In this world, when it was destitute of brightness and light, and

enveloped all around in total darkness, there came into being, as the

primal cause of creation, a mighty egg, the one inexhaustible seed of all

created beings. It is called Mahadivya, and was formed at the beginning

of the Yuga, in which we are told, was the true light Brahma,

the eternal one, the wonderful and inconceivable being present alike in all places ; the invisible and subtile cause, whose nature partaketh

of entity and non-entity. From this egg came out the lord Pitamaha

Brahma, the one only Prajapati ; with Suraguru and Sthanu. Then

appeared the twenty-one Prajapatis, viz., Manu, Vasishtha and Parameshthi

; ten Prachetas, Daksha, and the seven sons of Daksha. Then

appeared the man of inconceivable nature whom all the Rishis know

and so the Viswe-devas, the Adityas, the Vasus, and the twin Aswins ;

the Yakshas, the Sadhyas, the Pisachas, the Guhyakas, and the Pitris.

After these were produced the wise and most holy Brahmarshis, and the

numerous Eajarshis distinguished by every noble quality. So the water,

the heavens, the earth, the air, the sky, the points of the heavens,

the years, the seasons, the months, the fortnights, called Pakshas, with

day and night in due succession. And thus were produced all things

which are known to mankind.