Maddened by the fire of love that blazed within his heart, the king gazed upon the dark-eyed maiden before him. His words, faltering with longing, tumbled forth: “O dark-eyed one, be gracious to me, for desire has seized my mind and I am consumed by longing for you. My very life seems to leave me, pierced by love’s sharp arrows for your sake, O wide-eyed beauty. O lotus-born one, desire will not subside; I cry out, bitten by the great serpent of love, gentle lady. Therefore, O you with broad hips and a lovely face, accept me—my life depends on you, whose speech is as sweet as the songs of the Kinnaras. O flawless one, with beautiful limbs and a face like the lotus and the moon, truly, I cannot live without you, O timid one. O lotus-eyed lady, desire strikes me again and again; therefore, O wide-eyed one, show me your compassion.” He pleaded further, “O dark-eyed one, you should not abandon me, your devoted admirer; rather, you ought to protect me with your affection, O beautiful lady. My mind is greatly unsettled, filled with longing from seeing you. After beholding you, O auspicious one, I find no delight in looking upon any other woman. Be gracious—for I am under your sway—accept me, your devoted admirer, O lovely lady. From the moment I saw you, O fair-hipped one, Love himself struck me intensely, O gentle woman. O wide-eyed one, the fire of love kindled within me burns fiercely, as if I am pierced by the arrows of the god of love. Gladden me with the waters of union, for the god of love, armed with his fierce bow and irresistible flower-arrows, is hard to withstand. O auspicious lady, the pain caused by the unbearable arrows born from seeing you—quench it, O beautiful one, by giving yourself to me. O lovely-limbed one, accept me through a Gandharva marriage, for among all forms of marriage, O slender-thighed lady, the Gandharva is said to be the best.” The maiden, gentle and composed, replied, “O king, I am not my own mistress, for I am a maiden under my father’s care. If you have affection for me, then ask my father for my hand. Just as I have cherished my own life, O lord of men, so by merely seeing you, you have taken my life as well. And I am not the mistress of my own body, O best of kings; therefore, I do not approach you, for women are not independent. For in all the worlds, what maiden would not desire as her lord and husband a king of noble lineage, renowned and devoted to his beloved? Therefore, in this situation, ask my father; with reverence, austerity, and discipline, approach the Sun. If he wishes to give me to you, O slayer of enemies, then today, O king, I shall always be obedient to you. For I am named Tapati, daughter of Savitri, the sister of Savitri, and the child of this world-illuminating Sun, O bull among Kshatriyas.” Later, the best of the Bharatas, Arjuna, having heard the words of the Gandharva, shone with supreme devotion, his radiance like that of the full moon. His curiosity, greatly aroused by the power of Vasiṣṭha’s austerity, led him to speak to the Gandharva: “You have mentioned the name Vasiṣṭha for that sage; I wish to hear about this in detail. O lord of Gandharvas, who is this revered sage who was the priest of our ancestors? Tell me about him.” The Gandharva replied, “Vasiṣṭha, the mind-born son of Brahmā and lord of Arundhatī, through austerity conquered those who are always unconquerable, even by the gods themselves. He, whose feet are served by both desire and anger, and who has mastery over his senses, is known as Vasiṣṭha. Just as desire and anger, when conquered by men, become subdued, so too are enemies, worlds, and all directions overcome. Of noble mind, he did not destroy the Kuśikas even when bearing the supreme anger caused by Viśvāmitra’s offense. Though tormented by the loss of his son and possessing great power, he did not perform a cruel act to destroy Viśvāmitra. He was able to restore his dead sons from the inexhaustible, yet he did not transgress the boundary set by Death, just as the great ocean does not cross its shore. Having obtained such a self-controlled and great-souled priest, the kings of the Ikṣvāku line gained this earth. With Vasiṣṭha, the best of seers, as their priest, those kings performed sacrifices, O descendant of Kuru. He caused all those foremost kings to perform sacrifices, just as Bṛhaspati does for the gods. Therefore, let a virtuous brāhmaṇa, devoted to dharma and learned in Vedic law, be sought as priest. A kṣatriya of noble birth, wishing to conquer the earth, must first appoint a priest, O Pārtha, for the growth of his kingdom. A king desiring to conquer the earth must first honor Brahman; therefore, let a virtuous, self-controlled, and learned brāhmaṇa, who knows the truths of dharma, desire, and wealth, be your priest.” Arjuna then asked, “For what reason did enmity arise between Viśvāmitra and Vasiṣṭha while they dwelt in the divine hermitage? Tell us all of that.” The Gandharva answered, “This ancient story of Vasiṣṭha is well known in all the worlds, O Pārtha; listen to it from me as it truly happened. In Kānyakubja there was a great king, O bull of the Bharatas, known in the world as Gādhi, born of Kuśika. His son, righteous and possessing a mighty army, became famous as Viśvāmitra, destroyer of foes.