At the dawn of creation, the Blessed Brahma, guided by the divine power that stirred within him, set forth with purposeful will to bring forth new forms of life. After creating the initial beings, he turned his attention to the birds, shaping them from his own chest. From his mouth, he brought forth goats, and from his belly, cows and buffaloes emerged, each a testament to his role as the Lord of creatures. From Brahma’s feet sprang a diverse array of animals: horses, elephants, donkeys, wild oxen, deer, camels, mules, and others of their kind. The medicinal plants, bearing fruits and roots, arose from his hair—these came forth at the very beginning of the Treta Yuga, at the dawn of the kalpa, O best of kings. Having fashioned animals and plants with care, Brahma assigned them to the sacrificial rites: the cow, goat, buffalo, sheep, horse, mule, and donkey became offerings in the sacred ceremonies. These were known as domestic animals, but there were wild ones too: carnivores, cloven-hoofed beasts, elephants, monkeys, birds, camels, and reptiles—all these he created as distinct kinds. Alongside these creatures, Brahma manifested the sacred verses and meters: the Gayatra and Rc, the Trivrt, Soma, and Rathantara. From his mouth, he produced Agnistoma, the foremost of sacrifices, along with the Yajus verses, the Trishtubh meter, and the fifteenfold Stoma. From his southern mouth came the Brihatsaman, Uktha, Sama hymns, Jagati meter, and seventeenfold Stoma. From his western mouth, he brought forth the Vairupa, Atiratra, the twenty-onefold Atharvan, and Aptoryama. From his northern mouth emerged the Anushtubh, Savairaja, and beings of various forms from his limbs. At the beginning of the kalpa, Brahma—Grandfather of all—created gods, demons, ancestors, and humans anew. He also brought forth hosts of yakṣas, piśācas, gandharvas, apsarases, siddhas, kinnaras, rākṣasas, as well as lions, birds, beasts, and serpents. Both perishable and imperishable, stationary and moving—all these, the blessed Lord Brahma, the prime creator, manifested at that time. The actions acquired by these beings in previous creations were assumed once more as they came into existence again and again. According to their nature, they inclined toward violence or nonviolence, gentleness or cruelty, righteousness or unrighteousness, truth or falsehood. Each attained what was pleasing to their disposition. Within the objects of the senses, among beings, and in their bodies, Brahma himself assigned various forms and functions, distributing them according to his divine wisdom. He established the names and forms of beings, and the diversity of their duties, for gods and others, at the beginning, based on the very words of the Veda. The names of the seers, as heard in the Veda, he assigned to them as appropriate, and likewise to others, according to their proper function. Just as the seasons bring forth various forms and signs in succession, so too do these states manifest at the beginnings of the ages. Thus, at the start of each cycle, Brahma creates such a creation again and again, desiring to create, endowed with power, prompted by the creative energy. Bhīṣma, eager to learn more, asked, “You have described the downstream creation, which is human. O Brāhman, tell in detail how Brahmā created that. How did he create those of the same color and their qualities, O great sage? And what are the prescribed duties of the Brāhmaṇas and others? Let that be told.” Pulastya replied, “At first, as Brahmā desired to create, beings devoted to goodness were born. O best of the Kurus, those endowed with abundant goodness arose from his mouth. Others, endowed with abundant passion, were born from Brahmā’s chest; and those with a mixture of passion and darkness, likewise, from his thighs. From his feet, O best of the Kurus, Brahmā created other beings; all these were dominated by darkness, and thus arose the fourfold order. Brāhmaṇas, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras, O best of kings, emerged from the feet, thighs, chest, and mouth, respectively. For the accomplishment of sacrifice, Brahmā made all this—the fourfold order—as the supreme means for sacrifice. By sacrifice, the gods are nourished, and by the release of rain, humans are nourished. Righteous sacrifices are the cause of well-being. These are accomplished by men who are always devoted to good deeds, who have turned away from contrary conduct, who are virtuous and follow the right path. O King, humans attain heaven, liberation, or whatever realm they desire; they go to the place that is agreeable to them, O Lord. Those beings were created by Brahmā, established in the fourfold order; they were pure, of good conduct, and steadfast, O best of kings. Devoted to living as they wished, free from all afflictions, pure in mind, pure in heart, and spotless in the practice of dharma. With their minds pure, their hearts established in the pure Lord, they perceive pure knowledge—Brahman itself—by which that supreme state is attained. Then, that entity called Time, or Virin̄ci, is said to be the cause of the fall into saṃsāra, which is extremely dreadful, impure, and of little substance. That principle, arising from the seed of unrighteousness and born of darkness and greed, becomes the means for the rise of passion and similar qualities among those beings. As a result, their innate accomplishments do not arise abundantly, O king, and the other eight accomplishments, such as control, also manifest. When those accomplishments are diminished or exhausted, and sin increases, then those beings become afflicted by the suffering of dualities. Thereafter, they made fortresses—mountainous, forested, watery, and woodland strongholds, as well as cities and villages. They built houses in those cities and other places, as appropriate, O wise one, to alleviate afflictions from cold, heat, and the like.” Thus, the story of creation unfolds, guided by Brahma’s will, the diversity of beings and their destinies shaped by his wisdom and the eternal cycles of time.