Warriors renowned for their prowess in great battles arrived from every direction to attend the grand event, joining a host of dancers, actors, and skilled singers and praisers, all present to honor the king. His wives, enchanting in their beauty, had full, high breasts, eyes like blue lotuses and palasha flowers, and faces radiant as the autumn moon. Noble in lineage, character, and virtue, these wives numbered one thousand and one hundred, together with the king’s other principal consorts. The king’s palace and the sacrificial grounds gleamed with strings of gems and divine ornaments, adorned with banners and flags, resplendent with jeweled necklaces, shining with the brilliance of moonstone. Hundreds of thousands—indeed, millions—of elephants, towering like mountains, their temples streaming with rut, mighty in strength and adorned with ornaments on their tusks, stood assembled. Swift horses from the Sindhu region, splendid in appearance, white steeds and those with dark ears, countless in number and endowed with great speed, were also present. There were innumerable foot soldiers, girded and armored, equipped with various weapons and ever ready for battle, resembling the sons of the gods themselves. Beholding this vast and splendid array of sacrificial preparations, the king’s heart filled with delight, and he spoke joyfully to those assembled. He commanded, “Bring forth the finest horse, marked with all auspicious signs. Let the disciplined princes lead it across the earth. Let learned and righteous men perform the sacrificial rites here. Bring a black goat, a buffalo, and a black antelope for the twice-born Brahmins. Bring a bull, cows, and all the herdsmen; let the desired offerings proceed, and establish the Vaishnava pavilion. Let all these be given to the Brahmins as they desire: women, heaps of jewels, villages, and cities. Grant fertile lands, territories, and delightful kinds of wealth to all who seek them. For all who ask, nothing should be denied. Let the sacrifice proceed until the god himself appears before me here, at this sacrifice.” Having spoken thus, the lion-like king of mighty arms began to give away gifts in abundance. He bestowed upon the Brahmins heaps of gold and ornaments numbering in the millions. He gave a hundred thousand female elephants, tens of thousands of horses, and a hundred million bulls and cows with horns of gold. Beautiful, fragrant cows, those yielding milk in bronze vessels, were joyfully given to the Brahmins, the knowers of the Vedas. Costly garments, gleaming white blankets, and the finest coral and gems were distributed in great measure. He gave various kinds of jewels at the great sacrifice—diamonds, sapphires, rubies, pearls, and other precious stones—as well as radiant maidens with lotus-like eyes. Delighted, the king gave five hundred women to the Brahmins—women with full breasts, clad in bodices covering their chests. Many more women, slender-waisted, with lotus-petal wide eyes, graceful necks adorned with gestures and expressions, and decorated with bangles, were also given. Adorned with anklets and dressed in fine silk garments, these desirable women were presented individually to those assembled. To Brahmins and others who sought, at the horse sacrifice, the king provided abundant food and drink, prepared with various ingredients. Many kinds of sweets and confections, cooked and baked, pure offerings, and delicacies filled with ghee were served. Sweet cakes, fried pastries, and well-cooked, delicious foods were repeatedly distributed for the pleasure of all beings. The wealth given and distributed seemed without end. Witnessing such a great sacrifice, the gods, demons, and their followers were struck with amazement. Gandharvas, Apsaras, Siddhas, sages, and the lords of creatures all experienced supreme wonder at that auspicious and excellent sacrifice. The priests, counselors, and the king himself were all delighted; no one was unclean, distressed, or afflicted by hunger. There was no adversity, fatigue, ailments, or disease; no untimely death, no bites, nor any harmful influences. All the people, including perfected ascetics and long-lived sages, were joyful and well-nourished at that royal festival. Never before had there been such a sacrifice, endowed with such wealth and abundance of grain. Thus, the king completed the horse sacrifice and the construction of the Vaiṣṇava temple, strictly according to the proper rites. At this point, the sages addressed the Lord of gods, saying, “Tell us, O Lord, how those images were formerly made by Indradyumna in ancient times. By what means was Mādhava pleased with him? Tell us everything, for our curiosity is great.” The Lord replied, “Listen, O tiger among sages, to the ancient account in accord with the Vedas. I will narrate what happened before and the origin of the images. When the great sacrifice began and the temple was constructed, King Indradyumna became anxious day and night about the images. He wondered, ‘I do not know by whom I might see the Lord of gods, purifier of all, creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the worlds, the Supreme Person.’ Absorbed in this anxiety, the king neither slept at night nor by day. He took no pleasure in various enjoyments, nor did he bathe or adorn himself. He found no delight in music, fragrance, singing, or colors, nor in elephants intoxicated with rut, nor in the many horses. Not even the sight of great sapphires, blue gems, rubies, nor gold, silver, and other precious stones adorned with diamonds and crystal could bring him joy.” Thus unfolded the glory of the king’s sacrifice and his yearning for the divine presence.