Kāśyapa, a sage of great renown, took as his wife the virtuous Āryāvatī, and together they were blessed with ten sinless sons. Among these sons were the preceptor and the initiated one, the reciter and Śuklamiśra—two especially remembered for their deep knowledge of the four Vedas and their matching virtues and names. In time, Kāśyapa journeyed to the sacred land of Kashmir, where he offered his devotion to the Mother of the World, Sarasvatī. With incense, lamps, offerings, and handfuls of fragrant flowers, he worshipped her, his heart full of longing. “O Mother of the World,” he pleaded, “why do you not appear before me? For the sake of the gods, you swiftly destroy the betrayer of dharma. O Mother, you are of many forms; with a mighty roar, you slew Dhumralocana. Having destroyed hypocrisy, delusion, and terrible pride, you remain ever-blissful.” Pleased by the sage’s devotion and purity, the goddess Sarasvatī took abode in his heart and bestowed upon him the gift of knowledge. Empowered by her grace, Kāśyapa journeyed to distant lands, accompanied by a multitude of ten thousand twice-born men. In the land of the noble ones, and always with the blessing of Sarasvatī, he and his followers flourished. Their sons and grandsons continued the sage’s lineage, and Kāśyapa himself became king among them. In the region called Rājyaputra, there also dwelled eight thousand Śūdras. When the time came, Kāśyapa anointed his son Māgadha as his successor and prepared to depart from worldly duties. He bowed respectfully to Sūta, the venerable narrator of the Purāṇas, and devoted himself to meditation upon Viṣṇu. Having performed both regular and special rites, he asked Sūta with reverence, “O disciple of Vyāsa, tell us: by whom was the kingdom established in the Kali age?” Māgadha, son of Kāśyapa, journeyed to the land of Māgadha, where he reclaimed the ancestral kingdom and made the noble land distinct and celebrated. To the northwest lay the land of Kaikaya, and to the north, the land of Madra; the sons of the great-souled Māgadha were known by the names of these regions. In that era, Balabhadra, filled with the spirit of sacrifice and satisfaction, ruled the kingdom for a hundred years. His son Kākavarmā succeeded him, reigning for eighty years. After him came Kṣetrauja, who ruled for ninety years, followed by his son Ajātaripu, whose reign also lasted ninety years. Udayāśva, Ajātaripu’s son, then became king and ruled for ninety years. From him was born Nanda, and from Nanda, Prananda, who ruled for ten years. Prananda’s son, Samānanda, reigned for twenty years, and his son Devānanda attained a position equal to his father. Mauryānanda, son of Devānanda, likewise matched his father’s stature. At that time, the deity Hari was remembered by Kali. Hari, refining the Buddhist doctrine, arrived in the city and ruled for twenty years. His son, Śuddhodana, was born thereafter. When two thousand years had passed from the century, Śuddhodana became king and ruled for sixty years; during his reign, all men were remembered as Buddhists. In accordance with the power of Viṣṇu, the universal dharma was established, and even those of sinful conduct were said to possess liberation. Śuddhodana’s son was Chandragupta, who married the daughter of the city lord, continuing the noble line. Thus, the kingdom and dharma endured through the ages, guided by the blessings of the gods and the wisdom of the sages.