With a humble heart, a devoted woman approached the lotus-eyed Lord, her mind filled with sacred longing. She prayed, “May I, by your grace, be blessed with worthy husbands in every birth, and may I have a son equal to Prajāpati. May my son possess noble lineage, character, truthfulness, generosity, reliability, virtue, service to elders, and gratitude. May I be endowed with beauty and wealth, pleasing to all, and, O Lord with lotus eyes, may I be born not from a womb, but by your special favor.” Hearing her earnest supplication, Soma recounted, the Lord of the gods, Hṛṣīkeśa, gently raised her as she bowed before him. As the supreme giver of boons, he spoke with compassion: “In a single birth, you will have ten husbands of great valor, renowned for their noble deeds. You shall obtain a son of immense strength and power, endowed with the qualities of Prajāpati. He will be the progenitor of lineages, and his offspring will fill the three worlds. By my grace, you will be born not from a womb, endowed with beauty and noble qualities, pleasing to the minds of all.” Having thus spoken, the Lord vanished from her sight. This woman, Māriṣā, was born as promised, and she became the wife of the ten Pracetas, O sons of kings. At Soma’s words, the Pracetas accepted Māriṣā as their wife, setting aside their anger toward the trees. From Māriṣā and the ten Pracetas was born Prajāpati Dakṣa, the most fortunate one, who had previously been the son of Brahmā. This Dakṣa, greatly blessed and wise, produced sons for the purpose of creation, generating offspring from himself. Following Brahmā’s command, Dakṣa created both inferior and superior beings, bipeds and quadrupeds, for the expansion of creation. At first, Dakṣa created by the power of his mind. He then produced women and gave ten to Dharma, thirteen to Kaśyapa, and twenty-seven to Soma, who regulate the course of time. From these unions arose the gods, demons, serpents, cows, birds, gandharvas, apsaras, danavas, and many others. From that time onward, O Maitreya, offspring have been born from sexual union. Previously, progeny were born from intention, sight, and touch, due to the extraordinary austerities of those accomplished ascetics. Maitreya, filled with curiosity, asked, “I have heard that Dakṣa was first born from the right thumb; how then, O great sage, was the son of the Pracetas born again? How did Dakṣa, the son of Soma, again become the father-in-law?” Parāśara replied, “Creation and dissolution are eternal among all beings; neither sages nor those with divine vision are confused by this. In every age, O best of sages, Dakṣa and others arise and are again dissolved; the wise are not bewildered by this. Previously, there was neither youngest nor eldest among them; austerity alone was esteemed, and brilliance was the cause.” Maitreya then asked, “O Brahman, describe to me in detail the origin of the gods, demons, gandharvas, serpents, and rakṣasas.” Parāśara continued, “Dakṣa was once instructed by Svayambhu to create beings. Listen to how he created living creatures. At first, Dakṣa created by mind alone: gods, sages, gandharvas, asuras, and serpents. But when these beings did not multiply, Dakṣa, reflecting for the sake of creation, considered anew. Desiring to create various beings through lawful union, he took Asikni, daughter of Virana, a prajapati endowed with great austerity and sustaining the worlds. For the purpose of creation, Dakṣa begot a thousand powerful sons in Asikni. Narada, wishing to increase the progeny, approached these sons, the Haryashvas, and spoke: ‘O mighty Haryashvas, you are set to produce offspring, but you do not know the nature of the earth. How will you create without knowing what lies within, above, and below? When movement is unobstructed in all directions, why do you not seek the end of the earth?’ Hearing these words, the Haryashvas departed in all directions and did not return, like rivers flowing to the ocean. When these sons were lost, Dakṣa begot another thousand sons by Vairuni, who were known as those with mottled horses. They too, desiring to increase the population, did not heed Narada’s previous words. They said to one another, ‘The path of our brothers must be followed; there is no doubt.’ ‘Having understood the measure of the earth, let us then create offspring,’ they declared. They also proceeded along that same path and, like their brothers, did not return. From that time, it is said, a brother who goes in search of another brother perishes in the same way; thus, one who knows this should not do so. Seeing his sons lost, Dakṣa became angry and cursed Narada. Still desiring creation, Dakṣa, the wise lord of creatures, then produced sixty daughters by Vairuni, as has been heard. He gave ten to Dharma, thirteen to Kashyapa, twenty-seven to Soma, and four to Arishtanemi. Thus, the creation of beings unfolded, O Maitreya, through the will and wisdom of Dakṣa, guided by divine instruction and cosmic purpose.