Then, the radiant king—renowned as the destroyer of Dhundhu—approached the mighty and powerful demon Dhundhu. Endowed with yogic power, this lord among men absorbed the force of water through his yoga, and with that water, subdued the raging fire that protected the demon. By his strength, he slew that great-bodied, water-dwelling demon, and, his task accomplished, the king presented himself before the sage Uttanka. Pleased, Uttanka granted the great-souled king a boon: he bestowed upon him inexhaustible wealth, unconquered by enemies. The sage further granted him constant delight in righteousness, unending residence in heaven, and for the sons who had been slain by the demon, eternal worlds in heaven. Of the king’s sons, three survived: the eldest was Dṛḍhāśva, and his younger brothers were Candrāśva and Kapilāśva. Dṛḍhāśva’s son was Haryaśva, and Haryaśva’s son was Nikumbha, who was ever devoted to the duties of a kṣatriya. Nikumbha’s son was Saṃhatāśva, skilled in battle, and Saṃhatāśva’s sons were Akṛśāśva and Kṛśāśva. Saṃhatāśva also had a daughter, Dṛṣadvatī, famed throughout the three worlds for her virtue. Her son was Prasenajit. Prasenajit took as his wife Gaurī, devoted to her husband. Yet, cursed by her own husband, Gaurī became the river Bāhudā. Prasenajit’s great son was Yuvanāśva, lord of men, and Yuvanāśva’s son was Māndhātṛ, conqueror of the three worlds. Māndhātṛ’s wife was Caitrarathī, daughter of Śaśabindu—a virtuous woman named Bindumatī, unequalled in beauty on earth. She was devoted to her husband and the eldest among ten thousand brothers. Māndhātṛ fathered two sons with her: Purukutsa, knower of righteousness, and the king Mucukunda. Purukutsa’s son was Trasadasyu, lord of the earth. In the sacred Narmadā river was born Saṃbhūta, Trasadasyu’s son, and Saṃbhūta’s heir was Tridhanvan, destroyer of foes. The learned and mighty Trayyaruṇa was born to Tridhanvan; his son was the powerful prince Satyavrata. But Satyavrata, driven by evil intent, caused an obstacle to the marriage mantras, by which another man’s wife, though already wed, was taken away. Overcome by desire, childishness, delusion, recklessness, and impulsiveness, he abducted the daughter of a townsman, seized by passion. Because of this sinful act, the family priest, master of the three Vedas, abandoned him, repeatedly declaring in anger, “Let him be cast out!” Thus abandoned, Satyavrata asked his father again and again, “Where shall I go?” His father replied, “Live among the outcastes. I no longer desire a son through you, O defiler of the lineage.” Obeying his father’s command, Satyavrata departed from the city. The venerable sage Vasiṣṭha did not restrain him, and so Satyavrata dwelled near the settlement of the outcastes. Abandoned by his father, the heroic Satyavrata lived there, while his father too went to the forest. Then, in that land, Indra withheld the rain. For twelve years, because of that sin, famine ravaged the land. In that time, the great ascetic Viśvāmitra and his family, having renounced everything, performed austerities at the ocean’s edge. In her desperation, Viśvāmitra’s wife bound their middle son by the neck—her own child—and sold him for a hundred cows to provide for the rest of her family. Seeing the boy bound and about to be sold, the righteous and mighty-armed Satyavrata freed the sage’s son and took upon himself his support. Because of this act of compassion and for the satisfaction of Viśvāmitra, that ascetic boy came to be known as Gālava, from the bondage at the neck. The wise sage Kauśika (Viśvāmitra) was thus freed from this hardship by Satyavrata. Satyavrata, through devotion, compassion, and his vow, sustained Viśvāmitra’s family, remaining steadfast in discipline. He hunted deer, boar, and buffalo in the forests near Viśvāmitra’s hermitage, hanging the meat on a tree for them. Observing a silent vow and a twelve-year consecration, Satyavrata remained there, as his father had commanded, while the king dwelt in the forest. Meanwhile, the sage Vasiṣṭha, with the help of priests and teachers, protected Ayodhyā and the royal household. Yet, because of his youth and the force of destiny, Satyavrata always harbored anger toward Vasiṣṭha. When his beloved son was expelled from the kingdom by his father, the sage did not restrain him, though there were many reasons to do so. The completion of the marriage mantras is at the seventh step, but Satyavrata did not fulfill this, and so he was abandoned at the seventh step. Knowing the law, Vasiṣṭha did not protect Satyavrata. At that time, Satyavrata became angry with Vasiṣṭha in his heart. But the venerable Vasiṣṭha, acting with discernment of virtue, did so for a reason, which Satyavrata did not understand. Because of the great-souled father’s dissatisfaction, for twelve years the rain-god did not send rain. Thus, the difficult vow now undertaken on earth was performed as atonement for the family, so that its honor and fortune might be restored. The venerable Vasiṣṭha did not prevent Satyavrata, though he had been abandoned by his father, thinking, “I myself will anoint his son.