With the mighty thunderbolt in his grasp, the lord of the gods—Indra—struck and split the embryo of Diti into seven parts. From these seven fragments, seven radiant sons were born, each shining with the brilliance of the sun. Yet, as these seven children cried out, Indra, ever the enemy of the Dānavas, forbade their cries. Still, their wailing persisted, and so Hari in his power divided each of the seven once again into seven parts. Holding fast to his thunderbolt, Indra cut them yet again, even as they remained within the womb. Thus, from the original embryo, forty-nine children came forth, their cries rising in intensity. Disturbed by their ceaseless lamentation, Indra restrained them, commanding, “Do not cry again and again.” The slayer of Vṛtra then pondered deeply: “By whose act, by what greatness, have these children been revived?” In contemplation, he realized it was through the power of merit, the fruit of the observance of the full moon vow, that they had been preserved. Indra surmised, “Surely this is the result of matured merit, or perhaps the outcome of worship offered to Brahma. Though struck by my thunderbolt, they have not met destruction.” Seeing that one had become many and that all were protected within the womb, Indra recognized their inviolability and declared, “Let these become gods.” Because they had been told not to cry, yet cried out upon birth, he proclaimed, “Let them be called Maruts by name, and may they enjoy happiness.” Diti, having pleased the lord of the gods, approached Indra again and humbly said, “Forgive me. Following the treatise on purpose, I have committed this misdeed.” Indra, the lord of immortals, having made the host of Maruts equal to the gods, placed Diti and her sons upon a celestial chariot and brought them to heaven. All those who received shares of the sacrifice became the Maruts; they did not unite with the Asuras, and thus, they remained dear to the gods. At this point, Bhīṣma addressed the sage, saying, “O Brahman, you have described to me in detail the initial creation. Now, tell me about the secondary creation and the rulers appointed to each domain.” Pulastya replied, “When Pṛthu was anointed as sovereign over the earth, he appointed Soma as lord of plants, sacrifices, vows, and austerities. Varuṇa was made lord of waters, Vaiśravaṇa lord of wealth and kings, and the golden-wombed one the lord of stars, priests, and all manner of trees and creepers. Viṣṇu was established as lord of the suns, Agni as lord of the Vasus and the worlds, Dakṣa as lord of the progenitors, and Śakra—Indra—as lord of the Maruts. Prahlāda became lord of the Daityas and Dānavas, Yama lord of the ancestors, and Śūlapāṇi—Śiva—was made lord of the Piśācas, Rākṣasas, animals, spirits, Yakṣas, and Vetālas. The snowy mountain was appointed lord of the mountains, the ocean lord of the rivers, and Citraratha lord of the Gandharvas, Vidyādharas, and Kinnaras. Vāsuki, fierce in strength, became lord of the Nāgas; Takṣaka, lord of the serpents; and Airāvata, so named, lord of the elephants and guardian of the directions. Suparṇa was made lord of the birds, Uccaiḥśravas king of the horses, the lion lord of the beasts, the bull lord of the cows, and Plakṣa lord of all trees. The Grandfather—Brahma—first anointed these as lords, and then all the guardians of the directions. The eastern guardian was anointed as Suvarmāṇa and Arātiketu by name. Śaṃkhapada, the all-powerful one, was made lord of the south; Saketumanta, lord of the west; and Bhuvanāṇḍagarbha, lord of the worlds. Hiraṇyaromāṇa, son of the clouds, became lord of the north. Even now, these guardians of the directions ever protect the earth. With these four, Pṛthu, the first king, was anointed on earth. When he departed, in the era known as Cākṣuṣa, Vaivasvata was made king of the earth. When the Cākṣuṣa era ended and the Vaivasvata era began anew, the son of the Sun, marked by auspicious signs, became lord of all moving and unmoving beings. Pulastya continued: “Hear, O descendant of the Kurus, about all the Manvantaras, the deeds of the Manus, the measure of the kalpa, and the creation in summary. With single-mindedness and a clear heart, listen, O joy of the Kurus: In the era of Svāyambhuva, the gods were called Yāmas. The seven ancient sages—Marīci and others—were present, as were Āgnīdhra, Āgnibāhu, Vibhu, and Savana. Jyotiṣmān, Dyutimān, Bhavya, Medhā, Medhātithi, and Vasu—these ten, descendants of Svāyambhuva Manu, increased his lineage. Having completed the account of the cosmic dissolution, they attained the supreme state. Thus, the Svāyambhuva Manvantara has been described, and now comes the Svārociṣa. Svārociṣa had four illustrious sons: Nabhonabha, Prabhṛti, Bhāvana, and Kīrtivardhana. Datta, Agni, Cyavana, Staṃbha, Prāṇa, Kaśyapa, and Arvā Bṛhaspati—these seven became the Seven Sages. At that time, the gods were known as the Tuṣitas in the Svārociṣa Manvantara: Havīndra, Sukṛta, Mūrti, Āpa, and Jyotiratha are remembered. The seven sons of Vasiṣṭha, who were then the progenitors, have been named; this is the account of the second Manvantara. Now, the next. Now I shall tell of the next auspicious Manvantara. There, the Manu named Uttama begot ten sons: Iṣa, Ūrja, Tanūja, Śuci, Śukra, Madhu, Mādhava, Nabhasi, and Nabhas; Saha and Sahasya. Among them, Uttama was the most renowned. The Bhānavas were the gods, and the Ūrjas were remembered as the Seven Sages. Kaukabhiṇḍi, Kutuṇḍa, Dālbhya, Śaṃkha, Pravāhita, Miti, and Saṃmiti—these seven increased in yoga. The fourth Manvantara, well-known as Tāmasa, is thus: Kapi, Pṛthu, Agni, Akapi, and Kavi, as well as Janyadhāman and Aunau—these seven sages by name. The Sādhyas, who are the divine hosts, have been mentioned in the Tāmasa Manvantara, along with Akalmaṣa, Tapodhanvin, Tapomūla, Tapodhana, Taporāśi, Tapasya, Sutapasya, and Paraṃtapa. Thus, in reverent succession, the creation, the appointment of rulers, and the unfolding of the Manvantaras have been revealed, each era marked by its own sages, gods, and lineages, all under the watchful gaze of the divine.