The two divine physicians, the Aśvins, approached the radiant Mārttaṇḍa and humbly asked, “O shining one, what should we do now?” Mārttaṇḍa replied with fatherly affection, “My sons, worship Prajāpati with devotion. Narāyaṇa will surely grant you the boon you desire.” Heeding the words of the great-souled Mārttaṇḍa, the Aśvins undertook severe austerities. With concentrated minds they practiced the most difficult penances, reciting the supreme hymn to Brahman. Their devotion was unwavering, and after a long time, Brahmā—whose essence is Nārāyaṇa—was greatly pleased with their efforts and agreed to grant them a boon. At this point, Prajāpāla expressed his curiosity, saying, “O great sage, by your grace, I wish to hear the hymn to the unmanifest-born Brahman that the Aśvins recited.” The sage, possessed of great ascetic power, responded, “Listen, O king, to how the Aśvins composed their hymn to Brahman, and the fruits they gained thereby, O sinless one.” The Aśvins’ hymn resounded: “Om, homage to you who are actionless, beyond manifestation, without support or dependence, without foundation or qualities, without light or basis, unconquered, formless; Brahman, great Brahman, beloved of the Brahmanas, Person supreme among the great; god, greatest of the great gods, the firm, establisher of the firm; being, greatest of beings, lord of beings, Yakṣa, greatest Yakṣa, lord of Yakṣas; secret, lord of the greatest secrets, gentle, lord of the greatest gentleness, lord of the gentle; bird, lord of the greatest birds, demon, lord of the greatest demons; Rudra, lord of the greatest Rudras, Viṣṇu, lord of the greatest Viṣṇus; supreme lord, Nārāyaṇa, homage to Prajāpati.” Thus praised by the Aśvins, Prajāpati was greatly pleased and spoke, “Choose a boon, one most difficult even for the gods to obtain, by which you may move happily among the three worlds.” The Aśvins replied, “O Lord Prajāpati, grant us a share in the sacrifice, the right to partake of Soma among the gods, and eternal equality with them.” Brahmā answered, “You shall have a form and beauty without equal, healing power over all things, and the right to Soma in all worlds; all this will indeed come to pass.” Thus, long ago, Brahmā bestowed these blessings upon the Aśvins, and so, among the lunar days, theirs is the most excellent. On the Aśvins’ day, whoever desires beauty should offer flowers; remaining pure throughout the year, such a person will always possess a pleasing form, and the virtues of the Aśvins will also be theirs. Whoever listens daily to this account of the Aśvins’ supreme birth will be freed from all sin and will be blessed with sons. Then Mahātapā spoke: “In the beginning, Prajāpati, the divine Lord, wishing to create various beings, pondered deeply but found no way. From his anger, Rudra was born, radiant with power. Because he cried at birth, the supreme Lord was named Rudra. For him, Brahmā created a beautiful daughter, born of form, as a wife; this was Gauri, the goddess Bharati, given to Rudra by her father. To Rudra, whose body was unique, Brahmā himself gave this lovely one; having obtained her, Rudra was filled with supreme joy. At the time of creation, Brahmā addressed Rudra, urging him by austerity, ‘Create beings, Rudra.’ But Rudra replied, ‘I am unable,’ and plunged into the waters, mighty in strength. Reflecting that without the merit of austerity one cannot create beings, Rudra, lacking ascetic power, immersed himself in the waters. While Rudra was submerged, Brahmā again made the beautiful Gauri enter his body as an internal form. Desiring to create again, the blessed Lord produced seven mind-born sons, beginning with Daksha, and through them the creatures flourished. There, all the sons of Daksha, the gods with Indra, the eight Vasus, the Rudras, the Adityas, and the Maruts were born. Gauri, with beautiful hips, was then given by Brahmā to Daksha as a daughter; she who had formerly been married to Rudra, the great soul. That goddess, Dakshayani, was born again, O best of kings. Daksha, delighted, saw his grandsons increase and, seeing the sacrifice, began it for the joy of Prajāpati. At that sacrifice, all the sons of Brahmā, beginning with Marichi, performed the priestly duties, each established in his own path. Brahmā himself, Marichi, and others took their places; Atri was engaged in sacrificial rites, Agnidra became Angiras. Pulastya was the hotṛ priest, Pulaha the udgātṛ; Kratu was the prastotṛ, and the great ascetic Kratu led the chanting. Pracetas was the pratihartṛ; Subrahmaṇya was Vasiṣṭha, and Sanaka and the others were the assembly members. There, Brahmā himself was the yajamāna, the chief sacrificer, and was worshipped as the one to be honored. The grandsons of Daksha—the Rudras, Adityas, Angiras and others—were to be worshipped; they are the visible ancestors, and by pleasing them, the world is satisfied. The gods who sought their shares were the Adityas, Vasus, Visvadevas, Pitṛs, Gandharvas, and the hosts of Maruts. They received their respective portions of the sacrifice as long as the oblations were offered. At that very moment, Brahmā again rose up from the waters. Rudra, who had been born from anger and had previously immersed himself in the great waters, now emerged, shining like a thousand suns. That god, composed of all knowledge, pure and embodying all the gods, became manifest through his ascetic power, perceiving all the worlds. At that time, O best of men, the creation of five kinds was born—of the divine beings and the four classes dwelling on earth. The Raudra creation arose immediately. Now, listen to the account of the creation of Rudra. After performing austerity for ten thousand years in the great waters, when Rudra awoke, he saw the earth with its forests, beautiful and rich with crops, teeming with humans and animals. Then he heard the sounds of the officiating priests in Daksha’s abode and in the hermitage of the sacrificers, loudly reciting in yogic concentration. Hearing this, the great and all-knowing Lord, blazing with energy, became greatly enraged and spoke: “I was formerly created by the sage, the all-pervading one, with the command: ‘Create beings!’—thus was this statement truly spoken. Now, by whom has this act—the description of creation and its beginning—been performed?” Having spoken thus, the Supreme Lord, filled with great anger, roared.