There once was a king who, troubled by his lack of progeny, grew anxious about the future of his lineage. Seeking guidance, he invited the venerable sage Vasiṣṭha to his palace and honored him with great respect. After offering all due hospitality, the king humbly spoke to Vasiṣṭha about his desire for offspring and the reasons behind his longing for children. The sage, listening intently, pondered deeply and then addressed the king: “O King, you and your wives should always be devoted to honoring the sages.” With these words, Vasiṣṭha departed to his own abode. Yet, on another occasion, that great ascetic—treasury of austerity—returned to the king’s house. The king once again received him with reverence and performed all the necessary rites of worship. Pleased by this devotion, the sage said, “Ask for a boon, O highly fortunate one.” The king, his heart full of longing, asked for sons. Vasiṣṭha then granted him a remarkable blessing: “May one of your wives bear a son who will continue your lineage, and may the other be blessed with sixty thousand sons.” With the boon thus granted, the sage departed. In time, the king’s wives bore sons by the thousands, just as the sage had foretold. Overjoyed, the king performed many grand sacrifices—horse-sacrifices with generous gifts for the priests and the people. During one such horse-sacrifice, the king underwent the sacred initiation. He assigned his sons, along with their armies, to guard the consecrated horse—an essential part of the ritual. But at one point, Indra, king of the gods, seized the sacrificial horse. The king’s sons searched everywhere, but could not find it. These sixty thousand sons of Sagara, skilled in many forms of warfare, continued their search. As they watched, they saw demons among their ranks, but the Sagaras could not perceive the demons clearly, for those beings were masters of illusion. The demons, having taken the consecrated horse, went to the netherworld, eluding the perceptions of Sagara’s sons. Unable to find the horse, the mighty sons of Sagara wandered across the earth, searching in vain. They scoured the world of the gods, the mountains, lakes, and forests, but the horse remained hidden. Meanwhile, the king, having completed the auspicious rites and received the blessings of the priests, grew anxious when he saw that the beautiful sacrificial animal was missing. The Sagara sons, called “Oceans,” searched everywhere—even reaching the world of the gods—but still found no trace of the horse. They returned to earth, searching the mountains and forests, but their efforts were fruitless. At that moment, a divine voice rang out: “The horse is bound in the netherworld, not elsewhere, O Oceans.” Hearing this, the sons of Sagara resolved to reach the netherworld. With their immense strength, they dug up the entire earth, eating the dry soil day and night, until at last they broke through to the netherworld. Word of their arrival spread, and the demons, terrified by the coming of these mighty princes, fled to the sage Kapila. Kapila, the great sage, was lying in the netherworld. In ancient times, he had performed a noble task for the gods. Weary and sleepless after completing this task, Kapila had asked the gods for a place to sleep. The gods granted him the netherworld, and Kapila added, “Whoever foolishly awakens me should quickly be reduced to ashes.” Thus, he lay there, declaring that if he was not asleep, it was as if he were dreaming. The demons, knowing Kapila’s power, devised a cunning plan to destroy the Sagara princes. Fearing battle, they hurried to where the great and wrathful sage lay, bound the sacrificial horse at his head, and stood at a distance, watching in silence. When the Sagara princes entered the netherworld, they saw the horse bound and a man lying there. Believing him to be the thief and the destroyer of their sacrifice, they declared, “Let us slay this great sinner and take the horse back to the king!” Some argued that they should simply take the horse, but others insisted on asserting their royal authority. In their arrogance, they raised the sage, spoke harsh words, and struck him with their feet, boasting of their kṣatriya power. At that moment, Kapila, filled with righteous anger, opened his eyes and, with a fierce gaze, reduced them all to ashes. Thus, all sixty thousand sons of Sagara perished in flames on the spot. The king, engaged in his consecrated rites, knew nothing of this tragedy. It was Nārada who came to Sagara and told him of Kapila’s state and the fate of the horse. Nārada recounted the monstrous acts of the rākṣasas and the destruction of the Sagara princes. The king, overwhelmed with anxiety and grief, was at a loss as to what should be done. Sagara had another son, Asamañja, who, out of folly, would throw the children of the citizens into the water. The people, distressed by these cruel acts, informed the king, who grew angry and spoke to his ministers: “Let this Asamañja be exiled. He has abandoned the kṣatriya code and is a slayer of children.” The ministers, heeding the king’s command, swiftly banished Asamañja, who then departed to the forest. Thus, all the Sagara princes had been destroyed in the netherworld by Brahmā’s curse. With only one son left, now exiled to the forest, King Sagara was left to wonder what path remained for him and his lineage.