Vaishampayana said: ‘And so Indra, together with Narayana, agreed, in [divine] parts, together with the gods, to descend from heaven to earth. Shakra, having thus commanded all the celestials, again departed from Narayana’s abode. Those celestials, for the destruction of the enemies of the immortals and for the good of all the worlds, descended from heaven to this earth in succession. Then, O tiger among kings, the celestials were born, according to their will, into the lines of brahmarshis and into the families of royal sages. Danavas, rakshasas, gandharvas, nagas, man-eaters, and other beings they struck down again and again. And the danavas, rakshasas, gandharvas, and nagas could not kill those [god-born ones], mighty as they were, even in childhood, O noblest of the Bharatas.’ Janamejaya said: ‘I wish to hear in full, from the beginning, in truth, the origin of the gods and the danavas, and of the gandharvas with the apsaras, and of all men, and likewise of the yakshas and rakshasas; and also the origin of all living beings, for you are all-knowing.’ Vaishampayana said: ‘Well then, having first bowed to the Self-Existent [Brahma], I shall relate to you accurately the origin and dissolution of the gods and [other] worlds.’