As the illustrious son of Shiva and Agni appeared, the foremost among the Gandharvas sang joyously throughout the heavens. All the Yakshas, Vidyadharas, Siddhas, and Kinnaras joined in their celestial music, celebrating this wondrous birth. Gathering around the radiant child were thousands of great serpents and noble birds, drawn to his brilliance. So powerful was his radiance that the demons, Danavas, and Rakshasas were subdued, unable to withstand his light. This divine child, born from Agni, was seen at the very beginning of the sacred ritual, surrounded by the wives of the seven sages—except Arundhati, who was away performing ablutions. Surrounded by these revered mothers, the fierce and resplendent lord, shining like the young sun, was cherished deeply by them. Desiring to please all the goddesses at once, the illustrious son of Jahnu—resplendent with great splendor—manifested six faces, so each mother could see him and be delighted. Glorious and lotus-eyed, he shone like the rising sun, and his very birth overwhelmed the worlds with his brilliance. This great birth was so formidable that it scattered the hosts of Danavas, and for this reason, he became known as the mighty Skanda. Since he was nurtured by the Krittikas in ancient times, he was also called Karttikeya, the slayer of the Asuras. When, as the enemy of the Daityas, he yawned, from his mouth—encircled by a garland of flames—his own invincible power emerged. For the sport of Skanda, the mighty Vishnu created two noble birds: Garuda and the son of Aditi. Vayu bestowed upon him the peacock, the rooster, and the banner; Sarasvati gave the great, resounding vina; Svayambhu gave the ram; and Shambhu presented the sheep. In the play of divine illusion, the mountain Krauncha was struck down, and the great Asura Taraka was raised up and then slain. Then, in the company of Indra, Upendra, and all the illustrious gods, the son of Agni was anointed as the commander of the army—the mighty foe of the Daityas. Thus, he became known as the commander of the divine hosts, the leader of men, Skanda, destroyer of the enemies of the gods, and lord of all the worlds. He was surrounded by various Pramathas, Davas, hosts of Bhutas, diverse Mothers, and groups of Vinayakas. Meanwhile, a maiden beheld a wondrous vision: aerial chariots falling from the sky, herself cast down from heaven, and among them, she saw her ancestors—reduced to the size of dust motes, subtle and abandoned, their sacrificial fires untended, like extinguished flames. As she fell, she bowed her head and cried out to them, “Protect me!” Her ancestors reassured her, saying, “Do not fear,” and she sought to appease them with plaintive words. They addressed her, “O fair-smiling one, deprived of prosperity by your own fault, you must practice austerity to regain your fortune. Whatever acts are performed by the gods with bodies, by those very acts do they obtain their results. Deeds bear fruit immediately, whether as a god, after death, or in human form. Therefore, after death, you will obtain the fruit of being Amāvasvapatī.” Thus appeased, the ancestors bestowed their favor upon her out of compassion. Seeing that the destined event was certain, the gods, the Soma-drinkers, the Pitris, and the king’s daughter of Amāvasu spoke: “When you are born on earth as a human, O great one, you will again attain your own worlds. In the twenty-eighth Dvapara, you will be born from the womb of a fish, as the daughter of this very king Amāvasu, from Adrikā. You will give birth to the heir of the sage Parāśara, who will divide the one Veda into four. You will also bear two sons of Mahābhiṣa, the renowned Śantanu—Vicitravīrya, who knows dharma, and Citrāngada, a king endowed with energy, strength, and virtue. After producing these sons, you will regain your worlds.” They explained, “Because of your transgression against the Pitris, you will obtain a blameworthy birth, becoming the daughter of that same king in Adrikā. But as a maiden, you will then attain these worlds.” Thus, the daughter of Dāśa became Satyavatī. Born as the daughter in Adrikā, as Matsyā, the daughter of Amāvasu, she emerged from Adrikā as a fish at the confluence with the Ganga. She was the daughter of that king, always possessing royal prowess. Her worlds were called Virajā, and those hosts shone in heaven. There, the Pitris called Agnishvattas are remembered—radiant and shining. The hosts of Danavas, Yakshas, Rakshasas, Gandharvas, Kinnaras, Bhutas, Serpents, and Pisachas honor them, seeking rewards. These are said to be the sons of Pulaha, the lord of creatures; three such groups are declared, upholding dharma and auspicious forms. Among them, a mind-born daughter named Pīvarī became renowned—a yogini, a yogic wife, and the mother of yoga. In the Dvapara, at the twenty-eighth cycle, a great ascetic named Śuka would be born, sprung from the lineage of Parāśara. This illustrious yogin, the foremost among the twice-born, was born from Vyāsa in the forest, shining like a smokeless fire. From that daughter of the Pitris, he produced renowned teachers of yoga: Krishna, Gaura, Prabhu, Shambhu, and Bhurishruta. He also begot Kīrtimatī, a maiden yogini and mother of yoga, who became the mother of Brahmadatta and the queen of Vaṇuha. Having produced these children, the righteous one, having attained yoga and great asceticism, reached the state from which there is no return.