Description of Vaivasvata Manvantara

Suta said

Vivasvat was born of the great rishi Kashyapa and Daksha's daughter. His wife was Samjna, Tvashta's daughter, also called Surenuka. She could not bear her husband's brilliance. Though she had beauty and youth she was not content with his form, and the excess of Aditya's energy scorched her and troubled her. Through Samjna Bhaskara had three children: first Sharddhadeva Prajapati Manu, then the twins Yama and Yamuna. Seeing Vivasvat's circular form she could not bear it, and from her own self she made the auspicious Chhaya. Full of maya, Chhaya devotedly asked what her task was. Samjna said she was going to her father's house, and Chhaya must stay, truthful and without fault, and cheerfully rear the two boys and the girl, who were virtuous, if she wished to please her. Chhaya agreed to put up with every wrong except being seized by the hair, and promised not to reveal she was not Samjna. So the goddess, somewhat bashfully, went to her father. He reproached her and told her again and again to go back, so she took the form of a mare, hid her own shape and went to the Uttara Kuru region, roaming among the men there.

Ravi and his children took Chhaya for Samjna. Through her Savitar had a son, Savarni Manu. Though Samjna had asked her, Chhaya always loved her own son more and loved the earlier children less. The younger, Yama, could not bear this and, in deference to what was destined, showed childish anger. When Vaivasvata Yama reproached Chhaya she cursed him in rage: because he had shown such anger he would be tainted and his leg would fall off. Yama went to his father and told him everything, saying he was afraid because of Samjna's terrible curse; a mother should show equal love to all her children, but she showed none to them and only to the youngest, and that was why he raised his foot; he asked his father's pardon and that by his favour the leg might not fall. Savitar said there must be a great cause behind it, that Yama knew dharma and spoke truth, which must be why he was so angry. A mother's words could not be falsified, but worms would take flesh from his leg and make it fall to the ground, so her words would come true and he would be saved. Then, angry, Aditya demanded of Chhaya why she loved one child more. Hearing Ravi she told him the truth. He was about to scorch her with his rays but she calmed him: Samjna could not bear his form with its excess of energy, which was not pleasing to her, and so she now lived on a grassy plain, relying on her yoga, whose strength was praiseworthy. She thought he should have his form made more agreeable, and she would act so as to restrain his energy and make it lovelier. Hearing her, Martanda Vivasvat gave up his rage. The sage Tvashta set him on his wheel and pared away some of his energy, and when it was reduced his form became still more radiant, and Tvashta made it lovelier and more beautiful.

By his own yoga he saw his wife, whom no being could approach because of her energy and her vows. Wishing to be with her, he took the form of a horse and approached. Suspecting another man, she was not inclined to union, and she took his seed into her nostrils through her mouth. From this the two gods, supreme physicians, the Ashvins, were born, called Nasatya and Dasra. Bhaskara showed her his beautiful form, and when she saw it was like her own she was delighted and lovingly took back her husband. With a glad face the chaste lady went home with him. The couple rejoiced even more than before. Yama was deeply distressed at what he had done. As Dharmaraja he held to dharma and delighted the subjects, and by what he did the very radiant Dharmaraja became a guardian of the world and lord of the ancestors. Savarni Manu, a store of austerities, became a Prajapati and will be Manu in the Savarni manvantara by his deeds; even now the lord is practising terrible austerities on Meru's slopes and is spoken of in the worlds as Savarni Manu. Yami, the younger twin, illustrious, became the supreme river Yamuna, who purifies the worlds. One who hears of this birth of the gods and keeps it gains very great fame and is freed from any calamities he faces.