After making his gifts, he bestowed four daughters upon Ariṣṭanemi, two upon Bāhuputra, another two upon Aṅgiras, and one to Kṛśāśva. Now, listen to the account of their descendants. At this point, the narrative sets aside the interval between Cākṣuṣa Manu and the sixth Manu, as well as that of Vaivasvata, the seventh progenitor of beings. From these unions were born the gods, birds, cattle, serpents, Dānavas and Diti’s sons, Gandharvas, Apsarases, and many other races. From that time onward in the world, all beings have been born through sexual union; but the earlier creation, it is said, arose through will, vision, and touch alone. The origin of the gods, the asuras, the divine sages, and the great-souled Daksha has already been described. You have told us of Daksha’s birth from the life-breath of Prajapati, but how did that great ascetic regain his form as Pracetas? O Suta, this is our doubt—please explain: how did Daksha, the grandson of Soma, become his father-in-law? The best among beings, the sages, and those men of true knowledge are never deluded by the ceaseless cycles of creation and dissolution among beings. In every age, all these—Daksha and the others—arise again and again, and are again dissolved; the wise are never confused by this. O best of the twice-born, in earlier times among these beings there was neither seniority nor juniority; only austerity was considered the mark of greatness, and strength was the cause of distinction. Whoever truly knows the creation of the Cākṣuṣa Manvantara, both moving and unmoving, surpasses the lifespan of mortals and is honored in the heavenly realms. Thus, the creation of the Cākṣuṣa Manu, existing together, has been described. These six secondary creations, beginning with Svāyambhuva and ending with Cākṣuṣa, have been recounted in order. O best of the twice-born, these creations have been told as I understand them; their full detail can be found in the account of Vaivasvata’s creation. All the creations of Vivasvat are countless and never excessive; according to health, lifespan, righteousness, desire, and wealth—whoever recites these qualities without envy will attain them. Now, I shall speak of the creation of the great-souled Vaivasvata, both in summary and in detail. Listen as I narrate. Sūta continued: Then, in the seventh cycle, during the time of Manu Vaivasvata, the gods and supreme sages were born from Marīci and Kaśyapa. The Ādityas, Vasus, Rudras, Sādhyas, Viśve, Maruts, Bhṛgus, and Āṅgirasas—these eight classes of gods are remembered. Of these, the Ādityas, Maruts, and Rudras are sons of Kaśyapa; the Sādhyas, Vasus, and Viśve are three distinct groups, sons of Dharma. From Bhṛgu was born the Bhārgava god, and from Aṅgiras, the son called Āṅgirasa; at the end of each Vaivasvata period, these gods are always born from desire. This present creation is to be 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 are to be known as possessing similar characteristics. The lord of past, future, and present—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 overcome and governed—even by the subtle forces such as righteousness and others. By brilliance, austerity, intellect, strength, learning, and valor, those who are lords of past, present, and future become powerful; I shall explain all this—listen as I speak. 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. Now I will tell you the origins of these. 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 it is 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. The word 'bhavya' refers to what is yet to come; therefore, that world is called Bhavya, but by name it is remembered as heaven. The third world was called 'svar' (heaven); thus, the world called Bhavya came into being; the root 'bhū' is applied to what is to be in the future. Thus, this earth is called Bhūḥ, the atmosphere is called Bhuvaḥ, and heaven is called Bhavya; this is the summary of the three worlds. With these utterances associated with the three worlds, the three vyāhṛtis (sacred utterances) arose; the root 'nātha' is known by those who understand roots as meaning 'to protect.' Because they are the lords of the worlds—of the past, the future, and the present—their lords are called Indras by the twice-born. The chief among the gods are the Indras, and there are also those endowed with qualities; in each Manvantara, the gods who receive a share of the sacrifice are such. Yakṣas, Gandharvas, Rākṣasas, Piśācas, serpents, and Dānavas—all these are known as the powers of the Indras of the gods. The Indras of the gods are teachers, lords, kings, and ancestors; these excellent gods protect all these beings here through righteousness. Thus, the characteristics of the Indras of the gods have been briefly described; now I will tell you of the seven sages who presently reside in heaven. They are Gādhija, the wise Kauśika, Viśvāmitra of great austerity, Bhārgava Jamadagni, and Ūruputra, mighty in valor—thus begins the account of the illustrious Ṛṣis of this age.