When calamity befell the royal household, the queen—the wife of the king and spouse of the chief priest—spoke gravely to her son. “My child,” she said, “your father has been taken to the underworld by a Danava, along with the king himself.” Startled, the son asked, “Where was he taken, and by whom? How did it happen, and for what reason? Who witnessed this? Tell me, where is this Danava?” With sorrow, the queen explained, “In the sacrificial hall, while the king was being consecrated, together with his wife and the chief priest, the Daitya named Mithur seized them and carried them off to the underworld. This happened before the assembled gods, in the presence of fire and the Brahmins.” Hearing his mother’s words, Devāpi, the son, pondered deeply what must be done. He asked himself, “Should I seek help from the gods, or from Agni the fire, or from the officiating priests, or even from the Asuras themselves?” He resolved, “Among these alone I must seek my father—nowhere else. This is my decision.” Having settled his mind, Devāpi turned to Bhara, the king’s son, and said, “Through austerity, celibacy, vows, and discipline, I will bring back all those who have been taken to the underworld. For when a terrible defeat has occurred, and one makes no effort to counter it, what is the use of such a wretched life, whether living or dead?” He continued, “You, Arṣṭiṣeṇa, should rule the earth as a father would. My mother must be protected by you, O king, until I return. When my task is done, grant me leave to depart, O Bhara.” Devāpi’s words were received with care by Bhara, who considered everything with great attention. Bhara replied, “Achieve your purpose, go happily, and do not worry in the least.” With his mind made up, Devāpi set forth, intent on meditating upon the feet of the king of the immortals. He diligently sought out the officiating priests and, bowing to each with joined hands, addressed them respectfully: “It is your duty to protect the sacrifice, the initiated sacrificer, the chief priest, and the wife of the sacrificer. If, while you are present and watching, the king of the Daityas destroys the sacrifice and carries off the kings, it would not be proper at all.” He urged, “Nevertheless, I believe you should restore all of them unharmed; otherwise, you would fall under a curse.” The priests replied, “In the sacrifice, Agni must be worshipped first, for Agni alone is the deity here. As attendants of the fire, we do not know more.” They explained, “Agni alone is the giver, the enjoyer, the taker, the doer, and the carrier of the oblation.” Having placed the priests behind him, Devāpi worshipped Jātavedas—the fire god—as prescribed, and then addressed Agni. He said, “Just as the priests, so am I an attendant of the gods. I carry the oblation for the gods, and they are the enjoyers and protectors. Having diligently invoked the gods, I will distribute the shares of the oblation to each separately. If there is fault, it is mine—so go to the gods.” Devāpi then approached the gods, bowing to them and conveying the words of the priests, the words of Agni, and also the warning of a curse. The gods replied, “We are summoned by the priests with Vedic mantras in due order and so we enjoy the shares of the oblation, O best of the twice-born, but we are not independent.” They continued, “Always acting according to the Veda, and impelled by the Veda, we are dependent. O Brahmin, report this to the Vedas.” So Devāpi, purifying himself, diligently invoked the Vedas. Endowed with meditation and austerity, he beheld the Vedas themselves appearing before him. Bowing again and again, Devāpi addressed the Vedas, repeating the words of the priests, the words of Agni, and the words of the gods. The Vedas replied, “We, dear one, are also dependent and subject to the will of the Supreme Lord. He is the unfailing support of the entire universe, Himself unsupported and untouched. He is the sole abode of all powers, the treasury of every wealth; that Great God is the creator, the destroyer, the Supreme Lord.” They explained, “We, O Brahman, are composed of sound; we speak and we know, and it is our duty to speak what you ask of us. We know by whom they were led away, his name, his city, his strength. We know who took them, and whether they are lost. This much we know. We also know your capacity, whom you should worship, and where; and in this way, you will recover them before you.” Hearing this, Devāpi pondered the Vedas’ words for a long time in his heart. The Vedas declared, “This alone is truly so. You will recover all those who were taken to the netherworld—enough, we bow to you.” They instructed him, “Go to the Gautamī river, O Devāpi, and there praise the Great Lord; when well-pleased, the compassionate one will surely grant your wish. If Śiva is pleased by your praise, O wise one, then King Ṛṣṭiṣeṇa and his wife Jayā will be restored. Your father Upamanyu also dwells in the netherworld, unharmed; by the boons of the Great Lord, and by slaying the demon, you will obtain fame and righteousness—this alone is possible, nothing else.” Thus instructed by the Vedas, the boy Devāpi went to the Gautamī river. There, after bathing and performing the proper rites, the brāhmaṇa praised the Great Lord. He prayed, “I am but a boy, O Lord of gods; you are the guru of all gurus; I have no power to praise you—O Śambhu, I bow to you.” He continued, “The scriptures do not know you, nor do the gods, nor the sages, nor Brahmā, nor even Viṣṇu; you are who you are—salutations to you. Those who are helpless, afflicted, poor, sick, or sinful in this world—you protect them, O Great Lord.” He offered further praise: “The gods of heaven, worshipped with austerity, discipline, and mantras, receive from you the fruits they desire, O Lord of the worlds. Those who ask and those who give—whatever they desire, it is not surprising if it comes to be, for you reverse their fortunes.” Thus, with devotion and humility, Devāpi pleaded for the grace of the Great Lord, seeking the return of his father and the king, and the restoration of righteousness.