Shaunaka said: In the middle of the earth, the son of Svayambhu Manu established the doors for the path of birth.

The great devotee of Krishna, who is a true friend, renounced his elder brother for the sake of Krishna, who is the supreme being.

The son of Dvaipayana, endowed with great glory, is fully devoted to Krishna and also follows his path.

What did Maitreya ask? He approached the sage Viraja, who was seated in the sacred place, knowing the truth.

As they conversed, Soot began to narrate pure stories, like the Ganges water that purifies the lotus feet of Hari.

O Lord, may we chant your glories, which are auspicious and are the deeds of your divine play. Who would not be satisfied, drinking the nectar of your pastimes?

Thus questioned by the sages of Naimisharanya, the great sage spoke about the Supreme Lord, saying, 'Listen to this.'

Soot spoke: Hearing of the great lifting of the earth by the Lord, who took on a form of a boar, and the killing of Hiranyaksha, the sage was filled with joy and spoke to Bharat.

Vidura said: O Brahman, having created the progenitors during the creation of beings, what should I begin? Please enlighten me, O knower of the unmanifest path.

Those sages like Marichi and others, as well as the self-born Manu, how did they understand this by the order of Brahman?

What did the non-dual create, whether independently or through actions? Indeed, all this was conceived by the unified.

Maitreya said: By divine will, through the unfathomable, and with a single glance, the Supreme Lord arose, endowed with the three qualities.

From the predominance of rajas, the great one, prompted by divine will, was born, and he created the five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space.

Those that were incapable of being created individually, were collectively manifested by divine arrangement, forming the golden egg.

He, the Lord, who is the essence of the ocean of existence, is the non-material egg, and he is the one who brings forth the seasons.

From His navel, a lotus arose, shining like a thousand suns. Therein, the self-manifested Lord, the source of all life, appeared.

The one who is pervaded by the Lord rests in the water, creating the world as before with His own arrangement.

He created the knowledge with a shadow, the five great elements in front. The darkness of ignorance, the great ignorance, and the illusion of the supreme ignorance.

He emitted the body of the self, which is made of darkness, and the night was taken by the demigods and demons, born from hunger and thirst.

Those afflicted by hunger and thirst approached Him to be fed, saying, 'Do not protect him, kill him!'

The gods, being alarmed, do not let me be harmed. O, you who are the Yakshas and Rakshasas, protect me!

The deities, by their power, created the divine light from which they emerged. They, having become divine, accepted that light.

The god, having created the non-gods, was very greedy. Thus, they approached him with desire for union.

Then, laughing, the Lord, being pursued by the gods, became furious and, frightened, fell down.

He approached the Lord, the giver of boons, the remover of distress, to bestow grace upon the devotees, revealing himself according to their nature.

Protect me, O Supreme Soul, from whom these creatures have been created by your sending. These sinful ones are approaching me, O Lord.

You alone are the remover of the sufferings of the distressed beings in the worlds. You alone are the refuge of those who are afflicted by suffering.

He who is aware of this humility, by the vision of the distinct self, having been told to release the terrible soul, did indeed release it.

That lotus-like feet, intoxicated with love, which are adorned with a garland of Kanchika, are covered by the veil of the beautiful maidens.

The embrace of one another, continually rising like waves, is filled with the delightful laughter and glances of the beautiful ones.

The one who is shy, covered, and adorned with a blue garment, all the righteous beings are enchanted by her.

Oh, the beauty! Oh, the courage! Oh, her youthful age! Among those desiring her, she escapes like an unattainable wish.

Debating in many ways, they questioned that enchanting evening form with confidence.

Who are you, O beautiful one? What is your purpose here, O lady? By the beauty and wealth, you do not seem to be unfortunate.

Whosoever sees you, even by chance, their minds are captivated by the playful sport of the ball.

In the flourishing forest, the lotus of your feet repeatedly crushes the falling insects. In the middle, the great breast, burdened with sorrow, appears like a pure, serene vision of a beautiful group of flames.

Thus, the demons, intoxicated by the evening twilight, seized the woman who was enticing them with her charm.

Laughing, they inhaled the profound essence of their own selves. The Lord, with his beloved, created the groups of celestial beings and nymphs.

He released that beautiful body, radiant with light, which was dear to him. They, with joy, accepted it, leading the world.

Having created the beings and spirits, the Lord, with his own essence, observed the liberated ones with a closed gaze.

They took that body, known as Jṛmbhaṇā, created by the Lord. The sleep and the disturbance of the senses, by which it is seen in the beings, is called madness, which they torment with leftovers.

The Lord, who is eternal and powerful, created the groups of ancestors in an unseen manner, considering himself as the soul.

The fathers accepted that self-manifested body. The wise poets, who expand upon the worthy, also extend to the fathers.

He created the Siddhas and Vidyadharas by concealing them. He gave them the wonderful self, known as Antardhana.

The Lord created Kinnaras and Kimpurushas through his own essence, honoring them while observing the self-manifested self.

They, having taken that form which was abandoned by the Supreme Being, sang of it as if it were the very essence of their actions.

While enjoying with the body, he, lying down and deeply contemplating, in anger, released that form at the time of creation.

Those who were shorn of their hair, the serpents, cruel Nagas, were born from his body.

Considering himself as the doer, he, having accomplished his purpose, then created beings with his mind.

From them, he created his own city, the self-possessed man. Upon seeing them, the Prajapati praised them, who were created earlier.

Oh, how wonderful is this creation of the world! Indeed, what a great deed you have done. In which the actions are established, we partake of the food together.

Endowed with austerity and knowledge, and engaged in yoga with perfect concentration, the sage Hrisikesha created the desired progeny.

From them, each one received a portion of his own body. That is the essence of the meditation, the austerity, knowledge, and detachment.