Hear now the sacred account of the cosmic order as revealed by Parāśara to the sage Maitreya. In each Manvantara—the age of a Manu—the gods, sages, and rulers are established anew. Among the gods of one such era are the Cākṣuṣas, the Pavitras, the Kaniṣṭhas, the Bhrājikas, and Vācavṛddha. Then, Parāśara names the seven revered sages: Agnibāhu, Śuci, Śukra, Māgadha, Ognīdhra, Yukta, and Jita. As for the sons of Manu, they are Ūruga, Gambhīra, Buddhi, and others, who rule the earth as has been described. At the close of the four ages, confusion arises in the Vedas, and it is then that the seven sages descend from heaven to earth, reviving the sacred knowledge. At the dawn of each cycle, Manu himself is born as the promulgator of dharma, and the gods who partake in sacrifices remain throughout that Manvantara. The sons of Manu and their descendants protect the earth for as long as they endure, preserving order across the age. Within every Manvantara, Manu, the seven sages, the gods, and the kings—who are the sons of Manu—exist, with Indra as their chief. When fourteen Manvantaras have passed, a complete Kalpa is said to be fulfilled, equal to a thousand ages. The night of that Kalpa is of equal measure; then, Brahmā, assuming his form, sleeps as Śeṣa amidst the cosmic waters. During this time, the blessed Lord, Janārdana—the all-creating source of all beings—abides in his own Māyā, having swallowed the three worlds. When the Blessed Lord awakens, just as before, he again creates the world anew, endowed with the quality of passion, in each Kalpa. The Manus, rulers of earth, Indras, gods, and seven sages are the sattvic portions who uphold the world. It is Viṣṇu, whose activity is the preservation of the world, who establishes the order of the four ages. In the Kṛta age, he assumes the form of Kapila and others, bestowing supreme knowledge as the soul of all beings, devoted to their welfare. In the Treta age, the Lord protects the three worlds as a universal emperor, subduing the wicked. In Dvapara, he takes the form of Vyāsa, dividing the single Veda into four, and multiplying it into countless branches. At the end of Kali, Hari appears as Kalki, establishing the path for those of bad conduct. Thus, the infinite Self eternally creates, protects, and destroys the world; nothing surpasses him. Parāśara declares to Maitreya that the existence of all beings—past, present, and future—has been described, and that all the Manvantaras and their rulers have been recounted. Maitreya then asks: “I have learned from you how all this world is Vishnu, in Vishnu, and from Vishnu; nothing exists beyond him. I wish to hear how the great soul, in the form of Vyāsa, divides the Vedas in every age. Who was Vyāsa in each age, and how were the branches divided?” Parāśara replies: “O Maitreya, the divisions of the Veda and its branches are countless; I cannot describe them all in detail, but hear them in brief. In every Dvapara, Vishnu, in the form of Vyāsa, divides the single Veda into many, for the welfare of the world. Seeing the diminished strength, energy, and power of humans, he divides the Vedas for the benefit of all beings. By whatever body he divides the Veda, that form is called Vedavyasa. In each Manvantara, the Vyasas and their divisions are as follows. The Veda has been divided twenty-eight times by sages in the Dvapara ages of the Vaivasvata Manvantara. The twenty-eight past Vedavyasas, who divided the Veda into four in each Dvapara, are: In the first Dvapara, Svayambhu divided the Veda; in the second, it was Prajapati; in the third, Ushanas; in the fourth, Brihaspati; in the fifth, Savita; in the sixth, Mrityu, the Lord. In the seventh cycle, Indra is remembered; in the eighth, Vasiṣṭha; in the ninth, Sārasvata; in the tenth, Tridhāmā. The eleventh is Triśikha; then Bharadvāja; the thirteenth is Āntarikṣa; the fourteenth is Varṇī. The fifteenth is Trayyaruṇa; the sixteenth, Dhanaṃjaya; the seventeenth, Kratuṃjaya; then Jaya. After Jaya, Vyāsa, son of Bharadvāja; then Gautama; then Haryātmā. After Haryātmā, Vājaśravā; then Somaśuṣkāyaṇa; then Tṛṇabiṃdu. From Ṛkṣa, Bhūdbhārgava; then Vālmīki; then my father Śakti; then myself, Parāśara. From me, Jātukarṇa arose; after him, Kṛṣṇadvaipāyana. These are the twenty-eight ancient compilers of the Veda. In each Dvapara and other ages, the single Veda was divided into four by these sages, ensuring the preservation and transmission of sacred knowledge through the cycles of time.