Never, in all my days, have even I loved my own self more dearly than the Brahmins. Never have I strayed from my duty, nor have I ever allowed my vision to see any difference among gods, humans, animals, birds, trees, or any other beings. Such is the nature of the unchanging Lord. So, with unwavering purpose, remembering the blessed Lord as the sages do, I shall reach Him. Thus, meditating upon the Supreme Soul—the Guru of the gods, whose form is beyond description, who is pure existence—in the one called Vāsudeva, he merged his self into the Supreme Self and attained dissolution then and there. And here, too, is an ancient verse once sung by the Seven Sages: "No one equal to Khatvanga will ever exist on earth." Indeed, after descending from heaven and being granted but a moment of life on earth, Khatvanga, through his intelligence and truthfulness, united the three worlds. From Khatvanga was born Dīrghabāhu, and from Dīrghabāhu came Raghu. Raghu’s son was Aja, and Aja’s son was Dasharatha. To Dasharatha, the blessed Lord, lotus-naveled, entered the world in fourfold form—Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, and Śatrughna—each a portion of his own Self, for the preservation of the world. Even as a boy, at the request of Viśvāmitra, Rāma went to protect the sage’s sacrifice. There, he slew Tāṭakā, and during the same sacrifice, struck Mārīca with an arrow, casting him into the ocean. He destroyed Subāhu and others, and, by his mere glance, freed Ahalyā from her sin. At King Janaka’s house, Rāma effortlessly broke the great bow of Śiva and, by winning this trial of strength, received Sītā, daughter of the earth and King Janaka, as his bride. He humbled Paraśurāma, the terror of all kṣatriyas and the pride of the Bhārgava line, removing his arrogance. Then, obedient to his father’s command, Rāma set aside all desire for the kingdom and entered the forest, accompanied by his wife Sītā and brother Lakṣmaṇa. In the wilderness, he slew many foes—Virādha, Khara, Dūṣaṇa, Kabandha, and Vāli. He bridged the ocean, destroyed the entire race of Rākṣasas, and, after slaying Rāvaṇa, rescued his abducted wife Sītā. She was purified by the ordeal of fire, praised by the hosts of gods, and returned to Ayodhyā, free from all blemish. Maitreya, the auspicious ceremony of Rāma’s coronation is so glorious that even a hundred years would not suffice to recount it fully; listen, then, to a brief account. Rāma, the delight of the Raghu line, beloved of Sītā and his three brothers, sat upon the throne of Kosala for eleven thousand years. He was attended by Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, Śatrughna, Vibhīṣaṇa, Sugrīva, Aṅgada, Jāmbavat, Hanumān, and others with joyful faces. He was served with parasols and fans, honored by all the gods—Brahmā, Indra, Yama, Nirṛti, Varuṇa, Vāyu, Kubera, Īśāna, and others—praised by sages such as Vasiṣṭha, Vāmadeva, Vālmīki, Mārkaṇḍeya, Viśvāmitra, Bharadvāja, Agastya, and more. The reciters of the Ṛg, Yajur, Sāma, and Atharva Vedas lauded him, while music, dance, and auspicious sounds from all the worlds—veena, flute, drum, kettle-drum, conch, kahala, gomukha, and others—filled the air among the assembled kings, for the protection of all the worlds. Bharata, seeking to conquer the Gandharva realm, slew three crores of Gandharvas in battle. Śatrughna, mighty and valiant, killed Lavaṇa, the Rākṣasa son of Madhu, and established the city of Mathurā. Thus, through their extraordinary strength, valor, and heroic deeds, Rāma, Lakṣmaṇa, Bharata, and Śatrughna—the destroyers of the most wicked—established order in the world and, at last, ascended to heaven. The people of Kosala who were devoted to these divine incarnations also attained their world, sharing in their consciousness. Rāma, destroyer of the most wicked, had two sons, Kuśa and Lava. Lakṣmaṇa’s sons were Aṅgada and Candraketu; Bharata’s were Takṣa and Puṣkala; Śatrughna’s were Subāhu and Śūrasena. Kuśa’s son was Atithi, and Atithi’s son was Niṣadha. From Niṣadha came Anala; from him, Nabhā; from Nabhā, Puṇḍarīka; his son was Kṣemadhanvan; from him, Devānīka; from him, Ahīnaka; from Ahīnaka, Ruru; from him, Pāriyātraka; from Pāriyātraka, Devala; from Devala, Vatsala; from him, Utka; from Utka, Vajranābha; from him, Śaṃkhana; from him, Ādyuṣitāśva; and from him, Viśvasaha was born. From Viśvasaha came Hiraṇyanābha, the great yogi, to whom King Jaimini was a disciple, and from whom Yājñavalkya learned yoga. Hiraṇyanābha’s son was Puṣya; from him, Dhruvasaṃdhi; from him, Sudarśana; from him, Agnivarṇa; from him, Śīghraga; and from him, Maru was born. Maru, having taken up yoga, even now remains in the village of Kalāpa. In a future age, he will restore the kṣatriya lineage of the Solar dynasty. Maru’s son was Praśuśruka; his son was Susandhi; then came Amarṣa; his son was Sahasvān; and from him, Viśvabhava. Viśvabhava’s son was Bṛhadbala, who was slain in the Bhārata war by Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. These, then, are the principal kings of the Ikṣvāku line as I have recounted. Whoever hears their deeds is freed from all sins. Now, among the sons of Ikṣvāku was Nimi, who began a sacrificial session lasting a thousand years, choosing Vasiṣṭha as his chief priest. But Vasiṣṭha told him, “I have already been chosen by Indra for a sacrifice lasting five hundred years; after that, I will come and serve as your priest.” The king said nothing in reply, and Vasiṣṭha, understanding his intention, performed Indra’s sacrifice. Meanwhile, Nimi performed his own sacrifice with other priests such as Gautama. When Indra’s sacrifice was complete, Vasiṣṭha, eager, came and said, “Now I will perform Nimi’s rite.” But seeing Gautama already officiating, and that the king had not refused him, Vasiṣṭha, angered, assigned another rite to Gautama and cursed the king, saying, “Because you did not reject me, you will become without a body—Videha.” The awakened king replied, “Because you, my wicked teacher, gave me a curse while I was asleep and unaware, without even speaking to me, therefore a curse will fall upon you as well.” Having said this, the king gave up his body. Because of that curse, the energy of Vasiṣṭha entered the radiance of Mitra and Varuṇa, and from their union with Urvaśī, Vasiṣṭha obtained another body. As for Nimi, his body, exceedingly beautiful and fragrant with the scent of oil and other substances, did not decay or suffer any corruption, but remained as if freshly dead.