses both auspicious and inauspicious qualities is praised; thus, Vamadeva remained as the pillar at the beginning of creation. Svayambhuva Manu, wise and steadfast, performed arduous austerities and obtained a wife of great beauty named Anantā. In her, Manu begot Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, and a radiant daughter named Sūnṛtā, who was the daughter of Dharma. From Uttānapāda, Mantharagāminī bore sons: Apasyati, Apasyanta, Kīrtimanta, and Dhruva. Uttānapāda, lord of creatures, begot Dhruva in Sūnṛtā. Dhruva, after performing austerities for three thousand years in ancient times, attained a divine, immovable place by the boon of Brahma; the seven sages stand with Dhruva placed before them. Dhanyā, Manu’s daughter, begot a son from Dhruva; Succhāyā, daughter of Agni, bore sons from the remainder. Kṛpa, Ripu, Jaya, Vṛtta, Vṛka, Vṛkatejasa, and Cakṣuṣa were born; Ripuṃjaya was born to Vīriṇī, granddaughter of Brahma. Cakṣus Manu was born to Vīraṇa’s wife; Manu, from the royal maiden Naḍvalā, became known as Cākṣuṣa. He begot ten heroic, sinless sons: Ūru, Pūru, Śatadyumna, Tapasvī, Satyavāk, Ghavi, Agniṣṭuda, Atirātra, Sudyumna, Aparājita, and Abhimanyu. Ūru’s wife, daughter of Agni, bore six illustrious sons: Agni, Sumanasa, Khyāti, Kratu, Aṅgiras, and Gaya. Sunīthā, daughter of the Pitṛs, bore Vena from Aṅga. Vena, unrighteous, was churned by the sages from his arm, and from it arose the mighty Pṛthu, who begot two sons. Antardhāna begot Mārīca from Śikhaṇḍinī; from Havirdhāna, daughter of Agni, Dhiṣaṇā bore six sons: Prācīnabarhiṣa, Sāṅga, Yama, Śukra, Bala, and Śubha. Prajāpati Prācīnabarhis, venerable and great, brought forth many offspring named Havirdhānas. In Savarṇā, daughter of the ocean, the lord begot ten sons, all called Pracetas, who mastered the science of archery. Protected by their austerity, trees flourished everywhere in the world; but, O descendant of Raghu, by the command of the gods, Agni burned them. His wife was the renowned Somakanyā named Mārīṣā; from her, they begot a foremost son, Dakṣa. After Dakṣa, Somakanyā gave birth to all the trees and herbs, as well as the river Candravatī. From Dakṣa, son of the lunar portion, there were eighty crores; I shall recount their extent: those who are well established in the world. Some were two-footed, some many-footed men, some with wrinkled faces, some with conch-shaped ears, and some with ear coverings. Some had horse or tree faces, some had lion faces, some had dog or boar faces, and some had camel faces. The righteous Dakṣa generated many mlecchas of various forms; having created them by mind, Dakṣa then produced women. He gave ten to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, and twenty-seven to Soma, named after the constellations. From them arose all the gods, asuras, humans, and others—thus the whole world. “O Sūta,” the sages asked, “narrate in detail and truthfully the origin of the gods, the dānavas, the gandharvas, the serpents, and the rākṣasas.” It is said that the earlier creation arose from resolve, sight, and touch; but after Dakṣa, son of Pracetas, creation came about through sexual union. Dakṣa was previously instructed by Svayambhū to create beings. Listen, O twice-born, to how he first created them. When Dakṣa was creating gods, sages, and serpents, the world did not increase; then, through sexual union, Dakṣa begot thousands of sons from Pāñcajanī. Seeing them, the illustrious Nārada, desiring to create diverse beings, spoke to the assembled Haryaśvas, sons of Dakṣa: “Knowing the measure of the earth everywhere, above and below, then, O best of sages, create the world in detail.” Hearing those words, the Haryaśvas went in all directions and, like rivers flowing to the sea, have not returned even to this day. When the Haryaśvas were lost, Prajāpati Dakṣa again begot a thousand sons from Vairiṇī.