Vaishampāyana said:—The great Muni Vyasa has described in the Vedas and Purānas that the Lord, assuming the universal form, made the Rishi Mārkandeya enter into his belly through his mouth. In order to see personally the great unmanifest Atman and enjoy supreme bliss that foremost of Munis, Mārkandeya, entered into the cavity of the belly and began to enjoy rest there. Assuming various forms and ranging in the great ocean shorn of the sun and moon the eternal Lord, the Great Atman gradually creates the world and destroys it at the time of dissolution (67–69).
CHAPTER XI. THE CREATION OF A LOTUS AFTER DISSOLUTION.
Vaishampāyana said:—Having taken his birth as the Brāhmana saint Apava Vashistha and covered his own vessel body the Lord began to practise penances (1). Afterwards the great Vasishtha, the soul of the universe and of unlimited powers, thought of creating the five great elements and other creatures. When the universe was divested of the sky, became subtle and submerged in water Vasisthā, having his intellectual faculties increased by the practice of penances, spent a long time. Living in water and agitating the great ocean he rose up as the subtle ether with the second wave. He then appeared in the ether as sound produced by the air and the great Vasistha began to grow up as the air. When the ocean was agitated by the increasing and powerful wind the waves struck one another. When the water of the ocean was agitated the powerful Lord appeared as the fire of dark ways. The fire dried up the water of the great ocean; from it arose the sky like a hole. From his own energy was produced nectar-like pure water, from it the ether, from it air and from the crushing of waves was produced earth. Seeing it the Lord, the origin of the great elements, was highly pleased. Beholding the elements the Lord of many forms, cognizant of the necessity and order of the creation of the universe, began to think of objects for Brahmā. Thus at the end of a Yuga and many Yugas Brahmā took his birth. He, who is endued with knowledge, the foremost of the Yogins, who sees the Soul of the universe, who is a Brāhmana of controlled senses amongst the twice-born of the world, is Brahmā.
The Lord Brahma, conversant with Yoga, engages Brahmā, endowed with perfect spiritual powers and worshipped of all, in creating the Vedas and the objects of the universe.
Thereupon, for the purpose of creating creatures the Eternal Hari lay in the great ocean, and sporting in diverse ways, attained to great delight. He then created from his navel a golden lotus with a thousand petals, effulgent like the sun. Originating from the person of the great Achyuta there shone in beauty that lotus, effulgent like the burning flames of fire, fragrant and lustrous like the clear autumnal sun (2-17).
CHAPTER XII. A DESCRIPTION OF THE EARTH.
Vaishampāyana said:—The Eternal Hari then placed Brahmā on that golden lotus endued with all effulgence, qualities and marks of the earth, and extending over many a Yojana. He was the foremost of Yogins, the mind of all creatures and their creator and had his face directed towards all. The great saints, well-read in the Puranas, describe this lotus, as originating from Nārayana's person and supporting the earth (1-3). The goddess who was the seat of that lotus is earth and the firm roots that grow inside it are the celestial mountains. Himavan, Meru, Neela, Nishadha, Kailāsha, Krouncha, Gandhamadana, the sacred Trishira, the charming Mandara, Udaya, Kandara, Vindhya, and Asta, these are the mountains granting all objects of desires, and containing the hermitages of the gods, Siddhas and pious anchorites. The country interspersed by these mountains is called the insular continent Jamvu and here sacrificers celebrate their sacrifices. The streams, containing nectarine water, that come out of the sacrifices, are the goddess Sarit (river) having and hundreds of sacred shrines. The numberless filaments around the lotus are known on earth as the mountains of minerals (4-10).
O king, the upper petals of that lotus constitute the impassable and the mountainous tract of the Mlechchas. The lower petals constitute the nether region, the abode of the great Daityas and Uragas; the region underneath it is called Udaka or the mine of great miseries. Persons committing heinous crimes are drowned there (11-13). The vast sheet of water that lies at the extremity of this lotus is the ocean (with land) on all sides (14). Because this great lotus originated in the mirror of Narāyana's heart it is called Pushkara. For this, the great sacrificing ancient Rishis, who are acquainted with the origin of this lotus, construct an altar of the shape of a lotus in the sacrificial ground. In this way the Lord created Brahmā in the lotus the creator of mountains, rivers, gods, and other objects of the universe. While Brahmā was created the Great Self-sprung Lord, of unlimited prowess, lying on the bed of the huge ocean created the eternal lotus identical with the universe (15-18).
CHAPTER XIII. THE WORLD OF CREATION BEGINS: THE BIRTH OF MADHU AND KAITABHA.
Vaishampāyana said:—After the revolution of a thousand Yugas and the commencement of Satya-Yuga the quality of Tamas (disorganizing tendency) prevails. At this time the great Asura Madhu, the impediment of creation, took his birth. Some time after, by the quality of Rajas for helping Madhu the second Asura Kaitabha was produced. These two great Asuras, Madhu and Kaitabha, capable of assuming various forms and pervaded severally by the qualities of Rajas and Tamas, began to agitate the water of the one ocean. They were clad in dark-blue and crimson-coloured raiments, had burning white teeth, were elated with pride and adorned with shining Keyuras and bracelets. They had hideous coppery eyes, spacious breast, long arms and huge heads. Covered with coats of mail those two Asuras appeared like two immobile mountains. The colour of their body was like that of blue clouds, their countenance was effulgent like the sun and the lustre of their arms imitated that of coppery clouds charged with lightning. And they looked exceedingly dreadful, as if with the movement of their hairs and feet the ocean over-flowed and Hari, the slayer of his enemies, who was lying there, trembled. While they sported on that lotus, the mouth of the universe, they saw the eternal Brahmā endued with a shining body, the foremost of Yogins. Thereupon beholding Brahmā, create, at the command of Nārāyana, on that lotus, the entire host of creatures, gods, the universe and his mind-born sons the Rishis those two best of Asuras Madhu and Kaitabha, who had their blood-red eyes burning in anger, said to him, being desirous of fighting. "Who art thou wearing a black crown and having four faces? Living on this lotus and shorn of anxiety, thou art, out of foolishness, disregarding us. Come and fight with us. We are great heroes. Thou shalt not be able to stand before us in battle. Who art thou? Whence art thou produced? Who hath sent thee hither? Who is thy creator and protector? And by what name men call thee" (1-12)?