Satyavrata, once a prince of noble lineage, was cast out by his own father, who, consumed by anger, declared, “I no longer desire a son through you, O defiler of the lineage.” Obedient to this harsh command, Satyavrata left the city behind. The venerable sage Vasiṣṭha, witness to these events, did not intervene, and so Satyavrata took up residence on the outskirts of the city, near the settlement of the outcastes. Abandoned by his father, the heroic Satyavrata lived in exile, while his father himself retreated to the forest. In the wake of these events, a great calamity befell the land: Indra, king of the gods, withheld the rains, and a terrible famine gripped the kingdom for twelve long years—a punishment for the sin that had occurred. During this time of hardship, the great ascetic Viśvāmitra, together with his family, dwelt at the edge of the ocean, having renounced all worldly possessions to perform severe austerities. The famine pressed so hard that Viśvāmitra’s wife, desperate to feed the rest of her family, bound their middle son by the neck and sold him for a hundred cows. As the boy stood there, bound and about to be sold, Satyavrata—righteous and mighty-armed—saw him. Moved by compassion, he freed the boy and took upon himself the responsibility of supporting Viśvāmitra’s family. Because of the bondage at the neck, that child came to be known as Gālava, and the wise sage Kauśika (Viśvāmitra) was thus freed from his difficulties by the generosity of Satyavrata. For twelve years, Satyavrata, steadfast in discipline, supported Viśvāmitra’s household through his devotion, compassion, and unwavering vow. To provide for Viśvāmitra’s family, Satyavrata hunted deer, boars, and buffaloes in the forest near the sage’s hermitage, hanging the meat on a tree for their sustenance. He undertook a silent vow and a twelve-year consecration, following his father’s command, even as the king remained in the forest. Meanwhile, Vasiṣṭha, with the help of priests and teachers, protected the kingdom of Ayodhyā and its inner palace. Yet, in his youth and under the sway of destiny, Satyavrata harbored a growing anger toward Vasiṣṭha. He remembered how, when his beloved son was expelled from the kingdom by his father, the sage had not intervened, though there were many reasons to do so. Satyavrata reflected on how the marriage mantras are completed at the seventh step, but he himself had not fulfilled this, and so he had been abandoned at the seventh step. “Vasiṣṭha, who knows the law, did not protect me,” Satyavrata thought, and anger smoldered in his heart, not understanding the silent wisdom behind the sage’s actions. Because of his father’s deep dissatisfaction and the unresolved sin, the rain-god withheld rain for twelve years. Satyavrata undertook his difficult vow as atonement for his family’s transgression, enduring great hardship so that the debt might be lifted. Vasiṣṭha, for his part, did not prevent Satyavrata from this path, thinking, “I myself will anoint his son.” Strong in resolve, Satyavrata endured his vow for twelve years, even when there was no meat available for the great Vasiṣṭha. One day, driven by anger, delusion, exhaustion, and hunger, he saw a cow that fulfilled every desire. Overcome by these forces, he seized the cow and, following the custom of the land, killed her. He and the sons of Viśvāmitra ate the flesh, and he caused others to partake as well. When Vasiṣṭha heard of this, he too became angry. Vasiṣṭha declared, “I would surely cast you down, cruel one, with this stake, unless these two stakes of yours are not made again. By your father’s displeasure, by the killing of the sacred cow, and by eating what was not properly purified, your transgression is threefold.” Thus, seeing these three stakes of sin, the great ascetic named him Triśaṅku—“he of three sins.” Yet, it was Satyavrata—now called Triśaṅku—who had supported Viśvāmitra’s wives through their time of need. Pleased by this, Viśvāmitra offered Triśaṅku a boon. When pressed to choose, the prince asked, “May I go to heaven in this very body.” When the twelve-year drought ended and the fear of famine had passed, Triśaṅku was consecrated as king in his father’s kingdom and performed the royal sacrifice. In the presence of the gods and Vasiṣṭha, the great ascetic Kauśika (Viśvāmitra) raised Triśaṅku bodily to heaven, fulfilling his extraordinary wish. Triśaṅku’s wife, Satyarathā of the Kaikeyi lineage, bore him a son named Hariścandra, who was free from sin. Hariścandra became a renowned king, performing the Rājasūya sacrifice and earning fame as a universal sovereign. His son was Rohita, a noble prince; from Rohita came Harita, from Harita came Cañcu (also called Hārita), and from Cañcu was born Vijaya, who conquered the whole earth and became known for his victories. Vijaya’s son was Ruruka, a king skilled in righteousness and wealth; Ruruka’s son was Vṛka, and from Vṛka was born Bāhu. In time, Bāhu was driven from his kingdom by the Haihayas and Tālaṅghas, and his wife, pregnant with child, sought refuge in the hermitage of the sage Aurva. There, in the age of righteousness, Sagara—the son of Bāhu—was conceived, together with poison. Protected by the Bhārgava sage Aurva, King Sagara obtained a fiery weapon from him. With its power, Sagara conquered the earth, defeating the Tālaṅghas and Haihayas. The righteous Sagara also expelled the Śakas, Pahlavas, Kṣatriyas, and Pāradas from their dharma, thus restoring order to the land.