When the two mysterious beings arrived, King Durjaya and the guardians of the worlds addressed them, saying, “You have restrained everything; without the guardians, the world cannot function. Therefore, grant us that supreme position.” Hearing this, Durjaya, wise in dharma, inquired, “Who are you?” The two, destroyers of enemies, replied, “We are the Asuras named Vidyutsu and Vidyunna, O giver of honor.” They continued, “If you so desire, O Durjaya, we will fulfill all the duties of the guardians of the worlds, in a righteous and well-ordered manner among the virtuous.” With these words, Durjaya established them in heaven as the new guardians; at once, they became invisible to all. Their great deeds upon the mountain would later be recounted, while King Durjaya himself resided on Mount Mandara. There, he beheld the divine forest of Dhanada, radiant and delightful, resembling the legendary Nandana grove. Filled with joy, the excellent king wandered amidst its wonders. Beneath golden trees, Durjaya’s eyes fell upon two maidens of extraordinary beauty and auspiciousness, marvels to behold. Astonished, he wondered to himself, “Who are these with such auspicious eyes?” As he pondered, he noticed two ascetics in the forest. Filled with joy at the sight of the ascetics, the king quickly dismounted from his elephant and approached them, offering his respects. Seated with them on a fine silk seat, he was asked, “Who are you? Where have you come from? Whose are you, and why are you here?” The king, renowned as Supratīka, laughed and replied, “A son has been born to me, named Durjaya. Desiring to conquer all the kings of the earth, I have come here, O noble ones. You ascetics should always remember me. But tell me, who are you both? You seem to seek my favor.” The ascetics answered, “We are Hetṛ and Prahetṛ, sons of Manu Svāyambhuva. We came to Mount Meru for the destruction of the gods. There, with our great army—crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots—we defeated the hosts of the gods by the hundreds and thousands. Seeing their mighty army struck down and their lives taken by us demons, the gods sought refuge elsewhere.” “They went to the ocean of milk, where Lord Hari, master of the gods, rests. There, the gods approached him in reverence and supplication: ‘O God of gods, Hari, our army has been defeated by the foremost of demons; protect us, for we are afraid and bewildered. In the past, O Keśava, you protected us in the battle against the cruel Kālanemi with a thousand arms. Now, O Lord, Hetṛ and Prahetṛ—with their great armies—torment us. Slay them and save us, O Lord of the universe!’” “Thus addressed, Lord Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa, said, ‘I will go to slay those two.’ With this, the gods departed towards Mount Meru, their minds fixed on Janārdana. As soon as they thought of him, the god bearing the discus and mace entered our army—alone, yet of immeasurable might. The Lord, by his own power, became one, ten, a hundred, a thousand, a hundred thousand, and even ten million forms.” “O King, as the mighty god stood in our midst, any demon who relied on our strength was struck down, falling lifeless to the earth. In an instant, the entire army—horses, elephants, foot soldiers—was destroyed by the wondrous power of the universal form. Having slain our entire fourfold army, the god bearing the discus vanished from our sight, leaving us to witness our forces utterly depleted. Such was the deed of the bow-bearing god that we beheld. Therefore, we sought refuge in him alone and worshipped him.” “And you, O king, are the son of our friend Supratīka. These two are our daughters—accept them, O lord of men. Hetṛ’s daughter is Sukeśī, and Prahetṛ’s is Miśrakeśī.” Thus addressed by the matchmakers, King Durjaya lawfully accepted both auspicious maidens as his wives. Filled with great joy at this union, he swiftly returned to his kingdom, surrounded by his army. In time, two sons were born to him: from Sukeśī, a son named Suprabha, and from Miśrakeśī, a son named Sudarśana. Having obtained these two excellent sons, the illustrious King Durjaya later ventured to the edge of the forest. There, after subduing the fearsome wild beasts, he saw a sinless sage dwelling within the forest. He beheld the great and fortunate ascetic named Gauramukha, protector of the seers and savior of the sinful. The sage’s hermitage, with its pure waters, gentle breezes, and fragrant trees, shone like a cloud descended from the sky, resembling a splendid celestial palace upon the earth. Its atmosphere glowed like the fire of sacrifice; its dwellings were spotlessly clean, resounding with the chanting of Sāman hymns by disciples. The hermitage was filled with beautiful women and the daughters of seers, and every tree was adorned with blossoming flowers. Śrī Varāha continued: “Then, seeing that hermitage of Gauramukha, King Durjaya reflected on its delightful surroundings. ‘I shall enter here and see the supremely righteous sages,’ he thought, and so entered the hermitage.” Upon his arrival, the virtuous sage Gauramukha, filled with great joy, welcomed him with due honor. After exchanging customary greetings, the sage said at the close of their conversation, “O best of kings, I shall provide food for you and your retinue to the best of my ability.