Manava Dharmashastra 1.41

1.41

evamiti prakrāntaprakāraparāmarśaḥ | etairmahātmabhirmarīcyādibhiḥ | idaṃ sarvaṃsthāvarajaṃgamaṃ sṛṣṭam | yathākarma yasya janmāntare yādṛśaṃ karma tadapekṣam | yasyāṃ jātau yasya tu yuktamutpattuṃ karmavaśātsa tasyāmevotpāditaḥ | manniyogānmadājñayā | tapoyogānmahatkṛtvā tapaḥ | yāvatkiṃcinmahadaiśvaryaṃ tatsarvaṃ tapasā prāpyamityetadanenāha |

Medhātithi’s commentary (manubhāṣya):
‘In this manner,’—refers to the manner discribed above;—‘by these high-souled sages,’—Marīci and the rest;—‘all this, movable and immovable, teas called into their actions,’—the creation of each being was in keeping with the nature of the action done by it during other lives; that is, each being was made to be born in that family of animals which was the right one for it, in view of its past acts;—‘under my direction’—by my order;—‘through the force of austerities,’—having performed severe austerities; what this is meant to show is that any kind of great power can be acquired only by means of austerities.—(41)