When understanding dawned within him, Sagara spoke to his mother, his heart filled with questions. “Mother, tell me—where are we? Where is our father?” he asked, seeking the truth. Gently, his mother revealed everything: the story of their exile, the loss of his father’s kingdom, and the wrongs they had suffered. Hearing all, Sagara’s heart blazed with anger at the usurpation of his father’s realm. He made a solemn vow to destroy the Haihayas, Tālajaṅghas, and all those who had wronged his family. With resolute might, Sagara set forth and slew most of the Haihayas and Tālajaṅghas. The Śakas, Yavanas, Kāmbojas, Pāradas, and Pahlavas, seeing their kin fall, fled in fear and sought refuge with their family preceptor, the sage Vasiṣṭha. Vasiṣṭha, moved by their plight, intervened. By his power, he made them as the living dead—bereft of their former station—and went to Sagara. “My child,” he said, “enough of these living dead and those who have followed them in death. For the sake of upholding your vow, I alone have caused them to abandon their duties and the company of the twice-born.” Accepting the sage’s words with gladness, Sagara allowed Vasiṣṭha to transform the defeated. Each group was given a distinct appearance: the Yavanas were made to shave their heads, the Śakas to shave only the tops of their heads, the Pāradas to wear their hair long, and the Pahlavas to keep beards. All these, along with other Kshatriyas, were made to abandon the recitation of sacred texts and ritual utterances. Having forsaken their own duties, these groups were cast out by the Brahmins and became known as mlecchas, outsiders to the sacred order. Sagara, his vow completed, returned to his own kingdom and ruled the earth, which stretched across seven continents, with unwavering authority. Now, Sagara had two wives: Sumati, daughter of Kāśyapa, and Keśinī, daughter of the king of Vidarbha. Desiring children, Sagara worshipped the sage Aurva with supreme concentration. Pleased, the sage granted him a boon: one wife would bear a single son to continue the lineage, while the other could bear sixty thousand sons. The choice was theirs. Keśinī chose to have one son, and Sumati chose to have sixty thousand. Soon, Keśinī gave birth to a single son named Asamañjasa, destined to continue the family line, while Sumati bore sixty thousand sons. In time, Asamañjasa himself fathered a son named Aṃśumān. But Asamañjasa, even from his earliest years, displayed wicked conduct. Sagara hoped that with age his son would change, but even after childhood passed, Asamañjasa’s behavior did not improve, and Sagara was forced to abandon him. The sixty thousand sons of Sumati, too, followed Asamañjasa’s unrighteous ways. Because of the Sagaras’ unruly conduct, their sacrifices were ruined. The gods, untouched by any fault and filled with all knowledge, approached Kapila, a portion of the Supreme Person, and bowed to him. “O Lord,” they pleaded, “Sagara’s sons are following the conduct of Asamañjasa. How will the world endure if they continue in wickedness?” The Lord assured them, “In just a few days, they will perish, and the world will be protected.” Meanwhile, Sagara began a great horse sacrifice. While his sons were guarding the sacrificial horse, someone stole it and disappeared into a hole in the earth. Determined to retrieve it, Sagara’s sons dug into the earth for a yojana, following the horse’s tracks. In the netherworld, they found the horse wandering freely. Nearby, they saw the Lord himself—sage Kapila—radiant like the autumn sun, his head bowed, illuminating all directions. Mistaking Kapila for the thief, the sons of Sagara, their minds clouded by evil, raised their weapons and cried, “This enemy has harmed us and obstructed our sacrifice! Let the horse thief be killed!” They rushed at him, but the Lord glanced at them with eyes slightly turned, and a fire issued from his own body, burning them to ashes. When Sagara learned that his sons had perished by the great sage Kapila’s power while pursuing the horse, he appointed his grandson Aṃśumān to retrieve it. Following the path his uncles had dug, Aṃśumān approached Kapila with devotion and humility and stood before him. The Lord spoke kindly to him: “Go, bring the horse to your grandfather, and ask for a boon. Your descendants will bring the Ganga from heaven to earth.” Aṃśumān replied, “Grant us a boon that my ancestors, who have been destroyed by Brahma’s curse, may attain heaven.” The Lord said, “What you ask has already been declared by me—your grandson will bring the Ganga from heaven to earth.” Thus, the story of Sagara, his sons, and the promise of the Ganga unfolded, guided by destiny and the will of the Supreme.