Thus, at the command of King Ikshvaku, the sage Vasishtha began to prepare the meat for the ancestral rites, performing the ritual as prescribed. But as he set about the sacred task, Vasishtha noticed that the meat had been defiled. Angered, he turned to the king and spoke, “O king, your son—who is a Shudra by this act—has defiled the meat by eating hare. This meat, illustrious king, is now unfit for offering.” He explained further, “Earlier, your son, the wicked one, ate hare in the forest, O sinless king. Because of this, the meat is impure and cannot be offered to the ancestors, O best of kings.” Hearing this, Ikshvaku’s anger was roused, and he confronted his son Vikukshi: “I appointed you to carry out the ancestral rites, yet you went hunting, and, heartless, ate hare in the forest before the ceremony.” With sorrow and firmness, Ikshvaku declared, “Therefore, I renounce you. Go, follow your own path.” Thus, at Vasishtha’s word, Ikshvaku abandoned his son. After Ikshvaku’s departure, Shashi, renowned for his supreme righteousness, obtained the earth and became ruler of Ayodhya. Guided by Vasishtha, Shashi governed the kingdom, and his reign brought great prosperity. In time, Shashi departed from the world, attaining a lesser state. From this account, it is understood that one should not eat meat in ritual, for, as the wise declare, “Whoever eats meat here, I shall eat his meat there”—such is the nature of meat. Shashi’s heir was Kakutstha, mighty in valor. Kakutstha was born long ago, when Indra took the form of a bull. In the ancient battle at Adibaka, he was called Kakutstha, and his descendant Prithuroma also bore that name. Prithu’s son was Vrishadasva; from Vrishadasva came Andhra, also mighty in valor. Andhra’s sons were Yavana, Ashva, and Shravastha. King Shravasthaka was born of this line, and he founded the city of Shravasti. Shravastha’s heir was the renowned Brihadasva. Brihadasva’s son was Kubala, as tradition recounts. This Kubala, famed in the world, was the king who slew the demon Dhundhu and thereby earned the title Dhundhumara. Hearing this, the sages gathered and said, “O wise one, we wish to hear in detail about the slaying of Dhundhu and why Kubalāśva came to be known as the destroyer of Dhundhu.” Sūta replied: “Brihadasva had twenty-one thousand sons, all skilled in every branch of knowledge, powerful, and difficult to overcome. All were righteous, performers of sacrifices, and generous with gifts. Yet among them, Kubalāśva was the most valiant, heroic, and supremely righteous. Brihadasva, the king, installed Kubalāśva as ruler over the kingdom, transferring his royal fortune to his son, and then entered the forest to pursue a life of renunciation. As the great and righteous Brihadasva was departing, the sage Uttanka stopped him and said, ‘O king, you must perform an act of protection for me before you go. I am unable to practice austerities without anxiety. Near my hermitage, in the flat desert lands, there is a sea filled with sand. Hidden beneath this sand dwells a great being of immense size and strength, invulnerable even to the gods. He is Dhundhu, the fierce and terrible son of Manu, who, through dreadful austerities, seeks to destroy the worlds. At the end of each year, he exhales, causing the earth and its forests to tremble. By the power of his breath, a great cloud of dust rises, covering the sun’s path, and for seven days the earth quakes. Sparks, flames, and smoke make the place exceedingly terrifying. Because of this, O king, I am unable to remain in my hermitage. O mighty-armed one, for the welfare of the worlds, restrain him. Your great energy, like that of Vishnu, will overcome his power. When that demon is slain, the worlds will be at peace, and you, O king, are capable of this feat. Vishnu once granted me a boon, O sinless one, that Dhundhu cannot be destroyed by lesser power. Not even in a hundred years could he be burned up here; his strength is so great that even the gods cannot withstand him.’ Thus addressed by the great-souled Uttanka, Brihadasva gave his son Kubalāśva for the task of restraining Dhundhu. The king said, ‘I have renounced weapons; let my son go. O best of the twice-born, he will surely become the slayer of Dhundhu.’ Having instructed his son, who was prepared to destroy Dhundhu, Brihadasva departed to the mountains to undertake austerities, his vow firmly declared. Kubalāśva, righteous in soul, accepted his father’s command. Together with his twenty-one thousand sons and the sage Uttanka, the king set out to subdue Dhundhu. Then, by his own radiance, the blessed Vishnu entered Kubalāśva, at Uttanka’s behest and for the welfare of the worlds. As Kubalāśva departed, a great sound arose in the heavens, difficult to withstand: ‘From this day forward, this king shall be known as Dhundhumāra.’ The gods honored him with wondrous divine flowers as the tiger among men, mighty and resolute, set out with his sons. Filled with the energy of Nārāyaṇa, that royal sage began to dig up the inexhaustible ocean of sand. Empowered and under Uttanka’s guidance, Kubalāśva’s sons dug through the sand where Dhundhu was concealed. There, in the western direction, they encountered Dhundhu, who, enraged and terrifying, had taken refuge—his mouth spewing fire, as though he sought to overturn the worlds themselves.