Śaśāda had a son named Purañjaya, and a remarkable story is told about him. In the distant past, during the Tretā age, a fearsome battle erupted between the gods and the demons. The gods, overpowered by the might of the demons, found themselves defeated and in despair. Seeking deliverance, they turned to the blessed Viṣṇu and worshipped Him with devotion. Pleased by their prayers, Nārāyaṇa—the eternal refuge of all worlds, without beginning or end—addressed the gods with compassion. “I know the desire within your hearts,” He said. “Listen as I reveal what must be done. Purañjaya, son of Śaśāda, a royal sage and foremost among kṣatriyas, will be My own portion descended into his body. Through him, I shall destroy the demons. Therefore, make your preparations with Purañjaya for the defeat of your foes.” The gods, filled with hope, bowed to the blessed Viṣṇu and set out to find Purañjaya. Approaching him, they pleaded, “O best of kṣatriyas, we beseech you for help in destroying our enemies. Since we have come to you, do not turn us away.” Purañjaya replied, “If Indra, the lord of the three worlds, Śatakratu himself, bears me on his shoulders in battle against your enemies, then I will be your ally.” Hearing this, all the gods, with Indra at their head, agreed, “So be it.” Indra then assumed the form of a mighty bull, and Purañjaya, filled with great energy by the power of the imperishable teacher of all beings, stood upon the bull’s hump. Thus empowered, Purañjaya entered the fray, and in the great battle between gods and demons, he slew the entire host of the daityas. Because he destroyed the demon army while standing on the bull’s hump, he became known as Kakutstha. Kakutstha had a son named Anenāḥ. Anenāḥ’s son was Pṛthu, whose son was Anenasa. Anenasa’s son was Viṣṭarāśva, and Viṣṭarāśva’s son was Cāṃdra Yuvanāśva. Cāṃdra Yuvanāśva’s son was Śāvasta, who founded the city of Śāvastī. Śāvasta’s son was Bṛhadaśva, whose son was Kuvalayāśva. Kuvalayāśva, empowered by Viṣṇu’s energy, was surrounded by his twenty-one thousand sons. Together, they slew the asura named Duṃdhu, who was the enemy of the great sage Uḍaka. For this feat, Kuvalayāśva gained the name Duṃdumāra. Yet, in the fierce battle, all his sons perished, scorched by the fiery breath of Duṃdhu, save for three: Dṛḍhāśva, Candra, and Kapilāśva. From Vṛḍhāśva came Haryaśva, and from him was born Nikuṃbha. Nikuṃbha’s son was Amitāśva, whose son was Kṛśāśva. Kṛśāśva’s son was Prasenajit, and Prasenajit’s son was Yuvanāśva. Yuvanāśva, however, was without a son and deeply grieved by his childlessness. In his sorrow, he dwelt among the sages in their hermitage. The compassionate sages, moved by his plight, performed a sacred sacrifice so that he might have a child. At midnight, when the ritual was complete, the sages placed a pot filled with water purified by mantras at the center of the altar and went to sleep. While the sages slept, King Yuvanāśva, tormented by great thirst, entered the hermitage. He did not disturb the sleeping sages, but, overcome by thirst, he drank from the vessel, not knowing its purpose or power. When the sages awoke, they asked, “Who has drunk the water purified by mantra?” At that moment, they declared, “The wife of King Yuvanāśva will give birth to a son of great strength and valor.” Hearing this, the king confessed, “I drank it unknowingly.” A wondrous event then occurred: a fetus began to develop within Yuvanāśva’s own belly, and it grew steadily. When the time came, the child broke forth from the king’s abdomen with his right thumb and entered the world. The king, however, died from this miraculous birth. The sages then gathered and asked, “What name shall we give him?