King Aṣṭaka, full of curiosity and longing, approached the wise and wealthy sage, possessor of healing herbs, and asked, “O great king, is there a world in heaven for me? If such a realm is established in the sky, surely you, who know the field of righteousness, can tell me.” The sage replied, “All that exists—space, earth, the directions, and even the sun that shines by your brilliance—these worlds are established in heaven, and by them all living beings are sustained. I bestow upon you these worlds; do not let yourself fall into ruin. Whatever worlds are mine, let them be yours. Even if you wish to buy them with only a blade of grass, O king, if your acceptance is pure, they are yours.” He continued, “Never have I made a false sale, nor have I ever taken anything in vain, fearing the reproach of even children. Nor would I do what has never been done before, simply out of desire—where is the virtue in that?” “So, O king, accept these worlds I have given you. If you do not wish to offer a price, let it be so. I will not take them back; let all these worlds be yours.” Then Śibi, son of Uśīnara, approached and spoke: “I ask you, if there are worlds for me here, whether in the sky or established in heaven, you are the knower of righteousness and must know.” The sage answered, “Because you, O king, never turned away the good—neither in word nor in heart—when they sought you, those infinite worlds, vast and thunderous like clouds, are yours. Accept them, and if you do not wish to offer a price, let it be so. I will not take them back, where the steadfast go and do not grieve.” “But just as you, O king, possess power like Indra, and your worlds are truly infinite, today I do not delight in accepting a gift from another; therefore, Śibi, I do not welcome the share.” “If you do not accept our worlds one by one, then, having given all to you, we shall all fall to hell.” Aṣṭaka replied, “Let me receive only what I am worthy of, O virtuous ones who rejoice in truth. I know of nothing I have done before that would entitle me to this.” Then, five golden chariots appeared, shining bright and blazing like tongues of fire. “To whom do these five golden chariots appear?” someone asked. “Mounting them, a man desires the eternal worlds. These five are for you.” At that time, a great horse sacrifice, the Aśvamedha, was being performed, as ordained in ancient times by the Self-born. All the limbs of the horse were gathered in due order. The priests—the Hotṛ, Adhvaryu, Udgātṛ, and Brahman—along with all sixteen officiating priests, offered oblations into the fire. Even the most sinful men who breathed the scent of the sacrificial smoke were purified and freed from sin in that very instant. Meanwhile, Mādhavī, renowned for her austerity, covered herself with a deerskin and moved among the deer, living as they did. She entered the sacrificial enclosure with the herds, greatly astonished. Smelling the scent of the smoke, she wandered the grounds and saw her sons, now defeated. Witnessing the grandeur of the sacrifice, Mādhavī rejoiced and saw Yayāti, son of Nahusha, not touching the earth. Realizing he had attained heaven, she bowed to her father, then addressed her mother: “Mother, whose feet you have just worshipped here—who is this king, equal to the gods, whom you have greeted? Tell me.” Her mother replied, “Hear, my sons, all together: this is Nahusha, my father. Yayāti is remembered as the maternal grandfather of my sons. Having installed my brother Pūru in the kingdom, he went to heaven. For what reason has this illustrious one come here?” Learning from her mother that Yayāti had fallen from heaven, Mādhavī’s heart was seized by agitation. She turned to her father, surrounded by her grandsons, and said, “By my austerities I have conquered worlds—accept them from me. Just as wealth gained by sons is inherited by grandsons through righteousness, so say the sages who know dharma; therefore, by gift and austerity, ascend to heaven through us.” Yayāti replied, “If this is indeed the excellent fruit of righteousness for me, then I have been carried across by my daughter and grandsons, who are great-souled. Therefore, from this day forward, the relationship with a daughter’s son is pure in matters of ancestors; in the śrāddha, three things are pure: the daughter’s son, the kutapa time, and sesame seeds.” He continued, “Here, three things are praised: purity, absence of anger, and absence of haste; those who eat, those who serve, and those who recite are purifiers. When the sun is in the eighth part of the day, its light is subdued; that time is called kutapa, and what is given then to the ancestors is imperishable. Sesame seeds protect from evil spirits, darbha grass protects from demons, and learned Brahmins protect the lineage; what is eaten by ascetics is imperishable. Having found a worthy recipient—learned, versed in the Veda, of good vows, and pure—one should give at the proper time; no other time is considered right.” Having spoken thus, the wise Yayāti said, “All of you, having completed the concluding bath, hasten now out of respect for the importance of the task. Mount your chariot, O King, and ascend to the sky; we too shall follow when the time comes. Now we must all go together, we who have won heaven; this is the stainless path we see leading to the abode of the gods.” Thus, Aṣṭaka, Śibi, Kāśeya, Pratardana—the four kings of the Ikṣvāku line—and Vasumanas, having bathed after the sacrifice, mounted their chariots and departed. These best of kings ascended to heaven in radiance, enveloping earth and sky with righteousness. Reflecting on this, one thought, “I believed I alone would go first, and that my friend Indra, the great soul, would be with me; but why did Śibi, the king of the Uśīnaras, surpass us all, urging his steeds with all his might?” It was said, “He gave to all who asked, as much wealth as he found; this is the son of Uśīnara—therefore, Śibi is the best among you.