Creation of Rudra
OM! Glory to Vasudeva! Victory be to you, Pundarikaksha; adoration be to you, Vishvabhavana; glory be to you, Hrishikesha, Mahapurusha, and Purvaja.
Parashara continued,
"I have described to you, Oh great Muni, the creation of Brahma, in which the quality of darkness prevailed. I will now explain to you the creation of Rudra.
In the beginning of the Kalpa, as Brahma purposed to create a son, who should be like himself, a youth of a purple complexion appeared, crying with a low cry, and running about. Brahma, when he beheld him thus afflicted, said to him, "Why dost you weep?" "Give me a name," replied the boy. "Rudra be your name," rejoined the great father of all creatures: "be composed; desist from tears." But, thus addressed, the boy still wept seven times, and Brahma therefore gave to him seven other denominations; and to these eight persons regions and wives and posterity belong. The eight manifestations, then, are named Rudra, Bhava, Sharva, Ishana, Pashupati, Bhima, Ugra, and Mahadeva, which were given to them by their great progenitor. He also assigned to them their respective stations, the sun, water, earth, air, fire, ether, the ministrant Brahman, and the moon; for these are their several forms. The wives of the sun and the other manifestations, termed Rudra and the rest, were respectively, Suvarchala, Usha, Vikeshi, Shiva, Swaha, Disha, Diksha, and Rohini. Now hear an account of their progeny, by whose successive generations this world has been peopled. Their sons, then, were severally, Shanaishchara (Saturn), Shukra (Venus), the fiery-bodied Mars, Manojava (Hanuman), Skanda, Swarga, Santana, and Budha (Mercury).
It was the Rudra of this description that married Satí, who abandoned her corporeal existence in consequence of the displeasure of Daksha. She afterwards was the daughter of Himavan (the snowy mountains) by Mena; and in that character, as the only Uma, the mighty Bhava again married her. The divinities Dhata and Vidhata were born to Bhrigu by Khyati, as was a daughter, Shri, the wife of Narayana, the god of gods.”
Maitreya said,
"You have narrated to me, great Muni, all that I asked of you: now resume the account of the creation subsequently to Bhrigu."
Parashara said,
"Lakshmí, the bride of Vishnu, was the daughter of Bhrigu by Khyati. They had also two sons, Dhatri and Vidhatri, who married the two daughters of the illustrious Meru, Ayati and Niryati; and had by them each a son, named Prana and Mrikanda. The son of the latter was Markamdeya, from whom Vedashiras was born. The son of Prana was named Dyutimat, and his son was Rajavat; after whom, the race of Bhrigu became infinitely multiplied.
Sambhuti, the wife of Marichi, gave birth to Paurnamasa, whose sons were Virajas and Sarvaga. I shall hereafter notice his other descendants, when I give a more particular account of the race of Marichi.
The wife of Angiras, Smriti, bore daughters named Sinivali, Kuhu, Raka, and Anumati (phases of the moon). Anasuya, the wife of Atri, was the mother of three sinless sons, Soma (the moon), Durvasas, and the ascetic Dattatreya. Pulastya had, by Priti, a son called in a former birth, or in the Swayambhuva Manvantara, Dattoli, who is now known as the sage Agastya. Kshama, the wife of the patriarch Pulaha, was the mother of three sons, Karmasa, Arvarivat, and Sahishnu. The wife of Kratu, Sannati, brought forth the sixty thousand Valakhilyas, pigmy sages, no bigger than a joint of the thumb, chaste, pious, resplendent as the rays of the sun. Vasishtha had seven sons by his wife Urjja, Rajas, Gatra, Urddhabahu, Savana, Anagha, Sutapas, and Shukra, the seven pure sages. The Agni named Abhimani, who is the eldest born of Brahma, had, by Swaha, three sons of surpassing brilliancy, Pavaka, Pavamana, and Shuchi, who drinks up water: they had forty-five sons, who, with the original son of Brahma and his three descendants, constitute the forty-nine fires. The progenitors (Pitris), who, as I have mentioned, were created by Brahma, were the Agnishwattas and Barhishads; the former being devoid of, and the latter possessed of, fires. By them, Swadha had two daughters, Mena and Dharani, who were both acquainted with theological truth, and both addicted to religious meditation; both accomplished in perfect wisdom, and adorned with all estimable qualities. Thus has been explained the progeny of the daughters of Daksha. He who with faith recapitulates the account, shall never want offspring."