to him by his disciples that dispeller of all kinds of darkness represented by ignorance, viz., the blessed Vyasa, the son of Parasara, said these words:  have undergone very severe, in fact, the austerest of penances.  Ye best of men, I am fully conversant with the Past, the Present, and the Future.  In consequence of those penances of mine and of the restraint under which I kept my senses while I dwelt on the shores of the Ocean of milk, Narayana became gratified with me.  As the result of the great God’s gratification, this omniscience with respect to the Past, the Present, and the Future, that was desired by me, arose in my mind.  Listen now to me as I discourse to you, in due order, on this great doubt that has disturbed your minds.  I have, with the eye of knowledge, beheld all that occurred in the beginning of the Kalpa.  He whom both the Sankhyas and those conversant with Yoga call by the name of Paramatma (the Supreme Soul) comes to be regarded as Mahapurusha (the Great Purusha) in consequence of his own acts.  From Him springs forth Abyakta (the Unmanifest), whom the learned call Pradhana.  From the puissant Unmanifest sprang, for the creation of all the words, the Manifest (Byakta).  He is called Aniruddha.  That Aniruddha is known among all creatures by the name of the Mahat Atma.  It is that Aniruddha who, becoming manifest, created the Grandsire Brahman.  Aniruddha is known by another name, viz., Ahankara (consciousness) and is endued with every kind of energy.  Earth, Wind, Space, Water, and Light numbering the fifth, these are the five Mahabhutas (elements) that have sprung from Ahankara.  Having created the Mahabhutas (five in number), he then created their attributes.[1845] Combining the Mahabhutas, he then created diverse embodied Being.  Listen to me as I recount them to you.  Marichi, Angiras, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratu, the high-souled Vasishtha, and the Self-born Mann, these should be known as the eight Prakritis.  Upon these rest all the worlds.  Then the Grandsire of all the world, viz., Brahman, created, for the fulfilment of all creatures, the Vedas with all their branches, as also the Sacrifices with their limbs.  From these eight Prakritis have sprung this vast universe.  Then sprang Rudra from the principle of wrath, starting into life, he created ten others that were like him.  These eleven Rudras are called by name of Vikara-Purushas.  The Rudras, the (eight) Prakritis, and the several celestial Rishis, having started into life, approached Brahman with the object of upholding the universe and its operations.  Addressing the Grandsire, they said, We have been created, O holy one, by thee, O thou of great puissance.  Tell each of us, O Grandsire, the respective jurisdiction we shall be vested with.  What particular jurisdictions have been created by thee for supervising the different affairs?  We, each, should be endued with what kind of consciousness and shall take charge of which of these?  Do thou ordain also unto each of us the measure of strength that we are to have for discharging the duties of our respective jurisdictions.’  Thus addressed by them, the great god replied unto them in the following way.