By the power of Kārtavīrya, the illustrious lord among men, the mountains and forests of his realm were burned, showing his overwhelming might. Citrabhānu, along with the Haihayas, drained the deserted hermitages and the islands belonging to Varuṇa’s son. Long ago, Varuṇa had a distinguished son, the sage Vasiṣṭha, renowned for his devotion to the waters. In anger and distress at the destruction of his sacred forest, Vasiṣṭha cursed Arjuna, the Haihaya king, saying, “Because you did not spare my forest, O Haihaya, for this difficult deed, another will slay you. Arjuna, son of Kunti, will not be king. Arjuna Rāma, of great might and foremost among warriors, will cut off your thousand arms, subduing you with force. A powerful ascetic brāhmaṇa will slay you; for him, Rāma will be the agent of death, by the curse of the wise sage.” This king, Kārtavīrya, had formerly chosen a boon for himself: he had a hundred sons, among whom five were great chariot-warriors—Śūra, Śūrasena, Vṛṣṭi, Vṛṣa, and Jayadhvaja—skilled in arms, strong, valiant, righteous, and renowned. Jayadhvaja, son of the lord of Avanti, had a son named Tālavaṅgha, famed for his prowess, who also had a hundred sons known as the Tālavaṅghas. Among the great Haihayas, five clans became renowned: the countless Vīrahotras, the Bhojas, Avartas, the valiant Tuṇḍikeras, and the Tālavaṅghas. Vīrahotra’s son was a king named Ananta; his son was Durjaya, formidable and a terror to his foes. That king possessed inexhaustible wealth and, by his power, protected his subjects. It is said that whoever recounts the birth of the wise Kārtavīrya will not suffer loss of wealth, and whatever is lost, he shall regain. In this very world, such a person becomes wealthy and his righteousness increases, honored in heaven just as Tvaṣṭṛ and Dātā. The sages, curious about these events, asked, “For what reason was the world, the abode of great souls, burned by Kārtavīrya’s might? Tell us, for we wish to know. We have heard this royal sage was a protector of the people; how did he, being a protector, destroy that sacred grove?” Sūta replied, “The Sun, taking the form of a brāhmaṇa, approached Kārtavīrya, desiring satisfaction, and asked for food, revealing, ‘I am the Sun, without doubt.’ The king responded, ‘O blessed one, tell me, O Sun, by what offering will you be satisfied? What kind of food shall I give? Tell me, and I shall provide it.’ The Sun replied, ‘Give me all immovable things as food, O best of givers; by that I would be satisfied—by nothing else, O king.’ The king answered, ‘It is not possible for a human’s power to burn all that is immovable; O foremost of the burning ones, I bow to you alone.’ The Sun said, ‘I am pleased with you; shoot arrows—unfailing and delightful in every way. When released, they will blaze, endowed with my energy. By my command, your energy will dry up the ocean of clouds; I shall make it dry and turn it to ashes—thus am I pleased with you, O king.’ Then the Sun gave arrows to Arjuna; having received them, he destroyed all that was immovable. Hermitages, villages, cowherd settlements, cities, delightful sacred groves, forests, and gardens were all burned. Thus, beginning in the east and circling the Sun, the earth was burned by the Sun’s energy—left without trees or grass. At that very time, a great sage, dwelling in water for ten thousand years, had taken refuge in the waters. When his vow was complete, the great ascetic, radiant with austerity, rose up; he saw his hermitage burned by Arjuna and, in anger, cursed the royal sage, as I have recounted to you. Sūta continued, “Hear of the noble lineage of the royal sage, descended from Kroṣṭṛ. From his line came Vṛṣṇi, the foremost of the Vṛṣṇi clan. Kroṣṭṛ had a son, Vṛjinīvat, of great fame; those who desire the best among the Svāhi and Svāhova lineages seek Vārjinīvat. From Svāhā was born a son, the king Raśādu, best of givers; those who desire the foremost son of Raśādu, born of clarified butter, seek him. He was consecrated with great sacrifices, various and generously endowed with gifts; his son Citraratha was distinguished by remarkable deeds. Thus Citraratha, the valiant one, performed sacrifices with abundant offerings; Śaśabindu was renowned among royal sages for his conduct. A universal monarch, possessing great strength, valor, and many offspring, concerning him this ancestral verse was sung by the sages of old. Śaśabindu had a hundred sons, all wise, fittingly endowed with abundant wealth and brilliance. Among them, six were foremost, mighty and powerful: Pṛthuṣāṭka, Pṛthuśravā, Pṛthuyaśā, Pṛthudharma, Pṛthuñjaya, Pṛthukīrtti, and Pṛthundāta—kings among the Śaśibindus. The ancient texts recount, apart from Pārthaśravas, that Antara was the son born of the sacrifice. Uśanā, whose nature was righteous, having obtained this earth, performed a hundred horse sacrifices, most excellent and virtuous. Marutta was his son, renowned among royal sages; the heroic Kambalabarhi was remembered as Marutta’s son.” Thus, the story unfolds: from the fiery deeds of Kārtavīrya and the curse of the sage, to the noble lineages of kings and sages, each event echoing the grandeur and complexity of dharma and destiny.