After the great sacrifice, all those who had been initiated—mighty members of the assembly and the illustrious king himself—returned to their city. The king was honored by noble Brahmins, learned in the Vedas, praised by bards, and warmly welcomed by the townspeople. In this way, the royal sage Shvetaki, the best of kings, having performed his great acts, was praised by all and, after a long time, ascended to heaven. At his sacrifice, the officiating priests and assembly members remained with him, and for twelve years the fire consumed the offerings without ceasing. Through a continuous stream of clarified butter, offered with unwavering devotion, the fire was thoroughly satisfied. Yet, the fire-god did not wish to accept offerings from anyone else; he became pale and discolored, no longer shining as before. A change overtook the divine Agni: deprived of brilliance, he grew weary. Realizing his own lack of energy, the fire-god journeyed to the sacred abode of Brahma, revered by all the worlds. Seated before Brahma, Agni spoke, “O Lord, Shvetaki has given me supreme satisfaction. But now, a severe distaste has arisen within me, which I cannot dispel. I am deprived of energy and strength, O Lord of the world. By your grace, I wish to regain my own steady nature.” Hearing this, the blessed creator of all worlds smiled gently and replied, “For twelve years you have consumed only clarified butter as your offering. That is enough, O illustrious one. Weariness has come upon you because you have been deprived of your natural sustenance. Do not be troubled, O Agni; you will return to your true nature. I promise to remove your distaste. Long ago, by the command of the gods, you burned the dreadful Khandava forest, home to their enemies. There, all manner of creatures dwell. By consuming their fat, you will be satisfied and restored. Go quickly and burn the forest; then you will be freed from your fatigue.” Receiving these words from the Lord of Creation, Agni surged forth at utmost speed. Arriving at the Khandava forest, filled with renewed energy, he blazed up suddenly, fanned by the wind and burning in anger. Seeing the forest aflame, all its inhabitants strove desperately to extinguish the fire. Elephants, by the hundreds and thousands, scooped water with their trunks and poured it onto the flames in haste and fury. Many-headed serpents, filled with wrath, released streams of water from their heads near the fire. Other creatures, too, used every means and weapon at their disposal to subdue the blaze. Thus, though Agni flared up again and again, the fire in Khandava was extinguished seven times. Growing despondent and ever fatigued, Agni, filled with anger, returned to the Grandsire. He reported everything to Brahma, who, after a moment’s thought, spoke reassuringly: “I have discerned a way for you, O sinless one, to burn the forest. Be patient for a while, and you shall consume it. At the destined time, you will have two allies—Nara and Narayana. With their help, O Agni, you will burn Khandava.” “So be it,” replied Agni, understanding that Nara and Narayana had now appeared in the world. Remembering Brahma’s words about the destined time, the king of fires again approached the Grandsire. Brahma then said, “Now, as you watch, you shall burn the Khandava forest today, in the presence of the lord of Sachi. Those two ancient gods, Nara and Narayana, have come into the world of men for the purpose of the gods. Know that those whom the world calls Arjuna and Vasudeva are these very beings, and they are near Khandava. Seek their help; with their aid, you will burn the forest, even if it is protected by the gods. They will hold back all beings, even the king of the gods. I am certain of this.” Hearing these words, swift Agni approached Krishna and Arjuna and explained his plight. As I have already told you, O best of kings, upon hearing Agni’s words, Arjuna addressed the fire-god. Desiring to burn the Khandava forest even against Indra’s wishes, Arjuna, the tiger among kings, spoke: “I possess many excellent divine weapons, with which I could face even the bearers of the thunderbolt. But, O Lord, I do not have a bow that matches the strength of my arms. For my effort in battle, I need one that can withstand my force. I also require many inexhaustible arrows, for as I shoot swiftly, no chariot can bear the number of arrows I desire.” Thus, with the stage set by the words of Brahma and the request of Agni, Arjuna and Krishna prepared to aid the fire-god in his quest to consume the Khandava forest.