Moved by the suffering of humanity, the Lord, creator of all worlds, was stirred with compassion, just as a loving father grieves for the pain of his children. For a moment, the Lord of beings paused and pondered deeply: “How might the suffering of these hopeless, short-lived mortals be brought to an end?” Reflecting thus, the blessed Lord created anew the paths of austerity, righteousness, charity, truth, and holy places, hoping these would bring relief. Yet, after creating these, the divine creator realized: “By these alone, the end of all suffering for people is not attained.” He understood that Nirvana is the supreme happiness—where one is neither born nor dies—and that it is attained only through knowledge. For crossing over worldly existence, knowledge alone is the means for a living being; austerity, charity, and pilgrimage are but minor aids. Therefore, resolved to liberate noble humanity from suffering, the Lord decided to reveal the direct means for crossing over. Thus reflecting, the blessed Brahma, seated upon the lotus, conceived me in his mind and brought me forth. Having arisen from some mysterious source, I appeared quickly before my father, just as one wave follows another, O sinless one. The Lord held a water pot, and so did I; he wore a rosary, and I too wore a rosary. Bowing respectfully, I greeted him. Calling me, “Come, my son,” he joined me with his hand to the northern petal of his own lotus, like a white cloud joining the moon. Clad in deer skin, as was he, my father Brahma, like a swan to a lotus, spoke to me. He said, “For a moment, my son, let your mind—restless as a monkey—be enveloped in ignorance, as the moon is covered by a hare.” Quickly cursed by him, I, the twice-born, immediately forgot all my pure nature. Dejected, I remained with an awakened mind, tormented by sorrow and pain, like a lowly person among people. I pondered silently, “How did this fault called worldly existence arise?” Then my father addressed me: “Son, why are you sorrowful? Ask me the remedy for sorrow, and you shall always be happy.” Thus questioned, the blessed one, creator of all worlds, seated on a golden lotus petal, gave me the medicine for the disease of worldly existence. He asked: “How has this great suffering called worldly existence arisen, and how is it brought to an end for a living being?” The purifying and supreme knowledge was then explained to me in great detail; by knowing it, I became, it seems, even greater than my father. Having understood what was to be known and established in my own nature, the creator of the world, the speaker and cause of all, addressed me: “By a curse, you were brought to the state of ignorance; I made you the questioner, so that the essence of knowledge might be imparted to your sons for the accomplishment of all people. Now, freed from the curse, you have attained supreme awakening; I am established as one with myself, like gold from gold. Go now to the seat of the earth, to the region within Jambudvīpa; O noble one, go to Bhāratavarṣa for the sake of benefiting the world. There, O wise son, you should instruct those devoted to ritual acts, who are orderly in the sequence of ritual practices. Likewise, those whose minds are detached, who possess great wisdom and are free from passion, O noble one, you should instruct with knowledge that bestows bliss.” Thus, commanded by my father, the lotus-born, I remain here, O Raghava, until the succession of beings is complete. I have a duty to perform; there is nothing here for me except to remain as long as necessary. With this conviction, I stay in the world. With my mind always tranquil and as if perpetually asleep, I carry out my tasks, yet I do nothing at all. All this, O sinless one, I have told you—the descent of knowledge upon earth—according to my own intention and as imagined by the lotus-born. Now, you are to hear this supreme knowledge today; your mind is greatly eager, arising from the fruits of great virtue. O Brahman, you ask: How did the mind of the blessed one begin to function in the world, in the descent of knowledge, immediately after creation? In the supreme Brahman, Brahma arose by his own nature as a constant vibration, like a wave in the ocean. Having thus created the extended creation and all its courses, the supreme Lord perceived the states of past, present, and future. When the period of proper rites and the age of the first creation had come to an end, the Lord, seeing the delusion of the worlds, was moved to compassion. Then, the Lord created me, repeatedly engaging me through knowledge, and sent me forth upon the earth to bring peace to the ignorance of the world. Just as I was dispatched by Him, so too were many other great sages, led by Sanatkumara, as well as Narada and numerous others. Through the course of righteous action and likewise through the path of knowledge, we were instructed to uplift the world, which was bound by the vast illusion of the mind. Then, when the great sages had acted, and the Krita Yuga had waned in ancient times, as purity in the course of action diminished and the earth became thinner, For the purpose of establishing the order of action and regulating boundaries, kings were appointed in various regions, each according to their division of the land. Many treatises on tradition and rituals, as well as texts on sacrifice, were devised and proclaimed upon the earth for the attainment of righteousness, desire, and wealth.