As the mighty Boar, embodiment of the Supreme Lord, churned the primordial waters with his sharp hooves, the disturbed waves descended into the netherworld, resounding with a continuous, thunderous sound. The breath-like winds of the clouds, praised in hymns, moved all around, bearing witness to this wondrous act. Rising up from the depths, his belly soaked with water, the great Boar tore open the earth. Within the very pores of his Veda-formed body, the sages dwelled, and as he shook himself, those ascetics rejoiced, marveling at the Lord’s divine play. The sages praised him, calling out: “O Supreme Lord! O Keśava, master of men, wielder of the mace, conch, and discus! You are the cause of all creation, preservation, and destruction. You alone are the highest—there is no greater abode than you.” They declared: “In your feet reside the Vedas; your tusks are the sacrificial posts. Sacrifices and scriptures are found in your teeth and mouth. Your tongue is the sacred fire; the blades of grass, your body hair. O Lord, you alone are the very embodiment of sacrifice.” The vast space between heaven and earth was filled by his incomparable form. Indeed, the entire world was pervaded by him, existing for the welfare of all beings. “You alone are the supreme soul, O Lord of the world. There is no other,” they proclaimed. They extolled his greatness, recognizing that by his power, all that moves and does not move is pervaded. The entire world, though of the nature of knowledge, remains unseen by the ignorant, who perceive only material nature and thus wander aimlessly in darkness. But those of pure mind, who know true knowledge, perceive the whole world. With reverence, they prayed: “Those who see your form as knowledge, O Supreme Lord, be gracious, O soul of all beings, for the welfare of the world. O lotus-eyed one, immeasurable and full of goodness, O blessed Govinda, raise up this earth. For the good of all, lift it up, O Lord, and bless the world.” Thus praised, the Supreme Soul, the bearer of the earth, quickly lifted her and placed her upon the great ocean. Upon this earth, a vast mass of water stood, like a great ship afloat. Then, making the earth level, the primeval, supreme person arranged the mountains in their proper divisions. After dividing the earth, he established the seven continents as before, and created the four worlds, beginning with the elements, just as in the ancient times. This wondrous act had once been revealed to Brahma by Viṣṇu, the satisfied Lord of gods, who is the supreme deity. Brahma reflected, “By you and by me, this world must be upheld and protected with care. I have now granted a boon to the chief among the asuras. For the welfare of the gods, you must slay them, O Lord; I will create the world, and you must protect it.” Thus addressed, Viṣṇu departed, and Brahma, the Lord, proceeded to create the gods. Yet, from him, without his awareness, a being of darkness emerged. From his meditation arose darkness, confusion, great delusion, tamisra, and that which is called andhasamjñaka—thus, the fivefold creation of darkness came into being. This creation was without light, both outwardly and inwardly, its true self veiled, and of the nature of trees—this is declared as the primary creation of the principal beings, the main stationary creation. Seeing this creation as ineffective, the Lord contemplated another, and from his meditation arose a new creation called tiryaksrotas. These beings, whose activity moves sideways, are known as tiryaksrotas—cattle and other creatures, mostly enveloped in darkness and ignorance. They stray from the right path, and though ignorant, consider themselves knowledgeable. Filled with ego and pride, they are of twenty-eight kinds, all possessing inner light, yet mutually obscured. Finding this creation too ineffective, the Lord meditated again, and from that arose the third creation, the sāttvika, which moved upward. These beings, abundant in happiness and delight, are unobscured both outwardly and inwardly, radiant within and without; thus, they are called ūrdhvasrotas. This third creation, content in nature, is remembered as the creation of the gods. When this creation was accomplished, Brahma rejoiced. Then he contemplated yet another, the highest effective creation, having recognized the previous ones as ineffective. With true intent, he meditated, and from the unmanifest appeared the effective creation called avāksrotas. Because their activity proceeds downward, they are called avāksrotas; they are abundant in radiance, yet dominated by darkness, with rajas prevailing. Therefore, they are filled with much suffering and are repeatedly active, radiant within and without—these are the humans, and they are effective. The fifth creation is that of grace, established in fourfold form: by reversal, by accomplishment, by power, and by contentment. The sixth creation, called bhūtādi, is of beings who do not know what has passed or is present. All these are grasping, more distinctly divided, and are known as those who act by impulse and by habitual chanting—the bhūtādikas. Thus, O best of kings, the six creations are described: the first is the creation of mahat; the second, that of Brahma. The second is remembered as the creation of the tanmātras, the elements; the third, called vaikārika, is the creation of the senses. This is the prākṛta creation, arisen through intellect; the fourth, the primary creation, is remembered as the main stationary beings. That which is called tiryaksrotas is the creation of animals; after that, the sixth is the creation of the gods, called ūrdhvasrotas. Then the seventh creation is that of beings with speech-channels—the human creation. The eighth is the creation of grace, which is sāttvika, and the tāmasa creation is that one. These five are known as the modified creations, and the first three are the primary ones. The ninth, called the kaumāra creation, is both primary and modified. Thus have the nine creations of the Lord of creatures been described—both the primary and the modified—which are the root causes of the world. Having recounted these, the sage asked, “What else do you wish to hear about the creation by the Lord of the world?” And Bhīṣma replied, “The creations of the gods and others, as well as of the teacher, have been told briefly.