At the dawn of creation, Lord Brahmā, the Grandfather and Lord of all beings, began his wondrous work. From his northern mouth, he brought forth the sacred meters—Anushtubh and Savairaja—and from his limbs, beings of many forms emerged. Thus, at the beginning of the kalpa, he created the gods, demons, ancestors, and humans, bringing them into existence once more, as he had done in previous cycles. From Brahmā’s creative energy arose hosts of yakṣas, piśācas, gandharvas, apsarases, siddhas, kinnaras, and rākṣasas, along with lions, birds, beasts, and serpents. All that is perishable and imperishable, stationary and moving—every form of existence—was brought forth by the blessed Lord Brahmā, the prime creator. The actions and tendencies acquired by beings in previous creations were not lost; as they were born anew, they assumed those very same actions again. According to their disposition—whether inclined toward violence or nonviolence, gentleness or cruelty, righteousness or unrighteousness, truth or falsehood—they attained what suited them, finding satisfaction in their nature. Brahmā, the creator, assigned various forms and functions among beings, within their bodies and senses, distributing them according to his wisdom. He established the names and forms of all beings, and the diversity of their duties, for gods and others, at the very beginning, drawing from the words of the Veda. The names of the seers, as heard in the Veda, he assigned fittingly, and likewise to others, according to their proper functions. Just as the seasons bring forth different forms and signs in succession, so too do these states manifest at the start of each age. Thus, at the beginning of each cycle, Brahmā, desiring to create and endowed with power, brings forth creation again and again, prompted by his creative energy. At this point, Bhīṣma asks: “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 qualities? And what are the prescribed duties of Brāhmaṇas and others?” Pulastya replies: “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 mouth, chest, thighs, and feet, 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 sacrifices are accomplished by men who are always devoted to good deeds, who turn 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. Those beings, established in the fourfold order by Brahmā, were pure, of good conduct, and steadfast. Devoted to living as they wished, free from all afflictions, pure in mind and heart, and spotless in the practice of dharma, they were established in purity. With their minds pure and their hearts fixed on the pure Lord, they perceived pure knowledge—Brahman itself—by which that supreme state is attained. Then, that entity called Time, or Virin̄ci, became the cause of the fall into saṃsāra, which is extremely dreadful, impure, and of little substance. This principle, arising from the seed of unrighteousness and born of darkness and greed, became the means for the rise of passion and similar qualities among those beings. As a result, their innate accomplishments did not arise abundantly, and the other eight accomplishments, such as control, also manifested. When those accomplishments diminished or were exhausted, and sin increased, those beings became 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 places, as appropriate, to alleviate afflictions from cold, heat, and the like. Having thus established protections against the elements, those beings devised means of livelihood and acquired skill in manual work. Rice, barley, wheat, millet, sesame, priyangu, kodrava, and china—these grains and pulses were produced. Black gram, green gram, lentils, niṣpāva, kulattha, aḍhaka, chickpeas, and hemp—seventeen are thus remembered. These are the types of cultivated plants, and there are fourteen cultivated and wild grains suitable for sacrifice. Rice, barley, black gram, wheat, millet, sesame, priyangu—these are the seven; the eighth is kulattha. Śyāmāka, nīvāra, vartula, gavedhuka, veṇuyava, and markaṭaka are also mentioned. These fourteen, both cultivated and wild, are known as sacrificial plants; they are the best means for the accomplishment of sacrifice. Together with sacrifice, these plants are the supreme cause of beings. Therefore, the wise who know the higher and lower truths perform sacrifices. Day after day, the performance of sacrifices is beneficial for people who act seeking their reward. For those whose creation occurred in that age, boundaries were established according to place and merit, ensuring order and harmony among all beings.