In the western direction, the great-souled Ketumanta was anointed king by his father, just as, in his wisdom, he appointed his son Manu as the lord of all mankind. Through these noble sons, the entire earth—with its seven continents and countless cities—has ever been governed by righteousness, each region guided according to its proper order. In that ancient age known as the Svāyambhuva interval, it was Brahmā himself who anointed these sovereigns. Indeed, those who are chosen as Manus are consecrated as kings, upholding the cosmic law. As each Manvantara passes, the kings of the previous age depart, and new rulers are anointed when a fresh Manvantara begins. All those who have ruled in the past, and those who will rule in the future, are remembered as the lords of their respective Manvantaras. Among those illustrious ones, Pṛthu was anointed as king during the grand Rājasūya sacrifice by these foremost men, his sovereignty established according to the sacred rites of the Vedas. Having begotten these sons to continue the line of humanity, the greatly fortunate lord again took his place as master of all beings. Kaśyapa, longing for a noble lineage, undertook supreme austerity and prayed, “May I have two sons who will establish my line.” As he meditated with great focus, two sons appeared—portions of Brahmā himself, radiant with immense energy. These were Vatsāra and Asita, both wise and learned in the sacred utterances of Brahman. From Vatsāra was born Nidhruva, and from Raibhya, a descendant of great renown. From Raibhya sprang the distinguished Raibhya lineage. From Nidhruva, listen further: Sumedha was born to Cyavana and Sukanyā. The wife of Nidhruva became the mother of the Kuṇḍapāyins; from Asita and Ekaparṇā was born a Brahmin of the highest excellence. Heeding the words of the Śāṇḍilyas, Devala—renowned among sages—along with the Nidhruvas, Śāṇḍilyas, Raibhyas, and later the Kaśyapas, all continued these sacred lineages. The gods beginning with Vara are the offspring of Devala. When the four ages have passed and the eleventh Manu reigns, these lineages persist, continuing through the Dvāpara Yuga. From Mānas came his son Dama, and Mānas’s heir was known as Tṛṇabindu. At the dawn of the Tretā Yuga, a king was born in the third age, whose daughter Tviḍaviḍā was unmatched in beauty. This royal sage gave his radiant daughter in marriage to Pulastya. Viśravāḥ became the husband of Ṛṣi Tviḍaviḍā, and he took four wives, who together increased the lineage of the Paulastyas. Among the illustrious, Bṛhaspati—the revered preceptor of the gods—wed Devavarṇinī, a maiden of noble birth. From Mālyavat came two sons, Puṣpotkakaṭā and Vākā, while Kaikasī was the daughter of Mālin. Now, listen to the children born of these women. Devavarṇinī bore the eldest, Vaiśravaṇa, who was endowed with divine qualities, born in accordance with sacred law and tradition. He possessed the form of a Rākṣasa and the strength of an Asura. Vaiśravaṇa had a formidable appearance: three feet, a massive body, a large head, eight fangs, a tawny beard, conch-shaped ears, and a reddish hue. His arms were of unequal length, some short, some long; his form was tawny and fearsome, yet he was wise, knowledgeable in transformations, ever alert, and rich in wisdom. Seeing such a son, whose form seemed universal, his father declared, “He is Kubera,” naming him so by his own words. The word 'kuti' signifies reproach, and 'bera' means body; thus, because of his deformed body, he was marked with the name Kubera. Yet, as the son of Viśravas and resembling his father, he is also known in the world as Vaiśravaṇa. Through his prosperity, Kubera begot the famous Nalakūbara. Kaikasī bore Rāvaṇa, Kumbhakarṇa, the daughter Śūrpaṇakhā, and the fourth, Vibhīṣaṇa, as her sons. Rāvaṇa was born with ten heads, conch-shaped ears, tawny and red hair, four feet, twenty mighty arms, and immense size and strength. His complexion was black as collyrium, with fangs and a red neck, radiant with royal power and victorious in both form and might. Rāvaṇa, with true understanding and a strong body, was by nature a Rākṣasa—fierce and cruel, and thus called Rāvaṇa. In a previous birth, he had been the mighty king Hiraṇyakaśipu; as a Rākṣasa, he ruled for thirteen cycles of four ages. The twice-born sages declare that this reign lasted five crore years, and those skilled in reckoning count sixty-one niyutas. For sixty thousand years, Rāvaṇa caused great turmoil among gods and sages, keeping them ever vigilant. But in the twenty-fourth Tretā Yuga, when his ascetic power was spent, Rāvaṇa and his followers met their end at the hands of Rāma, the son of Daśaratha. Mahodaya, Prahasta, and Mahāpāṃśukhara were the sons of Puṣpotkaṭā, as was Kumbhīnasī, her daughter. Triśirā, Dūṣaṇa, and Vidyujjihva were fierce rākṣasas; Asalikā was the daughter of Vākā—these are remembered as her offspring. Thus, these ten rākṣasas born of Paulastya, fierce in their deeds, were of dreadful lineage and difficult even for the gods to withstand. All were endowed with boons, surrounded by sons and grandsons; and all the rākṣasas descended from Paulastya are also counted among the yakṣas. Among them are the cruel brahmarākṣasas of Agastya and Viśvāmitra, devoted to the Vedas, to austerity, and to the observance of vows. Among these, the king Iḍaviḍa, a Paulastya, is known as Savyapiṅgala; the others are Yajñamukha, forming three groups of rākṣasas. The Yātudhānas, Brahmadhānas, Vārttās, and those who roam by day are among them; four groups of night-dwellers are remembered by the sages. The Paulastyas, Naiṛtas, descendants of Agastya, and the Kauśikas—these seven lineages are remembered as the clans of rākṣasas among them.