In the ancient times, there was a renowned calf whose son was named Alarka. Alarka’s fame endured through the ages, for even now a verse is sung in his honor. While still a youth, Alarka alone ruled the earth for six thousand and six hundred years, with no other sharing his sovereignty. Alarka’s lineage continued with his son Sannati. Sannati’s son was Sunitha, whose own son was Suketu. From Suketu was born Dharmaketu, who was succeeded by Satyaketu. After Satyaketu came Vibhu, then Suvibhu, followed by Sukumara. Sukumara’s son was Drishtaketu, who was succeeded by Vitihotra, then Bharga, and from Bharga came Bhargabhumi. In the time of Bhargabhumi, the fourfold order of society was established. Thus, these illustrious kings belonged to the noble Kashyapa line. Now, let us turn to the lineage of Raji. Raji was blessed with five hundred sons, all of whom were unmatched in strength and sovereignty. At the beginning of a great war between the gods and the demons, both sides, eager for victory and destruction of the other, approached Brahma to ask, “Lord, in this conflict, which side will be victorious?” Brahma replied, “Victory will belong to the side for which Raji takes up arms and fights.” Hearing this, the demons first approached Raji and sought his help. Raji replied, “I will fight for you, but only if, after victory, you make me your Indra.” The demons answered, “We cannot agree to that, for Prahlada is our Indra, and for him we strive.” Thus, they departed. The gods then came to Raji with the same request, and when he made the same condition, they agreed eagerly, saying, “You shall be Indra.” With Raji’s support and the gods’ army, the demons were utterly destroyed by many great weapons. Indra, victorious, bowed at Raji’s feet, placed his own head there, and said, “You are my father, my protector from fear, my giver of refuge, the highest among beings. I am your son, and you are lord of the three worlds.” The king, smiling, replied, “So be it; a respectful greeting, even if filled with flattering words from an enemy, must not be disregarded.” With these words, Raji returned to his own city. Indra, the wielder of a hundred sacrifices, retained his position as king of the gods. But when Raji ascended to heaven, his sons, prompted by the sage Narada and following custom, requested the kingdom from Indra, their father’s friend and son. When Indra refused, Raji’s sons, being stronger, defeated him and assumed the position of Indra themselves. After a long time, Brihaspati saw Indra alone, deprived of his share of the sacrifices of the three worlds, and spoke to him. Indra pleaded, “At least give me a piece of sacrificial cake, even as small as a jujube fruit, for my nourishment.” Brihaspati replied, “Had you asked earlier, what would I not have done for you?” He assured Indra, “In just a few days, I will restore you to your rightful place.” Brihaspati then performed a ritual to bewilder the minds of Raji’s sons and to increase Indra’s power. Overcome by delusion, Raji’s sons abandoned righteousness and turned away from the Vedas. Indra, now restored by the priest’s power, destroyed them and reclaimed his position as king of the gods. It is said that hearing of Indra’s fall and restoration protects a man from misfortune and wickedness. Meanwhile, Rambha was childless. Kshatravriddha’s lineage continued through his son Pratikshatra, then Sanjaya, followed by Vijaya, Yajnakrit, Harshavardhana, Sahadeva, Adina, Jayasena, Samhuti, and finally Kshatradharma. These are the descendants of Kshatravriddha. Now, let us hear of the lineage of Nahusha. Nahusha had six mighty and valiant sons: Yati, Yayati, Samyati, Ayati, Viyati, and Kriti. Yati did not desire the kingdom, so Yayati became king. Yayati married Devayani, daughter of Ushanas, and Sharmishtha, daughter of Vrishaparvan. Due to a curse from Kavi, Yayati was afflicted with old age before his time. By the favor of Shukra’s words, Yayati had the power to transfer his old age. He called his eldest son, Yadu, and said, “Because of your mother’s great curse, old age has come upon me prematurely. By her grace, I may transfer it to you for a thousand years, so that, satisfied with pleasures, I may enjoy your youth.” When told, “You must not refuse this,” Yadu did not wish to accept old age. In anger, Yayati cursed him, “Because of you, your descendants will not inherit the kingdom.” Yayati then turned to Drahya, Turvasa, and Anu, hoping one of them would accept his old age, but each refused and was likewise cursed. Finally, he spoke to Puru, the youngest son of Sharmishtha. Puru, devoted to his father, bowed respectfully and said, “This is a great favor to us,” and nobly accepted the burden of old age, giving his own youth to his father. With renewed youth, Yayati enjoyed pleasures as he wished, in accordance with righteousness, time, and his own strength, and governed his subjects wisely. Enjoying pleasures with Vishvaci, his mind became absorbed in the thought, “I will reach the end of desires.” But day by day, the delights only seemed more enticing. He realized that desire is never satisfied by enjoyment; like fire fed with ghee, it only grows stronger. Even all the rice, barley, gold, cattle, and women on earth are not enough for a single man; thus, excessive craving should be abandoned. He reflected, “When a person harbors no ill will toward any being and sees all with equal vision, all directions become pleasant for him. That craving, which is hard to give up and does not age even as the body ages, must be abandoned, for the wise are easily fulfilled. As a person ages, his hair and teeth grow old, but the desire for wealth and life never grows old. Even after a thousand years, my craving for pleasure only increases. Therefore, I shall abandon this craving, fix my mind on the divine, become free from attachment and possessiveness, and wander with the deer.” Yayati then took back his old age from Puru and returned youth to him. He anointed Puru as king and departed to the forest for penance. He assigned Turvasa to the southeastern direction, Druhyu to the west, and Yadu to the southern path. Anu was assigned the northern direction. Having made them rulers of their regions, and after anointing Puru as lord of all the earth, Yayati went to the forest. Now, hear of Kroṣṭu, the son of Yadu. Kroṣṭu’s son was Dhvajinīvan, whose son was Svāti, then Ruśaṅku, and then Citraratha. Citraratha’s son was Śaśibindu, who became a universal monarch, lord of fourteen great treasures. Śaśibindu had a hundred thousand wives and a hundred thousand sons. Among them, Pṛthuśravāḥ, Pṛthukarmā, Pṛthukīrtiḥ, Pṛthuyaśāḥ, Pṛthujayaḥ, and Pṛthudānaḥ were the six principal sons. Pṛthutamaḥ was the son of Pṛthuśravasa, from whom came Uśanā, who performed a hundred horse sacrifices. Uśanā’s son was named Śitapūrṇa.