Ṛbhu, the wise teacher, once gave Nidāgha a vivid lesson. He said, “Just as I now stand above and you are below, like the king and the elephant, I have shown you this example so you may understand.” Then Ṛbhu asked, “If you are like the king, best of the twice-born, and I am standing like the elephant, tell me—who is you and who am I?” Hearing these words, Nidāgha quickly grasped both of Ṛbhu’s feet and, with devotion, replied, “You are the revered teacher Ṛbhu, and I am Nidāgha.” Ṛbhu then spoke kindly, “No one’s mind is shaped by discipline as much as the disciple’s is by the teacher; therefore, I consider you to have attained the highest teacher. In brief, I have instructed you, O wise one, in the essence of the highest truth, as it was taught to me in its fullness.” Having thus spoken, Ṛbhu, the noble teacher, departed from Nidāgha. Nidāgha, having received this profound instruction, became wholly devoted to the supreme truth. At that moment, his mind perceived all beings as non-different, just as one devoted to Brahman attains the highest liberation. Parāśara then continued, “O knower of dharma, you too should cultivate equality towards friend and foe alike, recognizing the Self as present in all, O king. Just as the one sky appears white, blue, or of other colors due to various causes, so too the one Self, though truly undivided, appears as many through deluded vision. That which exists here as one alone—whatever it may be—is the imperishable; there is nothing else 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 concluded, “Thus addressed, the excellent king abandoned all 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 point, Maitreya addressed Parāśara, saying, “O teacher, you have fully described the existence of the earth, the oceans, the forms of the sun and other luminaries, and the details of the stars. You have narrated the creation of the gods and others, the sages, the origin of the four varṇas, and of beings born in other wombs as well. The stories of Dhruva and Prahlāda have been described in detail. Now, I wish to hear, in order, about all the remaining Manvantaras, and also about their rulers, 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 recount them to you in proper order. First was Svāyambhuva Manu, 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 already been described by me, along with the gods and the seven sages as appropriate.” “Now I shall describe the rulers, gods, sages, and their sons of the Svārociṣa Manvantara. In that age, the Pārāvata and Tushita gods existed, and Vipascit, of great strength, was the Indra. The seven sages were Ūrja, Stambha, Prāṇa, Vāta, Ṛṣabha, Niraya, and Parīvān. Caitra, Kimpuruṣa, and others were the sons of Svārociṣa. Thus, the second Manvantara has been explained; now listen to the next one.” “In the third interval, the Manu named Uttama appeared, and the lord of the gods was called Suśānti. Sudhāman, Satyā, Japā, Pratardana, and Vaśavartin—these five are known as the twelvefold groups. The seven great sages were sons of Vasiṣṭha. Aja, Paraśudīpta, and others were the sons of Uttama Manu.” “In the Tāmasa interval, the gods were called Supāras and also Harayas, Satyas, and Sudhiyas—these were the twenty-seven groups. Śivi was the Indra then, renowned for a hundred sacrifices. The seven sages of that time were Jyotirdhāma, Puthu, Kātya, Citrāgni, Dhanaka, and Pīvara. Nara, Khyāti, Keturūpa, Jānujaṅgha, and others—these were the sons of Tāmasa, all of great strength.” “In the fifth Manvantara, Manu was named Raivata and Vibhu was the Indra. The gods were Amitābhā, Bhūtarayā, Vaikuṇṭhas, and Susamedhas—fourteen groups in all. The seven sages were Hiraṇyaroma, Vedāśri, Ūrdhvabāhu, Vedabāhu, Sudhāma, Parjanya, and Avyaya. Balabandhu, Saṃbhāvya, Satyakā, and others—these sons became kings of great might.” “Svārociṣa, Uttama, Tāmasa, and Raivata—these four Manus are remembered as descended from Priyavrata. Having worshipped Viṣṇu through austerity, the royal sage Priyavrata obtained as rulers of the Manvantaras his own descendants.” “In the sixth Manvantara, the Manu was known as Cākṣuṣa, and Manojava was the Indra. The gods were Āpyā, Prasūta, Bhavyā, Pṛthukā, and Lekhā—these five, together with three others, formed the eight groups of gods. The sages were Sumedhā, Virajā, Haviṣmān, Uttama, Madhu, Atināmā, and Sahiṣṇu.” Thus, Parāśara recounted to Maitreya the succession of Manus, their sages, gods, and descendants, revealing the order and grandeur of the cosmic ages.