The husband, troubled by his wife’s coldness, turned to her and asked, “Why do you despise me?” She replied with bitterness, “I cannot support you, a great ascetic, along with your blind son. I am always beset by hardship and can no longer bear this burden.” Hearing her words, the sage’s heart filled with anger. He spoke to his hostile wife, who stood there with her son, and said, “O Brahmin, the wealth you have given—I do not desire it, for it is the cause of sorrow.” His wife, unmoved, retorted, “Do as you wish, O best of Brahmins. I will not support you as before.” The sage then spoke solemnly, “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 always be theirs.” Upon hearing these words, the Brahmin woman, now greatly angered, declared, “Let this son be taken to the Ganga.” Overcome by greed and delusion, her sons, led by Gautama, bound the blind man, placed him on a raft, and cast him into the river. Thinking, “Why should we support this blind and old man?” these cruel sons returned to their home, leaving him behind. The Brahmin, though blind, floated downstream on the raft, carried by the current through many lands. By chance, King Bali, foremost among those who know dharma, saw him immersed in the water, drifting near. The righteous and valiant Bali rescued him, and upon learning his story, offered him a boon for the sake of a son. After honoring the sage and allowing him to rest, the king humbly requested, “O most fortunate one, giver of honor, for the sake of progeny, please beget sons in my wives, who are skilled in righteousness and wealth.” The radiant sage agreed, saying, “So be it.” The king then sent his own wife, Sudeṣṇā, to the sage. In Sudeṣṇā, the righteous sage begot eleven sons, including Kākṣīvad and others, but these were born in the womb of a Śūdra woman. Seeing all these sons, the king asked, “Are these mine?” The great 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, foolishly disregarding me, gave me her Śūdra maidservant as a nurse.” Hearing this, King Bali sought once more to please the eminent sage and sent Sudeṣṇā to him again. This time, as the sage touched the queen’s limbs, he pronounced, “You will have sons radiant with the brilliance of the sun. Aṅga, Vaṅga, Kaliṅga, Puṇḍra, and Suhma will be your sons; their lands will bear their names, and their fame will spread across the earth.” Thus, Aṅga became the land of Aṅga, Vaṅga the land of Vaṅga, Kaliṅga’s territory known as Kaliṅga, Puṇḍra’s as Puṇḍra, and Suhma’s as Suhma. In this way, the lineage of Bali, born of the great sage, became renowned. So it was that other mighty archers and Kṣatriyas, knowing supreme dharma and possessing great strength, were born from Brāhmaṇas on earth. Hearing this, the speaker gently told his mother, “You too may do as you wish here.” He continued, “Mother, I will now recount the cause for the continuation of the Bharata lineage; listen as I speak. Let a virtuous Brāhmaṇa be invited with wealth, one who can beget offspring in the fields of Vicitravīrya.” Hearing these words, which were grounded in righteousness and purpose, Satyavatī addressed her son Bhīṣma again, “The story of Aucathya and the tradition regarding Aṅga—these ancient examples are authoritative. Now is the proper time to act.” She pleaded, “You, O Bhārata, are the eldest and best of this lineage. Just as you obeyed your father’s words, so too fulfill my request, O sinless one. Your younger brother, dearly beloved, has departed for heaven while still a child. Here are both the wives of the son of the king of Kashi, endowed with beauty and youth, desiring sons. Knowing this to be the highest righteousness for the continuation of the lineage, you ought to act according to my instruction with these two, for the sake of dharma.” Bhīṣma replied, “Mother, you have spoken of the supreme dharma without doubt; you also know the vow that binds me. For the sake of immortality or even the abode of the three worlds, I would abandon my life, but never truth, under any circumstance. I know you to be righteous, steadfast in truth and valor; if you wished, you could create the three worlds here, O best of kings. You should act so that our lineage and dharma are not defeated, and our friends are delighted. You alone are the elder of the lineage, and the highest honor rests with you; you ought to declare to us the proper means for the continuation of the family. Women always hold the deepest secrets within the family, and with many arts, they influence men.