The venerable king, having laid down his weapons in renunciation, spoke to the sage, “O best of the twice-born, though I myself have set aside my arms, my son will surely become the slayer of Dhundhu. There is no doubt of this.” Thus, appointing his own son to the great task of destroying the demon Dhundhu, the royal sage, steadfast in his vow, departed for the mountain to pursue his ascetic practices. Meanwhile, Kuvalāśva, a prince of great strength, set forth with a hundred valiant sons, accompanied by the sage Uttaṅka, determined to fulfill his father’s command and rid the world of Dhundhu. By the command of Uttaṅka, the blessed Lord Viṣṇu, desiring the welfare of all beings, entered Kuvalāśva with his divine energy. As this unconquerable prince set out, a mighty sound arose in the heavens, proclaiming, “Today this glorious one, Dhundhumāra, will become invulnerable.” The gods, rejoicing, showered Kuvalāśva with celestial fragrances and garlands, and the drums of the heavens resounded in blessing. With his courageous sons, Kuvalāśva advanced and began to dig into the endless sands where the demon lay hidden. As the sons of the king dug deeper, they uncovered Dhundhu, who had concealed himself, blocking the western direction. Enraged at being discovered, Dhundhu spewed fire from his mouth, as if he would overturn the worlds, and unleashed a mighty torrent of water, like the ocean rising in fury. From the tumult of waves and mud, the demon’s flames consumed a hundred of Kuvalāśva’s sons, sparing only three. Undaunted, the radiant king, destroyer of Dhundhu, approached the mighty demon. By the power of his yoga, he absorbed the force of the water and subdued the fire with water, displaying the mastery of a true yogi. At last, by his strength, Kuvalāśva slew the great-bodied, water-dwelling demon. His task accomplished, he presented himself before Uttaṅka. In gratitude, Uttaṅka granted the great-souled king a boon: inexhaustible wealth, unconquered by enemies. He also bestowed upon him constant delight in righteousness, unending residence in heaven, and for his sons who had perished in the battle with Dhundhu, eternal worlds in heaven. Of the king’s sons, three survived: Dṛḍhāśva, the eldest, and his younger brothers, Candrāśva and Kapilāśva. Dṛḍhāśva, son of Dhundhumāra, was remembered as the father of Haryaśva; Haryaśva’s son was Nikumbha, ever devoted to the kṣatriya duty. Nikumbha’s son was Saṃhatāśva, skilled in battle, whose sons were Akṛśāśva and Kṛśāśva. Saṃhatāśva also had a daughter, Dṛṣadvatī, renowned for her virtue throughout the three worlds, and her son was Prasenajit. Prasenajit married Gaurī, a devoted wife. Yet, cursed by her husband, she was transformed into the river Bāhudā. Prasenajit’s great son was Yuvanāśva, lord among men, and his son was Māndhātṛ, conqueror of the three worlds. Māndhātṛ’s wife was Caitrarathī, the daughter of Śaśabindu—a virtuous woman named Bindumatī, unrivaled in beauty and the eldest among ten thousand brothers. In Bindumatī, Māndhātṛ begot two sons: Purukutsa, knower of righteousness, and the king Mucukunda. Purukutsa’s son was Trasadasyu, lord of the earth. In the river Narmadā was born Saṃbhūta, whose son was Tridhanvan, destroyer of foes. King Tridhanvan’s son was the learned and mighty Trayyaruṇa, and his son was the powerful prince Satyavrata. Satyavrata, however, committed a grievous act. With evil intent, he disrupted the sacred marriage rites, taking away another man’s wife, though she was already wed. Driven by desire, childishness, delusion, recklessness, and impulsiveness, he abducted the daughter of a townsman, overcome by passion. Because of this sin, the royal priest, master of the three Vedas, abandoned Satyavrata, declaring in anger, “Let him be cast out!” Thus forsaken, Satyavrata turned to his father, asking, “Where shall I go?” His father replied, “Live among the outcastes. I no longer desire a son through you, O defiler of the lineage.” Obeying his father’s command, Satyavrata departed from the city. The venerable sage Vasiṣṭha did not intervene, and so Satyavrata dwelt near the settlement of the outcastes. Abandoned by his father, he remained there, while his father retired to the forest. Then, in that land, Indra withheld the rains. For twelve years, a terrible famine afflicted the land as a consequence of Satyavrata’s sin. In this time of hardship, the great ascetic Viśvāmitra, with his family, dwelled at the ocean’s edge, having renounced all possessions to perform austerities. His wife, desperate to feed their children, bound their middle son by the neck and sold him for a hundred cows to provide for the rest. Seeing the boy thus bound and about to be sold, the righteous and mighty-armed Satyavrata freed the sage’s son and took upon himself the duty of supporting him. Because of this act, the ascetic’s son became known as Gālava, for the bondage at his neck. The wise sage Kauśika (Viśvāmitra) was thus freed from this burden by Satyavrata’s compassion. Through devotion, compassion, and steadfastness in his vow, Satyavrata supported Viśvāmitra’s family, maintaining his discipline even in adversity. To provide for them, he hunted deer, boars, and buffaloes in the forest near Viśvāmitra’s hermitage, hanging the meat upon a tree for their sustenance.