Vishnu, the Lord, is both the perishable and the imperishable—He is the sustaining force behind all that exists. He manifests as the unmanifested person, and takes on the forms of ornaments and weapons, which are not mere embellishments but expressions of His cosmic roles. Maitreya, eager for understanding, respectfully asks Parāśara to explain how Vishnu, abiding as the essence of these ornaments and weapons, sustains the entire universe. Parāśara, bowing to the immeasurable and all-powerful Vishnu, begins his explanation as it was taught to him by the sage Vasiṣṭha. He describes how the Blessed Hari, in the form of the Kaustubha gem, bears the self of this world—untouched, without qualities, and pure. The principal intellect resides in Mādhava as the form of the mace, alongside the mark of Śrīvatsa, supported by the infinite. The Lord carries the elements, the senses, and the twofold ego in the forms of the conch and the bow Śārṅga. He holds the mind, ever restless and swift as the wind, in the form of the discus, established in His hand. The garland Vaijayantī, with its five forms and borne by the wielder of the mace, is the collection of the causes of beings—it is called the garland of beings. All the senses, both of knowledge and action, are represented as arrows; Janārdana bears all of them. The spotless sword that Acyuta carries is knowledge itself, established in the sheath of ignorance. Thus, Parāśara tells Maitreya, the Lord Hṛṣīkeśa contains within Himself all: primordial matter, intellect, ego, elements, mind, senses, knowledge, and ignorance. Hari, though formless, assumes the forms of weapons and ornaments, taking on the form of māyā for the welfare of living beings. The lotus-eyed Lord sustains both the transformed primordial matter and the entire universe of beings; the Supreme Lord upholds all. Whatever is knowledge, ignorance, real, unreal, or imperishable—all resides in Madhusudana, the Lord of all beings. Through the divisions of time—kalās, kāṣṭhās, nimeṣas, days, seasons, years—the Blessed, sinless, and imperishable Hari is the very form of time. The earth world, the atmosphere, heaven, Mahar, Janas, Tapas, and Satya—these seven worlds are pervaded by the Supreme. Hari Himself, the support of all knowledge, abides as the soul and form of all worlds, and is the ancient origin even of the ancients. He abides in many forms—of gods, humans, animals, and others—possessing both form and formlessness, infinite, the source of all beings. The Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva Vedas, the Itihāsas, the Upavedas, and the teachings found in the Vedāntas; all the Vedāṅgas, the sayings of Manu and others, all the śāstras, narratives, and recitations; whatever poetry, dialogues, and all other compositions exist—these are the forms of sound that constitute the body of the great-souled Viṣṇu. Whatever things exist, whether with form or without, here or elsewhere—all these are truly His very body. For the one who realizes, “I am Hari, Janārdana; all this is myself—there is nothing else, no other cause or effect,” there is no further birth, nor do the pairs of opposites arise. Thus, Parāśara concludes, this is the first section of the Purāṇa, as it has been properly told. By retaining it, one is freed from sins. The merit gained by bathing at Puṣkara during Kārttikā for twelve years is attained by simply hearing this. Births among gods, sages, ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and others are granted to the one who listens, beginning with the gods. Maitreya, grateful, says, “O venerable one, you have properly explained all I asked regarding the creation and arrangement of the world. Of that portion concerning the creation which you described, I wish to hear more.” He recalls that Parāśara had mentioned Priyavrata and Uttānapāda as the two sons of Svāyambhuva, and that Dhruva was the son of Uttānapāda. Yet, Maitreya notes, Parāśara had not spoken of the descendants of Priyavrata, and requests to hear about them. Parāśara responds: Priyavrata took as his wife the daughter of Kardama. From that princess, he had ten sons and another. These sons were renowned for their wisdom, valor, discipline, and were beloved by their father. Their names were: Āgnīdhra, Agnibāhu, Vapuṣmān, Dyutimān, Medha, Medhātithi, Bhavya, Savana, Jyotiṣmān, and Satyanāma. Among them, Medha, Agnibāhu, and Putra were devoted to yoga. Born with great fortune, they remembered their past births and did not set their minds on kingship. Pure at all times, they acted rightly and without desire for results. Priyavrata divided the seven continents among his seven great-souled sons. He gave the Jambū continent to Āgnīdhra; the Plakṣa continent to Medhātithi; Vapuṣmān became king of Śālmalī; Jyotiṣmān was made ruler of the Kuśa continent; Dyutimān was appointed king of the Krauñca continent; and Bhavya became lord of the Śāka continent. Thus, the descendants of Priyavrata were established, each ruling their respective lands, carrying forward the cosmic order as ordained.