As the great sage Viśvāmitra set out from Siddhāśrama, a multitude of devoted followers—learned in the Vedas—accompanied him for a long distance, stretching as far as a hundred carts could travel. Alongside them, groups of deer and birds, who made the hermitage their home, followed in the footsteps of the sage, drawn by his noble presence and austerity. After journeying for quite some time, as the sun began to set, the assembly of seers and the flocks of birds respectfully turned back, returning to their dwelling place. When the sun had fully set, Viśvāmitra and his companions bathed and performed their sacred fire offerings. Afterwards, led by Viśvāmitra—whose energy was immeasurable—they all sat down together. Rāma, accompanied by his brother Lakṣmaṇa, paid due homage to the assembled sages. Then, with reverence, they sat before the wise Viśvāmitra. At this moment, Rāma, radiant and mighty, his heart filled with curiosity, addressed the sage, who was revered as the tiger among ascetics: “Revered one, what is this land, so beautiful and adorned with flourishing forests? I wish to hear of it—please tell me truly.” Thus invited by Rāma’s words, the virtuous Viśvāmitra, surrounded by the assembly of seers, began to recount the history of that land: “There once lived a great ascetic named Kuśa, born from Brahma himself. He was steadfast in his vows, a knower of righteousness, and honored by the virtuous. This noble soul, endowed with immense strength, fathered four worthy sons with a virtuous woman from Vidarbha. Their names were Kuśāmba, Kuśanābha, Asūrtarajas, and Vasu—each radiant, energetic, and devoted to upholding the duties of the warrior class. Kuśa addressed his sons, who were righteous and truthful, saying, ‘My sons, govern well. By upholding righteousness, you will obtain great merit.’ Heeding their father’s words, each of these four noble princes established their own city. Kuśāmba, of great splendor, founded the city of Kauśāmbī; Kuśanābha, righteous in soul, established Mahodaya; Asūrtarajas, the king, founded Dharmāraṇya; and Vasu, the ruler, built the excellent city of Girivraja. O Rāma, this very land where we now sit is the land of Vasu, the great soul. Around us shine five excellent mountains, and through them flows the delightful river Sumāgadhī, famed among the Māgadhas. Like a garland, she graces the midst of these chief mountains. This is the Māgadhī river of the great Vasu, long cherished, fertile, and abundant with crops. Kuśanābha, the royal sage, righteous in soul, fathered a hundred incomparable daughters with the celestial nymph Ghṛtācī, O descendant of Raghu. These daughters, adorned with youth and beauty, splendidly decorated, entered the garden grounds like a hundred rivers swelling in the rainy season. Singing, dancing, and playing instruments, they delighted in supreme joy, their ornaments shining brilliantly. As they wandered, beautiful in every limb and unmatched in grace, they seemed like stars among the clouds. At that moment, the wind-god, lord of all beings, beheld them and desired them. He spoke: ‘I wish for you all to become my wives. Abandon your human state, and you shall attain long life. Human youth is fleeting, but with me, you will enjoy unfading youth and immortality.’ Hearing the words of the wind-god, whose actions are effortless, the hundred maidens laughed gently and replied: ‘O best of the gods, you move within all beings and all are aware of your power. Why then do you disregard us? We are the daughters of Kuśanābha, and we practice austerity to protect ourselves from being taken from our proper place. May such a time never come when you would dishonor our truthful father. We seek a husband through our father, following our own duty. Our father is our lord and highest deity; whomever he gives us to, he shall be our husband.’ Hearing their steadfast words, the god Hari, greatly enraged, entered all their bodies and broke them, reducing their forms to the size of a finger. Terrified and agitated, the maidens, their eyes filled with tears, returned to their father’s house, modest and distressed. Seeing his beloved daughters so afflicted and broken, King Kuśanābha was deeply troubled. He asked them, ‘What has happened, my daughters? Who has disregarded righteousness? By whom have you all been made crooked? You move about but do not speak.’ Thus the king, sighing deeply, sought to compose himself. Hearing the king’s words, the hundred maidens touched his feet with their heads and spoke: ‘O king, the wind, who pervades all, sought to violate us, following an unrighteous path and disregarding righteousness. We are under our father’s authority and not independent. We told him to seek you, our father; if you gave us to him, we would be his. But because he would not accept our words and persisted in unrighteousness, we were all struck harshly by the wind.