Through the power of yoga, the king became aware of a mighty, thunderous sound—like the roaring of the ocean at its high tide, the tumult of vast, crashing waves. In that moment of crisis, all his sons but three were consumed by the fierce fire unleashed by a Rākṣasa. Yet, with his own immense strength, the king vanquished the kin of the demon Dhundhu. Displaying extraordinary yogic prowess, the king drank in the surging waters and, with that same power, subdued the raging fire—just as a master yogi would. With his strength, he cast down the formidable water-demon and, his mission complete, presented the vanquished foe to the sage Uttaṅka. In gratitude, Uttaṅka granted the great-souled king a boon: inexhaustible wealth and invincibility, even against the mightiest of enemies. He further blessed the king with perpetual delight in righteousness, eternal residence in heaven, and, for his sons who had perished by the Rākṣasa’s fire, everlasting worlds in the heavenly realms. Of the king’s sons, only three survived: the eldest, Dṛḍhāśva—also known as Dhundhumāri—and his younger brothers Bhadrāśva and Kapilāśva, as tradition remembers. Dṛḍhāśva’s son was Haryaśva, and Haryaśva’s son was Nikumbha, renowned for his unwavering devotion to the warrior’s path. Nikumbha’s son was the illustrious and battle-skilled Saṃhatāśva, whose own sons were Kṛśāśva and Akṣayāśva. Saṃhatāśva’s wife was Hemavatī, a woman celebrated for her steadfast virtue and wisdom, known throughout the three worlds. Their son was Prasenajit, whose own son was Yuvanāśva—a king whose brilliance outshone the three worlds. Yuvanāśva was supremely righteous, and his wife, Gaurī, was deeply devoted to him. Yet, due to a curse from her husband, Gaurī became the river Bāhudā, and their son, Gaurika, rose to become a universal monarch. From Yuvanāśva came Māndhātā, a king who conquered the three worlds. The learned recount these ancient verses about him: “As far as the sun rises and as far as it sets, all that domain belonged to Māndhātā, son of Yuvanāśva.” Those who know the lineages also say: “Yuvanāśva, the great-souled and mighty sacrificer, was the father of Māndhātā, whom the ancient wise declare to be an incarnation of Viṣṇu.” Māndhātā’s wife was Caitrarathī, daughter of Śaśabindu—she was the virtuous Bindumatī, unmatched in beauty upon the earth. Devoted to her husband, she was the eldest among ten thousand brothers. With her, Māndhātā begot three sons: Purukutsa, Ambarīṣa, and the renowned Mucukunda; Ambarīṣa’s heir was another Yuvanāśva. From this Yuvanāśva descended Harita, founder of the heroic Hārita line—brāhmaṇas descended from Aṅgiras who had taken up the kṣatriya path. Purukutsa’s heir was Trasaddasyu, famed and born by the Narmadā river, whose own son was Sambhūta. Sambhūta’s son, Anaraṇya, mighty in valor, was slain long ago by Rāvaṇa during his conquest of the three worlds. Anaraṇya’s son was Trasadaśva, whose own son was Haryaśva. From Haryaśva, on the banks of the Drṣadvatī river, was born King Vasumat. Vasumat’s son was the righteous Tridhanvan; his son, Traidhanvana, was learned in the three Vedas and a master in battle. Traidhanvana’s son was the mighty prince Satyavrata, who, after slaying celestial beings, abducted the wife of Vidarbha. Due to this act, Satyavrata 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 embraced the kṣatriya life. Satyavrata’s deed was driven by desire, strength, delusion, the force of Saṅkarṣaṇa, and the power of destiny—even though he was wise. His father, a man of deep Vedic learning, abandoned Satyavrata for his unrighteousness, angrily commanding him to depart. Satyavrata pleaded, “Where shall I go?” To this, his father replied, “Live among the outcastes.” Further, he declared, “I do not wish for a son through my own son, O stain upon the lineage.” Thus, at his father’s command, Satyavrata left the city. The venerable sage Vasiṣṭha did not intervene. Satyavrata, wise and steadfast, now freed by his father, dwelt near the abode of the outcaste, while his father retired to the forest. During this time, Indra withheld the rains in the land, and for twelve years a great drought afflicted the kingdom, a result of that unrighteousness. In that same land, the great ascetic Viśvāmitra, having abandoned his wife, performed severe austerities upon the ocean’s shore. His wife, in desperation, bound their middle-born natural son by the neck and, crying out, offered him for sale to provide food. Seeing this child bound and being sold, the righteous and disciplined prince, son of a great sage, intervened and released him. Satyavrata, of great intellect, took responsibility for the boy’s sustenance, seeking to please Viśvāmitra and out of compassion. The boy became known as Gālava, “the bound one,” and was a great ascetic; his father, the sage Kauśika (Viśvāmitra), was freed from hardship by this act of valor. Through his vow, devotion, compassion, and steadfast promise, Satyavrata supported Viśvāmitra’s wife. He hunted deer, boars, buffaloes, and other forest creatures near Viśvāmitra’s hermitage, cooking their meat to provide sustenance. He observed the upāṃśu vow and undertook a twelve-year initiation, faithfully serving his father’s command while the king lived in the forest. In the meantime, the sage Vasiṣṭha, with the help of priests and teachers, protected Ayodhyā—the kingdom and the royal palace—ensuring its well-being during these troubled times.