"The divine Brahma, influenced by their material energies, having created these beings, made others of his own will. Birds he formed from his vital vigour; sheep from his heart; goats from his mouth; kine from his belly and sides; and horses, elephants, sarabhas, gayals, deer, camels, mules, antelopes, and other animals from his feet: whilst from the hairs of his body sprang herbs, roots, and fruits." In this manner all things are said to have sprung from Brahma; they were with him in the egg: hence this is an account of evolution, rather than of creation. The creation of man, as divided into four castes, is described in this Purana, in similar terms to those in Manu.

Following this is the account of the mind-born sons of Brahma--Bhrigu, Daksha, and others--nine in number, who became the progenitors of men. [**] Next "Brahma created himself as Manu Swayambhu, born of, and identical with, his original self, for the protection of created beings: and the female portion of himself he constituted Satarupa, whom austerity purified from the sin (forbidden nuptials), and whom the divine Manu Swayambhu took to wife." After this follows a long account of the descendants of these mind-born sons; and it is then shown how by the production of the amrita at the churning of the ocean the gods obtained immortality, and the work of creation for this age was complete.

With some variations this is the story of the creation as told in the Puranas. In some, greater prominence is given to parts that are only lightly touched upon in this account; whilst other incidents are more fully described here than in the other Puranas.

Footnotes

^342:* Muir, O. S. T., v. 356.

^344:* Muir, O. S. T., i. 9.

^344:+ Ibid., i. 17.

^345:* Muir, O. S. T., i. 23.

^345:+ Ibid., i. 24.

^346:* Muir, O. S. T., i. 26.

^346:+ "Vishnu Purana," p. 31.

^346:++ Ibid., p. 39.

^347:* "Vishnu Purana," p. 9.

^348:* "Vishnu Purana," p. 13.

^348:+ Page 18.

^349:* See ante, <page 144>.

^349:+ "Vishnu Purana," p. 39.

^351:* See part iii. chap. i.