Restrained firmly, the great bull found himself unable to move even a single step. Then, the bull spoke to his captor, saying, “Release me, O best of the strong. O father, I have never met anyone as powerful as you, nor is there anyone who matches my strength. Let me go, father, and because I am pleased with you, choose a boon as you wish.” The sage replied, “As long as I live, where will you go? I will not release you, nor any four-footed creature that belongs to another.” But the bull answered, “O father, for us there is neither sin nor theft; for us, there is no distinction between what may or may not be eaten or drunk. Among humans, there are many such rules, but this is the law remembered for cows: in matters of what should or should not be done, there is no restriction on our coming or going.” Hearing this law of the cows, the sage became anxious. He released the bull, and then, seeking to please the lord of cows, he offered him food and drink to the best of his ability. When the bull was satisfied and had departed, the sage devoted himself with faith to the law of cows, fixing his mind upon it with steadfastness and intent. Afterward, he approached the younger wife of Gautama, who was proud and, in his eyes, barren like a cow that gives no milk. Unable to tolerate her, and regarding the law of cows as supreme, he rebuked and restrained his daughter-in-law, seizing her with his arms. Understanding the destined event by her own greatness, she said to him, “Having encountered this reversal, you now behave like a barren bull. You do not know what is proper or improper; desiring a daughter through the law of cows, I now abandon you, wicked one—go your own way according to your actions.” She placed him on a wooden raft and cast him into the waters of the Ganges, saying, “Because you are blind, old, and difficult to support, you must be abandoned.” As he was swept away swiftly by the river’s current, the righteous Bali, son of Virocana, came upon him and rescued him. Bali brought the sage into his inner apartments, cared for him with food and delicacies, and, pleased with his guest, offered him a boon of his choosing. Desiring offspring, the sage said, “Grant that my illustrious wife may bear sons for me, O giver of honor, who possess knowledge of righteousness, purpose, and truth.” Bali agreed, but knowing the sage was blind and aged, he sent his own wife, Sudeṣṇā, to the sage. However, Sudeṣṇā refused to go and instead sent a Śūdra maidservant as a nurse. In her, the self-controlled sage begot sons such as Kakṣīvat and others, who were born in the Śūdra caste. The righteous sage thus begot Śūdra sons in the maidservant, and seeing Kakṣīvat and the others, the mighty king spoke to the sage. These sons were skilled in the duties of sages, masters of sacred speech, learned in manifest righteousness, intelligent, virtuous, and pure. Bali claimed them as his own, but the sage respectfully replied, “They are indeed mine. Though born in a Śūdra womb, they were begotten at your wish, O best of gods. Knowing me to be blind and aged, your queen Sudeṣṇā sent me the Śūdra nurse out of disrespect, O king.” Hearing this, Bali sought to appease the foremost of sages and rebuked his wife, Sudeṣṇā. Once again, after adorning her, Bali sent Sudeṣṇā to the sage, and this time the queen did as she was told. The sage instructed her, “Anoint yourself with curds mixed with salt and honey, and, without disgust, lick me from foot to head; then, O queen, you will obtain sons as you desire in your heart.” The queen followed his instructions in everything, except when it came to drinking—she avoided it. The sage then declared, “O auspicious one, since you have avoided the drinking, you will bear a son, but he will be the eldest.” Sudeṣṇā pleaded, “O blessed one, you ought not to give me such a son. Since I am pleased as far as possible, grant me your favor, O lord.” But the sage replied, “O auspicious one, because of your transgression, it cannot be otherwise; your son will not give you grandsons, but your grandsons will bear fruit.” Because she did not drink, there would be fitness; and, touching Dīrghatamas’s limbs, he spoke thus: “Whatever was tasted on your limbs, O fair-smiling one, but not on the generative organ, those remain in the womb like the full moon on the night of the full moon. There will be five sons, O goddess, equal to the sons of the gods—brilliant, well-conducted, performers of sacrifice, and righteous.” Thus, Sudeṣṇā’s eldest son was born as her portion: Aṅga, Kaliṅga, Puṇḍra, Suhma, and Vanga. The king of Vanga and these five were the sons of Bali, born of the queen’s field; thus, these sons were given to Bali by Dīrghatamas. For those who had attained establishment, the sage caused them to become Brahmins; and so, from the human lineage, he indeed generated offspring. Then Surabhi, the divine cow, spoke to Dīrghatamas, having considered his actions: “Because you have made the law of the cow your authority, O mighty one, and because of your unwavering devotion to us, I am pleased with you, O blameless one. Therefore, I will inhale and dispel from you the long darkness. This sin of Brihaspati also remains in you; I will inhale and remove from you old age, death, and darkness.” Immediately, as soon as Surabhi inhaled, the eminent sage Asita became endowed with long life, beauty, and sight. When the darkness was dispelled by the cow, Gautama then arose; and Kakṣīvat, having gone with his father, entered Girivraja. Having seen and touched his father, he sat for a long time in austerity; then, after a great period, he was purified by asceticism.