Text 6]
Conversation Between Manu and Kardama
805
TRANSLATION
O holy sage, tell me how the worshipful Ruci and Dakṣa, the son of Brahmā, generated children after securing as their wives the other two daughters of Svāyambhuva Manu.
PURPORT
All the great personalities who increased the population in the beginning of the creation are called  prajāpatis . Brahmā is also known as  prajāpati , as were some of his later sons. Svāyambhuva Manu is also known as  prajāpati , as is Dakṣa, another son of Brahmā. Svāyambhuva had two daughters, Ākūti and Prasūti. The  prajāpati  Ruci married Ākūti, and Dakṣa married Prasūti. These couples and their children produced immense numbers of children to populate the entire universe. Vidura's inquiry was, "How did they beget the population in the beginning?"
TEXT 6
मैत्रेय उवाच
प्रजाः सृजेति भगवान् कर्दमो ब्रह्मणोदितः ।
सरस्वत्यां तपस्तेपे सहस्राणां समा दश ॥ ६ ॥
maitreya uvāca prajāḥ sṛjeti bhagavān kardamo brahmaṇoditaḥ sarasvatyāṁ tapas tepe sahasrāṇāṁ samā daśa
maitreyaḥ uvāca —the great sage Maitreya said;  prajāḥ —children;  sṛja —beget;  iti —thus;  bhagavān —the worshipful;  kardamaḥ —Kardama Muni;  brahmaṇā —by Lord Brahmā;  uditaḥ —commanded;  sarasvatyāṁ —on the bank of the River Sarasvatī;  tapaḥ —penance;  tepe —practiced;  sahasrāṇāṁ —of thousands;  samāḥ —years;  daśa —ten.
TRANSLATION
The great sage Maitreya replied: Commanded by Lord Brahmā to beget children in the worlds, the worshipful Kardama Muni practiced penance on the bank of the River Sarasvatī for a period of ten thousand years.