Vaishampayana said, “Listen, O king, to this wonderful history of what transpired truly in a former Kalpa!  In days of yore, in the Krita age, O king, all celestials, duly approaching Varuna, said unto him these words, ’As Shakra, the Lord of the celestials, always protects us from every fear, similarly be thou the Lord of all the rivers!  Thou always residest, O god, in the Ocean, that home of makaras!  This Ocean, the lord of rivers, will then be under thy dominion!  Thou shalt then wax and wane with Soma!’ (Thus addressed) Varuna answered them, saying, ’Let it be so!’ All the celestials then, assembling together, made Varuna having his abode in the ocean the Lord of all the waters, according to the rites laid down in the scriptures.  Having installed Varuna as the Lord of all aquatic creatures and worshipping him duly, the celestials returned to their respective abodes.  Installed by the celestials, the illustrious Varuna began to duly protect seas and lakes and rivers and other reservoirs of water as Shakra protects the gods.  Bathing in that tirtha also and giving away diverse kinds of gifts, Baladeva, the slayer of Pralamva, possessed of great wisdom, then proceeded to Agnitirtha, that spot where the eater of clarified butter, disappearing from the view, became concealed within the entrails of the Sami wood.  When the light of all the worlds thus disappeared, O sinless one, the gods then repaired to the Grandsire of the universe.  And they said, ’The adorable Agni has disappeared.  We do not know the reason.  Let not all creatures be destroyed.  Create fire, O puissant Lord!’”

Janamejaya said, “For what reason did Agni, the Creator of all the worlds, disappear?  How also was he discovered by the gods?  Tell me all this in detail.”

Vaishampayana said, “Agni of great energy became very much frightened at the curse of Bhrigu.  Concealing himself within the entrails of the Sami wood, that adorable god disappeared from the view.  Upon the disappearance of Agni, all the gods, with Vasava at their head, in great affliction, searched for the missing god.  Finding Agni then, they saw that god lying within the entrails of the Sami wood.  The celestials, O tiger among king, with Brihaspati at their head, having succeeded in finding out the god, became very glad with Vasava amongst them.  They then returned to the places they had come from.  Agni also, from Bhrigu’s curse, became an eater of everything, as Bhrigu, that utterer of Brahma, had said.  The intelligent Balarama, having bathed there, then proceeded to Brahmayoni where the adorable Grandsire of all the worlds had exercised his functions of creations.  In days of yore, the Lord Brahman, along with all the gods, bathed in that tirtha, according to due rites for the celestials.  Bathing there and giving away diverse kinds of gifts, Valadeva then proceeded to the tirtha called Kauvera where the puissant Ailavila, having practised severe austerities, obtained, O king, the Lordship over all treasures.  While