In the very beginning, the great-souled Brahmā, wishing to nourish the world, milked the earth itself. He made Vāyu, the wind, the calf, and drew forth the seeds scattered across the surface as the earth’s milk. This act of milking the earth for its bounty was repeated throughout the ages, each time in a different Manvantara, the great cosmic intervals presided over by different Manus. During the earlier Svāyambhuva Manvantara, the earth was again milked. Svāyambhuva Manu became the calf, and Grīṣma, the spirit of summer, served as the milker. In the Svārociṣa Manvantara, wise Manu Svārociṣa himself became the calf and milked the earth, drawing out the crops as its nourishing milk. In the Uttama Manvantara, the god Devabhuja made Uttama Manu the calf and, with Anuttama as the milker, wisely drew forth all crops from the earth. This tradition continued in the Tāmasa Manvantara, where Balabandhu made Tāmasa the calf and milked the earth. When the Manvantara of Cāriṣṇava Deva arrived, the ancient one milked the earth, using Cāriṣṇava as the calf. Again, in the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, the ancient one milked the earth, making Cākṣuṣa the calf. After the end of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, with the arrival of Vaivasvata, Vainya milked the earth once more, just as had been described. Thus, in all these past intervals, the earth was milked by gods and others, by humans and beings of many kinds. In this way, it should be understood that in all past and future Manvantaras, the gods are ever-present. Now, listen to the story of the progeny of the great king Pṛthu. Pṛthu had two mighty sons, Antarddhāna and Pālin. From Antarddhāna were born Śikhaṇḍinī and Havirdhāna. Havirdhāna, with his wife Dhiṣaṇā, had six sons: Prācīnabarhis, Śukra, Gaya, Kṛṣṇa, Vraja, and Ajina. Among them, Prācīnabarhis was renowned as a blessed and powerful lord of creatures, distinguished by his strength, asceticism, and knowledge. He was called Prācīnabarhis because his sacred grass faced east. Prācīnabarhis took as his wife Savarṇā, the daughter of the ocean, born beyond the great darkness. From Savarṇā, Prācīnabarhis had ten sons known as the Pracetas. These Pracetas, masters of archery and united in righteous conduct, performed great austerities for ten thousand years, lying submerged in the waters of the ocean. While the Pracetas practiced their austerities, trees grew unchecked across the earth, causing a decline in the living beings. During the interval between Cākṣuṣa Manu and the next, the wind was repelled and could not blow, for the sky was blocked by the dense growth of trees. For ten thousand years, living beings were unable to move. Hearing of this calamity, the Pracetas, steadfast in their austerities and filled with wrath, released wind and fire from their mouths. The wind uprooted and dried up the trees, and the fire consumed them, resulting in the destruction of the forests. When only a few branches remained, King Soma approached the Pracetas and spoke to them. Recognizing the consequence and the need for the world’s continuance, King Prācīnabarhis and all the rulers abandoned their anger. Soma assured them that trees would be born again, and asked the Pracetas to let the fire and wind subside. He pointed to a radiant maiden among the trees, a precious jewel nurtured with cows, named Māriṣā, who had been formed from the trees themselves. Soma, having fostered her, advised the Pracetas to accept Māriṣā as their wife. Soma promised that by combining half of their energy with his own, a wise son would be born from Māriṣā: Dakṣa, the lord of creatures. Dakṣa, endowed with their fiery energy, would restore and increase the living beings on earth, which had been mostly burned. At Soma’s word, the Pracetas restrained their anger, accepted Māriṣā as their lawful wife, and conceived a child by their will. From the union of the ten Pracetas and Māriṣā was born Dakṣa, the lord of creatures, radiant with the splendor and vigor of Soma. At first, Dakṣa created beings from his mind, and later through union. Dakṣa created both immobile and mobile beings, bipeds and quadrupeds, all by his mind. Afterwards, he created women. He gave ten daughters to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, and twenty-seven to the Moon for the regulation of time. After these, he gave four daughters to Ariṣṭanemi, two to Bāhuputra, two to Aṅgiras, and one to Kṛśāśva. From these unions were born the gods, birds, cattle, serpents, Dānavas and Diti’s sons, Gandharvas, Apsarases, and other races. From that time onward, beings in this world are born from sexual union, whereas the earlier creation is said to have arisen from will, sight, and touch. The origin of the gods, asuras, divine sages, and the great-souled Dakṣa had already been described. A question arose: Dakṣa was said to be born from the life-breath of Prajapati, but how did he regain his Pracetas form? How did he, the grandson of Soma, become his own father-in-law? The wise are never deluded by the constant cycles of creation and dissolution among beings. In every age, Dakṣa and the others arise again and again, and are again dissolved; the wise are not confused by this. In those times, there was neither seniority nor juniority among beings; only austerity was considered superior, and power was the cause. Thus, the cycles of creation and the stories of Dakṣa and the Pracetas reveal the unending rhythm of the universe, where beings arise, flourish, and dissolve, guided by the wisdom and will of the divine.