King Prācīnabarhis, seeing the full consequence of his actions and understanding the importance of the world’s continuance, set aside his anger, as did all the other rulers who accompanied him. The trees, whose destruction had threatened the balance of life, would be reborn upon the earth; thus, the fire and wind that had raged were allowed to subside. Amidst the trees stood a radiant maiden, considered their precious jewel. Soma, the nourishing deity, spoke: “Foreseeing what is to come, I have nourished this maiden with cows. Her name is Māriṣā, and she is formed from the very trees themselves. Let her, fostered by Soma, become your wife.” Soma further declared, “By combining half of your energy and half of mine, a wise son will be born from Māriṣā—Dakṣa, the lord of creatures. He, endowed with your fiery energy, will, like fire itself, restore and increase the living beings on earth, which now have been mostly burned.” At Soma’s word, the ten Pracetas, restraining their anger toward the trees, accepted Māriṣā as their lawful wife. In Māriṣā, they conceived a child by their will, and from the union of the ten Pracetas and Māriṣā was born the illustrious lord of creatures, Dakṣa. Dakṣa, radiant and vigorous, was born with a portion of Soma’s essence. At first, Dakṣa created beings from his mind alone, and later, through union. Dakṣa’s creative power brought forth both immobile and mobile beings—bipeds and quadrupeds—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, many offspring arose. The account then omits the interval between Cākṣuṣa Manu and the sixth Manu, as well as that of Vaivasvata, the seventh lord of creatures. From these daughters were born 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; the earlier creation is said to have arisen from will, sight, and touch. The origin of the gods, asuras, divine sages, and the great Dakṣa had already been described. A question arose: “You have told of Dakṣa’s birth from the life-breath of Prajapati; how did that great ascetic regain his Pracetas form? O Suta, this is our doubt—please explain: how did Dakṣa, the grandson of Soma, become his father-in-law?” The sages and those men who possess knowledge are never deluded regarding 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. Previously, among them, there was neither seniority nor juniority; austerity alone was considered superior, and power was the cause. Whoever knows this creation of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, both moving and unmoving, surpasses the lifespan of mortals and is honored in the heavenly world. Thus, the creation of the Cākṣuṣa Manu, existing together, has been described. These six secondary creations, beginning with Svāyambhuva and ending with Cākṣuṣa, are recounted in order. These creations have been told according to the narrator’s understanding; their full detail is to be known in the creation of Vaivasvata. All the creations of Vivasvat are countless and not excessive; according to health, lifespan, righteousness, desire, and wealth—whoever recites these qualities without envy attains them. Now, the narrator promised to speak of the creation of the great-souled Vaivasvata, both in summary and in detail. Sūta continued: In the seventh cycle, during the time of Manu Vaivasvata, the gods and supreme sages were born from Marīci and Kaśyapa. Eight classes of gods are remembered: the Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Sādhyas, Viśve, Maruts, Bhṛgus, and Āṅgirasas. The Ādityas, Maruts, and Rudras are sons of Kaśyapa; the Sādhyas, Vasus, and Viśve are three groups, sons of Dharma. From Bhṛgu was born the Bhārgava god, and from Aṅgiras, the son called Āṅgirasa; at the end of the Vaivasvata period, these gods are always born from desire. This present creation is known as the Marīci creation; among them, the present mighty Indra is renowned by name. Those who have passed, those yet to come, and those who exist now—all the Indras of the Manvantaras possess similar characteristics. The lord of past, present, and future—the thousand-eyed Purandara—all those called Maghavan, horned, wielders of the thunderbolt, have each performed a hundred sacrifices, each a hundredfold. All beings in the three worlds, whether powerful or weak, are governed, even by causes such as righteousness and others. By brilliance, austerity, intellect, strength, learning, and valor, those who are lords of past, present, and future become powerful. Sūta promised to explain all this. The past, present, and future are known as the three worlds by the twice-born. This earth is called Bhūloka, the atmosphere is called Bhuvaḥ, and the future is called heaven. Sūta began to explain the means for these worlds: When one meditates with the desire for a son, it was declared by Brahmā at the beginning—‘Bhūḥ’ was first uttered, and then this world, Bhūloka, came into being. In this existent, the word ‘bhavat’ was spoken again by Brahmā; because of being seen as existence, this world became Bhūloka; therefore, this first world is called Bhūḥ by the twice-born because it exists. In this existent, the word ‘bhavat’ was again spoken by Brahmā; ‘bhavat’ refers to what is coming into being, and this is called the word for time. From ‘becoming’ (bhavana), the world Bhuvarloka is explained by those who know etymology; the atmosphere is called Bhuvaḥ, and thus the second world is named. When Bhuvarloka had arisen, Brahmā again uttered the third word, ‘bhavya’; therefore, the world called Bhavya came into being. Thus, the creation unfolds, revealing the origins of beings, the cycles of time, and the wisdom behind the worlds.