After the kings, whose sight had been restored, departed, the great sage of the Bhargava line, Aurva, regarded these events as nothing less than the defeat of all the worlds. In that moment, his heart was seized by a terrible resolve: he would bring about the destruction of all creation. The flame of vengeance for the slaughtered Bhṛgus blazed within him, and, radiant with the might of his ascetic power, Aurva set his mind firmly on the ruin of gods, asuras, and men alike. He began to torment the worlds through fierce and mighty austerities, determined to gladden the spirits of his ancestors. Then, perceiving the intent of their descendant, the ancestors of the Bhṛgu line came forth from the realm of the forefathers. They addressed Aurva with gentle but earnest words: “Aurva, dear son, we have witnessed your great power, born of intense austerity. Show mercy to the worlds and restrain your anger.” They explained, “At that time, O beloved, the Bhṛgus, their minds purified, could not avert the calamity; all endured the slaughter at the hands of the Kṣatriyas, even as harm befell them. When, through long life, weariness overtook us, we ourselves began to long for death at the hands of the Kṣatriyas. The wealth that was buried in the house of the Bhṛgus was placed there only to stir up enmity, by those who wished to provoke the Kṣatriyas. What use have we for riches, O best of twice-born, when we yearn for heaven, and the lord of wealth has already bestowed abundance upon us? When death could not claim us all entirely, we considered this means acceptable. One who kills himself does not attain auspicious worlds, so we refrained from self-destruction. Nor, dear one, do we approve of the act you now intend. Restrain your mind from sin, from the destruction of all the worlds. Do not kill the Kṣatriyas, nor the seven worlds, O son. Do not let your ascetic energy be tainted; subdue the anger that has arisen.” Aurva replied to his ancestors, “The vow I made in my wrath, ancestors, for the destruction of all the worlds—let it not be in vain. I cannot bear to live having made a promise in anger that goes unfulfilled; for unspent wrath burns in me like fire consuming dry wood. A man who allows anger to arise for a reason and then forgives, cannot truly uphold the three aims of life. He who restrains the unruly and protects the virtuous—such is the rightful use of anger by kings who seek victory. Even in the womb, lying on my mother’s thigh, I heard the cries of the Bhṛgu women as the Kṣatriyas slaughtered them. When the lowest of Kṣatriyas, with their allies, destroyed the Bhṛgus even in the womb, wrath entered me. My mothers, hair disheveled, and my fathers too, found no refuge in any world, seized by terror. When no one would accept the wives of the Bhṛgus, my blessed mother bore me in her thigh. “When there is someone in the world to restrain evil, then evildoers do not arise. But when evil finds no one to check it, many persist in wickedness. Even one who knows of evil and has the power to stop it, but does not, becomes implicated in that very deed, even if he be a ruler. If my fathers, though kings and lords, had the power but could not protect, then life in this world is not worth cherishing. Therefore, angered, I am the lord of the worlds, and your words do not bind me. If even I, being a great lord, were to neglect the worlds, fear from sin would surely arise among the people. This fire of wrath within me seeks to consume the worlds; but if I restrain it, it will burn me alone. I know you all desire the welfare of every world; therefore, O lords, do what is best for the worlds and for me.” The ancestors replied, “This fire of wrath within you that seeks to consume the worlds—release it into the waters, for the worlds are established in water. All flavors and all creation arise from water; therefore, best of the twice-born, let this fire of anger be cast into the waters. Let it remain in the great ocean, O brāhmaṇa; though burning, it will not harm the waters, for the worlds are said to be made of water. Thus, your promise will be fulfilled, O sinless one, and the worlds, together with their beings, will not be destroyed.” Hearing their counsel, Aurva released the fire of his wrath into Varuṇa’s abode, and it entered the vast ocean. There, as the knowers of the Veda declare, it took the form of a great horse’s head. From its mouth, that fire drank up the waters of the great ocean. Thus, the fire of Aurva’s anger, instead of consuming the worlds, was contained within the depths of the sea. Therefore, Vasishtha advised Parashara, “For your own good, you too should not destroy the worlds; O foremost among the wise, do not send souls to other realms.” Hearing these words from the great-souled Vasishtha, the sage Parashara, for the sake of all beings, restrained his own anger. Yet, radiant and mighty, Parashara, best among those learned in the Vedas, performed a sacrifice directed at the destruction of the Rakshasas. Recalling the killing of Shakti, his own father, the great sage burned both the old and the young Rakshasas in the fire of his extended sacrifice.