Therefore, O illustrious one, let your teacher’s beautiful wife be released, so that today there will be no conflict among the gods on your account. Such was the message brought before Soma, the Moon, who, upon hearing Indra’s words, became somewhat agitated with anger. With a crooked smile, Soma addressed the messenger of Indra. Soma spoke: “O mighty-armed one, you are righteous, lord of the gods, and your priest is of similar nature; your minds are alike. Many are skilled in giving counsel to others, but rare indeed is the one who acts himself when the moment for action arrives. People accept the treatises composed by Bṛhaspati; O lord of gods, what fault is there in enjoying a woman whom one desires? For the strong, everything is their own; for the weak, nothing is theirs. The distinction between what is one’s own and what is another’s is a delusion of the dull-minded. Tārā is attached to me, not to her husband, the teacher; how can one who is devoted be abandoned, either by righteousness or by justice? How can a household even begin with one who is indifferent, whether she is attached or not? When she became indifferent, I desired another woman. I will not give up this beautiful one; go, messenger, and tell him yourself. You are the lord, O thousand-eyed one—do as you wish.” Thus addressed, the messenger returned to Indra and reported all that Soma, the cool-rayed one, had said. Upon hearing this, Turāṣāḍ was filled with anger and prepared for war, seeking to aid his teacher. Śukra, learning of the impending conflict and out of enmity toward the teacher, went to Soma and said, “Do not give her up. I will assist you with the power of mantra, O wise one, if a battle arises between you and Indra.” Śaṅkara too, upon hearing of the violation against the teacher’s wife, considered Bhṛgu an enemy of the teacher and offered his support. Thus, a great battle broke out between the gods and the demons, fierce and long-lasting, resembling the war that had once raged over Tārakāsura. Witnessing this strife between gods and demons, Pitāmaha Brahmā mounted his swan and swiftly arrived at the battlefield to end the suffering. He addressed the lord of the moon: “Release the teacher’s wife, or else I shall summon Viṣṇu and bring about destruction.” Then Brahmā, grandsire of the worlds, restrained Bhṛgu: “Why has this unjust intention arisen, O wise one, from the fault of association?” Bhṛgu, thus admonished, commanded the lord of herbs, Soma, “Release the teacher’s wife today; I have been sent by the father.” Hearing Bhṛgu’s wondrous words, Soma, king of the twice-born, gave back the beloved, auspicious, and now pregnant wife of the teacher. Delighted to regain his beloved, the teacher returned to his house, and both gods and demons departed for their own realms. Brahmā went to his abode, Śaṅkara to Kailāsa, and Bṛhaspati, the teacher, was satisfied to have his charming wife once more. In time, Tārā gave birth to a virtuous son, on an auspicious day and under a favorable star, a child whose qualities matched those of Tārā’s lord. Seeing his son born, the teacher performed all the prescribed rites, such as the birth ceremony, with great joy in his heart. The sages soon heard from the moon about the birth of this son, and the wise Soma sent a messenger to the teacher. The message was clear: “This is not your son, but born from my seed; how have you performed the birth rites and other ceremonies, fulfilling your desire?” Bṛhaspati replied to the messenger, “He is my son, equal to me; there is no doubt about it.” Another dispute arose, and the gods and demons gathered once more, preparing for battle. At that moment, Brahmā himself arrived, desiring peace, and restrained those who stood at the forefront, intoxicated by the prospect of war. The righteous Brahmā questioned Tārā: “Whose son is this, O auspicious one? Speak the truth, O beautiful lady, so that this distress may be resolved.” Embarrassed, her face lowered and her dark eyes averted, Tārā softly replied, “He is the son of Chandra,” and the radiant lady withdrew within. Soma, overjoyed, took his son, named him Budha, and returned to his own house. Brahmā departed to his abode, and all the gods, along with Indra and the assembled hosts, returned as they had come. Thus has the birth of Budha from Soma in Kurukshetra been narrated, as I heard it from Vyāsa, son of Satyavatī. Now, hear further: Budha’s son was Pururavas, born from Ila—a most righteous king, devoted to sacrifice and generosity. This Pururavas, also known as Sudyumna, was truthful and self-controlled. One day, he mounted a Sindhu horse and went hunting in the forest, accompanied by a few ministers, adorned with beautiful earrings, and armed with a horn bow and a wondrous collection of arrows. He wandered through the forest, striking deer, hares, boars, rhinoceroses, and wild oxen. He slew sarabhas, buffaloes, sambars, and wild fowl; and, having killed sacrificial animals, the king entered the grove of youths. This was beneath Mount Meru, a divine place adorned with mandara trees, covered in asoka creepers, and fragrant with bakula flowers.