Bṛhaspati, the brilliant priest of the gods and younger brother of Uchathya, once found himself overcome by desire for Mamatā, his own sister-in-law. When he approached her, Mamatā, noble and virtuous, spoke to him with humility and restraint. “O Bṛhaspati,” she said, “I am already pregnant, united with your elder brother. This noble child of Uchathya grows within me, and even now, he learns the six limbs of the Veda in my womb, O godly one. Your seed is unfailing, but for two, there can be no conception. Therefore, in this situation, you ought to desist today.” Despite her earnest plea, Bṛhaspati, noble though he was, could not restrain his passion. His desire overcame him, and against her will, he united with Mamatā. At that very moment, as Bṛhaspati released his seed, the child already in her womb spoke out. “O revered one, do not act out of desire! For two, there can be no conception here—the space is small, O blessed one, and I have come here first. Your seed is unfailing, but you should not harm me.” Yet Bṛhaspati did not heed the words of the unborn child. He proceeded with his union, and the sage within Mamatā’s womb, aware of what was happening, blocked the path of Bṛhaspati’s seed with his feet. Unable to find a place, the seed fell to the ground. Enraged upon seeing his seed wasted, Bṛhaspati cursed the child in the womb. “Though all beings desire me at such a time, you have opposed me,” he thundered. “Because you spoke thus, you shall enter into long darkness.” Thus, the child was born blind and named Dīrghatamas—“long-darkened”—yet he was learned in the Vedas, wise, and radiant with the glory of Bṛhaspati. By his knowledge, Dīrghatamas won a wife. He married a young and beautiful Brahmin woman named Pradveṣī, and by her, the illustrious sage begot sons such as Gautama, ensuring the increase of Uchathya’s lineage. Dīrghatamas, righteous and great-souled, mastered the Vedas and Vedāṅgas. He thoroughly learned the duties of cattle and those taught by Saurabheya, and with unwavering faith, he began to practice them. However, the eminent sages of the hermitage, seeing Dīrghatamas transgress what they regarded as proper conduct, became angry and deluded. “Behold,” they said among themselves, “this one has broken the code of conduct; he does not deserve to dwell here. Let us abandon this sinful one.” At the same time, his wife, though she had obtained a son, was not satisfied with her husband. Perceiving her hostility, Dīrghatamas asked her, “Why do you despise me?” Pradveṣī replied, “I am unable to support you, a great ascetic, along with your blind son. I am always afflicted by hardship and cannot bear it.” Hearing this, the sage’s anger was kindled, and he spoke to his hostile wife: “O Brahmin, the wealth you have given—I do not desire it, for it brings only sorrow.” She answered, “Do as you wish, O best of Brahmins; I will not support you as before.” Dīrghatamas declared, “A woman has only one husband as her refuge for life; whether he is dead or alive, she should not seek another. If a woman approaches another, she will surely be married to him; but from this day, for women without husbands, it will be a sin. Even if they possess all wealth, let their enjoyments be in vain; let disgrace and reproach be theirs.” Enraged by these words, Pradveṣī said, “Let this son be taken to the Ganga.” Overcome by greed and delusion, her sons, led by Gautama, bound their blind father, placed him on a raft, and cast him into the river Ganga. “Why should we support this blind and old man?” they thought, and returned home, leaving him to his fate. Thus, Dīrghatamas floated downstream, blind and alone, traveling through many lands by the river’s current. By chance, he came near the realm of King Bali, foremost among the righteous. The king saw the blind Brahmin in the water and, moved by compassion, drew him out. After learning Dīrghatamas’s story, Bali honored the sage and offered him rest. Seeking to continue his lineage, the king asked, “O most fortunate one, for the sake of progeny, please beget sons in my wives, who are skilled in righteousness and wealth.” The radiant sage replied, “So be it.” The king sent his own wife, Sudeṣṇā, to Dīrghatamas. In Sudeṣṇā’s womb, the sage begot eleven sons, including Kākṣīvad and others—but, due to Sudeṣṇā’s reluctance, the children were actually born of her Śūdra maidservant. Seeing these sons, the king asked Dīrghatamas, “Are these mine?” The sage replied, “No, these are not yours. Kākṣīvad and the others were born by me in the womb of a Śūdra woman. Seeing me blind and aged, your queen Sudeṣṇā, disregarding me, gave me her Śūdra maidservant as a nurse.” Thus unfolded the remarkable and sometimes painful story of Dīrghatamas, whose life was shaped by desire, destiny, and the intricate workings of dharma.