Cyavana, the mighty son of Bhṛgu, was born, and in time, Bhṛgu himself came upon Cyavana and the radiant lady Pulomā. Seeing them together, Bhṛgu’s heart was seized by anger, and he turned to his wife with piercing questions. “Who revealed you to that Rākṣasa who wished to seize you?” he demanded. “That demon did not know you were my wife, O lovely-smiling one. Tell me the truth, for today, in my wrath, I wish to curse the one responsible. Who is so bold as to ignore my curses, and whose is this transgression?” Pulomā, gentle and blessed, replied, “O revered one, I was revealed to that Rākṣasa by Agni. Then, as I cried out like a curlew, the Rākṣasa carried me away. But I was freed by the radiance of your son; that Rākṣasa, reduced to ashes, released me and fell.” Hearing her words, Bhṛgu was consumed by fury. In his anger, he cursed Agni: “You shall become the devourer of all!” Agni, stung by Bhṛgu’s curse, spoke out in indignation. “O Brahman, what rash act have you committed against me? I strive in righteousness and always speak the truth. When questioned, I replied truthfully—what fault is there in me? If a witness, knowing the truth, speaks otherwise when questioned, he destroys seven generations of his ancestors and descendants. And he who knows the truth but does not speak for justice is tainted by the same sin—there is no doubt. “I too am capable of cursing you, but Brahmins are honored by me. Yet, O Brahman, though I know, I will tell you—listen. Through yoga, I manifest myself in many forms; I abide in the rituals of agnihotra, in sacrifices, and in ceremonies and rites. By the procedure prescribed in the Vedas, whatever offering is poured into me, the gods and ancestors are truly satisfied. Waters are the hosts of gods, and waters are also the hosts of ancestors; both the Darsha and Purnamasa rites are performed for gods together with ancestors. Thus, gods and ancestors, and ancestors as well as gods, are seen united and also separately at the sacred times. Gods and ancestors both partake of whatever is offered into me; I am regarded as the mouth of both gods and ancestors. On the new moon, the ancestors, and on the full moon, the gods, are offered oblations through my mouth and consume the offerings. How then shall I become their mouth, being all-consuming? “In agnihotra rituals and sacrificial rites of the twice-born, without the utterance of ‘Om’ and ‘Vashat’, and lacking ‘Svaha’ and ‘Swadha’, without fire, all creatures became greatly distressed. The sages, troubled, went to the gods and spoke: ‘Due to the absence of Agni and disruption of rites, the three worlds are confused; arrange what must be done so that time’s order is not broken.’ Then, the sages and gods approached Brahma, informing him of Agni’s curse and the cessation of rituals. ‘Agni, O illustrious one, was cursed by Bhṛgu for another reason; how can he, the mouth of the gods, again partake of the foremost share of sacrifices?’ Hearing these words, the creator summoned Agni. He spoke gentle, eternal words: “You are the maker and the end of all these worlds. You uphold the three worlds and are the initiator of rites. Therefore, O Lord of the worlds, act thus, or else the rites would be interrupted. Why are you confused, though you are the Lord, O Fire? You are always pure in the world and the refuge of all beings. You will not, with your whole body, become the devourer of all; for the flames you emit in the lower breath consume everything, O flaming one. Your form as the devourer of flesh will consume all, just as everything touched by the rays of the sun is seen as pure. In the same way, all that is burned by your flame will become pure; you, O Agni, are the supreme radiance, arisen from your own power. By your own radiance, fulfill the sage’s curse, O mighty one, and accept, in your mouth, the share of the gods and yourself that is offered.” Agni replied to the Grandfather, “So be it,” and went to carry out the command of the supreme Lord. The divine sages, delighted, departed as they had come, and the seers performed all the rites as before. The gods in heaven rejoiced, as did the hosts of worldly beings, and Agni, freed from sin, attained supreme satisfaction. Thus, in ancient times, Agni received the curse from Bhṛgu. These events unfolded long ago—the laughter of Hati, the curse of Agni, the destruction of Puloman, and the birth of Cyavana. Cyavana, the descendant of Bhṛgu, later begot a son by Sukanya: the great-souled, radiant Pramati. Pramati begot a son named Ruru by Ghritachi; and Ruru begot Sunaka by Pramadvara. Sunaka, of great spirit and the joy of all the Bhargavas, was born and stood firm in severe austerity, thus gaining lasting fame. O Brahman, I shall now tell you in detail the entire story of Ruru, full of splendor; listen to it completely. There was once a great sage, endowed with austerity and knowledge, known as Sthulakesha, who was devoted to the welfare of all beings.