In that sacred land, O best of sages, the revered Mothers—givers of all blessings—were beheld by the people. With deep devotion, they worshipped and bowed before these divine beings, and by such acts, they were freed from all sins and attained heaven. Thus was the delightful city, ruled by the lion among kings, a place of great merit. This wondrous city was always filled with joy, its days and nights alive with constant festivals, resembling Indra’s own Amarāvatī. It was fortified with eighteen grand gates and broad, fourfold avenues. The air rang with the vibrant twang of bowstrings, and the city was adorned by gatherings of accomplished souls. Learned assemblies flourished there, and the sacred chants of the Vedas echoed everywhere. Day and night, the epics, ancient tales, treatises, and poetic stories were recited, filling the city with wisdom and delight. Such was the land, endowed with every virtue, where the great king Indradyumna, noble of mind, was born in ages past. In that land, the wise and illustrious king ruled an unrivaled kingdom, caring for his subjects as if each were his own beloved child. He was truthful, supremely wise, heroic, and a repository of all virtues. Righteous and intelligent, he was foremost among warriors, noble in speech, self-controlled, radiant like the sun, and handsome as the twin Ashvins. His wondrous deeds grew ever greater, and his valor matched that of Indra himself. Auspicious marks adorned him, and he shone like the autumn moon. He performed all the great sacrifices, including the horse-sacrifice, and none equaled him in generosity, ritual, or austerity. At every sacrifice, he bestowed abundant gold, jewels, pearls, elephants, and horses upon the foremost Brahmins. His realm knew no limit of elephants, horses, chariots, fine woolens, skins, garments, jewels, wealth, or grain. Thus, endowed with every richness and virtue, fulfilled in all desires, he ruled his kingdom without affliction. Yet, a noble thought arose in his heart: “How shall I worship Hari, the Lord of all Yogis, who grants both enjoyment and liberation?” Seeking the answer, he studied all treatises, tantras, the vast Āgamas, the epics, ancient tales, and every limb of the Veda. He examined the treatises on dharma, the disciplines taught by sages, and all sources of knowledge. By diligently serving his teacher and the foremost Brahmins learned in the Veda, he attained the highest goal and fulfilled his life’s purpose. Realizing the supreme, imperishable truth known as Vāsudeva, freed from delusion and ignorance, he became a seeker of liberation, his senses well-restrained. Again he wondered, “How shall I worship the eternal God of gods, clad in yellow garments, four-armed, bearing the conch, discus, and mace? He who is adorned with a garland of forest flowers, whose eyes are like lotus petals, whose chest is marked with the Śrīvatsa, and who shines with crown and armlets?” With this resolve, the lord of the people departed from his city of Ujjayinī, accompanied by a mighty force, his attendants, and priests. Charioteers, weapons in hand, followed him in chariots like those of the gods, adorned with banners and flags. Horsemen, armed with spears and maces, rode behind him on horses swift as the wind. Elephants from the Himalayas—mighty, intoxicated, with slightly curved tusks, always in rut and sixty years of age—joined the procession, clad in golden armor, adorned with banners, and their presence heralded by the sound of bells. Expert elephant warriors rode with them. Countless foot soldiers marched as well, bearing bows, spears, and swords, garlanded and clothed in divine attire, their bodies anointed with heavenly fragrances. These young men, with polished earrings, skilled in every weapon and eager for battle, followed the king. The women of the inner chambers, fully adorned with lips red as bimba fruit, beautiful teeth, and every ornament, also joined the procession. They wore divine garments, celestial garlands, their bodies scented with heavenly perfumes, and their faces shone like the autumn moon. With slender waists, charming attire, and lovely curled hair, their mouths reddened by betel, they were well-guarded and traveled in vehicles of every kind—high and low, radiant, jeweled, and golden—accompanied by singers and praise-chanters. Armed guards surrounded them, their eyes long as lotus petals. Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas, too, joined the king’s great journey. All the merchant guilds and groups from various towns, with their wealth, jewels, gold, families, and retinues, came along. There were those who sold weapons, betel, grass, wood, and all manner of goods. Performers from the stage, sellers of meat, oil, and cloth, fruit vendors, leaf sellers, porters, and washermen were present in their thousands. Cowherds, barbers, tailors, shepherds of sheep and goats, keepers of deer and swans, sellers of grain, parched flour, jaggery, and salt—all accompanied the king. Singers, dancers, reciters of auspicious hymns, actors, storytellers, and those skilled in the meanings of ancient tales joined this grand procession, making it a splendid and harmonious gathering, united in devotion and purpose.