In the ancient lineage of kings, Anaraṇya’s son was Pṛṣadaśva, whose own son was Haryaśva. Haryaśva’s son was Hasta, and in turn, Hasta’s son was Sumanā. From Sumanā came Tridhanvā, and Tridhanvā’s son was Trayyāruṇi. Trayyāruṇi’s son was Satyavrata, who became renowned as Triśaṃku. Triśaṃku’s life took a dramatic turn when he attained the state of a caṇḍāla, an outcast. During a terrible twelve-year drought, Triśaṃku, seeking to support Viśvāmitra’s wife and children without accepting gifts from caṇḍālas, hunted deer each day at a banyan tree on the banks of the Jahnavi river. Viśvāmitra, greatly pleased by Triśaṃku’s devotion and sacrifice, lifted him bodily to heaven. From Triśaṃku descended Hariścandra, and then Rohitāśva. Rohitāśva’s son was Harita, whose son was Caṃcu. From Caṃcu came Vijayavasudeva, then Ruruka, and then Vṛka. Vṛka’s son was Bāhu, who suffered defeat at the hands of the Haihayas, Tāla-jaṃghas, and others, and retreated into the forest with his wife. To prevent Bāhu’s co-wife from conceiving, poison was administered to her. Yet, Bāhu’s wife carried his embryo in her womb for seven years. Bāhu, weakened by old age, died near the hermitage of the sage Aurva. In grief, his wife prepared the funeral pyre, intending to follow her husband in death. At that moment, the venerable Aurva, knower of past, present, and future, emerged from his hermitage and admonished her: “Enough, enough of this wrongful resolve! Within your womb abides a universal emperor, lord of the whole earth, of immense strength and valor, performer of many sacrifices, destroyer of enemy hosts.” Hearing these words, she abandoned her intention to die and was brought to Aurva’s hermitage. There, in a few days, a radiant boy was born from the long-nurtured embryo. Aurva performed his birth rites and named him Sagara. When Sagara’s sacred thread was invested, Aurva taught him the Vedas, the scriptures, and the Bhārgava missile known as Āgneya. As Sagara’s understanding matured, he questioned his mother: “Mother, tell me—where are we? Where is our father?” She revealed all that had transpired. Angered by the usurpation of his father’s kingdom, Sagara vowed to destroy the Haihayas, Tālajaṅghas, and their allies. He slew most of them. The Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbojas, Pāradas, and Pahlavas, being defeated, sought refuge with their preceptor, Vasiṣṭha. Vasiṣṭha, making them as living dead, spoke to Sagara: “My child, enough of these living dead and those who have followed them in death. For the sake of your vow, I have caused them to abandon their own duties and the company of the twice-born.” Sagara accepted Vasiṣṭha’s words gladly and caused these peoples to adopt different appearances: the Yavanas shaved their heads, the Shakas shaved only the tops, the Paradas wore their hair long, the Pahlavas kept beards, and all of them, along with other Kshatriyas, abandoned recitation of sacred texts and ritual utterances. Thus, having forsaken their own duties, they were cast out by the Brahmins and became mlecchas. Sagara returned to his realm and ruled the earth, which encompassed seven continents, with unwavering authority. Śrī Parāśara then spoke: Sagara had two wives—Sumati, daughter of Kāśyapa, and Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha. Desiring offspring, Sagara worshipped Aurva with supreme concentration, and the sage granted him a boon. Aurva declared that one wife would bear a single son to continue the lineage, and the other would bear sixty thousand sons. Keśinī chose to have one son; Sumati chose sixty thousand. Within a few days, Keśinī gave birth to a single son, Asamañjasa, who would continue the royal line. To Sumati, sixty thousand sons were born. From Asamañjasa came a son named Aṃśumān. Yet, Asamañjasa, even from childhood, was of bad conduct from his earliest years.