All poetry, dialogue, and every composition in this world—these are none other than manifestations of sound that form the very body of the great-souled Viṣṇu. Indeed, whatever exists, whether it possesses form or is formless, whether it is found here or elsewhere, all these are truly his own body. For one who realizes, “I am Hari, Janārdana; all this is myself—there is nothing else, no other cause or effect,” for such a one, O Ṭa, no more births await, nor do the pairs of opposites arise to trouble the mind. Thus, O twice-born, the first section of this Purāṇa has been properly recounted to you. By retaining its teachings, one is freed from all sins. The merit gained by bathing at Puṣkara during the month of Kārttikā for twelve years can be attained simply by hearing this, O Maitreya. Moreover, one who listens to these teachings, beginning with the gods, gains the possibility of birth among the gods, sages, ancestors, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, and others, O sage. At this, Maitreya addressed the venerable sage, saying, “O revered one, you have thoroughly explained all I asked concerning the creation and arrangement of the world. Yet, regarding the portion about the world’s creation that you described, O best of sages, I wish to hear more. You mentioned that Priyavrata and Uttānapāda were the two sons of Svāyambhuva Manu, and that Dhruva was the son of Uttānapāda. But you have not yet spoken, O twice-born, of the descendants of Priyavrata. I wish to hear about them; may you kindly tell me.” Sage Parāśara replied, “Priyavrata took as his wife the daughter of Kardama, and from that noble princess, O king, he had ten sons—and another besides. These sons of Priyavrata were renowned for their wisdom, valor, and discipline, and were dearly beloved by their father. Listen now to their names: Āgnīdhra, Agnibāhu, Vapuṣmān, Dyutimān, Medha, Medhātithi, Bhavya, Savana, and another son as well. Jyotiṣmān was the tenth, and Satyanāma was also a son. All these sons of Priyavrata were famed for their strength and heroism. Among them, Medha, Agnibāhu, and Putra were devoted to yoga. Born with great fortune, they remembered their past births and had no desire for kingship. Ever pure, O sage, they performed all actions rightly, free from attachment to results. Priyavrata, O best of sages, divided the seven continents among his seven great-souled sons. The Jambū continent he gave to Āgnīdhra; Medhātithi received the Plakṣa continent, another vast land. Vapuṣmān was anointed king of Śālmalī, Jyotiṣmān became ruler of the Kuśa continent, Dyutimān was made king of the Krauñca continent, and Bhavya became lord of the Śāka continent. Savana was established as king of the Puṣkara continent. Āgnīdhra, O best of sages, became the lord of Jambūdvīpa and had nine sons, each equal to Prajāpati in splendor. Their names were Nābhi, Kimpuruṣa, Harivarṣa, Ilāvṛta, Ramya, Hiraṇvān, Kuru, Bhadrāśva, and Ketumāla, a king of virtuous conduct. Now, O brāhmaṇa, hear how Jambūdvīpa was divided among them. The southern region called Himāhvān was given to Nābhi; the region named Hemakūṭa to Kimpuruṣa; the third region, Naiṣadha, to Harivarṣa; and Meru, the central region, to Ilāvṛta. The region at the foot of Nīla mountain was given to Ramya; the northern region called Śveta went to Hiraṇvān. The area north of Śṛṅgavān was given to Kuru, and the region east of Meru to Bhadrāśva. Ketumāla received the region of Gandhamadana. Thus, that lord of men allotted these lands to his sons. Having installed his sons in these regions, King Āgnīdhra went to the sacred Shalagrama to undertake ascetic practice, O Maitreya. In those eight regions, beginning with Kimpuruṣa, perfection is natural and happiness is attained effortlessly. There, the inhabitants do not experience the pairs of opposites, nor are they subject to old age or death. Righteousness and unrighteousness do not exist among them, nor are there distinctions of superior, inferior, or middling. There is no division of ages among them at any time in those eight regions. But the region called Himāhvān belonged to the great-souled Nābhi. His son, radiant and illustrious, was Rishabha, born of Merudevi. From Rishabha was born Bharata, the eldest of a hundred sons. Having ruled his kingdom according to dharma and performed various sacrifices, Rishabha installed his eldest son Bharata as lord of the earth. That highly fortunate one then went to the hermitage of Pulastya to practice asceticism, firmly resolved to follow the way of the forest-dweller. He performed austerities as prescribed, and as his penance grew severe, his body became emaciated, his veins standing out from his thinness. Naked, with only a strip of cloth in his mouth, he departed on the path of heroes. Thus, this region became renowned among the worlds as Bharata. Because his father gave this land to him when he set out for the forest, O Bharata, Sumati—a supremely righteous son—was born to Bharata. Having properly performed sacrifices, the father gave the desired kingdom to him; thus Bharata, lord of the earth, transferred his prosperity to his son.