Pramati, renowned as the foremost among warriors, once seized mighty Indra, who stood before him holding his noose. Indra, however, only laughed at this capture, and at that moment, Hari addressed Pramati: “O wise one, enough of playing with the Maruts in the gods’ own temple! You have conquered the directions and reached the heavens—come, let us play together.” Hearing Hari’s invitation, King Pramati agreed, saying, “So be it.” Turning to Indra, he asked, “What forfeit do you consider appropriate for our game?” Indra, king of the gods, replied, “Let Urvaśī herself be our stake, to be won by all through sacrifices.” Upon hearing this, Pramati, filled with pride, declared, “I accept Urvaśī as the forfeit. What do you say, O king?” Indra, the wielder of the thunderbolt, agreed to Pramati’s terms. “What you say, O lord of the gods, I accept. For the forfeit, give your right hand—armed and righteous—let us play.” Thus, both approached the gaming board. In the contest that followed, Pramati emerged victorious, winning Urvaśī, the celestial maiden. Having claimed his prize, Pramati, now angry, addressed Indra: “For the forfeit, give me something else; later, you may play again, O mighty one.” Indra responded, “Give me the divine, victorious, and excellent chariot with the Vajra, fit for the gods. With that, O king, I will play, without hesitation.” Taking up the nooses and jeweled ornaments, Pramati laughed and proclaimed to Indra, “I have won!” Just then, Nārada, the knower of dice, arrived, and with him came Viśvāvasu, the illustrious lord of the Gandharvas. “O king,” they said, “let us play with you using the Gandharva art of dice.” The king agreed, and once more, victory was his. Having defeated them, Pramati, overcome by pride, spoke harshly to Indra: “Whether in battle or in play, you can never win, O Mahendra. Therefore, always be devoted to us. Tell me, by what means did you become the lord of the gods?” Then, in his arrogance, Pramati turned to Urvaśī and commanded, “Go, become a servant.” Urvaśī replied humbly, “As I behave among the gods, so shall I behave with you, with all my heart; you should not reproach me.” But Pramati insisted, “There are many women like you. Why are you ashamed, O good lady? Go, become a servant.” Having said this, Pramati addressed the lord of the Gandharvas, who was then known as Citraseṇa, the powerful son of Viśvāvasu. “O king,” Pramati challenged, “I will contend with you in a game, staking all—my kingdom, my life, and yours as well.” Both Citraseṇa and Pramati, filled with eagerness, agreed and played. This time, Citraseṇa was victorious. The Gandharvas bound Pramati with strong bonds, and Citraseṇa claimed everything, especially Urvaśī, as the wager. All that belonged to Pramati—his kingdom, treasury, army, and wealth—became Citraseṇa’s. Pramati’s son, though still a child, spoke with resolve to the wise priest Viśvāmitra, known as Madhucchandas: “What sin did my father commit? Where is that great-minded one bound? How will he return to his own place? How will he be freed from the bonds?” Hearing Sumati’s words, the sage Madhucchandas reflected and explained, “In the world of the gods, your father sits bound. Deprived of his kingdom by many deceptions and faults, he has fallen. Whoever goes to the assembly of gamblers partakes of suffering. Gambling, drinking, meat-eating, and such are ruinous, O prince. Indeed, only the sinful are born with sinful natures. Each of these leads to misfortune, sin, and hell. By chariots, seats, speech, and other means, those who follow deceit corrupt even noble families—what then of gamblers themselves?” He continued, “The wife of a gambler suffers constantly, and the gambler himself, sinful, suffers when he sees a woman. Seeing her, joyless, he who acts wickedly always laments: ‘Alas, in this cycle of existence, there is no sinner equal to me.’ One who has nothing of worldly pleasure in this world—such a gambler is never happy, not in either world. He always appears thus: his mind burned by shame, bereft of virtue, joyless, his pride consumed, he wanders about.” “The occupation that is free from deceit is esteemed for those twice-born; one may engage in agriculture, cattle-keeping, and trade, but not with deception. But whoever seeks to obtain wealth through deceitful means is deprived of virtue, prosperity, pleasure, and noble lineage by his own actions. Even in the Veda, the act is condemned; your father regarded it thus. Therefore, what shall we do, dear one? What has been spoken to you must be followed. Who among the wise can surpass the path ordained by the Creator?” Hearing these words, Sumati asked, “What should Pramati do, father, so that he may regain the kingdom?” After reflecting, Madhuchhanda replied, “Go to Gautami, dear one; there worship Śaṃkara, Aditi, Varuṇa, and Viṣṇu. Then you will be released from the bonds.