Hearing the pleas of the assembled gods, King Raji turned to the chief of the demons, questioning him just as he had questioned the gods before. The demons, brimming with pride and thinking only of their own gain, answered the noble king with words steeped in arrogance. “Prahlada is our Indra, for whose sake we seek victory,” they declared. “But in this battle, O best of kings, you must remain neutral.” Raji agreed, saying, “So be it.” Yet the gods, anxious for their own triumph, pressed him further. They promised, “If you conquer the demons, you shall become Indra.” Thus resolved, Raji entered the fray. With supreme fortune and might, he struck down all the demons, even those invulnerable to the thunderbolt of Indra himself, restoring the lost glory of the gods. Having slain the demons, Raji seized the kingdom. Indra and all the gods honored this great and powerful king. Declaring, “I am the son of Raji,” Indra spoke again: “You are Indra, beloved of all the gods; of this there is no doubt.” Indra added, “He for whom I am Indra—your son—shall become renowned by his deeds.” Yet upon hearing Indra’s words, Raji was beguiled by illusion and replied, pleased, “So be it.” When Raji ascended to heaven, he became like one of the gods. Raji’s five hundred sons inherited the kingdom from Indra, making it their own domain. But when, clouded by confusion, intoxicated by passion, and given to unrighteousness, they entered the heavenly realm in many ways, they became haters of Brahman. Their strength and valor destroyed, Indra regained his sovereignty and supreme position by slaying all of Raji’s sons, who were devoted to desire and anger. Whoever hears or recites this account of Śatakratu’s (Indra’s) restoration from displacement will not meet with misfortune. Now, Rambha was childless, but the lineage of Anenasa is to be recounted. Anenasa’s son was the renowned king Pratikṣatra. Pratikṣatra’s son was the illustrious Saṃjaya; Saṃjaya’s son was Jaya, and Jaya’s son was Vijaya. Vijaya’s son was Kṛti, and Kṛti’s son was Haryatvata. Haryatvata’s son was the mighty king Sahadeva. Sahadeva’s son was the righteous and well-known Nadīna; Nadīna’s son was Jayatsena, and Jayatsena’s son was Saṃkṛti. Saṃkṛti’s son was the righteous and renowned Kṣatravṛddha. These are the descendants of Anenasa. From Kṣatravṛddha came Sunahotra, famed throughout the land. Sunahotra had three supremely righteous heirs: Kāśa, Śala, and the illustrious Gṛtsamada. Gṛtsamada’s son was Śunaka, whose son was Śaunaka. Among their lines were Brahmins, Kṣatriyas, Vaiśyas, and Śūdras. Śala’s son was Ārṣṭiseṇa, whose son was Kāśyapa. Kāśa’s son was the king Kāśipa, whose son was Dīrghatapas; Dīrghatapas’s wise son was Dhanvantari. After great austerity, Dhanvantari was born again as the wise Vṛddha, and Dhanvantari became a god, incarnated among humans. In his house was born the god Dhanvantari, who became the great king of Kāśi and destroyer of all diseases. Having received the science of Ayurveda from Bharadvāja, he became a physician on earth, dividing the knowledge into eight parts and imparting it to his disciples. Dhanvantari’s son was the well-known Ketumān, whose son was the heroic Bhīmaratha. Bhīmaratha’s son was Divodāsa, lord of his people, who became ruler of Vārāṇasī. At that time, a rakṣasa named Kṣemaka had settled in Vārāṇasī, which was devoid of twice-born men, owing to a curse placed by the wise and great Nikumbha. For a thousand years, the city would remain empty; of this, there was no doubt. At the moment of that curse, Divodāsa established a beautiful city at the edge of his domain, upon the Gomati river. Previously, Vārāṇasī had been the city of Bhadraśreṇya, belonging to his hundred sons, all excellent archers. King Divodāsa slew them and settled there, seizing the kingdom of Bhadraśreṇya by his superior strength. Bhadraśreṇya’s son, Durdama, was spared by Divodāsa out of compassion, though he was only a child, and was driven away. The king thus took the inheritance of the Haihayas, forcibly claiming the ancestral domain that Divodāsa had seized. In time, the great-souled Durdama ended the enmity through his own power. From Divodāsa, in Dṛṣadvatī, a hero was born named Pratardana, who again challenged the prevailing strength. Pratardana had two sons, Vatsabharga and Vatsa, both widely renowned. Vatsa’s son was Alarka, and Saṃnati was his own son. Alarka, devoted to Brahman and steadfast in truth, was a royal sage of great renown. Of him, an ancient verse was sung: for sixty thousand and six hundred years, he remained youthful in appearance and was the foremost of his lineage. By the grace of Lopāmudrā, he attained supreme longevity, possessed beauty and youth, and ruled over a vast kingdom.