Just as a house made of clay becomes firm and strong when coated with more clay, so too is this body composed of countless atoms of earth. All the grains we eat—barley, wheat, pulses—as well as clarified butter, oil, milk, curd, jaggery, fruits, and all such foods are themselves made of these same earthly atoms. Understanding this, one should reflect on the seeming differences between what is delicious and what is not, and remain even-minded. For true equanimity is the path to liberation. When Nidāgha, the devoted seeker, heard these words, which were founded on the highest truth, he bowed low before the great sage and spoke humbly, “Be gracious, O revered one, and tell me for my good why you have come here. Upon hearing your words, O Brāhmaṇa, my delusion has vanished.” The sage then revealed his identity: “I am Ṛbhu, your teacher, come here to bestow knowledge upon you. Now that I have declared to you the highest truth, I shall depart.” He continued, “Know this: all this world is one, undivided. It is the true nature of the Supreme Self, known as Vāsudeva.” Having thus instructed Nidāgha, Ṛbhu received his disciple’s worship and deep reverence, and departed as he wished. A thousand years passed. Then Ṛbhu, moved by compassion, returned once more to the city to impart further knowledge to Nidāgha. Outside the city gates, the sage saw Nidāgha, who was surrounded by a great retinue as he entered the city of the king. Ṛbhu observed Nidāgha standing at a distance, avoiding the crowd, his throat parched, coming from the forest with sacrificial grass and sticks in hand. Approaching, Ṛbhu greeted Nidāgha and asked, “Why are you standing here alone, O twice-born?” Nidāgha replied, “O Brāhmaṇa, there is a great crowd here, O lord of men. Wishing to avoid it, I am standing here outside the beautiful city.” Ṛbhu then asked, “Who here is the king, and who are the others? Tell me, best of the twice-born, for I consider you wise.” Nidāgha answered, “He who is mounted on the great elephant, whose head rises like a mountain peak, is the king; the rest are others.” But Ṛbhu pressed further, saying, “These two, the king and the elephant, are both equally visible to me. Yet you, without distinction, do not mark them as separate.” He continued, “Therefore, O illustrious one, tell me the distinction between these two. I wish to know: who here is the elephant, and who is the king?” Nidāgha clarified, “O Brāhmaṇa, the one below is the elephant; the one above is the king.” Ṛbhu, however, replied, “I know this, O Brāhmaṇa, just as you do. But why do you speak in such a way, and what else are you indicating?” Thus addressed, Nidāgha quickly mounted up and said, “Listen, I will explain what you have asked me. Just as I am now above and you are below like the elephant, so, O Brāhmaṇa, I have shown you this example for your understanding. If you are like the king, best of the twice-born, and I am standing like the elephant, then tell me—which is you and which am I?” Ṛbhu, hearing this, saw Nidāgha quickly take hold of both his feet and say, “You are the revered teacher Ṛbhu, and I am Nidāgha.” Ṛbhu then spoke with great affection, “No one else’s mind is shaped by discipline as much as the disciple’s by the teacher; therefore, I consider you to have attained the highest teacher. Thus, in brief, I have instructed you, O wise one, in the essence of the highest truth, as it was taught to me in full.” Having spoken thus, Ṛbhu, the compassionate teacher, departed from Nidāgha. And Nidāgha, having received this instruction, became devoted to the supreme truth. From that moment, his mind perceived all beings as non-different; just as one devoted to Brahman attains supreme liberation, so did Nidāgha, O twice-born one. Thus, O knower of dharma, you too should be equal towards friend and foe, recognizing the Self as present in all, O king. Just as the one sky appears as white, blue, and so on, due to differences, so too does the one Self, though truly one, appear as many through the deluded vision of ignorance. That which exists here as one alone—whatever it may be—is the imperishable; there is nothing beyond it. I am that, you are that, and all this is that. Abandon the delusion of difference, which arises from ignorance of the Self. Parāśara, the sage, said: Thus instructed, the excellent king abandoned the notion of difference and attained the vision of ultimate reality. Endowed with recollection of past births and true knowledge, he attained liberation in that very life. Whoever, with devotion, tells or hears this account of the noble king Bharata, gains a pure mind, is freed from self-delusion, and becomes fit for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. At this, Maitreya spoke: “O teacher, you have fully described the existence of the earth, oceans, and so on, as well as the forms of the sun and other luminaries, and the details of the stars. You have narrated the creation of the gods and others, and also of the sages—the origin of the four varṇas and of beings born in other wombs as well. You have described in detail the stories of Dhruva and Prahlāda. Now, I wish to hear, in order, about all the remaining Manvantaras, and also the rulers of the Manvantaras, along with their leaders and followers, as you have recounted. These too, O teacher, I wish to hear from you.” Śrī Parāśara replied, “The Manvantaras that have passed and those yet to come—I shall properly recount them to you, in order. Svāyambhuva Manu was first, then Svārociṣa, followed by Uttama, Tāmasa, Raivata, and then Cākṣuṣa. These six Manus have passed; now, the son of the sun, Vaivasvata, is the Manu of the present Manvantara. The Svāyambhuva Manvantara at the beginning of the kalpa has been described by me, along with the gods and the seven sages, as appropriate.