Brahmā, the great creator, once instructed Rudra to divide himself, and having given this command, Brahmā vanished from sight. Rudra, faithfully following the instruction, split himself into two distinct forms: one male and one female. Then, he further divided his male aspect into ten forms, and from those, into one again. Likewise, his female aspect he divided into various forms—some gentle, some fierce, and others peaceful. Rudra continued his divisions, taking on many shapes, both dark and fair in complexion. Meanwhile, Brahmā, the self-born Lord, began his own work of creation. His first act was to bring forth Svāyambhuva Manu. Brahmā himself became Manu, the lord of all progeny, and also manifested as the woman Śatarūpā, who was purified by her austerities. Svāyambhuva Manu accepted Śatarūpā as his wife, and from Manu, the goddess Śatarūpā was born. From this divine couple came two sons, Priyavrata and Uttānapāda, and two daughters, Prasūti and Ākūti. In ancient times, Prasūti was given in marriage to Dakṣa, and Ākūti to Ruci. Dakṣa, the lord of creatures, took Prasūti as his wife, and from them was born Dakṣiṇā. From this couple, the highly fortunate son Yajña was born. Yajña and Dakṣiṇā had twelve sons, known as the Yāmas, who became gods during the reign of Svāyambhuva Manu. Meanwhile, from Prasūti, Dakṣa created twenty-four daughters. Their names are Śraddhā, Lakṣmī, Dhṛti, Puṣṭi, Tuṣṭi, Medhā, Kriyā, Buddhi, Lajjā, Vapuḥ, Śānti, Ṛddhi, and Kīrti—these are thirteen. The Lord Dharma accepted these daughters of Dakṣa as his wives, and from them were born eleven younger daughters, all with beautiful eyes: Khyāti, Satyā, Saṃbhūti, Smṛti, Prīti, Kṣamā, Sannati, Anasūyā, Ūrjjā, Svāhā, and Svadhā. These daughters were then given in marriage to great sages: Bhṛgu, Bhava, Marīci, the sage Aṅgirā, Pulaha, the eminent sage Kratu, Atri, Vasiṣṭha, Vahni, and the Pitṛs, each according to proper order. From these unions were born various divine qualities and virtues: faith, desire, strength, fortune, restraint, perseverance, contentment, satisfaction, greed, nourishment, intellect, learning, action, punishment, policy, humility, understanding, wisdom, modesty, discipline, beauty, resolution, security, peace, happiness, prosperity, fame, and glory—all sons of Dharma. Desire, delight, and joy were also born as sons, and Harsha became Dharma’s grandson. On the other side, violence became the wife of Adharma, and from their union falsehood was born. They had a daughter named Deceit, and from them came fear and hell, as well as the pair Illusion and Pain, and also Duality. Illusion gave birth to Death, the taker of beings, and Pain gave rise to suffering, known as Raurava. From Death came disease, old age, sorrow, thirst, and anger—these are all offspring of suffering and are marks of unrighteousness. None of these beings have wives or sons; their seed flows upward, and these fierce forms, O best of men, are also of Brahmā. They are the forces that bring about the dissolution of the world. Now, let me tell you of the creation of Rudra, as Brahmā made it. At the dawn of a new kalpa, Brahmā desired a son like himself. As he contemplated this, a blue and red boy appeared upon his lap. The child began to cry loudly and shed tears. Seeing him weep, Brahmā, the Lord of creatures, asked, “What is your name?” He replied, “Because you weep (rud), you shall be called Rudra. Do not weep—take courage.” Yet, the boy continued to cry seven more times, so the Lord gave him seven more names. For these eight forms, Brahmā created eight abodes: Bhava, Sharva, Ishana, Pashupati, Bhima, Ugra, Mahadeva, and Rudra himself. The grandsire named these forms and gave them their realms: the sun, water, earth, fire, wind, space, the initiated Brahmin, and Soma. Thus, Rudra took on these forms and, in time, obtained Sati as his wife. However, due to Dakṣa’s anger, Sati abandoned her own body. She was then reborn as the daughter of Himavat and Menā, and, upon being entreated, the blessed Bhava married her again. From Dakṣa, Dhata and Vidhata were born; from Bhṛgu, Khyāti was born. And the goddess Śrī, Lakṣmī herself, became the wife of Nārāyaṇa, the god of gods. At this point, Bhīṣma asked, “I have heard that Lakṣmī arose from the ocean of milk, and also that she was born as Khyāti, the daughter of Bhṛgu. How do you explain this? And how did the auspicious daughter of Dakṣa abandon her body? How was Umā born from Menā’s womb? For what reason did the god of gods marry the daughter of Himavat? And what was the conflict with Dakṣa? O venerable one, please tell me.” Pulastya replied, “O king, listen now to what you have asked. I too have heard this account of Śrī from my grandfather. Once, the son of Atri, the sage Durvāsas, was wandering the earth. He saw a garland of fragrant flowers adorning a Vidyādhara maiden. He asked her, ‘Give it to me; I will place it on my matted hair.’ The maiden gladly gave him the garland, and the sage, after receiving it, wore it on his head for a long time.” Thus, the story of creation and the origins of the great beings and virtues unfolded, as told by the wise.