When the noble sage Uttanka approached King Bṛhadaśva with a request to subdue the demon Dhundhu, the great-souled king responded with humility and resolve. Having renounced the use of weapons himself, he entrusted this formidable task to his son, Kubalāśva, declaring, “Let my son go, O best of the twice-born. He will surely become the slayer of Dhundhu.” With these words, the king instructed Kubalāśva, who was already prepared in mind and spirit to face the demon. Then, having set his son upon this path, the king withdrew to the mountains to undertake severe austerities, his vow unshakable. Kubalāśva, righteous and steadfast, accepted his father’s command. He gathered his vast retinue—his twenty-one thousand sons—and accompanied by the sage Uttanka, set out with determination to subdue the terrible Dhundhu. At that auspicious moment, the blessed Lord Viṣṇu, at Uttanka’s behest and for the welfare of the worlds, entered Kubalāśva by his own radiant power. As Kubalāśva and his sons departed, a mighty sound resounded in the heavens, difficult for any to withstand: “From this day forth, this king shall be known as Dhundhumāra—the slayer of Dhundhu.” The gods themselves honored him, showering him with wondrous divine flowers, as this tiger among men, mighty and resolute, set out with his sons. Filled with the energy of Nārāyaṇa, Kubalāśva began to dig into the inexhaustible ocean of sand beneath which Dhundhu lay concealed. Empowered and guided by Uttanka, Kubalāśva’s sons dug tirelessly through the sand. There, in the western direction, they encountered Dhundhu, the demon, who was enraged and spewing fire from his mouth, as if intent on overturning the very worlds. By the power of yoga, Kubalāśva perceived the sound of water—vast and tumultuous, like the ocean at its rise. But as they pressed on, the demon’s fiery breath consumed all of Kubalāśva’s sons except three. In his wrath, Kubalāśva destroyed the kin of Dhundhu, and, invoking yogic power, drank the surging water and subdued the fire with water as a true yogi would. With his immense strength, he cast down the great-bodied water-demon, and, his mission fulfilled, presented the vanquished Dhundhu to Uttanka. Pleased, Uttanka granted Kubalāśva a boon: inexhaustible wealth and invincibility even against enemies. He also bestowed upon him everlasting delight in righteousness, eternal residence in heaven, and for the sons who perished in battle, everlasting worlds in the heavens. Of Kubalāśva’s sons, only three survived: the eldest, Dṛḍhāśva, and his brothers, Bhadrāśva and Kapilāśva. Dṛḍhāśva, also known as Dhundhumāri, was succeeded by his son Haryaśva. Haryaśva’s son was Nikumbha, who was ever devoted to the warrior’s duty. Nikumbha’s son was Saṃhatāśva, renowned and skilled in battle, and Saṃhatāśva had two sons: Kṛśāśva and Akṣayāśva. Saṃhatāśva’s wife was Hemavatī, famed for her virtue and wisdom throughout the three worlds. Their son was Prasenajit, whose son was Yuvanāśva—a king whose brilliance surpassed the three worlds and whose righteousness was supreme. Yuvanāśva’s wife, Gaurī, was devoted to her husband, but due to a curse from him, she became the river Bāhudā. Their son, Gaurika, became a universal monarch. Yuvanāśva’s son Māndhātā was a mighty king who conquered the three worlds. Of him, the learned recite: “As far as the sun rises and as far as it sets, all that is the domain of Māndhātā, son of Yuvanāśva.” Those versed in the lineage further proclaim that Yuvanāśva was a great sacrificer and that Māndhātā was an incarnation of Viṣṇu. Māndhātā’s wife was Caitrarathī, also known as Bindumatī, daughter of Śaśabindu—unequalled in beauty and virtue, and the eldest among ten thousand brothers. From her, Māndhātā begot three sons: Purukutsa, Ambarīṣa, and the renowned Mucukunda. Ambarīṣa’s heir was another Yuvanāśva, whose son was Harita, founder of the Hārita lineage—heroes descended from Aṅgiras, brāhmaṇas who had taken up the path of kṣatriyas. Purukutsa’s heir was Trasaddasyu, famous and born on the banks of the Narmadā river. Trasaddasyu’s son was Sambhūta, whose son was Anaraṇya, mighty in valor. Anaraṇya was slain long ago by Rāvaṇa during the latter’s conquest of the three worlds. Anaraṇya’s son was Trasadaśva, whose son was Haryaśva. From Haryaśva, on the Drṣadvatī river, was born King Vasumat. Vasumat’s son was the righteous king Tridhanvan, whose son Traidhanvana was learned in the three Vedas and a master of battle. Traidhanvana’s son was the mighty Satyavrata, who, after slaying the celestial beings, abducted the wife of Vidarbha. For this act, he was excluded from the marriage rites. His son was Viṣṇuvṛddha, so named because he was increased by Viṣṇu; these too were sons of Aṅgiras, brāhmaṇas who had taken up the kṣatriya path. Satyavrata’s deed was driven by desire, strength, delusion, the force of Saṅkarṣaṇa, and the inexorable power of destiny. His father, endowed with the three Vedic qualities, abandoned him for this unrighteous act, angrily commanding, “Depart!” Satyavrata asked repeatedly, “Where shall I go?” and his father replied, “Live among the outcastes.” Declaring, “I do not desire a son through my own son, O stain upon the lineage,” the father sent him away, and Satyavrata departed from the city as commanded. The venerable sage Vasiṣṭha did not intervene. Thus, Satyavrata, wise and steadfast, freed by his father’s command, dwelt near the abode of the outcastes, while his father retreated to the forest.