Parāçara said:—The Brahmin having uttered this the king became cognizant of the true end of life. He renounced all idea of distinction and the Brahmin, who, on account of the recollection of former lives, had obtained perfect knowledge, now acquired liberation from future births.
He, who will reverentially hear this story of Bharata or narrate it, will have his mind illuminated and will not mistake the nature of individuality. And he who remembers it even shall be considered an object of reverence.
THE END OF PART II.
PART III.
SECTION I.
Maitreya said:—The situation of the earth and of seas the spurn of the sun and the other planets, the creation of the celestials and the rest and of the Rishis, the origin of the four castes and of the brute creation and the stories of Dhruva and Prahlād have been fully described by thee, my preceptor. Do thou describe to me, O Venerable Sir, all the Manwantaras and all the presiding deities with Sakra as their chief. I wish to hear this from you.
Parāçara said:—I shall serially describe to you all the Manwantaras that had passed away and all that shall take place.
The first Manu was Swayambhuva. Then came Swārochisha then Auttami, then Tāmasa, then Raivata, then Chākshusa: these six Manus have passed away. Vaivaswata, the son of the sun now presides over the seventh Manwantara, which is the present period.
The era of Swayambhuva Manu, which took place in the beginning of Kalpa together with the celestials, saints and other personages, has been related by me. I will now describe to you the period of Swārochisha Manu together with the presiding deities, saints and his sons.
There flourished two classes of celestials in the Manwantara of Swārochisha named Pārāvatas and Tushitas—and the king of the celestials was the powerful Vipascbit; the seven Rishis were Urja, Stambha, Prāna, Dattoli, Rishabha, Nischara, Arvarivat; and the sons of the Manu were Chaitra, Kimpurusha and others. I have thus described to you the second Manwantara. In the third Manwantara of Uttami, Susānti was the king of the celestials, who were severally denominated as the Sudhāmas, Satyas, Sivas, Pradersanas and Vasavertis and each of these orders consisted of twelve deities. The seven sons of Vasishtha were the seven celestial saints and Aja, Parasu, Divya and others were the sons of the Manu.